Dinner and an opening

I swear I had already decided that I loved the art before I drank these.
This is a piece by Eric White, it's really big, I should have put G beside it to give it some perspective. When I got home i realized that I hadn't taken a picture of the trippiest work i the show.
Daniel Davidson's stuff was really twisted and almost obscene in a very cool way.

Becca and G talking about how awesome free campari and orange juice is at any event.
What?

Art
Upstairs were several instillation pieces by Jennifer Vasher made entirely of pills.
We ended up talking to Eric White for a long time about his work and how he was enjoying Paris, he was unbelievably nice(he could have simply been happy to hear some unaccented English). his is one of three of these split head negative paintings, very cool.
He also had a series of doctored album covers. Can you guess what album this is based on?
After the opening G and I headed off for a late dinner.
Hmmm should I eat of just keep drinking?
This is my serious "I'm drinking free cognac and it is delicious but strong" look.
Pretty lady.

We've been here how long?
And the evening ends with Star Trek season one.

Snail search

So a you know Liam made a snail in art this week and has been obsessed ever since, so we decided to go to a pet store and try to buy a couple as pets. I suggested that we go to the marche to find some but Liam won't even hear that people eat snails so to the pet store by Point Nuef we went.
When G isn't with us Chloe is in charge of D, she does a great job.

At the Hotel De ville they had a huge French Open thing set up. They had a couple of courts where kids could pick up some pointers,
a full sized clay court for adults to hit on,
and a huge screen showing the matches in progress.
Hotel de ville
The pet store was a disaster. No snails so Liam decided a mouse or rat would be a good substitute i said no. Then he decided a dog or a cat would be ok again i said no(the cheapest dog was 380 euro). Finally he disdainfully said a fish or bird would be ok, i had to break down the "apartment is really too small for a tank or cage" that is when the crying began. For those of you with a feel for the city the loud crying and whining lasted from the point nuef all the way to the picasso museum!! From the Picasso Museum to home he listed all the things he hated including the street we live on, Paris, and me. Good times.

Another sunny day

Dylan and i got to school early to pick up the kids so we sat and enjoyed the sun for a few minutes.

about town

Dylan enjoying a little sunshine.
Liam and some street art.
Dylan looking tough.
Still nothing.
Chloe examined but found nothing.
That wasn't it.
Liam made a snail in art class today.
Thumbs up.
Believe it or not, this was part of a reading comprehension lesson.

So was this.

Hot Sunday

It got up to 82 degrees today which meant the apartment got hot so we hit the streets. First we swung by the park to check on the apple trees, nothing yet.
D didn't care but Liam was not happy about these slow growing apple trees, we want a forest today.
That's a sharp looking van.
We stopped at this park on Quai George V for a bit before heading down to the Seine. Dylan needed a little help getting onto the structure.
Yesterday Chloe got these fresh prison issue vans with planets and spaceships on them.
Walking along the Seine.
Batman
Back to the Bastille and hundreds of roller bladers.
We had to stop for some fountain time.

Plantings

Liam has been saving the seeds from the apples he eats for snack for the last week. Wednesday we went to the park to plant them.

We planted thirty seeds in the hopes that we will have out own forest.
We added some water to get them started. Two hours later Liam wanted to go back and see if they had sprouted.
There were roses in the park.
Dylan was ready to get out.

A bit of randomness

A statue on a big dude with a basketball. Les Invalides
Chloe went to a b day party at Les Invalides last weekend. It's got a famous gold dome and Napoleon is buried there. It's also a war museum.
A tank.
Walking to the party in the rain. Chloe is counting how many of her classmates are returning next year... 3.
The dome.

Saint Ambroise during the hail storm.
Hail on a glass ceiling is deafening.
Liam, being good for a moment.
Party time in the kids room.

Scary mask.
Thumbs up Elmer.
In yo face.
Power
Hugs.
The girls chilling on the couch.
Liam is angry.

Cafe time

I know nothing about these pictures, they were on my camera.
I assume that Chloe has ordered a beer and is waiting for it patiently.
Here she is upset over the drink order mixup but apple juice will have to do. She is pleased that her lunch consists of three grapes, a pickle, two pieces of cheese and uncooked bacon.
These two are probably up to no good.
Here Chloe shows off her ability to open doors.
Gretchen is proud of her door opening ability.
Chloe loves going up the stairs

Pere

Heather bought us all gellato before heading into the cemetery to check on the zombie situation.


What a weird shot.
Thumbs up for the fancy graves.
Liam took this shot of Chopin's tomb.
Caleb and heather crying over Jim Morrison's grave.
This has "zombie hangout" written all over it.

Liam took this picture but only after coaching me into this pose. I kept getting the angle of the hat wrong.
Taken a break.

Pong with Heather

Liam with the toss.
Heather serves it up.
Chloe keeping D on the straight and narrow.
Poised to attack
Amazing concentration.
Mount up
Liam takes a shot.
D plays
Heather on shortstop.

Cookie party

What do you do after a day at Versailles? You have a Marie Antoinette party but first you have to go to La Duree, the official maker of the pastries in the Marie Antoinette movie.
The line will be out the door but the window display looks good.
I was hella impressed... by the cost. Is the gold baked right in or sprinkled on top?
G with the goods.
G couldn't make it home before calling Becca.
The proud cookie owner.
Fancy.
The goods.
Chloe and Heather made tiaras. Heather was the official tiara affixer.
G's tiara.
Becca gets her tiara.
Chloe is next.

