Five Months in Austin

Aujourd’hui la meteo a annonce 82 degres F, ce qui est environ 28 degres C. Qui aurait envie de nous rendre visite un 26 fevrier pour profiter de cette temperature ????
Il semblerait que nous nous dirigeons deja vers ce genre de temperatures…! et que c’est normal ! il se peut donc que d’ici quelques semaines, ce soit vous qui rigoliez de moi en pensant a nous dans une canicule croissante !!
En attendant, hier nous avons sorti ou achete des shorts, enfile nos nu-pieds, Tim a meme mis de la creme solaire pour eviter de bruler a la peche avec son copain !!
Allez, courage, en France, ca viendra, encore quelques mois…!

You won’t see pictures of her toys on this blog. As you can see, my job is to earn, not to spend.

Timothee and Emma have reminded me of that many times. How many mornings are the very first words I hear, “Dad, can you buy me…?”

The last couple of days, all three children have been guitar heroing away in front of the mirror. As the pleasant temperatures have us wearing shorts here, thinking of the folks back home in winter coats and melted snow, the children are demanding to spend the day at the ice rink.

Hier soir, on aurait pu annoncer les pires nouvelles possibles a Mark, rien n’aurait pu alterer sa joie de grand garcon devant un nouveau joujou depose devant la porte avant son retour du travail. En effet, a son retour, il a trouve une grande boite que l’on venait de deposer devant la porte contenant l’objet de ses reves d’adolescent!!
Apres une mure reflexion de trois jours et trois nuits (voila peut-etre pourquoi il avait des insomnies ces derniers temps…!) et apres s’etre lui-meme convaincu et m’avoir convaincu qu’il en revait depuis 1991 (!!!), il s’est commande sa derniere nouvelle guitare electrique ! les enfants et moi essayons de nous trouver des passe-temps qui ne prendront pas de place dans nos bagages a notre retour (et ceci sous la surveillance de Mark!!!), mais quand je lui ai demande comment il pensait rapatrier sa nouvelle cherie en juin, il m’a dit qu’il laisserait tout le reste ici (Y compris la femme ou un enfant ???) pour la ramener saine et sauve a Barraux !!
Il ne nous reste plus qu’a lui trouver un Music Band pour occuper ses soirees et ses WE…et qui sait peut-etre , faire de lui une nouvelle star !

It has finally warmed up in Austin, with temperatures in the upper 70s F (~25+ C). Diane took Nathalie to the Montessori school this afternoon to show off what she has been learning. I picked up Emma and Tim from school in town. They were flushed and uncomfortable in their uniforms.

This evening the air conditioning started blowing briefly. The children and Nathalie hardly knew what to make of the phenomenon. They did not like the cold air. They wanted to open the windows, although the setting for air conditioning is fairly conservative in the house here, something like 76/77 F (25 C).

They will be happy later. As I went out for a jog near work early this afternoon, I realized that it is still theoretically wintertime for another month.

Sunday I drove Tim and his friend from next door, Philip, down to fish in Lake Austin. The folks running the dam have drained water from Lake Travis down into Lake Austin. If you are careful, you can cast your line without hitting the weeds.

Philip and Tim kept going almost until sundown. A boat came by with a guy waterskiing behind it. The wake of the boat washed small waves up where the boys stood. Both got their feet wet, though Tim had only damp feet. Philip got soaked. We came home shortly after that.

Monday, Presidents’ Day, the girls came with us. Tim and Emma cast for about an hour. All they brought back was weeds. We wondered if the fish had gone somewhere else while the water level was so low. Tim was convinced live bait and more time would do the trick.

Samedi, nous sommes alles dans un State Park a une heure d’ici, qui ressemble a un eco-musee. Malheureusement, ce parc etait ouvert en hiver principalement car il est dedie au president Johnson, dont ce sont les lieux d’enfance et de villegiature durant sa periode presidentielle, et donc toute la partie presentation de la vie il y a un siecle dans une ferme etait sous forme de musee et non de demonstration. La partie la plus vivante de l’endroit a ete de voir les Longhorn Cows (vaches texanes a tres longues cornes) et les biches vivant en bonne entente, et de loin, les bisons. Tim, a qui le ranger avait dit qu’il pouvait pecher dans la riviere, nous a traine jusque la et avec le vent qu’il y avait, il n’arrivait pas a lancer sa ligne a plus de deux metres.

La toute premiere experience de patinoire pour Tim et Emma fut un succes. Tim n’a pris que quelques minutes pour s’habituer aux patins et s’aventurer au milieu de la patinoire, quant a Emma, elle s’est essayee prudemment pendant un petit 1/4 d’heure en se tenant au bord et ensuite au milieu avec des plots et ensuite avec l’aide de Gillian, la maman de Liliane, sa copine. Je suis pendant ce temps partie avec Diane manger quelque chose dans une pizzeria ou Diane s’est litteralement goinfree de pizza, de salades… Pendant ce temps, a l’anniversaire , Tim et Emma mangeaient eux aussi leur pizza avant de rechausser les patins. Nous sommes revenues peu de temps avant la fin et pour le gateau et les cadeaux, Lili semblait ravie d’avoir tant de monde autour d’elle. Du monde, oui, car aux USA, il parait qu’il est de coutume d’inviter a un anniversaire la fratrie des amis invites et en general, l’anniversaire ne se fait pas a la maison. Est-ce un habitude americaine vraiment ou une habitude AIS (Austin International School)???? En tout cas, je crois que chez les Craig, on refusera pour nos trois cheris ce genre d’integration…!
Bref, ravis, fatigues, et pleins de projets a nouveau, nous sommes rentres a la maison et les enfants ont commence a essayer de convaincre leur pere d’aller aussi patiner!

film des artistes

Luke wanted to see me in front of David’s truck. Both Tim and Emma took pictures, but they all turned out so blurry, I’m not ready to post anything. Besides, I don’t have a cowboy hat or a gun rack, yet.

Here is a picture of a cactus, though. This one is growing next to the mailboxes at the playground. The children used to be all excited when they saw a cactus, but that was weeks ago. Cacti are old hat. Click the thumbnail for a bigger photo.

The attraction this morning was the long, pipelike slide. At first they were content just to slide down to the end, picking up static electricity from the plastic.

By the time we were ready to leave, they were going down on their bellies, shooting out the end into the gravel. Or one would try to climb up inside, getting out of the way just in time not to get kicked in the teeth by another sliding down. I stopped them before the bigger ones try to come down with Diane on their knees.

Emma and Tim are off school today. Earlier in the week came teacher appreciation day. Now the teachers are learning.

I am “off,” too, though as usual on days off I have some work to do. Because I am a French employee, I have many more vacation days than my US employee colleagues. (Unfortunately I still have the same amount of work.)

Emma has a birthday party to attend this afternoon.

Diane has convinced herself that she should not go to school, either.

Monday is another day off in the US. Ragan calls it Mattress Sale Day.

Today I abandoned my leftovers on the counter while leaving in a hurry to take Emma and Tim to school. So when lunch time rolled around, I went with guys from work.

As we walked out to Trey’s car, Arnaud told me he had heard from Jean-Luc. They were in T-shirts over in Grenoble. We were cold here in Austin. Chill winds and near-freezing temperatures.

Dad wrote on Valentine’s day from Indianapolis.

I should get a digital camera. As I sit at my computer in my den, a snow drift right outside the window is as high as the top of my head. When I stand it reaches my chest. I guess from ground to top it may approach 5′.

Meanwhile folks are having to go high into the mountains to ski in the Alps.