In the event that you are wondering what we did this summer, Paula, Jess, Melinda and Athena spent two weeks in North Carolina, with Mom, Dad, Mark, Vanessa, and Jerome. We enjoyed the Cabin and the new Brevard Homestead. We went tubing on the South Toe River, and also got to see Aunt Pat and Ken. Mark, Paula, Jessamyn and Melinda went camping in Acadia, Maine for a week in August where Jess learned to knit, and has since finished a scarf. Melinda and Mark bike rode on the entire loop road of the park. We enjoyed many good meals in Bar Harbor. And as a finale to our summer, we spent four days on a 37-foot sailboat off of Newport, Rhode Island. That was a blast. Melinda proved herself to be quite a navigator, and Jess quite the swimmer. And none of us got sea sick!

Jess and Melinda are now both in High School. Jessamyn drives them both to school in Mark’s old Honda. She is looking forward to college somewhere, though who knows where. She is taking Latin, Physics, Trigonometry, Psychology and English. She still works part time in the floral department, and makes beautiful music on her clarinet. Melinda has adjusted well to the rigors of high school. She takes the usual English, Math, French, Earth Science, gym, History and is trying Art and Guitar this year as well. She is avidly reading Shakespeare, Hemingway, and Charlotte Bronte. She baby-sits once a week, and plays soccer.

Vanessa (4 1/2) and Jerome (3) enjoyed their seven week visit to the U.S. tremendously. Most of the time was spent in North Carolina. Vanessa was pleased to finally meet her cousin Ana that she had heard so much about. The two of them were happy to find Rea's Day Camp, where the went mornings for two weeks. Jerome was content to stay with his father at the cabin and fiddle on the automobile. They both were happy to spend time with their family they know so little, where Vanessa grew quite fond of her grandmother, and Jerome was enchanted by the charms of his aunt Paula. Vanessa was outstanding in her verbal skills, as a bilingual four year old that sometimes just cannot stop! Jerome, who is still developing his speaking skills, seemed to have little trouble adjusting to English. Now his teachers have to adjust to his Franglais. Both are now back in France in the same Kindergarten, though not the same class.

Editorial Note: A popular favorite, especially for this editor, was camp Athena. We did some amazing things. We washed clothes and hung them out all over the yard. we put together a photo album of our summer vacation, we swam in the inflatable pool in the back yard, we dressed up in Jessamyn's prom gowns and took photographs (see above), we painted on Melinda's walls, we had wonderful picnics, we washed the car, we threw pots on the potter's wheel, we ate, we talked, we laughed. And we will do it again next summer.

As you are no doubt aware, we have Mark, otherwise known as the birthday boy, to thank for his work on this web site. It is a good thing he can stay up till 4:00 in the morning. In fact, I hear the Mark A and Mark B (or is that Mark LS) sometimes meet in the kitchen for Cheerios, though one of them thinks it is morning, and one of them thinks it is night.