Off to Beaune...!

WE'RE OFF TO BEAUNE!
Sorry about the lack of info these past few days, but there'll be plenty to show and tell a week from now...!

Emens, Ennen & Two Gampas

August 17 > We'd decided that the boys were ready for Stage 3 of their high chairs, which means that the seat is lowered, creating a sort of arm rest on either side; the U-bar is taken off; there is no longer the plastic piece to keep them from sliding down under the U-bar... They were very excited when they saw the "new" chairs in the morning. Here they are, finishing off their lunch and pushing their plates away. Tomi is making his "bloing-o" face...
They were given M&Ms ("Emen," not to be confused with "Ennen," who is their beloved Auntie Ellen) for dessert, and went to work setting up a mini dessert corner for themselves, using a kitchen stool and two of their child-chairs.
August 18 > As we walked home from the farmers market, I was explaining to the boys that their Gramma & Grampa would be coming in a week's time, and that we were going to take a tram and then a bus to meet them at the airport. The barrage of questions and commentaries began in earnest. The best one was when I realised that they thought that TWO GAMPA!* would be taking two planes. I had to explain several times that there was one Grampa and one Gramma and also that they would be taking one plane; and I'm still not sure that the second part makes any sense to them.

We dropped the groceries off and went back out to get diapers and the like. When we were standing in front of our building, Tomi started looking at the sky with a peculiar smile. He looked at me after a few seconds and said, "Plane fly! Gampa plane!" and went back to searching for it in the sky. He looked at me again and asked, "Plane down?" as he made a landing motion with his whole arm. He thought the plane was landing, and that we were going to pick them up just then!

Later, we were playing ball in the city centre, and Leo spotted an ice cream vendor, so...
August 19 > On our way to a BBQ on the outskirts of town, Jean-Philippe told the boys that we would be taking a tram and then a bus to get to Dominique's. And Tomi & Leo started yelping, "Plane tram?! Plane bus?! Gampa plane?! Gamma plane?!" Their papa tried his best to explain that this wasn't the case, and that we'd be taking those trams and busses in five days. But when we arrived at the end stop and got off the bus, the boys looked around and seemed a bit miffed. Then came the question: "Il est où, Gampa plane?" ("Where is Grampa's plane?" in their signature English-French mix.) They had a good time, though, regardless of the fact that the Gampa plane was still five days away!

* When we were in Portland for Ellen & Donnie's wedding in May, the boys refered to their Gramma and Grampa Yerkes as "Two Gamma," because they were having difficulty saying Grampa. Recently, though, they seem to be taking some pains to right this wrong, and often refer to them as Two Gampa - though they more often say Gamma & Gampa...

My Brother, My Friend

August 15 > Unfortunately, I don't yet have many photos of David on my new computer. (This is a lovely one taken by my parents in... 2002?) Fortunately, though, I have many many fantastic memories of him...

Took the day off and went for a hike in the Vosges, alone but for thoughts of my late, great brother. The 15th is a public holiday in France,* so Jean-Philippe was able to take the boys out and about (to Eric & Joël's for lunch and then out to the Orangerie with Eric, Manu & Candice. The boys were hilarity's zombies by the time we all met up again, around 7pm...). And I took myself and a small rucksack and said thoughts to Barr, where I filled my stomach first (in preparation for the walk ahead) at a wonderful Winstub, the Tonnelet, on Grand'Rue. As I sat down, the first of the many reminders as to whose day of rememberance this was made an appearence to my right: By way of explanation, and among many other ways of explaining available: One of our phone conversations of 2005 concluded with David's telling me of his fox watching in Hickory Hill Park, and how he was thinking of buying a digital camera for this purpose...

Talking about David and foxes and The Fox (Went Out on a Chilly Night) later this evening with our parents, Barb told me a lovely story of David's asking her to sing "Da Box" to him before bedtime when he was about 2-2.5, just after we'd moved into the house at 1622 Muscatine Ave.

Later, climbing higher and higher in the mountains, through the vineyards and woods and paths and so on, my thoughts climbed with me.
I was just wishing that the day were longer, that I could climb farther and higher on this particular day, when I came upon a very strange thing, indeed: a Blair Witch house! Anyone who knew David has to know that he would have loved that.

