Horsin' around

On Saturday we went to the Verdon to go horseback riding.  I had been asking Yann for weeks if he would take me so I was very excited to be going.  We arrived at the horse barn and we got to groom the horses before we rode; It's weird but I think I love grooming the horse more than riding.  I went to horse camp as a kid and for one week each camper was assigned one horse to take care of and ride.  It kind of was the closest I ever came to having my own horse.  And I still remembered how to pick the dirt out of their hooves and use all the different brushes on them.  So, we got our horses lookin' all pretty and we went riding with a little group.  It's weird to ride with all instructions in another language.  Yann and I were in the back so I kept looking to him and asking, "Do I need to know anything important about what the guide is saying??"  

We rode through the woods and on trails that passed ancient farmhouses.  It was beautiful scenery and a pretty & sunny day.  At lunch time we stopped at an old fountain next to one of these ancient farms; It had the date 1869 on the fountain.  The guide explained how last week one man called and had her set up a marriage proposal for his girlfriend.  They rode on the same trail we did and arrived at this romantic fountain and he proposed to her there.

It was feeling very Fall-like, as maybe you can see in the pictures below.  The leaves are starting to fall and become crunchy underfoot.  I love this time of the year.  We had an amazing picnic: of course the French do it right...rosee wine, fresh baguettes, roasted rosemary and herb chicken, carrot salad, and still warm Nutella crepes for dessert.  After the picnic we were all stuffed and we got back on the horses and headed back.  We had a really fun day; and now I can stop bothering Yann to take me horse back riding.  He is so sweet to me; he was a little apprehensive about going because he had only one experience riding and it was a bad one.  He had almost fallen off the horse when it was cantering.  But this time he got over his fear because the guide let us run with the horses.  He felt really comfortable and in control when we were running, so he was really happy about that.

And we were sooo sore the next day...Is that normal when you haven't ridden for 10 years?  I was so shocked because as a kid I rode a lot and I never remember being so sore.  I think it must be because we're gettin' older.  Anyways, pics follow:

Look at my cowboy ride like an expert...

My horse was named Felina and she was a beauty.

Here are some pictures of a pillowcase I embroidered for Laila as a thank you for putting a good word in for me for the job.  I picked all red, yellow, and blues; I think my stitches are improving a little bit from my first project.  Anyways, I think Laila liked it and that what matters most!  My grandma Mary would be proud of me!

Detail of Flower

bloggie makeover

Hey there!  Do you like my new blog facelift?  You can't know how many frustrating hours I spent trying to figure out this simple problem of putting up a pic that I took for a blog header.  Woah.  Computers can be so infuriating, and once I began trying I couldn't walk away until I had accomplished this.  So, I learned something new about blog design!  

And now for our surprise announcement!  ...Allow me to introduce...MOPSY!... 

 We got a kitten!  So, here she is, in all her cuteness.  She is so fierce...she will go from 0-100 mph in seconds.  She is really strong and uses her tiny claws to climb everywhere.  (Including our flesh! Ouch!)  We drove out to the country and picked her up from this crazy cat woman type, who had about 4 huge dogs and millions of little kittens running around.  She came with some fleas and was a little dirty as she was living outside.  But 2 weeks later and she is all spiffed up and looks adorable.  She's gaining weight and growing so fast; she eats like a horse and meows so loud when she is hungry it must wake the neighbors up.

Good News for me:  I FINALLY got my work visa and I am so happy!! I have never been so ready to go to work in my life.  It is really a privilege to work and have a job, I've realized.  When it's taken away from you, then you see how important it is.  Homegirl's gotta make some dough for this family!  So, I began the job search in earnest today and I had an interview that went very well.  In fact, I got an offer, however, I want to weigh out some other options coming my way this week.  Choices are never a bad thing, right?  So, keep your fingers crossed for me and we'll see...

You take care now and we'll see you real soon!  (Hopefully with some good job news!)

Here Yann is being a serious puzzle master.  

We got so into doing this puzzle that we were having visions of black and white puzzle pieces floating around the room.  I hadn't done a puzzle for years; let alone an 1,000 piece puzzle.  We got it at the thrift store and we found it was only missing one white piece. woo-hoo for us...we have patience!

