Paris in the Summer time...and Rennes, too

Two weeks ago Tom left for a 2 week ministry trip into the interior of our country.  That gave me the perfect opportunity to hop on a plane and go to France for a bit.  Lindsay had spent the summer there and was on her way back to Kansas so we overlapped for a few days to see the sights in Paris. Melissa joined us for 2 of those days.  What a wonderful time it was!  

Melissa had found a cute little hotel for us to stay in and then we became tourists for 3 days.  What a massive city and soooo many people.   

Lindsay, with map in hand, did an awesome job of getting us to where we wanted to go. 

 I have no idea how many kilometers we walked.  But it was many, many.

We had no deadlines so we could spend our time how we wanted.  

I was surprised to see so many McDonald's but getting a coke with ice was a welcome treat.  

We traveled the massive metro system,

 drank coffee at the cute cafes along the street, well,  the girls did...I had my coke WITH ice from McDonalds!,

indulged ourselves at the bakeries with yummy pastries...(maybe too much!),

  and took every minute we had to talk and talk and talk.

We watched artists painting, 

we saw musicians set up shop on the side of the road to entertain us,  hoping for donations, 

 and a pick up chess games played on the street.  So much to see.

One day we spent several hours exploring the beautiful gardens at the home of the painter, Claude Monet.

After 4 days, we left Paris by train bound for Rennes, where Melissa lives, leaving Lindsay to board the plane for Kansas after her 7 weeks in France.

It was absolutely wonderful to spend time in Melissa's lovely city.  Her apartment is homey and she was so welcoming.  I could have stayed a lot longer if I didn't have my "dearest" back in Africa waiting for me. 

The region of France where Melissa lives is full of history:  castles, cathedrals,  medieval architecture and beautiful flowers.  We visited several villages close by that were simply charming.  The pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the flowers we saw everywhere. 

Crepes made a great lunch at a quaint cafe.

 

 I did learn a new vocabulary word in French:  "la canicule" meaning "heatwave", which, evidently, they were experiencing while I was there.   I guess it's what you get used to... the weather was gorgeous.

With our family living on three different continents, time together is rare and very precious.   I'm so grateful for these days.

The Shipping of The Cow or Sunday Entertainment

Mr. Tom  and I were having a very pleasant Sunday afternoon promenade when we looked to the East and saw the dark clouds rapidly approaching.

 Not wanting to walk in the rain (rainy season HAS started) we quickly turned around and rushed home; but alas, the rain never came.  So I joined the neighbor ladies outside for "a bit of air" and some chatting.

I was about to go inside, when a pick-up pulled up with a live cow tied down in the back.  I knew immediately that this was a blog post in the making!

With one cow already loaded and ready to go to the butcher shop, they had stopped in for another at our next door neighbor's.

 This poor soul must have understood what was in her future as did not go willingly.  As she was pulled from the yard with a long cord, she charged in our direction which sent us women all running for shelter behind a electric pole!

 But her energy wore down within minutes as she was tugged, pulled and finally lifted onto the back of the pick-up.  I really don't know what they would have done without her tail.

 
 Three legs tied together and it was all over.  A few more adjustments in order to get the tailgate shut and they were done.

Sunday afternoon entertainment in front of the gate at the Dorsches!

P.S.  In spite of having grown up on the farm, I really have no idea if this animal was a he or a she.  It is just so much easier to say "cow" than to determine if it is a steer or a heifer!  Please, my dear farmer brothers, don't be too mortified if I have been mistaken.