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It’s taken most of the vacation, but the last few days have been EXACTLY what we imagined when we were considering our return to France for this month. There would be lots of sunshine and time by the water, both the pool at the Boudeau’s and the Pornichet beach.

We got a Sunday night barbeque and pool party with the entire Boudeau family on Sunday night, and we got 80 degree weather and a day on the beach at Pornichet today.

To those two things I can say, “Check and double check.”

You know, it’s funny to think about what you anticipate happening when returning to somewhere or something special, and what actually happens. I’ll likely be writing more about that later, either before we leave (next Monday) or once we’re back in Seattle. There is a lot to consider.

To illustrate a post titled “What We Imagined,” I grabbed this photo from way back on the 1st of July, taken right after we arrived in Pornichet. We got a couple of hours on the beach that afternoon, the only time that whole week that it wasn’t raining or threatening to rain.

Nantes has great parks as you can learn by looking here. And in the glorious weather we had today, I got to experience two of them.

First, Melinda & I went for a morning walk that ended at the Jardin des Plants de Nantes, one of my favorite places in the city and one I’ve often referenced. There is a small café in the park and after buying some French pastries in a nearby bakery, Melinda & I enjoyed them in the café with a morning drink (coffee for Melinda, tea for me).

Then late this afternoon, as I was walking back by myself from the Paridis shopping center, I stopped to enjoy the Parc de La Noé Mitrie where I took today’s photo. It was a long walk home, about 45 minutes, and the park was near the end, not far from our house. Part of what makes it attractive are the happy kid voices, splashing in the wading pools on a summer day.

That’s good stuff if you’re me.

Those of you who are paying close attention will notice that yesterday’s and today’s posts have the same title, but yesterday’s is inside quotation marks. Why? Because yesterday I was referring to the art installation in Nantes by that name. And today I’m referring to Melinda’s, Chloe’s, Ella’s and my installation in Nantes this summer.

Today’s photo is meant to illustrate our installation. It was the first picture I took upon our arrival, and it was taken in the Nantes airport. That’s Melinda clad in the orange striped sweater on one side of a glass partition, and Christine & Bérnard on the other. Melinda and Christine are talking via cell phone. As tired as I was when we arrived, I got a huge kick out of seeing them communicate like this. I remember thinking it was like some kind of specialized zoo exhibit in which patrons can communicate with the animals. I still haven’t figured out which side of the glass is for patrons and which side is for the exhibited animals.

Of course, part of what makes this picture so special is the “A Journey to Nantes” sticker/poster in the frame. At that time, I had no idea what it was so decided it was meant for us (I think that makes Christine & Bérnard part of the animal exhibit).

In French, it’s actually called Le voyage à Nantes and its English subtitle is “The City Turned Upside Down by Art.” It’s a pretty spectacular thing, in fact, and it’s taking place in Nantes this summer. It’s described as a 5 mile long urban trail in the city and you can walk it by following a pink line painted on the sidewalk that takes you to various art installations. There are something like 40 of them. Wow!

My favorite so far and the most dramatic, as you can see in today’s photo, is this one. I took the picture last night in the neighborhood known as Le Bouffay where Melinda and I had gone for dinner. As we walked around on an incredible Friday night in Nantes, among sidewalk cafés and restaurants (trying to choose one), we stopped to look at this exhibit. Right in the middle of the La Place du Bouffay is this installation, a partial apartment facade hung some 30 feet in the air. That’s Melinda looking up at it, wondering as everyone does, how did the artist make this work.

We are guessing the room is made of some lightweight material and the ladder base is extraordinarily heavy. Your guess?

Two years ago today I celebrated my mom’s birthday by posting a picture of a sign we saw next to the pool at the place we were staying in Pornichet. I got such a big kick out of the way the English was written, and knew the editor inside my mom would appreciate it.

So today I post another sign in honor of my mom’s birthday (dare I say it’s #79?). This one attracted my attention because of the French writing, specifically the date. So bold, so attention-grabbing, “Vendredi 20 juillet.” That’s today. My mom’s birthday.

Happy birthday, mom. If you swing on over to Nantes we can go grab a glass of wine at Le Chavallais and enjoy a jazz trio. Not a bad way to spend one’s birthday, I think.

