Chenonceau

 Thiebert the donkey came over to greet us upon our arrival.

The kids especially enjoyed running in the maze and escaping the close proximity of the many tourists in the Chateau, even if it meant playing in the rain.

 GPS led us into wheat fields and through vineyards on our way back.

St. Aignan, Loire Valley, France

We finally arrived after long flights and many hours of travel on the summer solstice with a sun that never set. The craze of Paris freeways gave way to the quaint beauty of the Loire Valley.

 From St. Aignan we drove to Montrichard for dinner.

 The kids had never seen a real telephone booth. How times change.

Our gite is the building across the Cher river.

Fisherman's tale

 Patrick's luck held out and he caught his limit in salmon and a halibut besides.

Meanwhile, Adlai and Kaya and I wind down the school year and say goodbye to kindergarten.

Tunnels, graffiti and spinning

 We set out for a walk in the ravine and came across some impressive graffiti.

 When it started to rain we took shelter in the new tunnels.

 I love this photo of the kids disappearing in the light.

My skull and other natural wonders

I had to go to the orthodontist. My favourite part was seeing a 2 D version of my skull. It reminded me of my university art class where we had to imagine what the structure of our face looked like and draw by feeling the bones beneath our skin.

 The boys went for a mountain bike ride at COP.

 Patrick went for a trip to Duncanby Lodge by float plane.

our first camping trip of the year

 Grandma Jan and Kona joined us for our first camping trip this year.

 A beautiful patch of yellow ladies slippers.

The joys of swinging.

extra curricular

 Kaya and Adlai had the enterprising idea to sell juice and chips to the kids on the block.

 Sonja and Kaya in the arena.

 Larry Boy and Kaya in the obstacle course.

I volunteered for Adlai's school trip to the fire station. This time we were lucky and the firemen were there to show us the trucks.