Tonight we took a little stroll around the village after dinner. I love the soft evening light (it gets dark so late here that it’s almost disorienting) and taking the time to look and listen — the way branches weave their way over stone, the patterns of stacked wood, the gentle gurgling of the stream, the wind brushing and rushing through distant trees.

We’ll be sad to see our friends go tomorrow morning, but are thankful they’ve left us with a new nightly walking routine (/practice). And we can’t wait to be reunited in Japan in 2015!

After several years of just not finding the time to cycle, Carl is back in the saddle. And he’s looking good! Poor Max is quite jealous of the new wheels, especially since we left his much loved scooter back in Brooklyn. Here’s to lots of thigh-burning, lung-expanding, sweet downhill sailing through the French countryside over the months to come!