On Sundays we go to church at 9:30 am. It is a one mile walk. It is beautifully quiet, although a little more trashy than usual because of the party-goers the night before. The street cleaners have not yet hit every street. Yet, it is refreshing to be up and about when others are not.

We do not go to restaurants on Sunday. We eat in. We go to les jardins or les musees. If we can find one that is free that is even better. Last Sunday we went to the Home of Victor Hugo Musee which is free and the Carnavalet Musee which is also free. The Carnavalet features the lifestyle of the Medieval period. I loved it! Much more to my taste than the Cluny Musee, although I did love the tapestries there.

Timing always amazes me. It seems God provides the most amazing moments that can only happen in those few seconds: running into Sash Nalder at the LA Temple while we were there with my cousin, seats on stage with Victor Borge with Summer where he presented her with flowers, etc.

This was God's gift to me last Sunday. Please watch the entire video. There's nothing stunning at the end; no payoff. It's just mesmerizing and soothing and allows me to give each of you a taste of what God is allowing me to experience. ;o)

...and of course it is too much memory for me to upload to the blog. If someone can teach me how to YouTube it, I will and then post that link here.

I can't remember the last time I posted on the blog. I know, I'm in big trouble. People have been asking about the day-to-day things we experience. So I'm posting photos that document that part of our experience.

Some of  my favorite moments are with children. The little boy in the grey sweater on the dappled horse was waving to me (or to anyone who would acknowledge him). I waved back. Instant friends. He wanted me to follow him around the park and to keep waving and smiling and calling, "bonjour!" to him. 

I love watching the children (and their parents) floating rented boats in the pond. It's cool because if you have a boat stick you can push off any boat that comes to you, so the kids push the boats that come to them to the other kids they don't even know. Long-distance laughs and cries to, "Aidez- moi,!" (Help me/my boat). Everyone is just hanging out, relaxing in the sun, sharing the same space/experience. I love the sense of community that comes with the parks.

This is our "living/dining/bedroom." It is our first day to do the laundry. It took us three days and several emails to learn that the manual for the washing machine only comes in French. Randy pulled out the French-English dictionary, decoded the manual that was in the apartment and we were in business. In Europe, many well-known appliance manufacturers make a washer-dryer combo IN THE SAME wash tub. We are blessed to have one of those. We are not so blessed that the dryer does not work. So we hang clothes on a little clothes rack that came with the apartment (You can see the corner of Randy's penguin pjs in the lower left corner). Sheets and towels we wash at home, take in plastic bags in our carry-on suitcases and walk three blocks to the Laverie to dry those.

We try to skype our kids/grandkids at least once a week. It makes the separation easier, but it's also frustrating because I can't reach through the laptop screen and hug them. ;o) We've had many humorous experiences trying to keep the computer connected, trying to get babies to realize that it's Nana  Jan and Gramps "in the picture" and just having the kids perform or relate their latest adventures.

We either walk or ride the metro. We usually put in five miles or more per day - as a deliberate choice. If we have to take a messenger bag with food, etc. we usually take the metro. Neither of our backs can handle five miles with a fully-loaded pack. [Now will be the time that Lawrence Atwood starts chuckling. Last month he completed a half-marathon (?) training exercise with a 40# pack. I think he did it in just a few hours. We are not Lawrence. We have never been Lawrence. We can never even hope to BE Lawrence. Although, he was Randy's "Pa" for trek.]

The birds are amazing. Mesmerizing. These two gulls are playing King-of-the-hill on this sphere in the western most pond at Tuileries Garden. Sundays we usually go to one of the many gardens or free museums and just enjoy the views, the music of the language all around us and the children's laughter. It makes for an awesome way to live in gratitude and to thank God for the simplest of our blessings.

Old men playing boule. Think of bowling leagues in the U.S. They take their game very seriously, but have so much fun teasing each other and being very competitive. Older people are so often overlooked in society. Here, this is their time to shine. They welcome onlookers, temporary fans and photo-taking. They strut and complain, and challenge and have do-overs and it's all for show...and their own fun.

This is a young soccer team practicing in the public park with their two coaches. One would think it's a free-for-all, but it's very organized and because the practice is in a shared space, the boys must work even harder to keep control of the ball. The coaches speak softly, but firmly, constantly encouraging and correcting. They don't "baby" the players, but they don't get-in-their-faces either, just good-natured respect and "Alleeee" when they score.

Everything happens at the parcs. It is open space for everyone. No one plays loud music or yells obscenities or causes problems. They simply set up their own space and work within it. Because it's public, they are very "forgiving" if a tourist trips into the game. Everyone just says, "pardon," or "desolet" (sorry), smiles and moves along. No one OWNS a section, or a chair, or an open space, or a pond - not even the boats, as long as they find one to return for the one they rented. This sharing of space and community lends itself to an amazing energy. I call it "Tous les Mondes," all the world. It is pure pleasure to bask in it. Just close your eyes and to let it wash over you and change the way you will forever view the world. I've never had a spa day, massage or a pedicure, but I think this experience may still just trump those. I can't imagine anything more soothing.

All in all, La vie est tres belle. Abientot.