Settling Into French Life

So France is wonderful. The Pyrenees are pretty spectacular and offer the ability to ski one day and climb the next, all depending on weather and elevation of course.

But don't let these photos fool you! In between each adventure is plenty of work for both Camille and I. Thankfully our schedules are flexible enough to allow us to sneak out occasionally for mini-adventures (especially since my current client is in a timezone 8 hours behind us).

Starting with a small hike in Spain (the border is only 30 minutes away).

Decent views!

Decent goats too!!

Camille works at a hostel at a ski resort. I don't get the free lift tickets like she does, but I do get free rentals. And the lift tickets are half the price of the resorts in New England and the powder is 10 times as good.

It was my first time snowboarding in 15 years. Luckily it's something that stays with you and I was able to get back into it very quickly.

And we went just after a snow storm and had several feet of fresh powder! Something I've never experienced before but now I understand the appeal.

More hiking nearby, this time in France 15 minutes from Camille's apartment.

And eventually some climbing. We met up with Camille's friends Josselin and Cha, whom she met 2 years ago while working in the chasm in Padirac.

Of course there's limestone all over the Pyrenees and it's quite nice.

And some more snowboarding on a bluebird day. Camille decided to try snowboarding for the first and second time. After 2 days she went from falling often and being very discouraged to being able to carve left and right and ride down the trails quite quickly. Super proud of her!

There are a couple of weekly markets nearby to get fresh food from local producers. 

Unrelated, but I forced her to pose for this very french photo of a girl and her baguette.

We also did a little snowshoeing at the resort. Again, the views aren't too shabby.

In our hunt for the best bakery around, we found this little place tucked away off of the main road. No frills or fancy display cases. Just good quality bread.

Another hike, another view.

Some more climbing with Josselin while Camille was working (she was more than a little jealous).

Another hike. This time with a small picnic.

So yeah, France is good!

Homesteadin'

Tiny house life is good.

Before winter reared its ugly head, we decided a proper firewood shed would make life much easier. I say "we" but Christian did most of the work as you can see here.

And here is Camille doing most of the work preparing the tiny firewood for our tiny stove.

And we had a tiny bonfire to share tiny drinks and tiny stories. Jude tried his first s'mores. Of course he loved it.

Then we built a tiny loft in the living room for additional storage.

Camille makes beautiful art. This project spanned many months and visits but it's finally done! And now it's hanging above my door. The best part is having plants that I can't kill...

Of course we paid a visit to Tree House.

This was Camille's first Halloween. We went to Patrick's house in Monson where they get over 500 kids in just a few hours.

Here's Camille the mime, Chloe the unicorn and Jude the fireman. Apparently unicorns like lollipops.

It was also her first time carving pumpkins! We went with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme (although I had never watched it... we watched it a week or 2 later).

Camille made this beautiful glass hanger for the kitchen out of some old barn board.

We had another successful Friendsgiving.

Big sunset for a tiny house.

Tried a new method for quickly cutting the firewood in half in order for it to fit in the tiny stove. Turned out to be too much effort, despite it being safer than hacking away at loose piles.

Christian and I also finally got around to building the kitchen drawers (spoiler alert: they're still not done. But they're also pretty unnecessary).

Then we went camping at the cabin in Northfield. With this cart full of stuff you would think we were moving into the cabin permanently. It was just for one night, but we like to be comfortable.

Stump stump stump stump.

Thanksgiving at my Dad's was also very nice. Camille, Jude and I took Kobe for a stroll. Camille was obviously in charge of both of them.

Thank you Camille for the family photo.

Jude loved his first leaf pile. He also learned not to throw his sister into the leaf pile.

A couple days later, Camille flew home to start her new job as a receptionist at a hostel at a ski resort. The goodbye was slightly easier this time as I would be flying to her in just under a month.

Then we got a lot of snow....

Justin and Alie came over for a tiny game night.

Solstice party bonfire.

As a Christmas gift, I took Jude climbing at the gym in Hadley. Given that he climbs on everything, I thought he would be a natural. Turns out he's afraid of heights and never made it higher than 5 feet... Maybe we'll try again in 2020.

Then we burned the Christmas tree. A good excuse for a beer with friends.

And just before leaving, Koti and Faith came over for dinner. I risked it by making some Indian dishes I had never made before. Thankfully they were tasty!

And just as Kobe was adjusting to the tiny house, I packed my things for my trip to France.

Alors, now I'm in France with Camille in the Pyrenees. More to come on that!