Christmas Day 2013

Matthew meets Mickey.

Lois.

Philip & Emma.

Nato.

Emma.

Merry Christmas!

Reading the nook in the clubhouse at the end of the day.

Family Christmas Concert 2013

We would like to invite you all to join us for our Christmas Concert.  Just Click on the link below and enjoy the fruits of Jacob, Emma and Benjamin's labor this year.

Christmas Concert 2013

Jacob has been working hard at EVERYTHING he sees.  He has a thirst to play and is starting to request certain pieces.  His work on the recorder is all self motivated.  He is still determined in his work with the guitar and maybe next year he will have a little guitar in our program too.

Emma is starting to bloom and we understand now why some say that waiting until children are eight years old for formal lessons is a good idea.

Benjamin has been BEGGING to learn to play.  He is not eight and so we have resisted starting lessons.  Then Robin came across a book of supper simple arrangements for Christmas and decided to let him try a few things for just the season.

Seeing more of France

 We have been studying the Middle Ages in school and currently we are studying about Joan of Arc.  The city of Roen is only an hour or two from Paris and we decided to go take a look.

 This little garden area is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.  There is now a church here, and the garden is dedicated to her.

 

 Statue of the famed Patron Saint of France.

 The church was built reminiscent of the Vikings who first settled this area.

The ceiling is made to look like the hull of a Viking ship.

The city clock.  Centuries ago clocks didn't have a minute hand.

 The current government buildings

 The Notre Dame Cathedral of Roen.  (Not to be mixed up with Paris.)  This one is the resting place of Richard the Lion Heart's Heart.  He ruled land here as well as all of England.  It is the land of Normandy that caused so much contention between England and France for generations.

Notre Dame means "Our Lady" and so many towns in France have a Notre Dame church built for the mother of Jesus.

Being a tourist is so awesome especially when it is educational.

This courtyard was the sight of the burial place for thousands of victims of the plague.  There was just a large pit here where they would deposit the bodies and poor chemicals (something lime I think) on them to get them to decompose quickly to make room for the next batch.

The current decor helps to keep the history remembered.

Emma was impressed.

It is pretty pleasant place now.

Joan of Arc was imprisoned here in this tower waiting for her fate.  Stories say that she once tried to end it all by jumping out a window, but it didn't kill her only wounded her.  Although I cannot see how.  ALL of the windows are just slits.  Just wide enough to shoot arrows through defensively.

Behind us you can see that they are not wide enough for a human to pass through.  Maybe she jumped from the roof.

The following day we went to Paris and saw "The Notre Dame Cathedral". Flying buttresses and all!

The ceiling is really high!

I am always amazed at the stained glass.

Joan of Arc

The ceiling was high, but the tower was higher.  Yes, we climbed the tower.  It was an amazing view!

That is the Eiffel Tower on the horizon.

This is our audition to become the newest gargoyles.

Emma is too cute to be a gargoyle.

After the long walk up, we are all still smiling.

Robin was really glad that there was a security fence to keep us all safe up there.

This is Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor and important King of the Franks.

Quasimodo (in a nearby restaurant).

In front of the Orsay Museum.

At the end of the day, we are still smiling.

Notre Dame at night.

The third day we spent at the Palace of Versailles.

The grounds are HUGE and the day was COLD.

After a long walk. . .

We ended up at these buildings which were the residence of Marie Antoinette.

On to the main palace.

Notice the gold trim on the buildings.  The gates are golden too.

The Chapel.

Louis XIV posed as Hercules (I think).  He really thought he was a god and spent a lot of time (& money) making this palace a shrine to himself - "The Sun God."

Jacob

The "Hall of Mirrors."

Philip & Jacob

Louis XIV

Benjamin

After three long days. . . we were still smiling.