End of School

Dear Family and Friends,


Summer is finally here after weeks of rain and cool temperatures. That means the cicadas are starting to chirp and school winding down for the year. For Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel, that has also meant end-of-the year field trips and music recitals. Nicolas went with his class to the old port of Marseille and was able to see the old church and other buildings dating back as far back as the Greeks. Elyse went to an outdoor recreation area where they were able to complete a rope course, do rappelling and other fun activities. Finally, Julie went with Nathaniel's class to a local lake and learned about plants and insects.

Joe even got to go on a field trip to London to give a talk about ITER at a Project Management conference. The conference was held in the middle of the business district in an old building that survived the bombings of WWII called Armourer's Hall.

The Hall belongs to The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers, which was founded in 1322 for promoting the metallurgical arts. It is home to numerous priceless examples of suits of armour, swords, spears, and other artifacts from the middle ages. The company's motto of "Make all Sure" and slogan of "Put on the Armour of God" are written in large gold letters on the walls of the main room.

Nicolas recently had a piano recital at the Foundation of Carzou in an old church that was converted into performance hall. He played a sonatina by Beethoven by memory and did a very good job of keeping cool under pressure.




Elyse gave her violin performance in a small plaza of the center of old town Manosque. The street performance was part of an open house for the Conseratory of Music. She also played a few days later in the International School Band Concert.

The kids are looking forward to the end of school this week and getting a little more usage of the pool. However, they're not too excited to see some of their best friends return home to South Carolina. For a farewell, we invited their family and another family from Finland to diner and had a great time sitting on the terrace chatting until the kids were good and tired of chasing each other around the house.

Bonne Semain!

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel