Nice and Monaco
Wayne and I are home after a lovely, lovely time away. We spent the last two days of our vacation in Nice with its spice market and colorful flower market. On Friday we had the opportunity to visit Monaco—think James Bond 007 at Monte Carlo. I’m pleased to tell you my French has greatly improved. Before we left, all my two years of high school French allowed me was the ability to conjugate verbs. Now I can read a menu and order wine. After nearly three weeks I’m here to tell you everything written about French wine, cheese an
Cruising the Rhone River
Wayne and I have so enjoyed touring the wine growing regions in France along the Rhone River. We’ve walked through the vineyards, met with wine makers and enjoyed sampling the wine. Each appellation, or growing area, has its own unique soil, which brings out certain flavors in the wine. It’s been quite a challenge to distinguish the flavors and scents (or nose) of the wines. Some people can detect the aroma of black currant. Others smell strawberries or cherries. Me, with my discerning pallet . . . I smell grapes!
Bordeaux, France
Wayne and I have been in the city of Bordeaux, France, for a few days. We took a side trip and walked in the walled city of Saint Emilion. Wayne bought a French beret, and I think he looks handsome wearing it! In fact, he has been mistaken as being a Frenchman! We had a private tour of Chateau Lasseque, a wine estate. Our tour guide, Monique, arranged for us to sample their 2011 vintage, which has yet to be bottle.
London!
We had a great time in London, England. One of our stops was the Imperial War Museum . Wayne ventured to other parts while I went to the WWII section. I was especially interested in the V-Day displays because my dad was involved in that. It gave me a much deeper appreciation of the war. We also visited the Churchill War Room and saw where Churchill conducted many of the planning meetings. Wayne has been studying military history, so naturally all of this was extremely interesting to both of us.
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And We’re Off!
The grand adventure is about to begin. Wayne and I are headed to London this evening and then France for a river cruise. This will be Wayne’s first time on the continent. As for me, my French is very poor but I do remember how to conjugate verbs from two years of high school French classes. I hope to send pictures along the way if I can make my electronics work properly! Read more
Easter Egg Hunt
The great Macomber Easter Egg Hunt took place this weekend. My eight-year-old grandson, Isaiah, wrote out a list of ideas for me. First item: more candy, more money. I did my best. On Saturday afternoon, kids and grandkids came to our house here in Washington, eager for our annual family hunt. Read more
A Day at the Beach
My daughter, her husband and three of our grandchildren have been with us for the last eight days. The kids have had a blast fishing off the dock, swimming in the pool and running down the beach. They’ve gone to the beach (less than a half mile from the house) to swim in the ocean, and yesterday they had quite an adventure. Kevin, my son-in-law, was with the kids, who were out quite a way. Read more
Competitive Streak
Both Wayne and I have a competitive nature. We’re constantly looking to best the other, but never more than since we got our FitBit. This tiny device totals our steps every day. (You can also log onto their site and keep track of food intake, workouts, calories burned etc., so it’s more than a pedometer.) Because I have a sedentary job I rarely get in my 10,000 steps a day, but I average a good six to seven thousand, and on good days manage the 10,000. For the last several weeks we’ve been challenging each other to do better, to be m Read more