Before catching the train back to Strasbourg town, I stopped in at a Winstub across from the one the day started with: Au Boeuf. Another one of those "strangest encounters," which it would be impossible to explain via the typed word. And so... you'll just have to come and see it for yourself! This was one of the clandestine photos I felt able to take, since it only required switching the camera "on" and manoeuvering it behind my back. (The one drawback of our new-ish camera is that it can't do its thing without a whir & a click...):
As I boarded the train, it occured to me that that moment marked one year - almost to the minute - since David's passing.

Actually, I thought of a great many people I love (and the places that they are associated with) today, going from one thought to another (always with David in mind) in a methodically meandering, walking way. It was wonderful to have this time to think and walk, and to be able to attribute it to my first best friend, my brother: David.

And it was wonderful to get back home to my Beinert Boys Three, and to have some phone time with my parents.

* Day of the Assumption. Though as I said to Mom this evening,
I'm assuming. The pun wasn't actually intended, believe it or not...

Dread & Beer, Fine & Dining

August 12 > A day that started out badly, with thoughts of David & the dread of August 15 building up - & with my not realising just to what extent they were doing so. When it became apparent, I took a long walk.

We met up with friends in the early evening at À la hache, our favourite tavern of all (in Strasbourg). When we left, we walked past the merry-go-round in Place Gutenberg; which turned into a stop; which turned into merrily-going-around twice with Tomi...
...until Leo warmed up to the idea, and they both hopped into one of the cars; at which point the man in charge began giving us two-fers... When they got into "their car" and started readying for their imminent departure, they realised that their Dally wasn't there, and began howling for him to join them, & so... He did!
We had a quiet evening at home - something that had been becoming a rarity of late. Watched Predator on our new DVD player. Eek! Anyway... It wasn't until the credits came up at the end that I realised why it was that I recognised the soldier in the cap from the Outback... Jesse Ventura, of course.

August 13 > Jean-Philippe took over the kitchen in order to prepare for his parents' coming for lunch, and came up with a fabulous spread:

Starter = Melon & Lime Zest Soup and a glass of Alsatian Muscat
Main Dish = Pork Filet Mignon with Spiced Lemon Sauce, a Parmesan Zucchini Gratin and a Bordeaux red
Cheese = Peppered Chèvre & Comté (still with the Bordeaux)
& Dessert = Peach Blackberry Crumble
& of course, there was coffee...

After the eating & drinking of which (& still on the Australian theme - see above, last night's film), we went on a Walkabout to the park and then sat on one of the many quay-side terraces to catch a bit of yesterday's rare sunshine and drink yet another espresso.
Here's Leo, later, with the last of their Dad's crumble (he's on his thirds, by the by). He'd just been pyjama'd in his favourites, the "ROWR! jamma(s)." This newest obsession with dinosaaurs has actually turned out to be quite a relief, as getting into the "ROWR! jamma" makes bedtime a special moment. Then again, it can make the morning's donning of daytime clothes something of a pain... And when he woke up from his nap this afternoon, he was very disoriented, because he didn't have them on - and I'd been calling them his "bedclothes." They are now called "night-time-bedclothes," and all seems well again... & here's the scene from our livingroom windows at 9:14 last night: Many's the evening that gives us a spectacular view from these windows and those in the boys' room.

p.s. We don't need curtains, since our only neighbour with a view to our interior is God, and it is a widespread supposition that (were he to exist) he's got X-ray vision, anyway. Also, the ever-illuminated spotlight means that when you get up in the middle of the night for cookies and milk, you don't need to turn on the lights and alert the others to your actions... ho! ho!

Sweeties Extraordinaires

10 August > As I was preparing their lunch, I could hear Tomi & Leo scraping around happily in the living room. And when I went in to ask them to come to the table, this is what I found:
It's a bit hard to see, if you haven't been in our apartment before, but they'd pulled their three little chairs over to the old bench, lined them up on top & then climbed up with a book...

Later, as they ate their organic raspberry cookies for dessert, Tomi was found kindly offering some to his beloved Teddy:

And still later, as we headed out and about:
I'd forgotten to close the terrace umbrella. The boys waited by the elevator as I ran back into the house & out to the offending umbrella - and here they are, the little rascals, looking out towards the terrace & trying to figure out what's going on beyond their baseball cap bills...

Last night, Jean-Philippe came in from work to find Tomi "reading" on the couch. When he saw his papa, he began explaining the story to him in more complex (French) sentences, the likes of which we'd never heard before from either of the boys. It took us an extra half-second to realise what he was saying, get over our surprise, and then to register: AH! Another language hurdle is being cleared!

