Come on, Post a Blog!

Well, I'm busy. What can I say.

So, here's a few shots from last weekend, which is pretty much the last time I had enough time on my hands to think about pressing the shutter release button.

First, father and daughter having a lazy Saturday morning..

Sunday we went to Cap Ferrat and did the entire walking tour.

There you see the phare (lighthouse) of Cap Ferrat. You see Thomas carrying Estelle on his shoulders.
What a view.
"ESTELLIOT" rides again.


Here's Elliot with his parents, Arnaud and Fransiska.
I made banana muffins for the picnic.
Fransiska made a yummy quiche. Here's ESTELIOTT enjoying their lunch.

Later there was a big game of peekaboo. Live vicariously thru photos:





Just another cruise boat.
This looks more dangerous than it was.



That's all for now. Since then, things've been hoppin'.

Getting back in the Groove

Well, the jetlag has subsided, no more me and Estelle waking up at wierdo hours.
Just a few photos to show life "back to normal".
The day after our arrival, we went to a olive harvest as we have for many years. Too bushed to participate - but we did get invited to the meal - boar stew on polenta. Yes, I did say boar. Killed by our host himself. Who I will not name, as it is illegal. But they do SO much damage, it's incredible. In any event, TASTY!



Enjoying an early Christmas gift from Grammie - a hand-made Monkey Doll.

This is a photo from Heathrow, where it was already Christmas last Saturday! Apparently even my camera was seeing blurry-eyed after crossing the Atlantic.

Vermont: Halloween & The Final Chapter

Thursday October 30th - the day we celebrated Wes' birthday, which is of course on Halloween itself, but not even an option to try and do that on the same night as trick-or-treating - so....we made a nice roast dinner (Thomas cooked a 7-pound roast) and look at this amazing pumpkin cake Darlene made, decorated by Wayne all by himself:
On Halloween Friday, we went down to the Glover school to check out all the pumpkins in the Carving Contest. What a display. Here's one made to look like a hamburger. Darlene hams it up:
You can see what Vermont boys have on their minds at Halloween: Deer season. But seriously, check out this pumpkin. Painted, with antlers.
The table of the First Grader's pumpkins. There's Cole checking them out. Behind that hairy wig is Wayne's pumpkin.
I just like this one cause it was so tall.

Now, by some oversight, mainly dead batteries, I have no photos from the actual trick-or-treating event on Friday night, but if you go to the link at the top of this page on the left for "Wayne, Cole and Heather", you'll see photos. Thomas dressed as "A French Man" is particularly winning.
Estelle, the Glover Busy Bee, was a bit confused at the first two houses but then she quickly caught on and by house number 4 was running up to the door hollering "Happy Halloween". She was very into the candy.
Before we left to go door-to-door, Wes had a birthday visit from Peter and Jeanne and cousins Katie and Lizzie - here they are:
Saturday Thomas left and I put him on a bus in NH that took him to the airport in Boston. Sunday morning we had another visit from Peter who came to sight his gun (if you don't know what that means, then you ain't from 'round here, as we Yankees say). Here he is speaking French to Estelle, who was feeling blue missing her Papa.
Then Joan and I drove to Cabot (yes, the cheese) to see Aunt Pearl. You've seen her before on the blog. The woman is just short of incredible. She could and should be the next person mentioned in Obama's NEXT victory speech. Cedric, who lives in Cabot, stopped by for the visit also. Here he is giving Estelle a ride on Pearl's walker:

Monday morning I made a sour cream cranberry coffee cake and Aunt Yolande came for a visit. Here are the gals and us:
Monday afternoon was warm and beautiful. We enjoyed the "playground" next to the garden.


Tuesday afternoon another coffee hour with my cousin Michelle. Pictured are Michelle holding Cole, her daughter Olivia and her friend Libby, Wayne, Me, Estelle and Michelle's other daughter Maria. Michelle, Darlene and I had a great chat session while those three teenagers entertained the younger crowd.
Tuesday evening, Wesley says goodbye to Estelle before he leaves for a hockey game in Quebec
Meanwhile, the rest of the country holds its breath until 11 p.m. when history was MADE. Proud to say that I voted absentee ballot as I am still a citizen. What a thrill to be here during this election. Here's hoping better days are ahead for the USA and for their image in the the world at large.
D-Day Wednesday: Cole and Estelle enjoy one last happy moment in the leaves before we hit the road. Do you think those smiles are for the new president? ha ha



