Catch up

A long holiday weekend for Thomas - Thursday off for French Labor Day, and Friday off just for the sake of it (this is "making the bridge" - see an earlier post on the subject). Thank god because I needed the babysitting to make deadlines.
Let's begin with the May 1st tradition here in France: les muguets = French for Lily of the Valley, my mom's favorite.


Lily of the Valley is the ticket every year on May 1st. The gov't is said to look the other way and do not charge tax on people who sell them here and there on street corners, just like the people braiding palms into shapes on Palm Sunday every year.
You are supposed to give the flowers to others, to celebrate the arrival of Spring and for good luck. I have read that the tradition was to take children into the forest and lose them, I mean, help them pick little bouquets of the stuff and offer them up.
Of course there are no forests in Nice, but not to worry, because these people with their little card tables just spontaneously sprout overnight all over the city of Nice. Wild.
Otherwise, what's new?
Talk talk talk. That's all this kid does. I'm not going to list it all, but the most recent thing that made us both look at each other and say "Did you just hear that?" is when she finds something amusing and says "C'est funny". We're creating a franglais monster.
Visual highlights: Estelle's shoe fetish goes to a new level. She wants into every single pair of anything anywhere in the apartment.

Estelle likes to "shush" us, for various reasons.

Estelle attacks me with her spoon:


Can you believe I used to nurse this animal? Lordy.

Recently, Estelle has become very attached to this doll, hand-made about 35 years ago by my sister Martha, the ORIGINAL Martha Stewart, sans criminal record (this would be in the category of CLEANLINESS, not quite TIDINESS). "Ma Poupee" (my dolly) as Estelle refers to her, has a full trousseau of clothes made especially for her, with matching bonnets. She even has a nightgown, which I had in the 4-year old version for myself. This was long before the "American Girl" dolls made matching dresses fashionable. Bless my sister Joan for mailing the whole kit over here 2 years ago in month 7, with a note on it that said "If it's a girl....."

Frequently everyone in the apartment is called upon to "Bisous a Poupee" (give Dolly a kiss)

Romanian Feast

Meet Oana.

Oana has been cleaning my apartment once a week since October of 2006. I love Oana. How did I ever get along without her?
Oana is from Romania, where incredibly I have travelled believe it or not. The day before Easter in 2002 I flew to Romania and stayed for 10 days in the American embassy in Bucharest, where my friend's partner was the ambassador. It is the farthest East this old gal had ever been, and have ever been - with the exception of my trip to Jordan at the eruption of the Iraq war in March 2003 when I lied to my family and said I was travelling in the vineyards of Italy. Another story.
Anyhoo, as a certain sister of mine might say, today Oana arrived as usual for her duties (much needed as my valiant hubby had done nada during all of my absense) and she was toting a large bag. "Happy Easter" she declared. So yesterday was the Orthodox Easter. We are the happy beneficiaires of several homemade delights straight out of Oana's kitchen. You can see the colored eggs in the photo above - they have this wild sheen on them unlike anything I have ever seen. I kept trying to get her secret out of her but she just keep saying "Something I bring from home". Like a vault, the girl is.
So, this next photo is "sarmale", a filling of ground meats, rice and spices wrapped in an incredibly fine layer of cabbage leaves. Sumptuous.

This is "drob" a meat cake filled with boiled egg. Wacky and yummy. Though the name is hilarious to me for reasons only members of my immediate family will understand. And maybe someone living in Rocky Mount.

This is "cozonac". Does it look impressive? Well, let me tell you, it is. This is a painstaking yeast-dough bread, swirled with a walnut-vanilla paste folded with beaten egg whites and I don't even know what else. It is a work of dang art is what it is. I keep walking by it and cutting off just another sliver. Heaven. I'm converting to Ortodoxy.

This is Estelle. Who has nothing to do with Romania or Orthodox Easter, but who had a really good time in her bath.

