GREAT DAY FOR A WALK

How do you celebrate a birthday in Brittany? Where else but a creperie! Heidi turns 30 something tomorrow so we celebrated with lunch eating crepes and ice-cream desserts. Unfortunately the picture did not come out clear so you will just have to imagine what those great desserts looked like: ice-cream, chocolate, whip cream, etc...... Now what is a must after consuming that many calories? At least an hour or two walk on the gulf. Heidi, Sabine and I posing under the beautiful Mimosa tree.

Yes I need a hair cut, getting one next week.

Can we bring these views with us when we return. It's easy to want to go walking everyday here when you have views like this!

The temperature today was in the low 50's with overcast skies. Glad to hear you are having warm weather at home too..... you deserve it after the winter you have had in the midwest.

Auriane invited us to a concert tonight and it was such a pleasure to hear her hard practices pay off. You can listen here on the video and enjoy her talents too! Dave, Meghan and I are so excited that she will be coming to the U.S. this summer. Can't wait to introduce her to Indiana corn on the cob, BLT sandwiches, Skyline Chili, and corn fed Indiana beef. We hope Auriane can get used to the Indiana humidity which is much higher than here in Brittany.

PSALM 92: 1-4 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR!

Great volunteers here in France! Once a week I have been riding my bike to Bangue Alimentaire du Morbihan to volunteer. Having some extra time on my hands I felt the need to give back for what we have been blessed with here in France. A French friend took me to meet Mr. Audo, the director, and she interpreted for me. He told me I would be their first American volunteer.
The first morning to volunteer, I woke up a little nervous ....... that was a waisted worry. My French tutor had helped me with about five sentences I may need to use such as,"Where do I put this? What do you want me to do?" I soon learned the volunteers in France are just as wonderful as those in the U.S.
Maurice, the gentleman on the right in the photo speaks a little English but he said it's been 40 years since he studied English at school. Ilan, the boy on the left is the volunteer director's nephew. They were both a joy to work with today. As the volunteer truck drivers bring in the food donations from the local grocery store we separate and discard the spoiled produce and then it is distributed to the local food pantries in the area.
My flower withdrawal was for a shorter time than expected. The Camelia bushes are in full bloom. This is the flower we had in our wedding but the florist made them from petals of another flower because they were hard for her to get in Batesville. I had seen them in a picture and just loved the delicate blooms.

The violets are starting to poke through to show their color too!

The Mimosa started blooming in December and is now in full bloom. What a sweet smelling fragrance!

My first sighting of daffodils and crocuses. Could that be a bee on the daffodil??

1 PETER 1:24 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."

BICYCLING ON ILE D'ARZ

Yes we are not wasting a moment! We probably only have about another month before we return to Irvington so we are making every moment count! Yesterday after church and after a quick lunch we rode our bikes to Conleau to catch the boat to Ile d'Arz. This very small island is a great place to bike, especially now because all the tourists are gone until summer. Only one car passed us the entire afternoon.

The island is very small in size and population, around 230. We are sure that number is much higher in the summer months.

Dave was commenting on how much Meghan's bike riding has improved since July when we arrived. I guess she didn't have a choice once she was born into this cycling family.

The road turned into a trail that turned into some rock climbing.

We rode about 18K around the island stopping to take photos and to enjoy the scenery.

One of the old stone houses along the ride.

Too bad we won't be here this summer to enjoy this beach.

A little father/daughter rock climbing.

So Meghan decided it really was not February and in the 50's but hey why not........
As the clouds rolled in and the temperatures started to drop, we rode back to catch the 5 p.m. boat ride back to Conleau.... but not before a stop for some chocolate crepes. Crepes are a Brittany speciality and they are great after a day of biking!!

2 CORINTHIANS 5: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

DAY TRIP TO ANGERS

Friday, Meghan was still on her two week break from school so we went to Angers to visit friends and do some shopping and site seeing. My good friend Ann-Elisabeth was born in Angers and was there recuperating at her parents' flat. Her two lovely daughters, Auriane and Solene acted as our tour guides for the day as we explored this wonderful historical city. It was a bright and sunny day, so the first stop was to look for Meghan some sunglasses. Aren't the girls looking quite fashionable? Meghan wanted me to let you know this was not the pair she chose, hers are much more stylish.

On to the Cathedral of Angers which has an exceptional collection of stained glass windows dated from the 12th to the 16th century.

Below, this 16th century house of timber is typical of the great bourgeois Gothic of the time. Consisting of five floors and timbered corbelled in diamonds, its poles are decorated with many carved figures representing religious scenes, legends or fantasy creatures. It is known as the Maison d' Adam.
Now it houses craftsmen where you can find arts and crafts by 50 artists. Sure wish we would have had time to see go shopping here.

As we were sitting here for the photo we realized their grandparent's flat (on the ninth floor) was in the background. So we called Ann-Elisabeth and said "Step out on the balcony so we can take your picture!" Their flat is the white building just over Meghan's right shoulder in the picture.

