lundi, le 13 août 2012:

Monday was a pretty calm day, with business as usual. We passed a hilarious breakfast (with warm croissants today!) listening to Zach and Ellie compete to see who could be the craziest. Both of them were just chattering nonstop, telling us stories about whatever popped into their heads – as the French would say, n’importe quoi. The kids and I spent the morning playing lots of Uno and la bataille, aka “War,” swimming and helping the parents cook various dishes for dinner tonight. Ellie and Yohann’s mom made us a yummy gâteau au yaourt, which got a little burnt but was still good!

At the grandparents’ house for lunch later that afternoon, Perla had her hands full! Because the boys’ cousins also have some guests who have children, she was serving 12 little kids at the table today!! Most cooks would fuss and complain about such a large task, but Perla does this everyday for her grandkids and thinks nothing of it. What an amazing woman! She served us all: a tomato/egg/vinaigrette salad, curry fish for the others, and lots of tasty rice (with watermelon for dessert). That afternoon was more of the same old stuff (not that I’m getting sick of it!), with lots of swimming and reading my new Pagnol book. When I got too hot I would sit on the step in the pool and actually read in the water! What a novel concept.

We all also watched the boys’ dad editing the tennis film he’s making of the boys. It’s turning out so well so far and is hilarious! I can’t wait to see the finished product. That afternoon we also discovered, to all of our dismay, that our second ice cream experiment was a flop :( - for some reason, the peaches and cream flavor just didn’t take as well and turned out too chunky. Alas.

Ellie and I spent some more quality female bonding time today – she jumped into my arms from the side of the pool about 500 times and it became her favorite game. She was so hilarious – she would pretend to be strolling casually towards the pool as if she didn’t see it there, then pretend to fall in. Her beaming and giggling face was just too cute. Talk about a little girl with attitude :). We also played a rousing game of “La Maman et la Petite Fille” again and it was so cute to see her 5 year-old imagination at work. She pretended I was taking her to a park in Paris to ride on a carrousel, then to get ice cream, then to drop her off at a friend’s house, etc. While she “played at her friend’s house,” I “went to get groceries” then “drove to pick her up.” It was pretty cute. Much different from the kind of make-believe my Zach and Théo like to make up! (Which usually involves dinosaurs, racecars, or painful lion attacks, haha).

That evening, just before sunset, Ellie and Yohann’s mom lead all us ladies in a makeshift exercise class! Me, the boys’ mom, Ellie’s mom, and Sévrine all spread out towels along the pool deck, giving us the perfect view of the steadily setting sun. We used various apps on her iPhone that gave timed workouts of yoga, pilates, abs and back, etc. (with music included!). We did lots of stretches, planks, and crunches, and Ellie and Zach cutely attempted to join us :). Then the boys’ mom, who actually practices yoga and knows her stuff very well, gave us a real yoga class of “sun salutations” that was so relaxing and fun! With chill yoga music playing in the background, we all felt very refreshed and well stretched-out. We decided to follow this regimen every day!

Dinner that night was delicious – a frittata with cheese, egg, onion, and cucumber, a yummy salad, chicken for everyone else, lots of fruit, and white wine. We then ate a light dessert of fresh sliced peaches and blackberries. That night before bed, I helped all the parents out by doing the dishes, then played some songs on the guitar for Ellie at her request. She is so captivated by guitar music! No wonder we get along :). Goodnight everyone!

dimanche, le 12 août 2012:

            On Sunday morning after breakfast, the boys and our new guests Yohann and Ellie all got to know each other better and played a lot. They chased each other all over the house, played lots of Uno, and swam in the pool. When it was time for lunch at Perla’s (to which Yohann and Ellie would be accompanying us during their visit), we narrowly avoided another Zachie meltdown by having his mom come with us today. I’m still not sure at all why he is throwing these tantrums…it is very odd. Little Ellie looked so cute in her darling white dress and leather sandals, and she held my hand all the way down the hill to the grandparents’.