So Melinda left early this morning for Paris, a long-planned day trip with Christine, thus leaving the girls and me to fend for ourselves today. Chloe had already set up a babysitting gig for the afternoon with Luce & Zacharie, so I rode with her to their house in our old neighborhood. You see, we have a public transportation pass that’s good for 24 hours for 4 people so if I didn’t want it in Chloe’s possession all afternoon, I had to ride with her.

Anyway, after dropping off Chloe, I went back to the house and hung out with Ella, and then she and I went to pick up Chloe. The three of us then went into the center of town where the girls got gelatto, as you can see in this photo. They then went shopping at Galeries Lafayette, while I wandered around taking pictures. We met back up at 8pm and went out to dinner at a Thai restaurant.

Not a bad day, eh? I’ll meet Melinda at the train station shortly and then Bérnard & Christine will come back to our place for a little drink. That’s called a nightcap, right?

That’s right, we had a day of summer, finally. For the Celsius-impaired, we broke the 70 degree mark in Nantes with blue, blue skies and lots of sun. It was a perfect occasion to accept Romain’s invitation to join him poolside in his backyard. He is back from his vacation and was kind enough to include us in his plans to lounge by the pool.

We accepted gratefully and greedily.

Today’s photo is actually one I took last night. As the clouds broke in Nantes at about 6pm and the sun came out, we were treated to a dazzling evening. We had the Boudeaus over for dinner and even opened up the “French” doors in our living room. I took a step out onto the narrow balcony and snapped this self-portrait.

Starting with last evening and continuing now for over 24 hours, this is the kind of weather we anticipated having this month. Will it last?

It’s been a long time since we had a posting on this topic, meaning it’s long overdue. But before continuing, I recommend you get caught up on the past installments of this serial:

• Update on the Babysitter Americaine I
  
• Update on the Babysitter Americaine II
  
• Update on the Babysitter Americaine III
  

Good. Now that you’re caught up, we can continue.

Yesterday Chloe received a text from Penny, the mother of Zacharie and Luce, the children Chloe took care of regularly while we were on sabbatical. Penny knew we were in town and was hoping to surprise the kids with a visit from Chloe. So we drove straight to their house from attending Nicole’s services in Bressuire. As we got closer to Nantes, Chloe commented that she was a combination of anxious/nervous. “What if the kids don’t really remember me?” she asked.

As you can tell from the photo, they had absolutely no idea who Chloe was. It was a grand surprise, and a contrast in emotions on a very emotional day.

Chloe will even be babysitting the kids on Thursday afternoon, meaning it is possible to go home again.

What brings a person honor?

Typical answers to that question have to do with how we behave. But we can also be honored by being in the presence of that part of humanity that is pure and simple and true, our natural authenticity. Immersed in it, we are honored.

Today, my family was honored by the Boudeau family.

The Boudeaus invited us to attend Nicole’s, Laurent’s mother’s, memorial service. It took place in l’église Notre Dame de Breissure, about 60 minutes from Nantes. We were invited to be present for the casket being lowered into the ground. After that, we were invited to join the extended Boudeau family to share food, fellowship, and conversation. Through their actions, words, and gestures, every member of the Boudeau family treated my family with kindness, courtesy and empathy.

Today I hope to acknowledge the enormity of the gift given to us by the Boudeau family through this simple blog post, one that includes a picture of Michel, Nicole’s husband and Laurent’s father, with my family.

First, let me say again that the house we are living in this summer is very different from the one in which we lived during the sabbatical. I’m not saying one is better than the other. Just that the contrast is striking.

Truth be told, this house is much more like what you might first imagine when picturing an urban French house. It’s pretty much in the heart of the city, on a narrow street. You access it through a gate on the street and then find the *front* door in the back. There is no front entryway like we are accustomed to in the US.

Inside has two narrow wood staircases, the first connecting the entry door to the main living area in which you find the living & dining rooms and the kitchen. Another staircase leads you to the top level where there are two kids’ rooms and an office. Back down at the entry level is the master bedroom and a bathroom, in which you’ll find the washer/dryer.

Today’s photo was taken on the upper staircase, shooting back down into the living area. I included in the photo my hand in order to *personalize* the photo.