Asha ain't eight anymore . . . now she's nine and feelin' fine! It happened on May 27th.
In the afternoon she opened some presents and cards from near and far:
Here's what she got from her brother:
A Piece of Genuine Glass from Venice and A Glass Model of Dolphins Kissing
Do you think she liked her gift from Ford?
That evening we went out to dinner at Le Refuge des Pirates (bad name, absurd decor, good food):
Walking to Dinner
Pretty Mother, Pretty Daughter
The waiter put a sparkler in her ice cream along with the number "9." How did he know?!
While we were having birthday dessert there was a huge thunder storm with thunder and lightning and tons of rain . . . clearly the Roman gods were celebrating too. Congratulations Asha!
Coming up next: We visit the outrageous, amazing, incredible, Pont du Gard. Again!
Whew! It's been party weekend in Vaison thanks to the "Fete Foraine" -- a three day party that included a parade and a traveling carnival with rides.
The parade was on Friday night. This year there were 11 floats. (The parade made three circuits through town, so if you squinted, it was like 33 floats). Anyway, it was a hoot. And guess who was in the parade? Watch this video to find out:
No, we're not talking about the pregnant lady smoking the cigarette . . . we're talking about Asha! (She was dressed in her horsing uniform . . . the theme of the float involved sports for kids in Vaison.)
All the floats were great, but the Country Saloon float had to be the best of all. Listen to this French guy sing a John Denver song:
Here are more photos from the parade:
This is Averil's "Boss" From the Soccer Club
After the parade we went over to the carnival, which was set up in the post office parking lot:
We saw many friends and made it home about midnight . . . it was tiring to have so much fun!
In other news, Ford has been knocking 'em dead lately down at the river. Literally. On the head. With a stick. Observe:
Coming up in the next installment of Le Blog . . . Asha turns 9. Stay tuned!
Ed's mom, Ronnie, is coming to visit! She's seeing Paris for a week before she comes to stay with us in Vaison. So Averil and Asha went up to Paris by train to spend a few days with her. Here are some photos:
Arc de Triomphe
Sacre Coeur (as seen from Arc de Triomphe)
Pretty View from Arc de Triomphe
Ditto
Space Needle
l'Opera Garnier
Galaries Lafayettte (note to Nordstrom: this is how a flagship store should look)
Averil With Our Friend Lucile (Lucile started babysitting for us at about the age of 15. Now she's almost done with her studies at the Sorbonne, where she says tourists appear and take her picture as an actual Sorbonne student!).
Asha and Ronnie
Inside the d'Orsay Museum Looking Out
d'Orsay
Above the Seine
Tuileries Gardens (with Louvre in Background)
Ronnie and Asha
Ditto (at Sacre Couer)
This Street Performer Wowed Everyone with His Outrageous Tricks
Outrageous Trick
In other news . . . . back in Vaison it was Ed's birthday so we had lunch in town at one of our favorite places:
Here is a picture of Ford's bedroom wall with postcards showing the places he's been this year:
Ford and his friend Nicolas went into town to ask the butcher for a bone for Ivy. They came back with a femur from a Tyranasaurus Rex:
