Dear Family and Friends,
After our fun and exciting Christmas vacation, it has been hard for us to sit down and write about the cold and dreary days of January. Nevertheless, we thought we’d better at least string together a few sentences and post a couple of pictures to let you know we are still alive and well. Here are a few of the highlights of the past weeks.
We have settled into our new house in Pierrevert. On the positive side, it has a lot of space, both inside and outside, for the kids to run and play. We also like our gardener, the amazing 360 degree views of the French countryside, and the French doors in almost every room. That said, we are still waiting for our things to arrive from the States and with the exception of a few beds, a table, and some chairs, the house is empty. Also, we have had our fair share of things breaking down, which has added to our fun.
The weather has been particularly cold for Southern France and it even snowed about six inches in the middle of the month. Since snow and the French Riviera are not terms usually found in the same sentence, the event caused havoc around the region, including closing ITER for two days and forcing Joe to abandon our car about a kilometer away from home. Despite this, the kids enjoyed building snow forts and throwing snowballs at dad.
Recently, we joined some of our Scottish friends from ITER and the International School at the 250th Anniversary Burns Supper. The night was dedicated to the poet Robert “Robbie” Burns and featured a diner, recitations, kilts, and dancing. The Onstott lassies showed up the laddies by partaking of the traditional dish haggis. Julie found it to be surprisingly flavorful while Elyse was just happy to take dad for 50 cents for daring her to eat it. Nicolas and Joe, on the other hand, couldn’t quite get past the idea of eating sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs boiled in stomach and left the party without being culturally enlightened.
Last Saturday, we decided to explore another one of the hill-towns in our region. The city of Roussillon is about 45 minutes away and is situated on a hill overlooking the Luberon valley. 
It has red, misshapen buildings that are in stark contrast to the surrounding green pine forest. The city is a significant tourist destination during the summer months, but was very tranquil during our visit. The kids had fund exploring the old narrow streets and sliding down a railing next to an uneven rocky staircase. For a quick trip, this was definitely a winner.
The Onstotts
Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel
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