Today’s lunch was a special one – the annual pique-nique, or picnic lunch! We sat with all the cousins on blankets under a huge oak tree near the grandparents’ house, nibbling on baguette sandwiches filled with cheese, mini pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and other goodies. The only unfortunate thing about eating outside was the abundance of gueppes – wasps. To address the wasp problem, the boys’ Dadie pulled out a fly swatter and started hacking away madly at any gueppe who crossed his path. Even though I was worried that he might just aggravate the wasps instead of actually killing them, it was the funniest thing to see this stern and intimidating Frenchman taking a malicious crack at wasps. He took this business very seriously. After eating, the boys and I played with the grandparents’ dogs, hung out with their cousins, and pushed the little ones on the swing. I just about died when little Ellie begged to be allowed to push Zach on the swing – I got so many hilarious and adorable pictures of their “young love,” which is really more like a love-hate relationship. Too precious.

Before heading back home, Perla served us all homemade crêpes au sucre (sugary crepes) for dessert. Tasty! When we were all ready to walk up the hill for home, Théo and I looked around everywhere for his mom and Zachie, and couldn’t find them. We decided they must have headed home together already. But when Théo, Yohann, Ellie and I arrived back at home, only the boys’ mom was there and she told me Zachie had definitely not come home with her. Oops! Bay babysitter award for me. We promptly called the grandma on the phone but she hadn’t seen Zach around either. I was worried that maybe he had tried to walk home alone and had gotten lost in the woods on the way…unlikely, but possible. So I ran back down the hill calling his name. It turns out he was in the grandparents’ house all along, playing video games with his cousin Nicolas. No harm done, luckily!

That afternoon I spent some girl bonding time with little Ellie – we played lots of Uno together, colored pictures of animals and flowers, and then I braided her hair for her which made her very happy. Since I hadn’t known the word for “braid” in French before, it took me a while to figure out what she was asking me. Thanks Ellie for adding a new word to my French vocabulary! All 10 of us spent that afternoon reading outside in lounge chairs, swimming, drinking some homemade mint lemonade, and just relaxing. The boys’ dad also started working on our next homemade ice cream experiment – this time, peaches and cream! While I gave all three younger kids a bath that evening, I couldn’t stop laughing at their hilarious interactions in “Franglais” (aka mixed French-English). Because Zach understands but doesn’t speak much French yet, I almost always have to serve as translator between him and Ellie, and they say the funniest things to each other. Zach kept telling me, “Tell Ellie I’m not her friend anymore because she splashed water in my eye,” and other related things. It was just a funny experience. Little kids crack me up.

That night I ate dinner earlier with all 4 of the kids so that the parents could eat in peace afterwards. We ate some pesto pasta with cheese and a tomato/onion salad, and I enjoyed some good vin blanc. I let the kids watch a bit of the movie “Cars” (which was hilarious since Ellie kept complaining about how she doesn’t understand anything they’re saying), then read my boys some of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before putting them to sleep. They absolutely loved it, and love Roald Dahl – they recently finished reading my personal favorite, The BFG, with their dad. Bonne nuit, tout le monde! xo

More photos from the market in Apt!

samedi, le 11 août 2012:

            After breakfast on Saturday, the three ladies in the house (me, the boys’ mom, and her friend Sévrine) decided to hit up the huge market day in Apt, one of the larger towns/small cities in this area. I had yet to see Apt and was feeling up to some shopping! During the 30-minute drive, I talked with Sévrine who said my French had improved again since last year. Sévrine speaks 90 miles a minute without actually pronouncing everything fully (a.k.a. like a typical Parisian), so it was nice to hear coming from her. Finding parking at the market was stressful and involved lots of French people yelling and gesturing – since Apt’s market is a very popular Saturday outing, parking gets competitive.

