Birds, Bellies, and Blankets in The Bahamas

Okay, for all of you who have been waiting to see what I look like pregnant, here it is….

This photo was taken at 31 weeks pregnant, with 8-9 weeks left to go.

I  have found that while not being what I would call fun, being pregnant has definitely not been as bad as I thought it would be. I am getting to the point where rolling out of bed takes a lot of effort and in 8 weeks I will be very glad to no longer have a big belly. Also, I have a new understanding of what it means to be kicked in the ribs. Ouch! This baby is really getting strong.

This next picture was taken at our church’s Sunday School Picnic which we attended on a neighboring island last week.  We had a great time.

I have been getting a lot of projects done this past week, but the one I enjoyed most was sewing a blanket for the baby. I absolutely love these colors and the blanket  is so soft that, if I wasn’t sweating all the time (yes, Minnesotans, it’s STILL hot here) I would want to cuddle up with it.

I spotted these anis birds in the backyard and had to run to get my camera before they flew away. There were four of them sitting quite cozily on this branch but, by the time I got the camera, one had moved to an adjacent limb.

Day 9-12: Italy

I love doing laundry. If you are around me very often you will find that laundry is one my favorite things to do… as far as work goes of course. When I was young and lived at home I would always choose doing laundry over cleaning or cooking and if it was nice outside it was even better because then I got to hang the laundry out on the clothes line. That was a common theme all over Europe. Clothes hanging out of windows, on balconies, over railings; basically anywhere they could get it out in the wind and sun. I thought it was beautiful. Like a bunch of colorful flags dancing in the wind.



We both loved Italy. Genova was our first city to visit in Italy and we found it to be a charming, interesting and friendly city. With delicious gelato and coffee of course.




Just about every time Brett went to plank somewhere I would implore him to be careful. He planked on every dangerous edge and cliff available.



Genova turned out to be a perfect place to do a day trip to the Cinque Terre which a lot of people had recommended us to visit. Strung along 18 km of serrated cliffs the Cinque Terre is one of Italy's treasures. These five villages - Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore - are cut off by mountains choked with olive groves and stone walled vineyards where farmers have eked out a living over the centuries.




























To see more photos: Genova, Cinque Terre, and Milan

Day 4-8: The South of France

 

“You ask him.” “No, you ask him.” “But you know more French then I do.” “What? Because I spent 10 minutes playing a learn French game on the iPhone?” We stared at the French train conductor from our seats…neither of us wanting to ask about the next train stop.

Exploring France was a bit difficult for us, due in large part to our language barrier. Getting off the train in Carcassonne, our first stop in France, we both felt completely alone in a strange town.

For both of us, the highlight of France was exploring The Medieval City of Carcassonne. Parts of this restored walled city were built over 1000 years ago and it is truly an impressive sight.  The whole time we were wondering around the ramparts and towers my imagination ran wild with images of princesses courting knights on their steeds (as well as Belle being chased around by Beast while Gaston sings in the distance)

 

 

Castle planking

A local specialty, Cassoulet, white bean stew with pork sausage & duck.  This was served sizzling and was spectacular.

Narbonne was our next stop in France. We only got to spend a few hours here. But we enjoyed some delicious pastries, gelato and discovering old buildings and unique streets.

Heading to Montpellier

While in France, Brett decided that I needed to try crème brûlée.  So we checked out the menu of every restaurant we passed and didn’t see it offered on a single one (although, we may have missed it, since we weren’t able to translate much of what we read while in France).  The only place we we found this delicious dessert on sale was at a local grocery store.  So we purchased a couple of these confections which were served in cute little glass dishes.

But of course everyone knows that the best part of crème brûlée is the caramelized sugar crust on top.  So once we got back to the hotel we had another delay in enjoying our treats as we tried to track down a broiler we could use.  The short game of charades we played with our hotel owner only yielded a microwave, which he assured us would not be sufficient for our needs. So we retired to our room with our non-burnt deserts and enjoyed them immensely despite not finding a brûlée torch (or proper silverware for that matter, see image below) 

Heading to Marseille

Cliff Planking at Les Calanques de Cassis à Marseille

We found some fellow plankers around lunch time.

 

Is there something more to this Provincial life?

 

For those interested in seeing more photos of France: Carcassonne, Narbonne, Montpellier, and Marseille

The train keeps heading east from here. Next stop Italia!…