Dear Family and Friends,
Summer has officially begun here in Provence and the weather has been hot and humid this past couple of weeks. Julie has been keeping the shutters closed during the day to keep the house cool while Joe has been suffering at work with air conditioners that don't work. From what we hear, this is just a taste of things to come.
At school, both Nicolas and Nathaniel have had field trips to a local farm. Nathaniel got to make French bread with his class and then eat it for lunch. Nicolas loved getting away from the small confines of his school playground and was able to hold a boa constrictor around his neck.
On Saturday, we all went shopping at a large shopping center near Aix en Provence. In addition to strolling around an American-style shopping mall, we feasted at a near-by Kentucky Fried Chicken and enjoyed a little taste of home. We also found a large movie theater and watched Star Trek in French. Although we made the kids promise to close their eyes during the scary parts, Nathaniel put up quite a fight and kept insisting that "it's not scary for me, mom!" In retrospect, perhaps we should have waited the extra half hour for Night at the Museum.
After church on Sunday, we took a short drive to the lavender fields around Valensole. This area produces much of the world's lavender oil, a key ingredient in most perfumes. The fields are carefully cultivated and harvested, using techniques that go back to the 1840s.
The plants are just starting to bloom, but are already purple and fragrent. In some places, the lavender fields go on for miles.
Well, we hope you are all doing great. For our part, we are enjoying this first summer in Provence.
Bonne Semain! (have a good week)
Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel
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