Back and forth and back, again...

"We're havin' a heat waaaave.....a tropical heat waaaaave...."

Hello, Campers:

We’re at the tail end of a severe heat wave (Canicule) here in Lyon.  The temperature has hovered up in the high 90’s for 10 days, only sometimes dipping into the low 80’s late at night.  I often tell people that because I hail from the coldest region of the U.S. (Wisconsin, specifically), that hot temperatures now agree with me.  That said, even for me, this past spell has been rough.  Even by French standards, everyone over here has been pretty grumpy.

Walking home after school

All-day sucker.

We’ve been Atlantic-hopping quite a lot since my last post.  Shortly after my mom and my aunt visited us here, we headed to Pennsylvania to enjoy an 80th birthday celebration for my very favorite Mother-in-Law, Peggy.  Since the kids’ winter school vacation fell in late February, and we took advantage.

Leo, playing dress-up at Heathrow Airport on the way to the States.  Anything to pass the time during a long layover...

...and playing in Grandma Peeky's backyard in PA

...and playing on the organ in Grandma's living room, in PA.

...and reconnecting with all that is American at CVS in PA

What happens when you take your kids to the Symphony one day after a trans-Atlantic flight... #proudoperadad

Katherine and Grandma Peeky in Lyonnais Silk

School vacation in France is very nice, I must say.  The school year itself is long; beginning on September 1st and finishing around the 7th or 8th of July.  However, France smartly places two-week school vacations every six weeks or so throughout the year.  This means that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and we have really enjoyed that aspect of the French school-year rhythm.

After a great stay in PA, we headed back to Lyon to resume life.  The kids each focusing on their studies, sports and music.  Katherine back to the Silk Boutique (and her international modelling stint), and I was back to music memorisation. March also brought Daphne's 12th (!) birthday, which she celebrated in style.

Daphne with friends from school

12????  Seriously??

The French all dress up in green outfits and throw a parade for you when you turn 12.  It's amazing.

I sang recitals and gave masterclasses in San Francisco and in Portland, Oregon in late March/early April.  Wonderful venues (thanks Stanford University and University of Portland for being such great hosts!), and reconnected with lots of West Coast friends whom I hadn’t seen in far too long.  Leo turned 7 while I was away, which was hard for me to miss, but he had a great time with his Mama and sisters.

Mt. Hood

Meeting my friend, Drew Poling, at Foreign Cinema

Portland's Cherry Blossom in April bloom

Hiking in San Francisco

Leo and his teacher share an April 7th birthday!

Leo the Lion is 7!!

Recital set-up at the University of Portland

I made it back to Lyon just in time for Leo’s first piano recital!  He rocked ‘Au clair de la lune’ and also rocked his outfit with a nice raw silk (soie sauvage) pocket square to match his proud Dad’s.  This kid will GO places:)

Post-recital bliss

Another party...

The kids love the presents I bring home from jobs overseas.  This 'insect trapped in a lollipop' was a particular hit.

April brought another lovely school vacation, and for this one, Daphne, Cora and I accepted an invitation from my good friend, Laurent, to spend a week in his brother’s cottage in the countryside of the Champagne region.  Laurent’s daughter, Jadhe, is one of Daphne’s closest friends and last year they invited Daphne to join them at the cottage.  This year, we got to tag along.  Katherine and Leo were also invited, of course.  But after the stories of the previous years' spider collection, they both decided to stay home in Lyon.  

Too many stories and pictures to include here.  It’s all coming in the next post which may be titled, “Champangne: A land rich with bubbles and cultured spiders…”

I spent a fair amount of time in late April memorising the role of Reginald Bunthorne  in Gilbert and Sullivan’s hysterical operetta, Patience, for performances with Odyssey Opera in Boston.  That was a long stint, but such fun.  Katherine managed the kids for nearly a month while I was away, and everyone (including me) survived well.

A custom made velvet costume (a la Oscar Wilde) by Amanda Mujica for Odyssey Opera

Swan Boats in the Boston Garden

Yes, I'm wigged-out

Leaving Boston for Logan Airport is sooooo much nicer on the Water Transit

Our "Patience" set from the balcony of the historic Huntington Theatre.  I love this place and was so happy to sing there again.

Gloucester at sunset

Dad came to visit me in Boston and we went on our traditional 'Calamari Crawl' throughout the city...

Daphne and Katherine ended up in the ER one night while I was away because Daphne (our gymnest) broke her middle toe in two places.  She was much more irritated about missing Gymnastics practice than she was about being in pain, and was DELIGHTED that we had to take her to school (for nearly three weeks) via Uber, because her normal route is straight up a hill at the cost of nearly 100 steps on a renaissance staircase.  Luckily for our wallet, she’s a stair master again.

Then, last week, just after our 13th Wedding Anniversary, my beautiful wife, Katherine headed to Boston for a medical conference at Harvard, so the kids have been taking good care of me since she left.  They are making sure I get them to their appointments on time.  Insisting that I keep them on task for music and art lessons.  Demanding that I make them only the healthiest dinners, and begging to go to bed on time.  

You know, just like your kids.

Daphne, post crutches.  No more Uber for you, twinkle-toes.

Leo is a devil in Angel disguise.

Cora is an Angel.

Katherine's Medical Conference Helga-Helmet. #proudoperahusband

What happens when you really tick-off your sisters at the park.

And then, this week, LEO and I ended up in the ER  because we thought that he had broken a couple of his fingers after a hard fall. Turned out to be 'très méchants' (badly bruised), which we were relieved by.

Leo, waiting in the ER, which we know very well, now.

Cora isn't allowed to go any higher than this, because she's the one kid we've managed to keep out of the ER this month.

In all honesty, we’ve spend four of the past 7 days at the swimming pool (with hundreds of other Lyonnais) because it’s been so unbearably hot.  Katherine is returning to an ever-so-slightly-darker family…even after copious amounts of sunscreen.

"Boating while Dabbing" at the Parc de la tête d'Or'

Leo and his school buddy at the Fête de la petite paumé, in our nieghborhood.

Rosé dinner last night, during the heatwave.  It was air-conditioned, and too hot to eat.

Leo sharing Ice Cream with his school buddy:)

We have but one week left here before we head back to the States for a six-week summer vacation.  Looking forward to it greatly and already thinking of how much we’ll miss our little community here in the tucked away 5th arrondissement of Vieux Lyon.  Cora will be starting school at the collège (Middle School) with Daphne in the fall, and Leo will start CE1 (2nd grade), still at l’ecole Jean Gerson just down the street.  He’s happy not to have to switch schools, yet.

Next post, Champagne!

Lots of love, and I hope you're staying cool,

Aaron