Joan drives us mid-way to West Leb NH, where Lisa meets us in a cafe. We goof around in front of the cafe's fireplace

Today, Thursday, in NH. Estelle and I enjoy one last full day in America. Estelle spends a lot of time with Grammie, whom I also escorted to a Senior luncheon. It was supposed to be soup and salad and turned out to be a Thanksgiving-style meal. What a delight! I filled up on stuffing. To boot there were whoopie pies for dessert!
Here's Estelle, who sat quietly in cousin Anna's room, "reading" books to herself for 25 minutes this afternoon. This particular one is Peter Rabbit.

And tomorrow afternoon we're off to Boston to get back on the plane. What a wonderful 3 weeks. So many family seen, not enough friends seen unfortunately, and yet even then there's family I didn't make it to! But we had Halloween, moose season, Antiques Road Show on PBS, chinese take-out, whoopie pies and krullers, Estelle speaking loads of English (yeah!), the Channel 3 News (ah, Marcelis, so great), Rice Krispies Ice Cream treats, Salsa (hallelujah for America's ethnic food), HOT DOGS, rootbeer (there's just nothing in the world like it), deer on the back lawn many mornings and evenings, all my brothers talking so loud at the same time that you can't even hear yourself think, the World Series, Hockey Night in Canada, and the election that got people out to vote in record-breaking numbers. A great trip, and great times had by all.

Vermont, Part Deux

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Technical difficulties and a poor internet connection means that all these photos are not necessarily with their rightful caption. I'll fix it soon, but don't have the patience now!)
A lot can happen in a week.
For example, you brothers can bag a moose during moose season. Here's hubby and brother at the site.

After snow on Wednesday, Thursday was lovely. Here's "Baby Elijah", Estelle's youngest cousin, showing us how much he can cruise around.

Aunt Sandy and the gang

Friday we went to Burlington for the day to do some shopping. Estelle preferred to stay behind with her cousins. When we returned, Aunt Lisa, Aunt Mary and Grammie had arrived. Here's Lisa reading to the girls:

Saturday was the Painting Party and Wes & Darlene's old house. Grammie and I were on kid duty. We went for a little stroll:

Action shots of the painters - first Lisa:

Wayne cleaning windows

Martha

Scullery Maid Joan

Mary a.k.a. Drippy

All 6 sisters at the scene

Dinner back at the main house included a 6-month belated 50th birthday celebration for Laura

The kids want into the cake

Surprise visit from Peter and Jeanne and Lizzie (not pictured)

Finally we get Darlene in a photo

What the dinner mayhem looked like - boy did we eat well over this weekend! chili, spahetti, pulled pork, coleslaw, you name it

Estelle and Cole enjoy a moment

Sunday most of the sisters shipped out and 3 of the brother came in for a nice visit. In the span on 24 hours, all 11 of us were in the house. Here's Ed telling his moose story

It was so warm on Sunday that we could all eat on the porch - just 4 days after the snow!

Ed, Sandy and Elijah

Paul and Lesley with Chelsea and Lauren and the Gang

Enjoying the girls and their daddies on the swings

Going for a nice walk Sunday afternoon with Cedric, Susan and Lillian

Heather and Estelle get a ride in the stroller

Walking up to the old Perron farm where Mom was born

Lillian with the mountains

Monday we went down to Burlington to see Dad's other 2 sisters. Here's Rebecca:

Eleanor and Uncle Jake

A stop off at Burton Snowboard Factory

Visit to Martha's and to see cousin Alexandra and her bunny, Coco

Enjoying vintage Fisher Price with Aunt Martha

Alexandra does her homework with comments from MOI

Tuesday afternoon we carved up some amazing pumpkins from Peter & Jeanne's garden



Wednesday (yesterday) SNOW AGAIN! It snowed all day long

The girls enjoyed playing on Grampie's trackster in the shed

A gift box arrives from Darlene's parents in Maine, even a big Trick or Trick bag for Estelle!


Thomas and the kids have fun growing sea creatures in water

As you can see, we're busy. There are no photos of our lunch with my friend Becky, of Thomas donning skates and joining Wes in Stanstead on the ice, nor of Thomas speaking at Katie's French class at North Country High School, nor of lunch with Tyler in Newport. Oh well, I can be snapping photos every second! Or can I?