Several blocks of downtown Apt were blocked off so that the marchands could set up their stands along the sidewalks and in the center of squares. The patchwork of stalls and colors made a very pretty sight – everywhere I looked, something pretty or sweet-smelling caught my eye! Among the various wares on display were: dresses, fresh bouquets of flowers, linens, table cloths, clothing in all sorts of flowy fabrics, honeys, tapenades, fresh produce, purses, espadrille shoes, book stands, hats, olive oils, spices, meats, fish, jewelry, and toys. Street musicians also added to the sensory overload. Talk about a smorgasbord! It was all lovely.

While the two older ladies went off to buy groceries and other things, I took off on my own to explore, agreeing to meet them in the middle of the town square an hour and a half later. Though it was a very hot day, I so enjoyed wandering from stall to stall, feeling the soft fabrics, browsing through stacks of books, and taking samples of cheeses, honeys, and nougats! Of course I also managed to fit in some shopping too :) In all, I purchased some tan espadrilles, since I really loved mine that recently broke; some super comfy beige linen pants that I had to buy without trying them on first (they fit! They’re just a teeeeny bit short on me); a pretty purple headband/wrap; two French books by Marcel Pagnol; and a chunk of classique flavor nougat. The boys’ mom recommended Pagnol’s books to me as perfect summer reads since he wrote about people living and working in this area of the south of France. It turns out she also picked up a Pagnol book for me while browsing the market, so I now own three! :) The creamy-nutty nougat I bought also has a little story behind it. I normally wouldn’t have felt the need to buy something like that, but I absolutely adored the sweet little man who called me over to sample some of his sweets, and I just had to support him. This older fellow offered me several samples of classic, strawberry and pistachio nougats and explained to me how he makes it all by himself, describing the process for me. He was so kind in explaining each and every flavor. He so charmed a French couple that was browsing alongside me that they bought over 20 euros’ worth of his various nougats. I ended up buying the classic/traditional flavor of nougat because it is the standard that comes from the Provence region – plus it’s incredibly delicious! I plan to give it away as a gift to someone in my family (but not before taking a bite myself, of course). After I purchased this, the little man offered me yet another sample. When I made a face expressing “Oh wow, another! You spoil me!”, he replied with a big grin “Il ne faut jamais avoir peur d’être gourmand” – in other words, “One must never be afraid of being a connoisseur of good foods.” In short, he was letting me know that, once in a while, it’s ok to indulge. His enjoy-and-live-in-the-moment attitude put a big smile on my face. I loved his happy outlook, and I’m so glad I supported his business!

I then met up with Sévrine and the boys’ mom and we all compared purchases. Before heading back to the sweltering car, we shopped for some more groceries and picked up some lovely linen throw blankets to cover the outdoor sofas back at home. On the way back, we made one last stop at a huge French supermarket for some other food items that we hadn’t found in Apt. The reason for all the food shopping is that, other than Sévrine, we have a family a 4 guests arriving tonight from Paris to spend a short week here. We will soon be 10 at the table! In the supermarché, I was so impressed by all the varieties of cheese, cookies, baked goods, and produce. Some other things I noticed are that you bag your own groceries in France – baggers don’t exist! Apparently we Americans are spoiled in that way. Also, in order to use a shopping cart, you have to put a coin into a slot on its handle; luckily you get the coin back when you safely return the shopping cart.

Once at home, we unloaded our mountains of groceries and produce. Us ladies ate at home since the boys and their dad had already gone to have lunch at Perla’s. We prepared a lunch of: a fresh Caprese salad, olives, toast with various cheese spreads, marinated artichoke hearts from the beloved Italian Monsieur Pinna, pesto soup, a tasty rosé, melon, grapes, and plums. That afternoon during la sieste, we all chilled out by the pool. I swam, read the boys stories, and made some progress on one of my new Pagnol books.