Back in France

We are surfacing from the haze.
It's Saturday morning, 9 a.m., and her highness slumbers on. This makes a 13 hour stretch of not one peep. As compared to the previous 4 nights that were, well, lets say, jet-lag adventure. Thank god for Papa, because yours truly is also in the slow-motion of post-travel muck.
Estelle has enjoyed getting back into her routine (during the daytime anyway!) of seeing NouNou Cathy and all her pals there like Carlo, Marie, Mila & Julien. She has also had 2 great afternoons at "The Butterfly" which is the name of the city-run afternoon day-care program she attends twice a week.
The director came up to me and said "Wow! She is REALLY talking a lot. She had a lot to say but we aren't sure we get it all!" Then this kind woman (I really like her) confirmed that "BEAR" meant "ours" in French. Estelle is now teaching English at the daycare, apparently!
Best of all, Estelle is so glad to be with her Papa.
We did have a quick visit with Elliot and his mom yesterday morning. A last-minute decision to head for the beach for an hour proved lots of chasing about for me and Fransiska. So much to explore! Estelle is not interested in going near the water - she just likes to stand and watch the "waves" - though yesterday it was just a slight ebb and flow - very mild.
These photos are of the one area of the entire Nice beach that has sand - in fact, it is the volleyball court! In "season" it will be cordoned off, but for now, you can find a lot of little kids enjoying digging around. Or Estelle, who thought it was funny to just lie right down. There was also some ingesting of the sand, which she thought was "yummy".

Goodbye USA

The last days in Vermont were full of.......SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Visiting my Dad's sister Becky in her historic former stage-coach inn home in Colchester, Vermont

She has a turkey decoy in her garden
And a fox man in front of the inn's former well
The greatest wrap around porch known to man
The day before leaving Vermont, a visit from Leann, "Uncle" Craig's sister
Peter & Jeanne

Running around in the sun

Picking up cherries
Cole and Wes bringing in the sap buckets as the season is over and the sap is 'turning'
Cleaning the buckets before storing them for another year

Last evening in Vermont - dinner on the porch with Cole
Saying goodbye to our favorite cousins before hitting the road
In New Hampshire, visiting my college friend Mary at her parents' and meeting her kids! Here is Noah and Estelle in the 80 degree weather!
Estelle and Miranda get rockin'. (sorry couldn't resist the pun)
Last night, Aunt Laura arrives at Aunt Lisa's house and Estelle gets a fun bath time

Today in the incredible sun and warmth, Estelle explores around Lisa and Dan's house
Walking outside with Grammie
Flanked by aunties
An American mailbox! The lower box is for a newspaper (this is for Papa in France, to understand)
Estelle in Lisa's childhood wooden rocker which dates to 1955 or so

A visit from the REAL Estelle
Yours truly basking in Lisa's "retirement rocker" in juxtaposition to her little wooden rocker
Joan arrives from Vermont for one last hurrah and they dive into some books
The last patch of snow quickly disappearing
Mom and Estelle

The 4 sisters hit the road on a bike ride. Lisa was far ahead in the shot.... Incidentally, our other 2 sisters, the twins Mary and Martha, were in Vermont sitting watch over Mary's son Jesse, 25 years old, who had been rushed to the emergency room in the night with his APPENDIX! He went under the knife this morning and all is well. When he woke up, he said to Mary "Where is my Madeline doll?"
On the foundation of a burned out house, climbing about the chimney ruins. Laura pretends to be a-cookin'
Estelle gleefully dashes away from Uncle Dan
Is there any other way to end a trip, but with a real American dessert? Strawberry shortcake for Lisa's 50-something birthday. Delicacy prepared by cousin Emily who is also here visiting from NYC.

Vermont, Mud Season

And still lots of snow.
Estelle gets a hug from my aunt Yolande and uncle Dale

Heather and Estelle play on the bleachers at the Glover school with Aunt Darlene

Enjoying breakfast of Cheerios

Holding hands with cousin Cole in the the halls of the Glover school

A visit from my first cousins Judy and Kathy

Bob the Builder hat borrowed from her cousins is a must in the tub now.

Paul cleared out his attic and brought many toys that belonged to his girls for Heather. Estelle gets to benefit for the rest of our trip! The biggest hit is the play kitchen. Paul spent an hour and a half playing with fake food.

Lisa and Elijah

Edwin and Cole

Lisa, Paul and Me after Peanut Butter Cake!

Now mornings begin in the play kitchen

Sunday night saw a crowd of 15 at the house for pulled pork sandwiches. Before the real meal, everyone got into the spirit in the fake kitchen. Visiting were Peter and Katie and Lizzy along with Wayne, Cole and Heather.