Heather's tiara is the winner.
I don't have to wear one? Thumbs up
The question here is"Will she share?"
Liam lurking.
Pretty girl
Cheers!
Dylan is soooo over these fancy cookies.

Versaille

Yesterday was armistice day, we headed to Versaille.
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up? The army
How do you recognize a French veteran? sunburned armpits
Why does Nike like the French Army? In wartime they are the biggest buyers of running shoes.
Liam really wanted to have his picture taken with the horses but didn't want to get to close or turn his back on them.
The line.
The kids occupied themselves while we stood in line.
Thumbs up.

Look at all the different wallpapers.
Statues
Heather educates.
Chloe in the hall o' mirrors.
Weirdness in the hall of mirrors.
Liam wasn't into the trip.
Rick says we should do what.
Those damn French slipped this onto my pizza while i wasn't looking.
Liam proud balancer.
Waterless fountain.
Fancy trees.
The gardens.

Orange you glad...

We had to pop out of the subway to look at the Opera on our way to the Orangerie.

After getting off at Concord we had to walk through a bit of the jarden.
Dylan prefers museums with plenty of benches.
Heather is amazed.
as is Dylan.

Another visit to the gallery

Liam and I were walking by the Madga Dansyz gallery yesterday and decided to pop in for a moment.

This is the only Dalek piece that has a bit of his famous space monkey.
Look at that penciled in snake.



Liam loved that fact that there was an echo in this big upstairs room.

Another visit to Notre Dame

It appears to be against the law to hold hands with a child in Paris.
Saint Michel
Heather and water.
Heather shops scarves.
The entrance to Notre Dame.
Dylan wonders where the hunchback is.
Half of the apostles.
The biblical kings.

To the tower

I know, I know, how many times will you take his picture in this very spot?

Heather and D at Trocadero.
Trocadero
Dylan, closer to the tower.



On the Ecole Militaire side of the tower.
D and the big dog.
Heather digs into a Paris dog.
This bird menaced us during the entire meal.

Peace.
Best Aunt Ever.
Les Invalides.
"Don't fart on my baby!"

"What, you couldn't finish my legs?"
Cannons


More nose wiping, what a great aunt.
Chilling by the fountain.
This fountain.

Le TAG

We caught the TAG exhibit on its last day in Paris. We waited outside for Becca for a few minutes.
Oddly enough, the sign for the exhibit had been tagged hundreds of times.
The Grand Palais is a really cool building. The exhibit consisted of two pieces by each artist, the one on the left represented the artists "tag" and the canvas on the right was supposed to be their representation of "love".

I was pleased.
Guess which one Chloe liked? We took lots of pictures of her right here.
The dude behind me is doing what?
Look at us doing stuff.
Another shot of Chloe Chloe.
The piece with the blue dudes was amazing, this picture does it no justice.
B-Boy
Look at that art.
Liam was so over it.

Dylan explaining the different styles and individual nuances in the works.


G next to the Mike Giant pieces.
Me and the Giant pieces.
Fresh
Paris has something for everyone.

Thai

We went out for Thai with Becca the other day, here are the ladies in the passage.
Gretchen made me take a picture of this.
Heather after the main course.
Whoops, there it is again.
Becca with some tasky Pad Thai.
My red curry chicken was so hot that i turned red and started sweating, good stuff.

To the Church

Dylan contemplates all those steps.
Liam preparing for the climb.
Almost half way there.
They've filled the fountain... with algae. Thumbs up to that.
Heather works for the shot.
Liam at the top.
The girls.
Photo op
mmmm chicken points.
The 20th isn't the best part of town... or is it.
The Moulin Rouge.

A taste of Tag

We went to the tag exhibit today(it's last day), i took lots of pictures that I will post later but here is a taste.

A walking tour

We walked Heather down to the Bastille.
And then to the Seine where Heather and Chloe found a photo op.
We had to stop for some ice cream.


One legged flex behind Notre Dame.
Caleb on the playground.

Notre Dame

Heather taking a picture of the Palace de Justice.
Liam and a wheatpasted bulldog near pompedou.
Thumbs up for a picture of a bike.
Liam and some French kid playing in a park behind the Picasso Museum.
Liam and Chloe.
Liam, Chloe and Heather.
Moments after Chloe fell in.
Liam "balancing" a water bottle on his chin.
This crazy piece was hanging in a gallery window.
Vans full of riot police.
Heather looking for trouble at the protest.
Dylan trying to block out the noise.
Heather taking pictures of riot police.

Heathers here!

Dylan waiting for Heather to arrive, the guy at the refrectoire was probably wondering why we were there so early.
Hitting the streets.
Dylan gearing up with a little help from Heather.
The elevated garden looks very different then it did a month ago, all the planting is done and it looks great.
I asked Heather to act like a Chinese peasant in a bamboo forest and this is what I got.
This fellow was on the top of an apartment building.
Another view.
Creepy babies.
Weak, Heather could barely finish half of her pizza.
D cleaned up.
For some reason on the menu the shaved ham was called "shoulder".
Heather was unimpressed by the park(or just really tired).