BITTER SWEET MOMENTS AS WE PREPARE TO LEAVE

YES WE ARE STILL IN FRANCE! Our train leaves for Paris on Thursday, March 26 and we fly to Cincinnati on Friday, the 27th. We can fly direct into Cinci with no stops which makes me a happy camper. It is a bitter sweet time as we prepare to leave France. We are all anxious to reunite with our family and friends but at the same time we know we will miss our new French friends, the food, the bakeries on every corner, a slower paced life, the mild winters, low humidity summers, the gulf and ocean so close, cycling through the OLD villages, and on and on................ Last Wednesday was my last time to volunteer at the Banque Alimentaire du Morbihan or in English, food pantry. The group of volunteers were so kind and surprised us with a party after we finished our work for the day. As you can see they like to have fun too!

Meghan and Maurice (who is full of joy and has a love for life) picked out the spoiled strawberries. Since Meghan does not have school every other Wednesday, she has ASKED to join me. We ride our bikes there and enjoy being able to give back for what we have received here in France.

Click here to see me dancing with Maurice at the party. Meghan said I could not post the video of her dancing so you will just have to imagine.

Yesterday we spent some quality time with the Baudouin family that we have come to love.
It is hard to say good-bye but we wanted to have a special time together enjoying a French meal before we left. Anne-Elisabeth and I found the restaurant, Le Bistrot du Marin in La Trinite Sur Mer. For over two hour we ate, laughed and ate some more. Dave and I shared a flaming pineapple desert. Unfortunately we didn't get to see it in flames, they do it before it arrives at the table. It was the best! Can you believe I forgot to take a picture?

Meghan and her twin friends from school enjoyed bowling Friday night at the local bowling alley. The bowling alley has only twelve lanes and only one large group of teens were there besides us. So unlike most of the alleys in the states on a Friday night. The girls had a great time despite the fact they were told they were too old for the side bumpers. Meghan has made some great friends here in France and has had the opportunity of a life time and we know it will be a few years before she realizes this gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift

SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE COUNTRY

Our family feels so blessed to have met such wonderful French friends who have embraced us with their love since the day we arrived. Vincent and Emanuel, friends from church, invited us to their lovely country home for an afternoon of eating, laughing and playing. Another family Dominique, Claire, and Manon, other friends from church helped make for a group of 12 around the dining room table. It reminded me of old times growing up in a family of nine kids.

Their family farm house is hundreds of years old but with no existing records that they knew of , the age of the house was unknown. They owned the home for four years before they moved in. As you can see all their hard work paid off. The home is heated with wood pellets that are stored in a big room in the basement. Luckily the system is automatic and they don't have to shovel the pellets into the furnace. I remember my dad shoveling coal into our furnace when I was in grade school.

The French are very energy conscious and luckily we are finally following in their footsteps in the U.S. The rain water is collected and then used for the animals and plants. Many skylights on the west side of the house provide additional light and warmth. The fireplace design includes a system to burn the wood below the hearth and then the heat is circulated into the room while at the same time a fire can be burnt on top for ambiance.

Wouldn't you love to have your wedding here? Well Vincent and his wife were married here with a big tent in the front. You are viewing the back side of the chateau. which can be seen from their back yard. Dave and I told Meghan she can get married here...... when she's 30 something!

When Meghan starts complaining about her life here in France, I just need to get out these photos for evidence that this is not all true. Now she is asking to have a trampoline in our yard at home.

The girls enjoyed riding the double ponies in the field behind their house. Wow, a trampoline, horses, country views, a beautiful home..... we all three were ready to move in.

Click here to see how much fun Meghan is having in France!

Luke 14:9 ......... "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdon of God."

A HAPPY SUNNY DAY ON THE BIKE

As Meghan says, "Mom, this has just been a nine month vacation for you!" Well today I would agree with her. With the weather in the mid 60's and the sky bright blue and no clouds, I felt a little piece of heaven today out riding my bike.

With just three of us today we were able to be a little more adventerous. This trailed was marked "No bikes" but since it was a Monday morning and not many walkers out yet we ventured off the road to be along the gulf between Arradon and Baden. There were a few small stairs to climb so I now understand why they said, "No bikes". We had a beautiful view of the gulf so it was worth the little inconvenience now and then.

