train on the way home

a visit with la famille

Eric's parents live far from Paris, so when they were visiting their friends this weekend who live right outside the city, we went to see them there. They have fruit trees and here is Eric picking apples. They sent home so many fruits and vegetables with us that getting everything home was quite a challenge!

Intricately-cut shrubbery.

Pumpkin from Eric's parents' farm. I made a pie from it today and pumpkin bread for Eric to take to work tomorrow, and froze the rest.

The friends' house, Paul and Josseline.

old tree

big blue gate

Ricki, Eric's parents' dog. She is 9.

She treats apples like balls.

Bee thing.

This and the next guy were hanging in the porch. Paul said his grandfather killed them. I liked them.

It's a wolf, in case you weren't sure. I wasn't.

So, there are not really any good photos of anyone except Eric because I was too shy to take many, if you want to know the truth. This was my first time meeting everyone, I could barely communicate, and I felt weird just taking a bunch of pictures of everyone without asking or giving them a heads up first. So, next time. But everyone was really nice, and I was thrilled that we had this hours-long dinner that I've read so much about in all my "what's it like in France" books. So, we talked for awhile and had coffee, then we had aperitifs, or before-dinner drinks, with some little fun appetizers, including nuts, potato crisp things, little Laughing Cow squares of cheese, individually wrapped in various flavors like ham and tomato and onion, little tomatoes from Eric's parents' farm, and my favorite, Knacki balls, which are hot dogs except in little ball shapes and you eat them with a toothpick. I'm sure they would've been your favorite too.

Then, we had tuna and shrimp pate with hard boiled egg pieces, orange-colored tomato slices, whole shrimp, and homemade mayonnaise that Eric's mom made on the side, served with nice bread from the local bakery of course. It was really really good.

Then, we had shoulder of lamb and a warm salad of white beans and a special sort of bacon, and it was also really really good.

Then, we had salad with cheese, 8 different kinds.

And wine the whole time of course.

Last was an apple tart, which we had with champagne since it was a bit of a special occasion. About 3 or more hours had passed at this point and I was really almost falling asleep. It was great and a very authentic French experience I think!

random

lady and dog at Gare de l'Est

Goats

toy store near our house

Montmartre morning

Montmartre rooster sign

Montmartre vineyard

Eric's first Jiffy Pop!!!

job

So again, I haven't been blogging a lot lately, and a big reason is that I got this little job. I am working at a little store that sells American food products, and all of a sudden I'm working a lot, and I don't have a lot of free time like I used to, which I'm happy about in a way. You'd be surprised how many things you start to miss living here as an American. We sell things like Stove Top, Kraft macaroni and cheese, Hellman's mayonnaise, brown sugar, peanut butter, pecans, bagels delivered weekly from H & H in New York, Philadelphia cream cheese, cake mix and frostings, cheesecake, root beer, Pop Tarts, Reese's cups, etc. I like it so far and I am just so surprised that anyone would give me a job with my VERY average French skills that I am really pretty happy to have this opportunity. Yay!