In Memory - Richard Lloyd 7/72 to 4/08

We just returned home from our vacation and learned that Taylor's cousin Richard Lloyd passed away Friday afternoon. Such a heart break. Richard was one amazing man. Fun, handsome, intelligent, interesting, musical and so much more. He fought a fearless fight with brain cancer since being diagnosed early last fall. His life had such purpose and meaning. He was optimistic at every turn of the road. Rich leaves behind a fabulous wife and three adorable young sons. Our thoughts are with them today. We sure will miss him.

Chanitlly de Framboises (Raspberry Cream)

Thought I'd post a little recipe for a "taste of spring"...we made it the other night & no one could stop with just one little cup.

Chantilly de Framboises
33 cl creme fraiche liquide (whipping cream also works)
80 g sucre glace (2 Tbl. white sugar)
2 feuilles de gelatine (2 packets Knox gelatin - dissolved in water)
4 c. a s. de coulis de framboise (2 cups raspberry puree)
Fresh raspberries for garnish

Dissolve gelatin. Boil puree & add gelatin & sugar. Let cool. Whip creme fraiche about half way. Gently fold puree into creme fraiche. Pour into tiny dessert cups. Cool in refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Garnish & Enjoy!

We are now headed out to "taste" more of France. The kids have yet another 2 week break from school! It's almost comical how much vacation you get when you're a student in France - but we love it. Tonight we pick up Olivia from her school camp and then we will drive to Southern France and the beaches of Nice (pronounced niece).

Cueillette des fleurs (Picking Flowers)

Clara & Olivia had a mecredi libere (day off from school) Wednesday. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We found some great grass fields filled with little daisy's. the girls spent hours cueillette des fleurs . We tied the flowers into chains and they each wore a crown on their heads. Jesse Reed tied each of the girls into the weeping willows & they had fun swinging in the trees as well. Ahh spring!

Départ (Departure)

Grandma & Paul's "départ" was early Wednesday morning. It's always sad to say good-bye, but we sure had a great visit. Everyday we tried a new French bistro for lunch & we took lots of scenic car rides to enjoy the quaint villages in our surrounding area. Thanks for everything Mom & Paul...we love you!

Arbre jarret (Tree knuckles)

I found this once magnificent tree in the stages of serious arthritis. Doesn't it just look like it has sore jarrets (knuckles)? I can only imagine that a few short years ago it was holding up branches brimming with blossoms. Even today in its aging state it exudes beauty & grace.

Buthiers Camp

Olivia left this morning for Buthiers Camp. The entire CM2 (5th grade) class is going to camp for one week. They are staying at a location about an hour away. It is in the forest so they will do exploration, star gazing and other fun things. The focus of the week is theater. The class will be preparing for the French play...they will rehearse, design scenery and learn all about a stage production. Olivia was thrilled at the prospect. She is sharing a room with 10 other girls and fortunately she thinks all of them are fantastic. We hope she has a grand adventure!

Tulipes (Tulips)

Tulipes are springing up everywhere. They have been planted in the most wonderful color schemes and patterns. Right now this is my favorite stretch of road in Fontainebleau. It's the road right in front of Lilly's school so I get to drive it twice a day. It just makes me happy looking at these magnificent signs of spring.

Dimanche après-midi (Sunday afternoon)

Dimanche après-midi is when we all like to relax and enjoy being home. Yesterday Clara found herself a hide-away in the pine tree. She managed to get her supplies up with a basket and she spent hours just "hanging out".
When the rain came falling down we moved the furniture and made a giant jump roping area. All four kids did double dutch. We have a great set of jump ropes thanks to Tifiny's dad Ralph Tullis. He gave us several ropes and we have used them for countless hours of fun. Even Grandpa Paul got in the act and tried to jump a little. Grandma Beck gave a little knitting lesson & it appears that her grand-daughters have her talent. Good times!

Champs de colza (Fields of rapeseed)

Taylor is addicted to riding his bike along the long and winding roads. After yesterdays ride he took us in the car to see the beautiful champs de colza. The yellow seems to flow from one field to the next. As you approach it is as if an impressionist painting is coming to life.

Déjeuner (Lunch)

It's always fun when you get to go out to déjeuner during a school day. All three girls got to enjoy a lunch break Friday when we took Grandma and Paul to our favorite little creperie & a quick spin on the carousel.

Asperges blanches (White Asparagus)

The markets are full right now with big bunches of asperges blanches. At first glance they kind of look like long bony fingers from a corpse. We bought some just to try...we like the green variety, but have never seen the white. White asparagus is just a little bitter. Not really a taste that any of us cared for. I did do a little research however and found that asparagus was wildly popular with the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Who knew? I mean it's low in calories & doesn't have any fat or cholesterol.

Grands-mère (Grandmother)

It was a special day Tuesday when Grandma Beck & Paul arrived. I tried to keep them busy so that they could stay awake until bedtime, but the jet-lag was difficult. We drove around some of the little villages surrounding Fontainebleau and fed the swans on the Seine that first afternoon.