Around 8 pm, our guests from Paris arrived! The two parents and their two kids – one boy named Yohann who’s 10 and his darling sister Ellie who’s 5 – were all very sweet. The kids are both really beautiful-looking and super tan, which they get from their really bronzed dad. All the kids and I swam in the pool for a while then dried off for dinner. Zachie and Ellie play SO cutely together - it’s adorable! Ellie is very outgoing and spunky, and so badly wants Zach to like her; however Zach just can’t wrap his mind around the fact that Ellie doesn’t understand English so he gets so frustrated with her since she “just doesn’t listen!” It’s hilarious. They sound like an old married couple and us adults have basically already arranged their marriage.

Even though I really hope Zachie will start trying to speak French with Ellie, at their age, the language barrier really doesn’t matter and they just chase each other around and laugh with each other anyway. It’s so precious. Ellie also decided to attach herself to my hip as soon as she arrived – she follows me around everywhere and always wants me to playmake-believe games of “La Maman et la petite fille” (“the Mommy and the Little Girl”) with her. I love hearing her speak her little-kid-French! It’s just precious. Having the two Parisian kids around has really helped Théo and I with our French also, since they speak fast and we have no choice but to speak it all the time with them, even when we don’t know a word for something and would otherwise translate. Even the boys’ dad, who’s American, is speaking much better French with all the guests around.

We set the table (for 10!) and ate: our Italian friend M. Pinna’s lasagna (YUM!), salad, tomato/green bean/vinaigrette salad, bread with cheese, and lots of red wine. We chatted at the table for a while then went to watch le coucher du soleil (the sunset) and to look for des étoiles filantes (shooting stars). It was a lovely, clear night. After putting my boys to bed and taking a shower, I went to watch part of a French kids’ film called “Le Petit Nicolas” with Yohann. Then I was off to bed after a long and eventful day!

vendredi, le 10 août 2012:

            After sleeping in a bit later than usual, thanks to our tiring day at the beach yesterday, the family and I ate breakfast outside in the cool breeze. We enjoyed peaches, raspberries, toast, croissants au beurre with jams and honey, and a tasty locally made apple juice. Since Théo chose to work on his summer math and language workbook after breakfast, I decided to get Zach out of the house so that he could concentrate. Zachie and I dressed in walking shoes then went out for a walk in the woods! His mom had told us where to find a new trail that we had yet to explore, so we went to check it out. While on our promenade, I noticed how much the forest areas in Provence remind me of parts of California – the pinecones crunching underfoot, the sound of the grasshoppers, and the combination of red-brown earth and evergreen trees remind me so much of places I’ve gone camping back home.

After walking along this trail for a while, we came upon their cousin Léon’s house and Zach wanted to go pay him a visit. So we barged right in and hung out with sweet Léon. We played foosball (the boys against me) and they beat me by a mile, then Zach and I left for home to get ready for our lunch at grandma’s house as usual.

            For some reason, though, after Théo and I were both all ready to walk down to lunch, Zach started refusing to put on his shoes and begged us not to make him go to lunch at Perla’s. It was the weirdest thing! It almost seemed like he had had some traumatizing experience there before and didn’t want to go back there again, but I couldn’t imagine what could have happened (especially since he normally loves going there and eating tasty things with his cousins!). Both parents tried to convince him to go, saying he could come right home afterwards to play, that there was nothing good to eat at our house anyway, and didn’t he want meringues for dessert? Though he was kicking and screaming and throwing a tantrum, Zach finally, grudgingly, followed Théo and I down the hill. I tried to change the subject and help him think of other things but he was still complaining. Before I knew it, Zach had turned around and bolted back up the very steep path leading from our house to Perla’s. (And this was after he’d been saying that the reason he wanted to stay home was that he was too tired to walk up the hill on the way back). Very frustrated and sweaty and hungry, I had no choice but to let Théo go on ahead and follow Zach back up to our house. Unfortunately, the drama continued. His mom and I both tried to calm him down and get to the root of the problem, but Zach couldn’t explain what the issue was and just kept yelling as if we were torturing him or something. It was quite odd, and tiring for us adults. When his mom had finally had enough of his dramatic antics, she tried to lay down the law and drag him into the car, saying we could drive to lunch instead if he was too tired to walk. But even this wasn’t good enough and he thrashed around even more! In the end, his mom gave him the ultimatum that if he didn’t go to lunch he’d have to stay at home and go straight into his room for a nap without lunch; for whatever reason, he accepted this and calmly marched to his room without another word. His mom and I were totally baffled as to where this behavior came from, but decided he must’ve just been completely exhausted. Yikes! When kids decide to be stubborn, it’s not pretty…

