Noontime update

Let's try something new: a quick post of the most recent happenings. I'll get caught up on the bigger stuff from July, but want to let you know a little more of our day-to-day.

Thursday and Friday, Carter stayed home from camp with me. Thursday, he cashed in his "half-birthday kid's choice day" card and we went to the Paris Plages (beach) and the beach volleyball tournament. Friday, he stayed home because he had a French lesson in the afternoon, and I didn't realize his whole school was going on an outing. We caught some more volleyball, finished his homework, went to the market, I got my hair cut, he had his lesson, you know, that kind of prosaic day. Friday night we went to dinner at the apartment of our friends Michael, Monica, Tuli, and Coli (not sure if I spelled the girls' names right). It was a lovely evening, and with the heat finally broken we were all happier than the previous few days.

Saturday (yesterday) morning the boys slept 'til 9:30 or so, and we slept a bit longer. We made a big waffle brunch with fresh strawberry/smallredfrenchberry sauce. Afterward, Betsy and Calvin went to the grocery while Carter and I did ... something, I forget now. After lunch we caught the men's semis and women's final at the beach volleyball tournament. It's one of the four grand-slam tournaments on the pro circuit. The women's final was the defending Olympic champs from the US, Walsh and May, against a Brazilian team. The Brazilian's topped them in three games, 15-13 in the third. Quite exciting, and then we ran into our friends who run Fat Tire tours on the way out. That kind of thing makes us feel like we really are part of the neighborhood. Last night we took it easy, with a yummy pasta and brie dinner before the boys sacked out.

This morning we slept in a bit again, then after breakfast Betsy and Carter went to the market while I cut Calvin's hair and cleaned up the apartment. Our friends Tom and Carol, with sons Theo and Sandy, are coming for lunch, along with our friend Kevin. We were going to picnic but it's a bit threatening, so we'll probably stay here at least to eat. Later, we may catch the men's final, or just chill, who knows.

Next weekend I'm going to go to Brussels with Kevin, then the following weekend the boys and we are probably going to Amsterdam. Fares are still high to here from the US, but cheaper to Amsterdam, so if you're thinking of heading there let us know. Fares for the fall look like they're starting to drop, although the big Air France sale just ended. I hope we see you soon.