La Boulaie
Dorian Cramer Lord's house has been around for decades now.
It has often served as a "touch-base" for members of the Cramer family,
all of whom have lived there at one point or another. (Please note:
currently, the only people who live there are Dorian, David, and Dorian's
daughter Adriana.)
In 2003, Dorian -- in her quest to "out-do" her rival, Viki Lord Davidson
-- decided that her home needed a name (the way Viki's home is named "Llanfair").
Dorian noted that when the house was built in 1925, its name was "Birch
Grove." So she translated that into French and re-christened the house,
"La Boulaie." Dorian also obtained a wooden name plaque (featured above)
naming the house and noting that it was established in 1825
rather than 1925. While this plan was met with skepticism from some
corners of the Cramer family, eventually other characters began to refer
to it as "La Boulaie" as well.
"La Boulaie" is indeed a French term for a birch tree or a group of birch
trees. You can find more information about that subject
here.
Looking up "la boulaie" on an online search engine such as Google or
Yahoo! returns a few results to websites featuring places that are actually
named "La Boulaie." Here are some links to a few of the web sites about
the "real" La Boulaie's out there:
Gite La Boulaie
La
Boulaie
La
Boulaie - Mme Nourry
La Boulaie Quotes From the Show
Dorian: This is a picture of the house the way it used to look in
1925 when it was built. And you see? It's -- it's surrounded
by beautiful birch trees?
David: (reading the inscription) "Birch Grove."
Dorian: Birch Grove, yes, that's the name that the house used to have.
So I will call it La Boulaie.
David: Oh, is that French for "pretentious"?
Dorian: Bete -- that's French for "stupid," really stupid. La
Bouleau, it's a beautiful name. La Boulaie.
David: So your idea to fight Viki for the governor is to name your
house?
Dorian: Don't you see? He's only interested in Viki because
of her lineage, her title, and that stuffy old mansion of hers -- Llanfair?
I mean, really. It sounds like the name of an agricultural
exposition.
[Dorian imagines David's reaction to her "death"]
David: I have a beautiful new home, my estate, La Boulaie.
Woman: What's a boulaie?
David: It's some kind of skinny white tree. But now that it's
mine, all mine, I think I'll rename it. What do you think of Chateau
von Vickers?