St Quentin Isn't Just a Prison

This is one of the ceramic sculptures in St. Quentin (pronounced, "sanh kanh-tahn")

My dad says:

"St. Quentin la Potterie is a historic potters village that's been redesignated as a pottery town by France. There are over 25 active ceramicists with studios in the village."

We walked here the other day but today

we went in our car for a birthday party and before that,

yes...

a BRIC-A-BRAC!

Say it five times fast.

At the bric-a-brac, you can buy really random things,

like a pile of creepy and dirty dolls and...

elephant bookends (see them?)

and...

...antique rifles and cat-tails and shoe polish and copper kettles and pewter mugs and letter openers and boxes and scales and...

anatomical diagrams of chickens...and...

really old wheelchairs...

and more and more and more...

Frances said over and over again,

"I've always wanted one of these!"

She even said that about a pepper shaker. She hates pepper.

She did buy this, though...

"It's the two things I love most," she says; "a back-scratcher and a shoe-horn in one!"

It's missing its thumb, though.

And I almost bought this old, quill-type pen, but it was way too expensive.

My grandma bought some pretty yellow pottery.

Frances and I bought two miniature pressed glass glasses.

My dad bought playing cards. He likes them because, "the face cards are so different from our cards. They are more ornate and I think they'll look cool in an art project."

My grandpa liked anything old and mechanical.

My mom just tried not to touch anything. Everything gave her the chills.

Then we were off to Clara's birthday party.

Here's their driveway.

Wow.

My dad says, "Clara lives in a mas. A mas is like an old farm house, not as fancy as a chateau but more of a grand home with an ability to house workers."

Clara and her mom Patricia and her sister Dana live in one of the workers' old (renovated) homes.

This is Clara on her 10th birthday.

She is dressed as a magician in this picture

because she started out the party doing magic tricks.

I like Clara because she is funny and kind

and always makes sure you're involved in whatever's happening. 

These are the members of the party.

Eva (far left) is from England but moved here last year. She was sort of our translator.

Clara (far right--not the birthday girl, but another Clara) was shy at first but then by the end of the party she was jumping around and happy and talking to us in very good english.

Dana (center, little kid in the striped shirt) is the birthday Clara's sister.

Because Frances figured out the magic trick, she got to do it.

This was the second birthday party we've been to in France.

This one was very different from the first in a few ways.

1. We were actually invited to this one.

(remember how we crashed Gaia's birthday?)

2.  This one we had games and activities,

like a treasure hunt with riddles as clues and magic tricks.

3.  We weren't as nervous to speak and try to understand french. 

4.  We know Clara. She's in our art class and we see her all around town.

The thing Frances liked most about the party was the secret fort.

Frances said that I cannot tell you where the secret fort is because it's a secret.

In this picture, Clara is reading the card I wrote to her.

I wrote it with Alice, so part of it's in french. In english, I asked her if she wanted to be penpals with me when I get back home.  She said, YES!

This is Clara reading Frances's card.

After opening each present, Clara kissed the giver on the cheek.

I think that's a cool tradition because it shows that you really care about your present and the person who gave you your present. It's not a big race to open presents. She actually puts down her present, gets out of her seat, walks around the table, kisses you on the cheek, says "merci pour le cadeux," and then walks back.

All her presents were...

 BOOKS!

She was very happy. She LOVES to read. We gave her Les frères Coeur-de-Lion. It's written by the author of Pippi Longstockings (Astrid Lindgren).

After a great birthday, my mom and I decided to walk home together.

We didn't know the way exactly,

so the kids and parents who were still there walked us to the trail.

My mom says:

"I have to laugh.

Only in France would I be able to walk

from a birthday party in one village

through pastures, beside ditches, on winding narrow roads, past cemeteries

to my own village a mile and a half away.

Only in France would the entire birthday party take a 'promenade'

to show us to the start of the trail...

Only in France would someone else stop us on the trail and

want to turn around to show us an old well for irrigating the fields...

(owner of mas on right with grandchild, turning around to show us the well.

Kind of an endearing adaptation of

'There was an Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly.' "

The walk home was beautiful. The grass was a perfect color green.

And all the flowers were blooming.

My grandparents love it in Uzes. And they have been overjoyed with the markets and all of the people and the scenery.  My grandma already has a friend in the clothing store down our street and the owners of la Nougatine (the patisserie) know my grandparents because they go there every morning for a pastry and a coffee.

They can't understand why my grandpa doesn't drink coffee, though.

Chocolat chaud for him.

Good night!

Eleanore