We actually would have preferred to have stayed in Grenoble, or close to Montbonnot where the iMAGIS lab had just moved in October, but it was very difficult
to find a place for a period of just 2 months.  I spent the first couple of weeks living at James and Rachel's (thanks!) looking for a place, but the only available lodging
was this chalet.  You might sarcastically think 'Oooh they had it rough' since a chalet in the mountains is often thought of as a wonderful place to live, but life wasn't
always easy.  The village of St. Hilaire du Touvet is quite small -- perhaps a hundred or so inhabitants -- and there aren't very many choices for food shopping, and those choices that exist are quite expensive.  The village is 25km from Grenoble and about 17km from Montbonnot; several busses passed through St. Hilaire daily, but one could never be sure whether the driver would pick you up on the return trip, or whether he would remember to set his watch correctly for daylight savings.
Cycling was impossible as St. Hilaire is at 1000m elevation, while Grenoble and Montbonnot are in the Isere valley at about 200m.

The upshot was that I hitchhiked back and forth to Montbonnot as it was faster and more reliable than taking the bus, while Diana stayed by herself in the chalet most days.  This was a little difficult to deal with at times, but the beauty of the alps was more than enough to lift our spirits over the day to day technical difficulties.  In addition, I met a number of very kind people, most notably Aline, Jacques, and Michel.

The chalet was built just a couple of years ago by Bruno and Maryse Nurit.  It is quite nice inside, with a fireplace, microwave, dishwasher, and bedspace for about ten people.  We rattled around in there a bit due to its size, and tended not to use the upstairs as the cost of heating by electricity is very high in France.

Since it was before ski season and after hiking season, the chalet was uninhabited, and we managed to get it for a somewhat lower price than high season would have brought.