Granny and Partner in France

Granny and Partner in France, Nov, 2006Granny and Partner (my mom and dad) came to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with Jean, Zo�-Pascale and I after celebrating at home for the past 2 weeks. Coming to St. Quentin �la-Poterie put a crimp in their daily routine as they had to slow down and get into the rhythm of France in the Fall.First thing on the agenda was walking Zo�-Pascale to school and then stopping at the Tabac for a Herald Tribune and the Boulangerie for a croissant or pain du raisin. After dropping Zo�-Pascale at school they settled in at the one and only caf� for their Caf� au Lait, reading the paper and munching on the patisserie. On most days they were lucky to be able to sit outside in the sun and drink their au lait while watching the people go by. On the fourth day, Dad said to me. �There is this woman who serves us in the Caf�, but I keep seeing her working in different places; cleaning a restaurant, in the Tabac, babysitting a little boy. Does she have a twin?� I laughed as it took us years to figure out that Terese cleans the Caf�, the restaurant on the Avenue Dr. Blanchard, and the Tabac, but also pitches in to serve in the Caf� as needed, take care of a child, or do odd jobs. She pops up at different places throughout the day and seems to keep the town stores sparkling clean. Mom and Dad and her became quite acquainted and would greet each other every morning with a hearty �Bonjour.�After the caf� and patisserie, they�d walk up to the house and very soon turn around in time to pick Zo�-Pascale up for lunch. After lunch (outside or inside depending on the weather) they once more walked her to school. Some days Mom and Dad wanted to go to Uzes where Mom went shopping and Dad found a new caf� in which to read his book. Other days they hung out and read and Mom cooked a pot of Lentil soup or an Aubergine Provencale dish. At 5:00 on the dot they would pick her up and depending on the day, walk Zo� to her Cirque (circus) class, watch her through the window at Dance, or in the stables at Poney and play and read before dinner.One day walking home, Zo� stopped to say Bonjour to a woman. Mom and Dad asked her who she was, and she matter of fact replied: �That was the butcher�s wife.� That was the last thing they expected her to say and burst into laughter. How many kids in America would know the butcher�s wife?On Zo�s days off we went to visit Nimes, Arles (where Van Gogh painted) and Aix-en-Provence. For those of you who know Granny (my mom) getting her to just hang out with us for two weeks was a new experience for her, if not torture. As you can see from some of the photos, she thoroughly enjoyed the adventures we took and the shopping.