Too good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnzbZ2RA4qQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

forts

   

  

 

 

   

     

we searched for destinations to visit around our little village this afternoon and fort l’ecluse came up. it is a 15 minute drive from our home. it is a natural entry to france from switzerland. history says that the designated area of land was used for fortress grounds dating back to 58 b.c. cray. I guess there are no photos of the actual fortress on here but these are some of the photos that we took of our hike.

we still are not sure as to what we stumbled across on our hike but it was some sort of an old mountain bike trail. we found a number of palettes in this open area. I quickly drew up in my mind a fort of our own. I felt like I was 12 years old again back in the day when my friends, gracie and I would own the forest grounds. it worked as you can see from the photos. we also found a natural stream of water that we drank from. it was just what we needed today. as we headed back down I grabbed some moss to add to our collection of plants. we are proud parents of now three baby plants.

salut

john

banana.bread

saturday morning in carouge

 

   

           

so if you follow jessie’s blog you would now know that we own a french car. so this past saturday we took advantage of her and drove to geneva.

carouge: a charming district has developed over the years into something of a bohemian center, with all sorts of artisanal activity going on during the day and a wide selection of bars and restaurants to occupy you through the night. The Place du Marché forms the heart of the district, with its quirky Italianate church at one end and a regular produce market which has been in operation for over 300 years. www.viator.com

it was said that carouge was built to provide refuge to catholics  from the protestant power of geneva. italian designers were hired for the construction and you can see chapel in one of the photos. it was so fun. I even ran into an old man that I recognized from over 4 years ago. he serves as the old traditional candy man who pushes a music box around that also seats his feline friend. the children love him. they give him 2 swiss francs and in return they receive a lollypop.

we found a thrift store and I got an old leather briefcase for nothing. also a homeless man stole my breakfast while I laid it down for two minutes.

anyhow, I don’t have a photo editor yet so excuse the overexposures.

salut

john

we.are.heading.to.denmark.tomorrow

sometimes...

i miss america or better yet amercia me misses. french lesson:

The French verb manquer is a regular -ER verb. It means "to miss," but can cause confusion because it is sometimes used in an unusual construction.

Manquer + direct object means "to miss something," in the sense of not being at/on/in it

   J'ai manqué l'autobus.
   I missed the bus.

   Il va manquer le film.
   He's going to miss the movie.


Manquer + de + direct object means "to lack something"

   Vous manquez de patience.
   You lack patience.

   Ce thé manque de lait.
   This tea is lacking (needs) milk.


Manquer + de + verb means "to fail to do something"

   J'ai manqué de faire mes devoirs.
   I didn't do my homework.

   Ne manque pas de m'écrire !
   Be sure to write to me!
   (Literally, Don't fail to write...)


Manquer + à means "to miss a person, place, or thing,"* as in to feel the lack of it:

   David manque à moi. > David me manque.
   I miss David.

   Tu manques à moi. > Tu me manques.
   I miss you.

so as i was saying sometimes i miss america i mean america me misses and i play bon iver over and over again. jess nor i have yet to see him but we will one day. also pepperoni pizza me misses much.

salut
john
we.did.buy.a.car.and.to.see.more.go.to.www.jessicannna.blogspot.com

and so we wait

    

 

      

                  

binge

binj/

informal

noun

1. 1.

   a short period devoted to indulging in an activity to excess, esp. drinking alcohol or eating (pastries)

*I know the text above has nothing to do with anything but it is there to pacify my very need to be creative in silly textual ways. that job belongs to my wife though I guess. anyhow this isn’t important but perhaps I will include french words or phrases in the future like so. voila.

jessie and I take walks down to the small center of our little village from time to time. we have two main boulangeries in town. it is so fun to go search for fresh bread everyday. we haven’t yet decided on which is the best. we will keep you updated on that and may even post photos of our treats along the way. 

we decided to focus on mailboxes the other day on our walk which actually give a decent view of what we have been looking to everyday. to be clear, we have been waiting for almost now 3 weeks to receive our debit cards for our french bank account. the french are like escargots. slow pokes. they insist on sending you three separate letters from the bank which gives you the green light to go pick up your card at the actual bank only to tell you that the application is still not complete once you have received the three letters and make the 30 minute trip. so we are still waiting on our cards. and it wouldn’t be so bad if EVERYTHING else wasn’t contingent on that one debit carte bleu.

salut

john

we.might.buy.a.car.tonight

it happened

 

yup

we succeeded

and it was alllll done here

we even got some bread all so delicious for like 1 dollar

you believe that

artisan bread from whole foods

we actually have learned to love this place and this area in particular

it is where all the whole foods consumption takes place

the other jessie got off of work and we just hung out here

we took a seat at some table bar and just relaxed

I am sort of afraid of what our diet/meals might look like in the near future

for now they work and boy do they work

salut

john

what.are.you.sacrificing

the list

 

I have always been into shopping

I swear it is the only thing my family and I do when I visit home

I can really be a burden though

I have strong opinions and I usually, mistakenly voice them outwardly

there have been a ton of tears shed and feelings hurt on both ends

but I guess I would consider myself the culprit or at the instigator

jessie and I are trying to master this shopping thing

it can even be a hassle when shopping for stamps but the list goes on

we do succeed, especially when there is free food involved

we are giving it an attempt tonight and I will keep you informed

it isnt so much about the list but about the person

salut

john

i.spy.my.love.in.the.library