And More Volcanoes!
Something I've always wanted to see--well, at least since I first spotted one of these beauties on the net--was an extinct volcano whose crater had been filled in by water. I have now seen the breathtaking scene of one of these exact places, and so I feel like I've checked off one of those "life boxes." You know the list, right? It's the "things I want to do before I die" list. I have quite a few sites on the list, and I've checked some of them off. I wanted to see glaciers in Alaska and I got to check those off; I wanted to see a huge ass waterfall and got to do that one in our area of the country; I wanted to see the Canadian Rockies and I got to do it; I wanted to see cathedrals in England and France and I got to do that. There are also other things on the list such as "get a full time teaching job," "raise children in a happy and healthy manner into adulthood," and "publish something written of interest." But today I got to check off another thing to see part of the list: lake volcano! Le Lac Pavin!
Here, go look: http://www.cyber63.com/Communes/besse_et_st_anastaise/pavin.jpg
Jared has an entire theory on the history of this lake, which he detailed for us. Apparently in the Jared theory of volcanoes, the volcano was a rare variety called a snow volcano. Eventually, it spewed out soooo much lava though that the snow melted (hence the lake) and then the volcano got tired of making lava, so it fell asleep (dormant, anyone? LOL). So, now the volcano sleeps and maybe one day it will rest enough to spew out lava again. God I love his creative brain!
Alex's friend Frank is the one who offered to drive us out there. It took us about 45 min to get there, a leisurely drive through absolutely gorgeous French countryside...mountains, small villages, farms, old fortresses rising on the hills (we spotted two fortresses/castles and one tower), rivers, late spring flowers, and all sorts of other beauty. The top of the mountain/extinct volcano was cold even though the day was warm, but we were prepared for this eventuality thanks to my own memories of exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway. We all had brought layers of clothes just in case, and we were then able to appreciate two views of the lake: from the top looking down and then level with it.
On the way back, we stopped and had a lovely picnic. Any good French picnic has wine, bread, chocolate, cheese, and pate...we had it all covered except for the cheese. We didn't do cheese because tonight we are doing an all cheese based dinner...raclette? Hum. It's a new one for me, but I know it involves a mechanical device that melts cheese and lots of cheese. The sun was out, we parked by a river, and we got to use a picnic table and everything. Just drive in Auvergne anywhere in the countryside and you'll find a few places like that, picnic sites in lovely locations. Ahhhh! Jared seemed to really enjoy it. What will I ever do with this boy when we come back to the states? He practically insists now on a pure cheese, bread, apple, and chocolate diet! His favorite French item here is the Pain au Chocolate. That's basically a rectangle shaped bread piece, much like a croissant in flakiness and layers, with chocolate inside. Here:
http://www.la-rose-noire.com/site_pages/sales_kit/images_dongguan2004/LARGE-Chocolate-Cooked.jpg
Jared has adapted well to French life and now actively asks me what the french word is for this or that (which means I turn to Alex and look panicked....hehe!). GOD what I'd give to stay here for the summer. It's not like I have employment until August anyway, the way things look! I wish I could just ship over Ariana when she finishes up school in a couple of weeks and just...stay here for a summer. Maybe we'd all learn something!
Oh, anybody who wants a postcard from France can request one from me! Write to my email (kiraln@msn.com) and give me your full name and address. I can give you one of the black cathedral here, of the area, of the volcano stuff, or somesuch. You can only request one though! haha! You have until I search my mail on Friday morning, May 13th, to request said postcard. That gives me time to head to the post office in the afternoon and all. We leave on Saturday, so that's really the firm deadline. Hmmm....Angie, if you want one, I know it's the black cathedral and maybe I'll have Alex write it in French for ya...Amanda, no, I've seen lots of ads here for hot guys scantily clad, but no postcards, so you'd have to settle for regular scenery...LOL! I can send you a picture of Alex's friend Julien when I get back so you can see why I think he'd be a good one to pick out for you if I could just get him to split up with his gf! haha!
Last night was fun because I got to meet all of Alex's geek friends and eat a meal with them at a traditional regional French restaurant. Their specialty was truffade, an area dish of great repute. The primary ingredients are potatoes, fatty bacon, garlic, and cheese. Now really, folks, how on earth can you go wrong with these ingredients???? Mmmmm! Again, for those wanting a peek: http://www.aurelle-verlac.com/gastrono/truffadf.jpg We had a lot of other specialities, but the truffade was my favorite.