Taylor had to leave Wednesday for a business trip at the London Business School. He invited Paul to go along, so yesterday the two of them took the fast train & headed off for England. Last night they went to the musical "Les Miserables" & today while Taylor was at LBS Paul went sightseeing on his own. They will return to France tomorrow...Meanwhile Mom (or should I say Grand-mère) and I took the train into Paris to have a little fun of our own! With mom's bad knees & sore feet I was worried about all of the stairs going up and down from the subways. I was worried she might trip and fall...guess what? Yep, I'm the one that fell down the first flight of stairs we had to take getting to our first subway. Oh brother! Just call me "Grace". Mom on the other hand didn't miss a step all day long.

Because my mom has already seen the sights of Paris we chose to do a few other things like visit the oldest kitchen store in Paris, DEHILLERIN. This place has been in business since 1820 & it's awesome. We bought a "French whisk" that will be sure to whip up a fluffy omlet or souflee. Afterwards we walked the Champs de Elysees & ate lunch at a quaint restaurant. The sun was shining & it was a great day to be wandering around. Somehow we seemed to be on a "foodie" tour of Paris. That's not so surprising since my mother owned a catering business for 40 years and she has taught me all about food preparation, eating well & enjoying the sights and smells of cuisine! We ended up at the Bon Marche gastronome section where mom was amazed at the size, selection & delicacies available.

La neige de printemps (Spring Snow)

This morning we woke up to a blanket of white. No one was expecting la neige de printemps. It had such a peaceful beautiful effect on everything it touched. By lunch the snow was gone and the sun was drinking up the puddles. A good reminder to savor every minute...you never know what tomorrow will bring.

chocolate chip cookies

We had a really fun dinner invitation Friday night at Hugue & Carine's. Their home was so warm and welcoming...all five of their children were engaging & entertaining. When I asked what we could bring to help with dinner Hugue said, "American chocolate chip cookies". No problem. The two oldest boys are close in age to Spencer. When Hugue told me that the boys really liked to dance (tectonic & hip hop) I asked them if they would perform. They were hesitant, but after I offered to make them their own batch of chocolate chip cookies if they would dance for us they stepped right up to the offer. Hard to believe a little cookie can win out over the marvelous French pastries! We were completely entertained and I think they were partially entertained by our French conversation skills. On the way home Taylor said, "nights like tonight are why I wanted to move to France...I want to get to know the people here and to see how they live and have fun!"

Allez Fontainebleau! (Go Fontainebleau!!!!)

It was a banner day for Spencer (#9) and his football club. They won 4-0 and Spencer made two of the goals and got the assist in another. We couldn't help but cheer "Allez Fontainebleau!!!!" The coaches asked Spencer if he ate a lion this morning - I think that meant they were happy with his performance. Being on the Fontainebleau Running Club team has been a real growing experience. No one on the team speaks English, not even the coaches. Spencer has had plenty of frustrating practices trying to figure out what they are telling him. He's been determined to play well and to be able to communicate with his teammates. Overall the boys on the team have been nice, but there have been rough moments. Just this week a few boys stole his bag and hid it during practice...this is not the first time they have tried this prank. I wonder how they would react if they were in a foreign country trying to fit in? Luckily Spencer is a great team player and rather than getting mad he's chosen to get in the game. Allez Fontainebleau!!!!

Spontanée (Spontaneous)

Everything about today said "spontanée". The girls had a 1/2 day of school and we didn't have any plans. We left school with three friends and on our way home decided to walk into Fontainebleau and get some pizza for lunch. After lunch the sun was shining and it felt like spring so we stopped for ice cream bars and walked to the grand chateau to enjoy the gardens. The girls raced up and down the stairs and all around the cobblestones. Sometimes I just have to pinch myself because I love this place we are living...It's beautiful, quaint and full of priceless memories with my children.

Caroline Babbin & Clara posing at the drinking fountain - they haven't quite turned on the water yet!
Lilly & Kate Thomas...two little soccer fans eating ice cream.
Claire Dowell & Olivia - both are new to Fontainebleau this year - it's been a great experience to have friends making the same adjustments and changes at the same time!
As we were walking to the car and passing the carousel Lilly said, "I've never been for a ride on that carousel!" What? Never?! Well today was the day. All 6 girls climbed aboard and laughed their way around, never dragging their feet once to slow it down. Right now this "carousel of life" is really fun.

Poisson d'avril (April Fish = April Fools!)

One fish, two fish, red fish blue fish. It didn't matter the size or color of your fish, today you just wanted to tape as many fish as you could to your friends, teachers and parents backs. Clara shows off her last catch of the school day. Bet you didn't know that April Fools Day originated in France. When the implementation of the Gregorian calendar was changed, by Charles IX in 1564, the beginning of the new year was changed and celebrated on January 1st, instead of March 31. The people who still celebrated the day on the first of April were know as April Fools'. Before the change of the date it was customary to give gifts on the first day of the year so when the date was changed people began sending mock gifts to other people on April 1st making them April fools. In France a person who resisted in changing the date of the new year was victimized by pranksters who played practical jokes on him, this person came to be known as a poisson d'avril otherwise known as an April Fish. Olivia said that you couldn't tell what was truth and what was a prank today. Even her school teacher pulled a fast one and told all of the kids that they would not have sport. The class believed him because in France teachers are not really known to be the joking type.