We’ve had several days of pretty steady rain here in Nantes. Summer is definitely a thing of the past and my most recent swim in the pool seems ages ago. Given that the same system is used to heat both the pool and 
the house, and given that only one can be used at a time, today marks a milestone of sorts. The switches have been flipped. The pool will no longer be heated but the house will. In support of this day, before leaving our landlords had arranged for the home heating system to be serviced today. So a maintenance man arrived mid-afternoon and did whatever he needed to do. And then Melinda and I turned off the pool. It almost felt like some solemn words should be said and bagpipes should be playing.
Okay, maybe that’s a little much. But I present today’s photo of a radiator inside the house as my tribute to the change.
Later this afternoon, as Melinda and I walked to the tram we began talking about when we’ll switch back to a heated pool and an unheated house. Will it be in early May? I hope so. We continued our chat in a hip little café in the center of town while sipping our hot chocolates (chocolat chaud) under layers of clothes while looking for a place to set our dripping umbrellas. Melinda got very excited just thinking about how the house would be warm when we got back home.
Andy Smallman 
Looks like the radiators in the first house I remember in Washington DC
Bonjour!
Your sense of humour is so sharp, I get the biggest kick out of it. Feeling like “some solemn words should be said and bagpipes should be playing” when you turned off the pool heater and on the house heater was just priceless, I loved it.
My friend with a daughter in your school is busy doing costumes for a modern day Shakespeare play, they are both very excited so that’s cool.
Do you ever hear the KEXP radio show called Wo’ Pop, by Darek Mazzone, on Tuesdays, 6-9:00 PM? You can listen to their archives too, it is an incredible array of music from all over the world, check it out. If you are not a fan yet, you will be:
http://www.kexp.org/streamarchive/streamarchive.asp
On Friday I am leaving on a wonderful trip – one week in Azerbaijan to visit one of our exchange students, then 3 weeks in Turkey. Will miss Trick or Treat but will be back in time for Thanksgiving.
Ah! I got a series of tapes from the library and I am working hard at my French!
Au revoir,
Raquel
andy,
i miss europe so much it hurts. i gotta get outta here! america is no place for me!
-sigh
i mean
-dan