In other news of the day, Christine said she wanted to take Melinda to what I can best describe to American readers as a flea market. Called, Emmaus, it’s about a 30 minute drive from Nantes. Bernard, who is on vacation, did the driving and I tagged along for good measure (I even found a vintage deck of French playing cards for 1 Euro! Snatched those babies up…).

After the flea market, Bernard suggested we drive to nearby Vertou for lunch. The restaurant we found was on the water and the meals we all had were delicious. And by that, I mean really good. After lunch, we went for a walk and Bernard took this picture of Melinda and me. There is another like it, one in which Christine decided she wanted in. Its result elicited a tremendous amount of laughter and then a photo of Bernard and Christine that included Melinda in the background. More laughter, even to the point of tears.

So why am I not including those photos? I need permission…

Happy birthday, Al!