            After this fatiguing episode, I quickly ran down the hill to join the rest of the cousins at lunch. The meal was actually much more relaxing for me without Zachie there since I didn’t have to keep reminding anyone to eat their vegetables or to sit properly at the table and such things. Today, Perla fixed us: lentils with a vinaigrette and shallot dressing, salad with red currants inside, and cherry compote and meringues for dessert. After lunch, Théo and the two older boy cousins and I hung out for a while in the grandparents’ living room, listening to Bach symphonies on their CD player and flipping through Dadie’s magazines, sculpture books, and encyclopedias.

            Later that afternoon, after la sieste was over, the boys and I were invited to swim over at their cousins’ pool, which is a work of art. It was designed to look like a real pond, with dark murky water and rocks surrounding the edges. There is a little marsh area attached to it, which grows algae and lily pads and supports tons of little tadpoles! The tadpoles are able to move freely from this pond into the swimming pool, so when you’re swimming around you can see them floating beneath you! It’s pretty awesome. The boys’ cousins joined us in the pool and we all rode around on big floaties and took turns holding Zachie in our arms. Then their aunt brought out a big bucket filled with water, telling us to try and collect as many tadpoles as we could (just for fun, and then we’d rerelease them). All the cousins raced around trying to capture the slippery little tadpoles, and they ended up catching 30 in all!  Théo loved this game. After a while, we all got out of the pool and ad snacks, toured the cousins’ house, and played foosball, ping pong, and Frisbee. It was a fun evening with the cousins!

            The boys and I walked back home for dinner, which consisted of: des salades niçoises – a vinaigrette salad with all kinds of delicious toppings, including potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, tomatoes, and green beans. Healthy and yummy! After dinner, the boys’ mom left for the Avignon train station to pick up her Parisian friend Sévrine who would be coming to stay with us for a while. I met Sévrine last summer and she is quite nice. That night, the boys and their dad and I watched for shooting stars while eating vanilla yogurt with melon for dessert. I retired to bed early in order to Skype with my boyfriend and to submit a scholarship application for my study abroad program! Nighty-night! :)

Even more photos of Cassis!

More photos from our excursion in Cassis!

jeudi, le 9 août 2012:

            I woke up early on Thursday morning with a spring in my step, ready for a day à la plage! Without even stopping to eat breakfast, the family and I packed huge beach bags with sand toys, towels, sunscreen, etc., and were off! After making a quick pit stop to get gas and a breakfast of croissants and little pastry puffs called crouchettes, we drove for about 2 hours through a landscape of quaint villages and pointed church steeples. The calming classical radio station that we tuned in to made me feel as though I was watching a movie of lovely scenery out my window – but it was all real! As we continued on the route to Cassis, we followed signs indicating places like Nice and Marseilles, places I had only ever dreamed up in my head. I couldn’t believe I was really and truly approaching the French Mediterranean! It felt like a fairytale.

            Driving up to the hilly town of Cassis, we saw the glittering turquoise and blue ocean down below us. With mounting anticipation, our car snaked down through the town’s windy streets, passing blooming flowerbeds and cute houses with colorful shutters. After finding parking (a daunting feat), we headed straight for the beach! Though there were lots of (French and non-French) tourists about, I couldn’t have been more charmed. What an absolutely lovely town! To get to the beach, we walked a long a colorful port with darling boats docked in rows, all with “Cassis” painted on their sides. Bustling restaurants, ice cream and crêpe stands, and throngs of strolling people filled the harbor with life.

