Out of the Mouths of Babes. . . . .

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Sept. 7

[NOTE:  we had some trouble uploading pictures for Normandy - they are now in there.]

By popular demand, and consistent with our plan all along, the following are entries dictated by Grayson and Abby, and dutifully transcribed verbatim. (Hopefully, by the end of the trip their typing skills will be such that they can do this without dictating, but for now, we’re focusing on the product, and not the process….)

By Grayson

Paris is a crazy town. It is like Amsterdam, but the difference is, Amsterdam is half water. In Paris, our apartment was on top of a clothes shop. Every time we came down, we got to see all of the clothes. I didn’t want any of them, because they were women’s clothes. (Ha, ha, ha!) After walking out of a little hallway that connects the street to our apartment stairs, people start driving by on their electric scooters carrying baguettes. I liked Paris but I couldn’t wait for the rest of the trip.

Normandy was very different. It was very wide-spread and diverse, since it was in the country. Except for Caen, and maybe Bayeux, there weren’t very many big towns. One day, we went with a guide to the D-Day area. But before leaving, we saw a 6-inch gun [scrivener’s note: meaning, a gun that shot shells that were 6 inches in diameter – a very large artillery piece.] in the barn of the place we were staying. Our guide, whose name was Matthieu, took us first to St. Mere Eglise, a little town in which US airborne troops landed on D-Day. It was very funny seeing a fake paratrooper named John Steele hanging on top of the steeple of the church. After that, we saw some more big guns at an underground German bunker. It was very weird to think that people had lived underground in such a small area. Omaha Beach was very different from what I expected. It had a road right on top of the seawall which was on the beach. Our guide did a very good job of explaining what happened there on D-Day. I could almost picture men running up the beaches.

We have been doing a lot of driving. It’s getting boring looking out the window every time we leave for a new place. The only good thing about it is that I can finish my homework. Ugh. The radio stations are very funny, listening to people go “Eswave mago too she mago too too ga loo goo,” blabbering on and on in French.

Every place we go, I see pictures of Napoleon, even in a horse stable. He must be like our George Washington.

The trip is a lot like what I expected. But, the only difference is, we’re sleeping in dream beds. They are really comfortable, but Abby always gets the best one. That’s it.

By Abby

Normandy was definitely my favorite place so far, because I didn’t have to share a bed with Grayson. Also, I like it because it was on a farm, and I like animals a lot. The animals they had were cows, horses, ducks, geese, and chickens. They even had two dogs (labs). Another reason I like it was because it was large and roomy. The first level of the place we stayed was a kitchen and TV room combo. The second floor was mom and dad’s bedroom and the only bathroom. The top level, Grayson and I had to ourselves. The steps between floors were small and unlike the ones that I was used to. The reason for this was because the steps there had to be small to save room. And that isn’t needed as much in most American homes.

Another reason it was my favorite place, was because there was lots of open space for Grayson and me to play in. It had a pond, barn, play structure, and lots of fields to play in.

I’ve noticed for the long time that we’ve been in France that we always see dogs, anywhere we go. We see all kinds of dogs, everything from Chihuahuas to terriers to Great Danes. But the most popular dog that we see is a Yorkshire Terrier. I have seen at least 20 of them since we’ve gotten into France. For the first few days I was in Paris, I couldn’t believe how many dogs there were. So far, I’ve seen at least 15 different kinds. Every since we’ve got to France, we’ve started calling them PPs (Pampered Pets). Also, French people don’t seem to pick up their pets’ waste product. So, whenever we see a large fat glob of PP waste, we call it PPP (Pampered Pet Poo)!

I don’t know why, but so far my favorite places have been in the country. I guess I’m not a city person, but I still like to be in the city for a change once in a while. I guess I like the country because I like to be in clean, wide open land. Except for the manure, I love the smell of being in a large open field. I also like to be in the country because I think it’s fun to spend time in places without having to worry about the bustle of the city.

Traveling around the world was not at all as I expected it to be. I expected it to be more slow and easy. But this is very fast and we don’t have much time to be at home and rest. [scrivener’s note: we’ve recognized that we need to work on our pace a little!] I like it a lot because I think it’s fun to see all different countries, and not knowing what to expect next.

By Parent (Dan)

Well, this was an experiment. I felt like a psychiatrist, urging the kids along with their dictation. “So, Grayson, what did you really feel? Why do you think that is? When I say ‘paratrooper’, what do you think of . . . .?” Hopefully, with a little practice, they’ll get a better feel for the ideal output. In any event, hope you enjoyed these entries!

By Parent (mom):

Evidently, there is some confusion from our first entry regarding Grayson’s retainers. Yes, we were able to find them intact and they have been in his mouth since.