Thursday, September 1, 2011

Yes, I blog. And, you can see us vacationing. [I promise not to do this daily]

Well, that was interesting.

Mark outed me.

I've had this blog for several years now, but I really don't tell anyone about it in my face-to-face life.  I'm kind of shy about my creative output. Always have been. Probably why I take lessons instead of putting up a shingle.  My creative stuff always seemed a combination of sacred -- I don't want to take anything away from the joy I get from making things -- and in a way, frivolous.  I've heard people say they fear that everyone will think he or she's a fraud, applied to all sorts of things, even their relationships.  For me, I can feel that way about my work.  I'm trying to get past it though, because the grass really is so much greener.

Anyway, what I intended to talk about was France.  We were there for one day in early August.  Seems like a lifetime ago.  We took a boat, a train, a bus and then walked to get to a nice restaurant and have some pizza. Then, we did it all in reverse and spent a few hours on the beach.  I was crying on the inside because one afternoon is not enough, however, I put on my game face and made the most of it.

Oh, in case you wondered, same thing applies to wearing a Lands End tankini on the beach in Villafranche, France.  Yeah, you feel like you're wearing a track suit. 

Other lessons we learned about kids and European travel:
1- When in doubt, find a beach
2 - Pizza, bread and butter -- kids consider this a great meal.  Oh, but forget about getting butter in Italy.  They look at you like you asked for vegemite.
3 - A soda a day can go a long way.  Collecting the cans makes cheap souvenirs, though you go home with a suitcase full of recycling.  Especially painful if your airline charges $75 extra baggage fees.
4 - Kids love money.  Let them look at the coins, marvel at the cost of things, do the exchange rates.
5- 11 year-old boys did not seem to notice the topless girls.  Hmmm... I think they might regret that.
Mark to Max:  "This must be a very poor country."
Max: "Huh?"
Mark: "Because the girls can only afford the bottoms of their bathing suits."
6- I think we need more naked man statues in the U.S.  Might lighten everyone up a little.























3 comments:

Kristyn Knits said...

love the four "boys" in front of the graffitti!

Margaret said...

Loved your picture of Villefranche Sur La Mer. I have one in a photo album from 1989 with the same wall separating the beach from the road. It was like looking back through time.

Jane said...

Andy told his office buds about my blog and now they stalk me. It's sorta creepy when they want to talk about something I wrote. Like the last sweater I knit.