Despite the drinking of wine at every meal, the constant consumption of cheese, baguettes, and chocolate, and the caloric intake of 5000 calories a day including copious wine... I think the amazing has happened. I gained weight the first week, just like I did last year when I was here for a week. Now, the second week, I'm losing weight. MY GOD. Did you hear me???? I'm consuming obscene amounts of calories and my body just adjusted and now my pants are fitting more comfortably. WHAT THE HELL? The French paradox kicking in for an American chick? I'll take it! Maybe it's due to the walking, but I swear I walked more last year. And last year we didn't have Jared, so there was more....well, OTHER exercise. haha! It's just wierd to me, though. The first week, I thought I'd have to go back in Alex's clothes because I could feel the expansion in all my pants. Last year I was here for eight days and gained not one but TWO dress sizes. This year, I gained and then lost, so at worst I will have had two weeks of eating like a fooking pig and gaining nothing! Why? This food is SO high fat, high calorie, bad for you stuff....hum. Again, I'll take it. If I think about it too much, maybe it'll go away!
I can't wait to see my daughter. I think I've decided that since for the rest of the summer it appears I'll be out of work, I shall do copious Good Mom things (art projects, field trips, etc) when I have the kids and lots of reading, writing, and enjoying life when the ex has the kids. I haven't had that kind of break in years. It will feel so strange....but as I said before: I'll take it! haha! There has to be SOME reward for eating tuna and ramen noodles all summer long! Thanks to an unexpectedly large tax refund this year, I have calculated it all out and I can make it through until the fall term starts. I'll be penniless when I start up and sick of cheap ass food, but we can make it. And maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be starting up at CU with Angie and Amanda in the fall! God, I haven't had medical insurance in three years. It would be great to have some for once...Robin said she'd try to work the Eng Lit I class around my schedule if I got the CU job too. Woohoo! *clutches her precious Medieval and Renaissance Literature class to her chest and says in her best Gollum voice, my precioussssss!*
Here, go look: http://www.cyber63.com/Communes/besse_et_st_anastaise/pavin.jpg
Jared has an entire theory on the history of this lake, which he detailed for us. Apparently in the Jared theory of volcanoes, the volcano was a rare variety called a snow volcano. Eventually, it spewed out soooo much lava though that the snow melted (hence the lake) and then the volcano got tired of making lava, so it fell asleep (dormant, anyone? LOL). So, now the volcano sleeps and maybe one day it will rest enough to spew out lava again. God I love his creative brain!
Alex's friend Frank is the one who offered to drive us out there. It took us about 45 min to get there, a leisurely drive through absolutely gorgeous French countryside...mountains, small villages, farms, old fortresses rising on the hills (we spotted two fortresses/castles and one tower), rivers, late spring flowers, and all sorts of other beauty. The top of the mountain/extinct volcano was cold even though the day was warm, but we were prepared for this eventuality thanks to my own memories of exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway. We all had brought layers of clothes just in case, and we were then able to appreciate two views of the lake: from the top looking down and then level with it.
On the way back, we stopped and had a lovely picnic. Any good French picnic has wine, bread, chocolate, cheese, and pate...we had it all covered except for the cheese. We didn't do cheese because tonight we are doing an all cheese based dinner...raclette? Hum. It's a new one for me, but I know it involves a mechanical device that melts cheese and lots of cheese. The sun was out, we parked by a river, and we got to use a picnic table and everything. Just drive in Auvergne anywhere in the countryside and you'll find a few places like that, picnic sites in lovely locations. Ahhhh! Jared seemed to really enjoy it. What will I ever do with this boy when we come back to the states? He practically insists now on a pure cheese, bread, apple, and chocolate diet! His favorite French item here is the Pain au Chocolate. That's basically a rectangle shaped bread piece, much like a croissant in flakiness and layers, with chocolate inside. Here:
http://www.la-rose-noire.com/site_pages/sales_kit/images_dongguan2004/LARGE-Chocolate-Cooked.jpg
Jared has adapted well to French life and now actively asks me what the french word is for this or that (which means I turn to Alex and look panicked....hehe!). GOD what I'd give to stay here for the summer. It's not like I have employment until August anyway, the way things look! I wish I could just ship over Ariana when she finishes up school in a couple of weeks and just...stay here for a summer. Maybe we'd all learn something!
