The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. -St. Augustine

I'm sipping on coffee and savoring a pain chocolat with a view of the Mediterranean as I type this. What was once a place I lusted after on the Travel Channel is now a reality as the sun warms my body and the sounds warm my soul. The faint echo of the waves, the distant boats leaving their harbors, the polite clang of a dish from the chef in the kitchen, and the crickets just begging me to leave this covered spot and soak in some sun make me one happy nanny. We flew in to Nice and then took a helicopter to our current destination a bit away from the city of St. Tropez. One of the most fascinating things about being in this new place is that when I gaze across the water I know that Algeria is only a few hundred kilometers away, and I marvel at the places I get to see....and where I still want to go.

I squealed when I stepped off the plane just one week ago. I was back in Paris and it felt better than ever. I really think that I could call this city my home and with a newfound confidence in the French language (I've had employees in boulangeries tell me my French is really good!) could plant myself back in the most beautiful and historic city in which I've ever lived. I love when no one can guess that I'm American and it makes me even more anxious to hear about my exact location outside of Paris for when I begin teaching in the fall.

I'm going to sign off for now, but it feels good to update all of you. I hope you are able to share in my joy as I marvel each day at the blessings given to me in a summer that was uncertain just a few short months ago. If I can encourage anyone to do one thing, it would be to travel. Save your money, buy a flight to that place you've always read about, stay in a cheap hostel...and go. There is so much around us to experience, and whether it's a bustling city, a calm sea, or an indigenous tribal region, you know your life will be enriched for having gone.

A few pictures for your enjoyment:

Crossing the border

Recognize this?

Or this?


The first is a Norman Rockwell, and the second...well, you really should know that it's the Lincoln Memorial. Regardless, these two represent the afternoon jaunt I had planned to Connecticut's next door neighbor...Massachusetts. Thirty minutes from here are the Norman Rockwell and Chesterwood museums and I had planned on taking the Hummer and making an afternoon of it. I'm here by myself as the family celebrates the grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, so with some cash and a gas-guzzling vehicle my day was set. It started out as a beautiful summer morning hitting 90 degrees and beckoning me to soak in the sun...so I did. After I acquired a new tan in preparation for the Mediterranean (I'll never get tired of saying that), I got myself ready to go and turned on the top 40 station as I took the Hummer across the border into Massachusetts. Clouds were beginning to form part way through my journey but it didn't look too ominous, so I continued on my merry way.
My merry way indeed.

As soon as I got 2 MILES from the museums...the storm began. Lightning struck in front of me and rain began to pour harder than my wipers could keep up with. I even pulled into the Rockwell Museum's parking lot but was too afraid that the typhoon of the century was upon me and that the windows I left open on the third floor of the house were gushing with water onto my precious laptop. Almost an hour later I finally made it home, dodged a fallen telephone wire and tree branches and sit here inside the mansion with the windows open to the sound of birds chirping. Yeah. Apparently the storm is over now. Alas, I can say I ventured into a new state and almost went to the Norman Rockwell museum. And now I find myself ready to curl up with my latest purchase, "Crime and Punishment" and enjoy the solitude of this huge place......and then call Ben when I get scared after it gets dark. :)

The library...go ahead and salivate all you bookworms out there:


We leave for Paris in 5 days! I went to Maya's school graduation yesterday and sweat bullets in the heat as I watched all of the little prep school students accept their awards, sing songs, and smile for their proud parents. It was actually really fun to be there. We're all hitting it off great, and I can't wait to head overseas and experience France in a way I never have before!! A la prochaine!