Oh, this photo does my heart a world of good. We received it and a couple of others on Sunday from Frédérique and Laurent. Of course, it’s Manon and Romain and it comes from early October and a nice, nice day in Nantes. Not only was it sunny and warm, it was the day Romain’s 19th birthday was celebrated!
Me, I see these two and I think of many things, all of them happy, including the English lessons Melinda and I were providing them last year. Each Monday Romain came over for lunch and conversation. And a few hours later, after school, Manon came by for a goûter and conversation.
For another view of Manon and Romain, take a look at Day 25 of the sabbatical. This is just a couple of days before we moved into our house in Nantes and is from our trip to Pornichet. The photo always makes me smile.
Andy Smallman 
Such young people are an inspiration to me these days – beautiful, bright, accomplished, and nice as well. I have three teenager granddaughters. Well the oldest is 20 and her twin sisters are 17. Soon I will have five as the two twelve year olds (one is my daughter’s youngest girl, the other my son’s oldest boy) turn thirteen in January and March. Our “baby” is only 8 but he will be 9 in February. I mourn the lack of babies in the family, but in a few years we will likely be great-grandparents, a real reason to be alive!