More pics from Provence

Well, I guess it's been a very 'picture-y' week, because I just realized how many pics I've put up for the last 3 posts.  Oh well, I guess France in the summer isn't too hard on the eyes.  Yann & I went to the market in Aix (again!) this morning for veggie shopping and lunch.  We saw the most amazing mushroom vendor: HUGE ceps, chanterelles, morrells, all fresh and covered with wet dirt.  Then we went for lunch at a brasserie that had a plat de jour of entrecote steak with a cep mushroom sauce and pomme frites.  Oh, that was rich and good for only 10 euros.  So, we have had a lazy Saturday afternoon back here in Marseille and tonight we are eating leftovers...lentil soup.  Hope you're having a nice Saturday and check back soon for a little surprise post.  

(and no, i'm not pregnant!)

Look at the roasting chickens below: see the potatoes that they pile up underneath the chicken?  They chicken juices fall onto the potatoes below and cook them; they have an amazing, rich flavor.

Victory over the Marseille Highways!

Today I had to get out of Marseille.  There are so many tourists here, the traffic is horrible, there is no parking anywhere.  Also, it's hot, hot, HOT here and sticky; the final days of summer are so brutal.  It's as if the days are showing you how yucky they can be, so you begin to crave the cool fall weather even more so.  Maybe nature built into us a defense system for the changing seasons.  Just as we begin to hate one, another one is rapidly on its' way!  Well, isn't She smart?

So, I apprehensively took to the highway and headed to Aix en Provence. (I'm still a little freaked about driving on the road here.)  I love Aix.  I don't know it very well, but today it was my mission to do just that.  I managed just fine on the highway and it actually was a fun little roadtrip.  I jammed out the Be Good Tanyas and was just really appreciating the freedom of the little Blue Truck.  

Aix is so, so, tres, cool.  I know in the above paragraph I already mentioned that I love Aix, but I love Aix.  I kinda wished we lived there, instead of Marseille, but I'd miss my friends and living by the water.  So, a 20 minute drive to get to a place I love isn't so bad.  I had my camera and a book to read, but no map of the centre ville.  I figured that I could find my way to the outdoor food markets I had been to with Yann.  I was thinking it would be no problem, because I would recognize my way around the town using landmarks I'd remembered in photos we took while there; a beautiful village square, a moss covered fountain, an ancient church.  Well, after 30 minutes of walking around in a maze of cobble stone streets I realized that I did in fact have no clue where I was going.  Now, I was so lost I wasn't sure I could even find the tourist office.  This was a good lesson for me in humility:  "I am a tourist in Aix.", I thought, so I should go like every other smart tourist to the tourist office and get a damn map.  Well, after I did all that and figured out where I was supposed to be, I realized that the markets were just closing.  Ahhh.  

So, I went there anyways as the vendors were packing up and snapped the shots you will find below.  They have the outdoor market every Tuesday, Thursday,and Saturday from 8-1pm.  Now I know the days and the closing times, so I will never again screw that up!  My day was certainly now wasted however, as long as you consider sitting around eating and sipping coffee all day not a waste of a day.  Well, if you do, it was a beautiful waste of a day.  Wish you were there...

Pictures follow...

The famous Savon de Marseille; this soap is time tested; I think the French have been using the same soap for hundreds of years, but now they have new  trendy scents like mint, patchouli, and green tea.  Back in the day I think you could only choose between one of two scents: plain or lavender.  

The joys of charcuterie: let us count the many ways we are thankful for it...saussion is an amazing kind of French hard salami.  It is usually made from pork, but when my dad was visiting Yann bought a stick of it and my dad LOVED it.  When we looked at the label to see what kind it was, curiously, there was pictured a donkey...We'll never know for sure...

Ok, these are amazing and I had to put them on here.  I'd never seen these gadgets and if I knew where to hunt some mushrooms, I'd so get one.  See?  There is a cane for steading yourself as you walk through the woodlands with your fatty, truffle-finding pig.  He digs around in the dirt and finds the goods, and you store them in the convenient little basket on your cane.  Does anyone in France still actually use one of these contraptions and if so, can I be your best friend?

There are cafes galore in Aix.  I swear, as you walk down the streets you really become convinced that all these people do is eat and drink.  The city seems to be functioning, but meanwhile every employee is on a three hour lunch break with a crafe of rosee and five of their best friends. Who is running the banks and the grocery stores, stray cats? Besides actual 'eateries' there are countless coffee and tea shops, patisseries, boulangeries, bars, and epiceries, which sells food accessories, like olive oils, sea salts, and fancy vinegars.  These French people live to eat...

This is my caffine kick in the apres-midi;

I wasn't amped up sufficiently for the 

haul back to the city, so this helped.

I devoured a nice apricot croissant stuffed with pastry cream as soon as I got to Aix en P.  I was starving and hey, when the is a bakery on every corner, how can you turn a blind eye??