            Once we actually made it to the beach, I was taken aback at how crowded it was! Virtually every single stretch of beach was already occupied with bodies or towels. Still, a Mediterranean beach wouldn’t be a classic Mediterranean beach without rows upon rows of colorful umbrellas and hordes of bronzed people dotting the landscape, right? As we attempted to lay down our towels, just inches from the tide line, a moody Frenchman rudely said we were encroaching on his space, retorting “I have legs, you know!” He would just have to deal. We quickly arranged our stuff on our small plot of territory, then myself and the boys’ dad were the first ones to plunge in! Eventually Théo waded out too. The water wasn’t remarkably warm, as in Hawaii for instance, but felt perfect on a hot day on a crowded beach. It was just warm enough that it didn’t take long at all to get used to. Before long, I was swimming my way out to see, bobbing along with the waves and waving back to Zachie on shore. From the water I had a great view of a huge, apparently remodeled château overlooking the beach from atop a high cliff. The time I spent in the water was so exhilarating; I could hardly keep myself from beaming from ear to ear with so much beauty all around me. I was actually floating in the Mediterranean! Breaststroking at the Côte d’Azur! Unreal.

            For the next two hours, we all enjoyed swimming, playing in the smooth but rocky sand, sunbathing until we got too hot and needed to plunge into the water again, and collecting pretty shells and sea glass with the boys (who, by the way, were having the time of their lives! Little Zach got less scared of the tide with time, and Théo was an absolute fish!). Around 1:30 or 2, we decided to go off in search of lunch (but we left our towels on the beach to reserve the much-coveted beach space!). Though it was hard to find a table for 5 on a crowded summer day in Cassis, the boys’ mom expertly swopped in and secured us one at a restaurant on the harbor called Don Camillo’s. Since I’m vegetarian and thus don’t usually eat fish, a beachfront seafood establishment like this one was not exactly ideal; today, however, I felt like taking in some protein by way of a pasta with salmon, the only form of seafood I used to enjoy before going vegetarian. It was very tasty! Of course I washed it down with my standard panaché. Since we were all exhausted from the heat and the swimming, we took a long and relaxed meal.

            After lunch we were back on the beach to cool off and enjoy. Whenver I was out of the water, I took advantage of the prime people-watching opportunities. I spotted several topless older ladies, some very adorable babies in bucket hats, hairy old men with pot bellies who for some reason all insist on wearing Speedos, and some ridiculously bronzed (or rather leathery) French folk! After one final dip, we packed up and left the beach around 4 or 5 pm in order to wander the side streets of this unbelievably charming town. We passed the central square with its fountain shaded by looming sycamore trees, many touristy shops, cafés with outdoor seating, and some just darling homes. We all chuckled after we passed by an open window where a woman was visible dusting her furniture, wearing only an apron over lingerie, haha! I loved all the flowers, the colorful shutters, and the laundry hanging out of windows and blowing gently in the breeze. It was all just too picturesque – and indeed I tried to capture it in as many photos as I could take, without looking obviously American :P.

            We eventually made our way back to the car, but decided to try and drive up to the cliff-top château we had seen from the beach, hoping we could walk around the grounds or maybe take a tour. In order to get up to it, though, we had to park at the bottom of a hill and walk up narrow streets with very vague signs pointing us in the direction of the castle. These streets were lined with sprawling estates, blocked off by gated entrances, some of which had their own vineyards or were covered with vines. It was a lovely walk uphill, but once we got to the château we discovered that it has been turned into a very exclusive hotel and spa, and that you need a reservation to enter. Oh well, at least we tried! The road back down the hill gave us stunning views of beautiful red tinted cliffs and the sparkling azure water.

            We then piled in the car and headed home. After nibbling on some snacks, the boys fell asleep right away.