I love to take pictures while we are riding, if you haven't guessed by now. After stopping at this antique store which was a former mill, I eyed these old weathered boats. If we could only know the stories of their lives. Heidi and Prisille are in the background on the right patiently waiting.

Priscille is a great lover of history and was thrilled to share her pre-French Revolution history with us whenever she could. She taught us all about the French feudal system and showed us a couple of seigneury houses. I am sure this man was loving his job on the oyster boat today.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it

PRETTY AS A POSTCARD

Just when we think it couldn't get more beautiful, we are told about another "MUST SEE" before we leave. Last Sunday after leaving Honfleur we drove north to see these grandiose cliffs at the elegant resort town, E'tretat. The d'Amont cliff is pictured here in the background. The ocean looked inviting and there were surfers in the water but it's not quite swimming weather yet. Étretat is famous for this natural arch. These cliffs and the associated resort beach attracted artists including Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet, and were featured prominently in the 1909 Arsène Lupin novel The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc.

There is even a golf course at the top of the cliffs. One might have a hard time concentrating on his/her golf with views like these.

It was fun to see how the sun could change the colors of the cliffs throughout the afternoon.

The sign (in French) told us we were not to go down this way. But..........we said, "why not?" About half way down we got our answer....... the roped railing had gotten washed away and there was nothing to hold on to. So, you guessed it, back UP the trail we went.

The needle on the left is lit at night. Unfortunately we had a four hour drive back home and had to imagine how pretty it must be when illuminated.
When our French friends asked where we went for the weekend, they were amazed we would drive that far in one weekend. Since France is the size of Texas everything is very close so they are not used to the longer drives we have in the U.S. just to get to the next state.

MARK 10:27 "Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

A BEAUTIFUL WALK IN LOCMARIAQUER

Today, Heidi, Danielle, Clemence and I and ventured out to Locmariaquer. This is a little coastal village near the opening of the gulf of Morbihan (which we live on) into the Atlantic Ocean. Because of it's location on the coast, it seemed like we were surrounding by water everywhere we turned. We walked all along the coast and enjoyed many beautiful sights.

The tulips are really starting to show their color. I know you will be seeing yours soon.

We saw many views of the ocean and gulf as well as getting to see this huge megalith we found along the path.This megalith was different from the other ones we have seen before in Carnac. This one was a dolmen versus the menhir. A dolmen is actually a tomb named the Table des Marchands. We actually stooped and walked inside to look around although didn't venture down the 23 foot corridor to the funerary chamber. Not something you see every day in Indiana!

People were camping and fishing in abundance today. One woman told us that because the tide was exceptionally low, the mussels were very easy to scavenge for today and everyone was taking advantage of this.

Each day the temperatures are getting warmer and warmer. Luckily we have not had much rain latey so we have been able to get outside and enjoy the weather. It was sunny and 18 degrees C (64 degrees F) today!

AMOS 4:13 The one who forms the mountains, creates wind, reveals his thoughts...theLord, the God of hosts, is his name!

THE PRETTY LITTLE TOWN OF HONFLEUR

What a great picturesque little village! After leaving Bayeux we decided we all felt good enough to continue our journey. Dave, Meghan and I were feeling a little under the weather but we pressed on because we knew our days in France were running out and we didn't want to miss anything. What an understatement.......unfortunately we will miss A LOT!Honfleur has been known as a maritime port since XIII th century.

Slate is extensively used: tiling the roofs and often finishing the facades.

Little cafes lined the city centre along the port. We were surprised that all the shops were open on Sunday which is not typically what we have experienced in all our travels in France. Upon inquiring at one of the shops while making a purchase, the owner told us it is because of their close proximity to Paris. We understood... tourists bring money!!!

As we were leaving on Sunday morning Dave looked out the car window and captured these painted shutters. So much to see all the time!

Dave has decided he likes my camera as well. Almost all of the photos were taken with his "eyes" this weekend. Meghan and I are thinking we know what present he needs next. Our B&B was located on this narrow windy street. Luckily they provided a garage for our car.

My friend, Anne-Elisabeth called ahead to make our B&B reservation since the owner spoke limited English. He was so kind that he called and made reservations for the three of us at a restaurant he recommended. Meghan has become our little interpreter and understands much more than I realized until this weekend. The language can sometimes be a barrier but we have found everyone to be so kind and helpful. Hopefully in return we have changed some of their preconceived ideas of Americans.

A typical scene we frequently see here in France. I assume they are airing out their bedding.

