Return to Samois

I got back to Samois Saturday afternoon - I was happy to see everyone again. It felt like I hit reset on my patience meter and could handle being with the kids for extended periods of time again. I think knowing that I won't be seeing them so often makes me handle the tough spells better. It was fun to pick up the kids and swing them around again. Also incredibly tiring as I almost immediately broke into a sweat doing it.

Saturday night, I went out with my sister for dinner at a Chinese-Vietnamese-Thai restaurant in Fontainebleau. This is the first Chinese restaurant I've been to where the staff doesn't speak mandarin. Well, one guy did, but he seemed to run off - either because his Chinese wasn't that good or because he didn't know the answer to my sister's question about available vegetables. Usually at Chinese restaurants, there is more food in the back than is on the menu - especially to cater to Chinese clientèle - who tend to like more authentic food than the Americanized version (or in this case, the Frenchified version). My parents often order what's in season (veggies and seafood) by talking to the employees. This didn't seem to work here - our waiter went off and asked someone else to talk to us. My sister ended up talking to the new guy in English - which she later explained as a conscious choice to save face - his Chinese might have been so accented she wouldn't understand, or he might have spoken Cantonese - and since she knew he spoke English, she went with that as first choice. The concept of 'saving face' is something you read about a lot in prepping for travel in Asia - but something I don't think I've ever thought about so thoroughly and quickly as my sister in those 5 seconds.

On Sunday, I went to Maddie's pony club for the first time. I took a lot of pictures and videos because Brianne seemed so excited about it during her visit, but didn't actually get to see it. We started out by watching the bigger kids finishing their lesson. Then Maddie found out her pony assignment (Caramel), saddled up and got on in the covered area (it had been raining in the morning, hence an indoor lesson). They proceeded to warm up by walking around the ground slowly and eventually gaining speed. They even did a trick where they turned around on the saddle while the pony was walking. I was impressed. Unfortunately, Caramel was acting up, and Maddie got flung off at a failed turn - she was just like a rag doll flying through the air until her helmeted head hit a wall. Scary stuff, but she got right up and back on - somewhat shaken but otherwise unscathed.



Monday's highlight was a quick bike ride to the Base de Loisirs in Bois-le-roi. This time I biked all around the park, past the Equestrian and tennis courts. I even ventured down a path into the Fontainebleau forest before turning back b/c the grounds were too muddy. It was a quick 45 minute get away, in beautiful weather, while the kids were napping. I came back covered in flies - my shirt looked like the Mavis Beacon typing car race window - where for every mistake you get a dead fly on the screen.

Oh, and I almost forgot about the morning. Laura and I were sitting at the dining table, facing my sister when her eyes seemed to just pop out of her head. I turned around and saw something flying all over the place - bat or bird? Definitely a bat (maybe a birdy bat at best). My sister was in shock wondering where it came from, as it appeared suddenly. We opened the windows and doors to encourage it to go out - but it flew around missing the exits and then landed behind the stereo where I took a picture of it, looking much smaller with wings not at full span. Taking a picture of it flying around the kitchen ceiling, while also holding an umbrella (to both help shoo it away and prevent it from flying into our faces), proved a difficult task. I came out with just one blurry photo that doesn't do it justice. I should have used video.

I have 2 more full days here - since returning I've been trying to get ready for departure - doing a dry run in packing (looks like I'll be able to take most everything home), looking up prices (to figure out what I'll be doing after CA), and researching places to go. If anyone has any advice on travel within the US - preferably the western third, do let me know. Right now, I'm thinking about the Grand Canyon, Glacier Nat'l Park, Yosemite, Bryce/Zion, Colorado, and other CA locations. I'll have 2 sets of about 10 days each in which to visit some of these locations. All advice appreciated (comment or email).