We went with friends to La Ciboulette, a restaurant just down the street which we've been meaning to try out for a couple of years, now. Delicious! & great atmosphere. I'm hoping we'll have time to get there with my parents when they're here at the end of the month...

The big (well, getting bigger & bigger) topic of discussion was Laurence's belly, which we'd got a good gander of the night before. Three months along! Laurence & Guillaume are ecstatic - and so are the rest of us!

Solothurn, Here We Come!

(This street bar wasn't open when we first walked by, but the flowers in their olive oil cans were...)

4 August* > The day started early and well. By chance, our buddy Neil was on the same first two legs of the three-legged trip into Switzerland (he was going on to Mürren for some real R&R); and then, when we arrived in the Solothurn station, our friends Joël & Eric were standing exactly at the point at which our wagon came to a halt. And from this point, we began our walking. And walking & walking & eating & drinking & walking & walking & so on...

The weather wasn't altogether what you'd call promising, but a town like Solothurn isn't hurt much by anything of the sort...

So, yeah, certain clichés associated with the country are well-deserved. For (obvious) instance: it's a fairly expensive place. But then again... Well, the hotel was more expensive than we'd pay in France. But! There was a free bar for guests. Heh! heh! And quite a breakfast buffet...

*Happy Birthday, Evie!

5 August > A good, long day of walking, palace visiting and more free drinks. The castle - a lovely little place, tucked in alongside other houses in a residential area just outside of the old town center - was hosting a wedding reception. After we'd seen the Cassanova exhibit (whoa!) and various other curiosities and were waiting at the door for the rain to let up, Jean-Philippe went looking for Tomi, who he thought had lost himself among the wedding guests. And he came back with two glasses of fine Swiss white wine. They'd been graciously offered him as he looked among the skirts and polished shoes for his little rug rat - who had been with his mama the whole time! Back in town, we met up with Eric, Joël & Zoé at a four star restaurant that had once served Napoleon a glass of water (it's true!) and then we found the best pizza in Switzerland at one of that country's ubiquitous Italian restaurants. So good!

6 August > Back in Strasbourg, where our old friend Härry was making a detour on his way from Budapest to Berlin. He & Anne-Sophie & Caroline had visited the beloved goat farm earlier in the day, and brought back the fixins for a feast - which Fred and we joined in, ever so gladly.

7 August > A wee red corner of Härry's good-bye brunch. And Härry!

Many, many thanks to all who've checked in and who've left notes (on the blog or via email), and especially to my aunts Kathy and Peg, for showing it to Gramma. And good luck to my cousin Jack (& to his wife Sara & their little ones). I hope you had a wonderful time at home with the family.

Revving Up...!

Just revving up the engines... & as I do, the boys rev up theirs. Theirs are Micro Machine engines, though, whereas mine are... those of a new blogger! (In the time it took to find the camera to illustrate the scene, Tomi had taken up another one of their obsessions - a book - and in the time it took to download the picture, he's back to cars.)

Many thanks to Amber C, Betsy D, Dave C. & Ellen K. (more or less in that order) for the nudges in this direction. Now the question is: How to get started?

Hm... The weather!

The weather?! Yes: after a lo-o-o-ong stretch of very hot heat & very little humidity, on Monday we suddenly plunged into perfect beginning-of-October mode: cool, clear, crisp air; blue-blue skies studded with achingly beautiful, ever-changing clouds; the sweaters and Doc Martens are out; coffee is enjoyed with renewed pleasure; thoughts of Talisker creep in among the many others... The only thing missing is the changing colours of the leaves. A strange and beautiful beginning to... August? Yep.

As we strolled through the farmer's market on Faubourg National yesterday, people seemed more lively, the basil and lettuce more leafy and the flowers, well... they were just as beautiful as ever, but! they didn't wilt on the short walk back to our place!


I was gathering the ingredients together to make a pesto this morning, and thinking of starting this blog, when my eye fell on our Market Find of the Week: wild plums! Or are they wild damsons? I'm not sure. In French, it's "mirabelles sauvages." They're like golden-orange cherries. Mm! Mm! Good!



Tomorrow we leave for Solothurn, a reportedly beautiful Baroque city in Switzerland where our friend Joël spent the first eight years of his life, and where he's currently spending a part of his vacation time yodelling, drinking fresh mountain goat's milk & pouring chocolate into molds for the tourists. Can't wait!