July en Provence and the joys of grandpa ...

Bonjour mes amis,

Sorry to have not blogged for so long. I think it's been nine days or so. July en Provence is hot (mostly in the 90's) and tourists of all stripes (mostly French) seem to be everywhere. There's an energy to these summer days that pulsates throughout la ville.

Yesterday, on my way to the nearby supermarche (a journey I make four or five times a week), I saw at least four street, music groups--sharing their talents with the passersby. Two or three times per week, there are booths set up all along the Cours Mirabeau (the famous boulevard that denotes the center of this vibrant town) with folks selling their wares. The Cours Mirabeau is where everything happens here in Aix.


Since June 27th, our oldest daughter, Natasha, has been visiting with her family, which includes our first grandchild, soon-to-be-11 month-old Annika (son-in-law, Lawrence, is also with us). Annika is obviously the center of our lives--from the time she awakes in the morning, til her bedtime around 8:00 p.m. She is a bundle of energy, curious about everything and everybody. Not much of a cuddler, she loves to explore ... which means to touch and pull and push and inspect everything within her reach.



I have been doing lots of "Annika-care" and love every minute of it--even the diaper changing can have it moments of drama and fun. I pretty much have my routine with Annika worked out when I'm doing "solo" duty. She plays for a while (which requires constant supervision), then she's ready for a bottle (milk) and some down time in the cushioned crib/play pen we have in the living area. Then she'll play for awhile, entertainng anyone around (in the crib) and soon it's back to more time of exploration and moving about. She's standing more and better each day and is probably a couple weeks away from walking.


The lovely Annika is having the time of her life, with mommy and daddy close by and grandma and grandpa eager to jump into the fray. Of course, from my point of view, watching and delighting in little Annika is only part of the good times. I also derive great joy watching both Natasha and Lawrence parent. They are sooooo in love with their precious little girl. Seeing their young faces light-up when they are playing with Annika or reflecting on some event of the day warms the heart. Memories from 30-plus years back (when we were raising our babies) come flashing into conscientiousness.

Anyway, good times continue in Aix and my days as grandpa are precious days to both celebrate and treasure.

We return to South Florida two weeks from today. I can see, now, that I'll be eager to jump back into the fray ... into the joys and challenges of the local church and the life I love in Miami Lakes.

A bientot for now ...














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