HEBREWS 11:1 "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

After being in France for almost nine months, we finally made our trip to the D-Day beaches. We had been to Le Memorial de Caen on an earlier trip but did not make it to the beaches. Le Memorial de Caen is the best museum of D-Day and the WW II in the area and is outstanding.

To enhance our visit we decided to splurge and use a tour company and selected BattleBus (www.battlebus.fr). We would highly recommend them and their website is very informtive

We selected the one day American tour only because we did not have time to do the British and Canadian beaches. Our tour started on the very western end of the invasion area in the town of Ste-Mere-Eglise. This was a critical town that was assigned to the 101st Airborne division to seal off the invasion beaches from German counter attacks. In the picture below our guide Dale is explaining the overall map of the invasion area.

Ste-Mere-Eglise is famous because it was the first town liberated by the Allies and because paratrooper John Steele dangled on the church tower for several hours before the Germans realized he was not dead and took him prisoner.

Inside the church are several stained glass windows that commemorate the liberation by the Allies.

The best aspects of our guided tour were the stops off the beaten path. We stopped at an ancient church in Angoville-au-Pain where two American medics treated Americans, Germans and a civilian while a three day battle raged back and forth in the village outside. The bloodstains were still visible on the pews.

The church and memorial were donated and are sustained by a village of only 43 people as a tribute to their liberators. Below is one of the new stained glass windows in this 11th century Norman church.

The first beach we visited was Utah where General Theodore Roosevelt Jr, son of the President won a Congressional Medal of Honor. Here is a picture of Meghan looking out of the remains of a machine gun nest.

Our next stop was Point du Hoc where 225 US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs to capture the German artillery that commanded both Utah and Omaha beaches. They took the cliff and repulsed counterattacks for two days. By the time reinforcements arrived, more than half the Rangers were dead or wounded. The site, under US government jurisdiction, has been preserved almost exactly as it was at that time. The gaping bomb craters, shattered concrete bunkers and rolls of barbed wire can still be seen. Here you can see some of the devastation.

In this picture, Meghan is descending into one of the bomb craters.

Omaha beach was also known as “Bloody Omaha.” Here our guide explains the firepower that the Germans were able to concentrate on the beach. You can see the wide expanse of the beach that the GI's had to cross into this muderous gun fire.

Click here to hear Dale explain the invasion.

This picture is from the top of the bluff. It is the view a German machine gunner had as the troops came across the beach. It was a completely open field of fire.

Our day ended at the US Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. It holds the remains of 9,386 American soldiers. An additional 14,000 who died on the beaches were flown back to the US. The cemetery is a huge expanse of green with row upon row of white crosses and Stars of David.

It is incredible to see this evidence of all the men and four women who gave their lives to preserve our freedom. You have to experience it yourself. Since this was the end of the day, Susie was able to capture the lowering of the flag ceremony. Nothing I could say would close this emotional day better than this picture.

.....and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL MONDAY

Still not sure why our bike group has been so blessed with beautiful days but I am not complaining! Almost every Monday the weather has been just wonderful for riding. Yesterday was another one of those sunny days with spring in the air. Riding along the gulf in Sene, our group stopped to enjoy the horses frolicking and the beautiful gulf in the background. If we only knew what these horses were saying to each other. Because of the climate the grass never turns brown as it does in Indiana but it definitely is becoming greener as we get closer each day to the first day of spring. I was wondering if March 20 is also the first day of spring here in France, anyone know?

No wimps in this group!! Chantal, the rider on the right, is definitely not a wimp as I told her yesterday. On Saturday she fell down her stairs in the garage and landed on a cement step resulting in three stitches in the back of her head. She road all morning with a smile as if nothing happened.

Being American, Heidi and I are the only two that wear helmets. You do not see that many casual riders in France wearing helmets. I am hoping our American influence rubs off on our French friends, especially those of you reading this blog. I would never want anything to happen to any of you. My French cycling friends have asked me to keep the blog going in the U.S. because it helps them with their English. I agreed to do so as a present to them for their graciousness to me these past months. Maybe I will see things in the U.S. with "new eyes" after being gone for almost a year.

Like I said, spring is coming!! It is cloudy and rainy today so I better go tackle that pile of ironing. Having a dryer is something I have missed. Wonder what it will be like not to have a clothes drying rack in our bedroom?


HEBREWS 11:6 "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."