I know the picture is fuzzy but not bad for all across town. Ann-Elisabeth was able to see us too through her binoculars. We all laughed and enjoyed this moment together!At the Chateau D'Angers, a royal fortress, there is evidence of man's presence dating back to the Neolithic period, between 3000 and 4000 BC, and also in the Gaulish and Gallo-Roman periods. The castle houses the tapestry, Apocalypse, depicting the last chapter of the bible. The tapestry dating to the 14th century is 100 metres long and 4.5 metres high with 70 scenes surviving today. It is the oldest surviving tapestry of this size. It was amazing to see!! As you can see in the prior picture, the gardeners are hard at work to keep these grounds in beautiful condition.

This small 15th century fortified gateway, with its picturesque corner turrets adorned with pepper-box turrets, is the entrance porch to the seigniorial residence. A pepperbox turret is a small cylindrical masonry structure with a conical roof used as watchtower.

Meghan takes a rest after walking all day. She is enjoying her new sun glasses purchased during our morning shopping spree. First things first!

Wow, that's a long way down!

A great view of the Maine-et-Loire-River from the top of the Chateau du Roi Rene'. Dave had a meeting in Angers so we picked him up on the way out of town and traveled home with the girls in the back seat watching, The Dukes of Hazzard, in English with French sub titles.

MATHEW 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

SUNDAY AT THE OCEAN

Yes, we will blog about our visit to London but couldn't resist sharing these photos now. Dave, Meghan and I went for a drive on Sunday afternoon and ended up at St. Gildas de Rhuys about a half hour from our flat. Our intentions were to revisit a sight we had been before but seeing the signs for St. Gildas prompted me to say "I have heard it is beautiful there, let's go." We were not the least bit disappointed. It was beautiful!! Dave took this photo as we were walking along the path that you can look down to the ocean. Great photography, Dave!

O.K. we couldn't resist and Meghan couldn't resist taking the photo. We will have to revisit this spot on a date night soon.

The winding path along the ocean provided us with many photo opportunities and for me to keep saying, "I can't believe we live just a half hour from this beauty!"

The big kid and the little kid took the path down to the ocean while I stayed on top to continue taking pictures. I wanted to see how well my zoom worked and...........

this is how close I can zoom in! Thanks Dave for the nice Christmas present.

Meghan is quite proud of her new Cambridge sweat shirt! Maybe she will be a future Nobel Prize student who attends Cambridge and supports us in our old age!

One of the activities we have come to enjoy and cherish is our Sunday afternoon walks. It is a family tradition here and we LOVE the way the French have kept this day a special day for the family to be together. Sure hope we can continue this in the U.S. If we only had these views within a half hour of Irvington.

I CORINTHIANS 2:9 -10 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" - but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

OUR FIRST STOP IN ENGLAND.....

Our trip to the United Kingdom, specifically to Cheveley, England to visit Marshall and Vivian Skelton and family proved to be fun for all of us! Saturday night the adults went out to a local pub for dinner while the kids enjoyed Domino's pizza and American movies at home. We all agreed the pub food was excellent with a Spanish influence to the menu. Meghan was Sooooooo... excited to speak English and to be understood perfectly. After attending church with Vivian, Marshall and the kids we headed off to the city of Cambridge. Above left to right: Maggie, Marshall Jr., John, Vivian, and Marshall. We enjoyed seeing the city and learning more about the history of the second oldest university in the English speaking world. Cambridge is ranked among the top five universities in the world with over 80 Nobel Prize winners as graduates. It is actually a confederation of 31 colleges, each acts independent of the others Dave and John became best buddies before the day was over. He figured out early on that Dave liked picking him up. Unfortunately he can no longer pick up Meghan.

Can you believe that Meghan is almost as tall as her mom? Soon she will be looking down on the top of my head.

Climbing 123 steps takes you to the top of Great St. Mary's Church to enjoy a panoramic view of Cambridge and the surrounding countryside. Yes we made it to the top, all 123 steps and then back down.

You are seeing the view of King's College and Chapel from the top of the church. Just a dusting of snow remains on the grass from the 4 to 6 inches they received the week before.

This photo reminded me of riding my bike (minus the basket) to classes at Purdue. Bikes, bikes, and more bikes were all over campus. If you wanted to brave the chilly weather in a boat you could be punted down the river. We passed.

This barefoot punter gave us the chills!

Monday morning it was back to school for the Skelton children. They were leaving for their winter break the following week to ski in Austria!! Wow, can I go along too.

The morning we left for London, Vivian kindly showed us around Newmarket, famous for it's
Cheveley Stud Park which is one of the most successful thoroughbred stud farms in Europe and is home to nine top class stallions.
Thank you Vivian, Marshall and family for a great visit!

NUMBERS 6:24-26 "May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace."