Extended family

Some of our favorite times so far have been activities that seem too mundane to capture or times when the camera wasn't appropriate.  Given that we are here with the kids and want them to have lots of down time, there has been a disproportionate amount of time spent hanging around the house, walking to the bakery or the grocery store or cleaning the house.

Our biggest stroke of luck, I think, was our rental house. Not just because it's beautiful and just spacious enough for us to be comfortable, but because it is a duplex shared with Leen's sister-in-law's family. (Leen is Dave's sister, my sister-in-law). Living next door has not only given us friendly contacts who are willing to put up with our attempts at speaking French but also has made it so we've been included in family events. Last night, we celebrated Odette's 80th birthday. (Odette is the mother of our host, Béatrice, and Leen's husband, Jean-marc). It was amusing in that Odette didn't want a big deal made so it was just a family dinner and then at the end they lit candles and sang Bon Anniversaire over her objections.  Similarly, last weekend, Béatrice and her husband, Xavier, invited us over for Sunday aperitif  which meant wine and snacks that started at 1pm.  I mostly just quietly drown in the rapid french but I do get bits of conversation and lots of good food and drink and friendly company.

Toulouse with Robin

I saw on Facebook that one of the girls' teachers (and our neighbor) was going to be in Toulouse this week. So we drove two hours west-ish to spend the afternoon with her.

Mae and Robin 'race' their horses

Adi on the upper deck

Ben makes his suave descent

Old men collected on a bench in the nearby park

Beautiful buildings everywhere.

Ice cream and macarons to say goodbye

San Sebastian

While Dave was on a business trip hanging movie screens in Barcelona and London, my friend Ben from Colorado was visiting. On Monday, he and the girls and I drove east two hours to the Spanish city of San Sebastian, on the Atlantic Ocean.


The forecast was for rain so the girls got to test their new rain boots in the waves... while people swam behind us. They didn't look particularly cold but I wasn't willing to try it (or deal with the aftermath of the girls getting wet!). It didn't rain on us but the wind was fierce.

Vivi collected scraps of sea shells (and a lot of sand).

We visited the aquarium, which I'd been to ten years before. 

Jelly fish

On our trip ten years ago, I'd fallen in love with some iridescent tile. When we remodeled our house two years ago, I used a picture to pick out tile for our powder room. But I didn't remember where I'd taken it in the city so I was shocked to look up and see the building.

Seven

So fun to hang out with Ben!

The bathroom

It was great to hang out with an old (and good!) friend...

First day in Pau

The river Pau, about a half mile from our rental house.

Our gîte has four sets of French doors, because it is, after all, in France! The shutters are operational, keeping out the heat and the light and opening to let in air. 

Favorite things of the day

Dave:

walking to the river, skipping stones and looking for wildlife. 

Vivi: seeing two snakes and tiny fish that looked like tadpoles (to her). 

Adi: seeing a dead porcupine (actually a hedgehog)?

Mae: getting to play soccer in the yard with her cousin Paul.

Me: enjoying finally bring here, and how nice and well-located our house is.

Au revoir!

Mae: 1st place!

Mae did a knee kick to break 3 boards at our Enshin karate tournament today and won her division!

Spring 2016

Mae and Vivi, planting peas

And washing up