Once back at home, we all jumped in the pool to clean off the sand and salt all over our bodies, then took clean, hot showers. We ate a late dinner of: salad with vinaigrette dressing (the lettuce here is SO good! The leaves are bright green, crispy, fresh, and HUGE), gazpacho with croutons, green and black olives, and a goat cheese/basil spread on toast. While eating outside on the patio, the boys’ mom spotted a humongous shooting star, reminding us all of the meteor shower that’s happening this weekend! We quickly cleared the table in order to go sit in the dark by the pool and keep watch. Even in the pitch-black night it must’ve been 70 or 80 degrees outside; it felt so good to recline on the lounge chairs and gaze up at the sea of stars! It is such an incredible feeling to really lose yourself looking up at a clear night sky. I felt so small and yet part of something vast, unimaginable, and important. We could clearly see both the Big Dipper, right above us, and the shimmery spread of the Milky Way. In about 45 minutes of watching, we saw 3 shooting stars. It was so lovely and relaxing, and just the perfect culmination to the perfect day!!

mercredi, le 8 août 2012:

            On Wednesday morning after a delicious petit-déjeuner of toast with cherry jam, honey, tea, and fresh peaches, Zachie and I snuggled up together and read lots of French books and some Dr. Seuss. Then, in preparation for our upcoming day at the beach tomorrow, we dug up some old beach toys to bring.

            After this, we all got dressed to shoot more scenes for the tennis film! The boys put on their 70s garb and we all drove down the hill to the court with lots of props in tow (including: a trophy, a baguette, pillows, and 2 huge Hulk-fist gloves. Just try to imagine how all those things work together, I dare you!). The final scene we shot involved me handing over the trophy to the 2 winners, so now I’m famous! Because Zach’s attention span was fading fast and we were all getting hungry standing out in the hot sun, it wasn’t long before we drove back home for lunch (their grandma was taking a day off from cooking lunch for the grandkids today). We ate leftover pizza, a salad, and the most delicious thing on this earth, which goes by the name of canary melon. I’m obsessed! It’s honestly as sweet as candy. The boys’ mom and I also treated ourselves to homemade panachés, our mutual favorite French drink. For dessert, we served up scoops of our delicious honey-lavender ice cream! J’ADORE. We all decided we want to make another flavor ASAP – maybe melon sorbet or a nutty flavor, but sticking with ingredients from the Provence region.

This afternoon was spent discussing plans for tomorrow’s beach trip to Cassis (yay! So excited!), taking our sieste, swimming laps, playing Uno, and bathing the boys (a rare occurrence). For dinner tonight, we ate: tomato/basil/vinaigrette salad with a DELICIOUS goat cheese/basil/garlic/olive oil spread, and Perla’s leftover couscous with all the fixings. Why do I feel like the majority of this post (and perhaps even this blog) chronicles the food we eat?  Haha, well while this isn’t meant to be a “food blog,” it’s undeniable and very palpable that our schedule in Provence revolves around FOOD. For example, we wake up in the morning and eat breakfast, then we clear away the breakfast dishes so we have room to cook lunch; then we eat that and spent our afternoons outside since it is now too hot to eat or to cook; then finally we cook and eat once again once evening sets in. And while I do eat very decadently here, much more so than at home, we don’t eat especially unhealthily here, either – it’s just that securing, cooking, and eating fresh food products is the way of life in Provence. Even just by surveying the agricultural landscape from atop our hill, it is clear that food is EVERYWHERE. And I don’t hate it ;).

After dinner, the boys’ mom went off to socialize with her relatives so their dad and I sat in lounge chairs by the pool with the boys in our laps, watching the sunset change the colors in the sky. For at least half an hour, in almost total silence, we sat in awe of the brilliant hues of golden, then peach, then bright orange, then a mixture of red, pink, and pastel purple. It was marvelous. Once the sun was all the way down, we waited for bats to come out and watched them fly over the pool. How wonderful to take the time to just observe the beauty of nature that is always all around us. But of course (because we just hadn’t eaten enough food that day), we then made a dessert of honey-lavender ice cream topped with raspberries and chunks of almond biscuits. Mm! We ate these concoctions over in “my house” while snuggled in front of Disney’s “Ratatouille.” I really felt like a part of their family :).