It is so great having family visit, even for a day and a half. We picked up Erin and Axie in Lyon, arriving from Madrid after finishing their Camino de Santiago de Compostela. We all enjoyed Tom’s homemade black beans with our fajitas, donated Erin some clothes from my closet and found Axie a skirt to wear to church. Christy, Erin, and Ben were each asked to share their testimonies in French. It was a sweet experience to have our little branch members meet and hear from some of our kids. They brought the Spirit to the meeting.
After meandering through the luxurious country side, we explored the 1000 year-old medieval castle of Couches, then headed to Branch President Catogni’s home for dinner. What an evening of sharing, discovering commonalities from biking and running to love of music, French, and excellent food. Our kids bonded with Roxanne (their oldest daughter), her husband Contin, and baby Eugénie, and Leandre ( their youngest son) who just graduated from college and has a mission call to Ogden Utah. Ben oriented Leander to the Cavalry and invited him to join. We played a fun lawn game called Mokky and concluded the evening with singing - at Erin’s request. What a choir! Being invited into this French family home will be a memory that will always bring a smile to our faces. Today before church, the Catognis told us they loved our kids. Who wouldn’t?
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| Ben, Christy, Erin, Jeff, Sue, and Tom at Couche |
Château de Couches  |
| At Catogni's home in Dracy St. Loup |
Monday, we drove Erin and Axie to Geneva so they could catch their plane to the Japan - Seattle Suzuki Institute where Erin is the boss. Along the route, I told Axie stories about her mom and grand parents she had never heard before. The two hours went really fast. In Chalon, Ben and Christy were welcoming Ethan and Haley, our oldest grandson and his wife. They were dropping in for an overnight on their way to Paris from Spain.
Tuesday we were invited to the Landrés ‘museums’. We learned about the 14 générations of grape growers and vintners in his family and saw all the accompanying historical accoutrements. There must have been some huge adjustments for him as he left that life to join the church.
Wednesday Ben and Christy packed their suit cases and we headed east on country roads to the Haute Jura, a regional park with five waterfalls. It was a sunshine, blue sky, birds singing kind of day and the park itself reminded me why I love mountains so much. We hiked along a rocky stream umbrellad by huge trees, moss clinging to the trunks. In Florida we have moss on the trees but it hangs like torn gauze from the branches. We could hear the falls and after a block , there it was - the tallest in the area. I have always loved waterfalls and added this one to the collection of soothing pictures in my mind. Then it was over the mountains (literally) to Geneva and a flight back to Utah for the last of our family here. How we love them all!
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| Hedgehog Falls |
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| Lumpy tree moss! |
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