Oh, anybody who wants a postcard from France can request one from me! Write to my email (kiraln@msn.com) and give me your full name and address. I can give you one of the black cathedral here, of the area, of the volcano stuff, or somesuch. You can only request one though! haha! You have until I search my mail on Friday morning, May 13th, to request said postcard. That gives me time to head to the post office in the afternoon and all. We leave on Saturday, so that's really the firm deadline. Hmmm....Angie, if you want one, I know it's the black cathedral and maybe I'll have Alex write it in French for ya...Amanda, no, I've seen lots of ads here for hot guys scantily clad, but no postcards, so you'd have to settle for regular scenery...LOL! I can send you a picture of Alex's friend Julien when I get back so you can see why I think he'd be a good one to pick out for you if I could just get him to split up with his gf! haha!
Last night was fun because I got to meet all of Alex's geek friends and eat a meal with them at a traditional regional French restaurant. Their specialty was truffade, an area dish of great repute. The primary ingredients are potatoes, fatty bacon, garlic, and cheese. Now really, folks, how on earth can you go wrong with these ingredients???? Mmmmm! Again, for those wanting a peek: http://www.aurelle-verlac.com/gastrono/truffadf.jpg We had a lot of other specialities, but the truffade was my favorite.
Despite the drinking of wine at every meal, the constant consumption of cheese, baguettes, and chocolate, and the caloric intake of 5000 calories a day including copious wine... I think the amazing has happened. I gained weight the first week, just like I did last year when I was here for a week. Now, the second week, I'm losing weight. MY GOD. Did you hear me???? I'm consuming obscene amounts of calories and my body just adjusted and now my pants are fitting more comfortably. WHAT THE HELL? The French paradox kicking in for an American chick? I'll take it! Maybe it's due to the walking, but I swear I walked more last year. And last year we didn't have Jared, so there was more....well, OTHER exercise. haha! It's just wierd to me, though. The first week, I thought I'd have to go back in Alex's clothes because I could feel the expansion in all my pants. Last year I was here for eight days and gained not one but TWO dress sizes. This year, I gained and then lost, so at worst I will have had two weeks of eating like a fooking pig and gaining nothing! Why? This food is SO high fat, high calorie, bad for you stuff....hum. Again, I'll take it. If I think about it too much, maybe it'll go away!
I can't wait to see my daughter. I think I've decided that since for the rest of the summer it appears I'll be out of work, I shall do copious Good Mom things (art projects, field trips, etc) when I have the kids and lots of reading, writing, and enjoying life when the ex has the kids. I haven't had that kind of break in years. It will feel so strange....but as I said before: I'll take it! haha! There has to be SOME reward for eating tuna and ramen noodles all summer long! Thanks to an unexpectedly large tax refund this year, I have calculated it all out and I can make it through until the fall term starts. I'll be penniless when I start up and sick of cheap ass food, but we can make it. And maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be starting up at CU with Angie and Amanda in the fall! God, I haven't had medical insurance in three years. It would be great to have some for once...Robin said she'd try to work the Eng Lit I class around my schedule if I got the CU job too. Woohoo! *clutches her precious Medieval and Renaissance Literature class to her chest and says in her best Gollum voice, my precioussssss!*
posted by Kira | 9:21 AM
3 Comments:
Ohhh - the pain au chocolat... mmmmmmmmm. Jared has very good taste! You know, I usually lose weight too. I think it has to do with all the walking. Or maybe it's the wine doing its thing. Or maybe if you eat really high quality products, your body burns it more efficiently or something. Who knows, but keep enjoying it! I'll send you my addy for a postcard of the cathedrale! =o)
Maybe it's the wine...because last time I know I walked more! Oh well. I can drink wine regularly if that's what means I can lose weight! haha!
Amanda, I need your address...and PB bananas will probably sound even better when I am forced to leave Alex behind LOL :D If I said the kids would love 'em too, it will sound just wrong...plain wrong!
It is the high quality food + the fact that you are eating several times a day. When your body is getting fed like that your metobolic rate increases. That's why when people go on diets they lose at first then gain back more than they lost in the first place. I eat every bit as much as a man twice my size in a days time and am thin and muscular.
Doe
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