Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Home, Home on the Grange

Today's Wonders of the World are...French Barns!
Remember when I did my post on barns? (See HERE if you want to relive the moment.) Well, my dream life has been going wacko lately and French barns keep popping up, so I'm going with it.

Besides, they certainly deserve to be called Wonders. See?

Mmm. Can't you just smell the garlic?

The French word for barn is la grange. Get it? Home, home on the grange?

Anyway, I took that garlic photo my very own self. Or maybe Todd did it. I can't remember. We found that barn full of garlic on one of our weekend hikes. Have I told you about our hikes? They were heavenly. They gave us a chance to get out in nature, see beautiful French villages, and tire out our three active children, all at the same time!

This is Ben on one of our walks. He is listening to a grasshopper he just caught. Click on the photo for a better view. You can see the beautiful Auvergne countryside, complete with vineyard, French barns, and the far away puys (extinct volcanoes.)
Oh. I just clicked on it and now I feel the homesickness flowing in. Shoot.

It was like strolling through a painting, as you can see. Those hikes were called ballades, public planned hikes through private and public land--through farmers' fields, or winding village streets, or who knows where. We'd hike just about every weekend, and on Sunday afternoons after lunch we'd see plenty of others hiking, sometimes grandmas in heels and skirts--the whole extended family. So fun.

And afterwards, there was much peace and quiet.


But I digress.
Back to barns.


Here's one from a field trip with my son's maternelle class to the farm.
That's a mighty big pig.

Here's another. That's Sam in the green shirt. You can see how happy he is in that barn. That's because they're about to cut loose and start to throw hay on each other--I mean feed it to the animals.


And here's a picture of the dairy barn. I wrote about this trip to the farm in French By Heart, and how the farmer let the kids drink warm milk right out of an old bucket. I wish I had taken a picture of Sam with the foam all over his mouth.

Ooh, have I got a French farm video for you. And it's all in rap. And it has a cow dressed up in a hat. What more do you want? It's amazing.

But first, take a look at a few more sights from our ballades. There may be a barn in there. Or
not.


Have a Wonder-ful Wednesday!
Love, Becky

14 comments:

Jeanette Janson said...

Oh...I love taking long hikes, and through country like this looks like a dream come true!...and to bring the whole family...it doesn't get much better than that.
Thanks for sharing-
Jeanette

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the adventure! Such a nice barn (no one does it quite like the French) Even barns! And beautiful children! To stroll through a painting? Heaven on earth!

xo
Constance

Susan Sandmore said...

Was that cow rap revenge for yesterday? Mmmm(bop)?

What a wonderful field trip! I love the picture of all the little ones staring at the pig. A few look alarmed!

Ada [The Duchess] said...

What a devilish trick for parent's everywhere Rebecca. How wonderfully evil!

Your kids were so cuteeeeeee. I just love little children. I can revel in their cuteness then go home to my quiet bed. LMAO! 'Till I have kids of my own I use this joke all the time.

Unknown said...

Your hikes in the french countryside sound heavenly...and the video...that was just too moo-ving for words. Get it? Too MOO-ving for words and there's a cow in the video...ah ha ha haha...I crack myself up.

Sherry said...

Loved the video!!!

I really enjoyed this post today because I'm in the middle of reading your book...I haven't reached the part yet about the visit to the farm -- that will be this afternoon.

Your writing is effortless and flows with beauty -- I feel like I'm right there with you -- and how THE MOST vivid mental image of Mme. Mallet!!! ♥

I feel like I'm living vicariously through you -- I have always thought how wonderful it would be to do this -- uproot and move myself to the French countryside.

Dadadreams said...

Hi Becky~ Thanks so much for stopping by my blog the other day! Your blog is awesome! I look forward to reading more :)
~Michelle

Rosemary said...

Hi Rebecca,
Love all of the pictures, but since I just finished your book, I really enjoyed seeing the class trip that I recently read about!!
Love your post, French barns are a wonderful thing.
Rosemary

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Hi Jeanette and Rochambeau!

Susan, you betcha. I'm still singing Mmmbop in the background of my brain, thank you very much!

Adaora, I never thought of it as a devilish trick, but now that you put it that way...yes, it was!

Tattingchic, you moove me!

Sherry/Cherie, I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Your kind words have made my day!

dadadreams, I love your blog too! Isn't blogging wonderful?

Hey Rosemary! I wish I could have included a picture of the chicken sitting on our feet at lunch!
Becky

Anonymous said...

ah...french barns. we are renting a restored french barn when we go on our year sabbitical. would love to hear more about your hikes.
that is one big pig!
great way to put the kids to sleep....

Sandra Evertson said...

Wonderful, I feel like I got to go on a field trip!
Thanks! I needed a day out!
Sandra Evertson

Anonymous said...

Gosh it looks like you live in a lovely part of the world :-)

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Alisa/our juicy life, actually I thought of you while I was writing this. To spend a year in a converted French barn...how dreamy! At the bookstore you can find books of hikes to take. And they're called balades, not ballades. (Help...my French has fallen and it can't get up!)

Sandra and Iluvretrothings, thanks for stopping by. Glad to provide the field trip!

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Alisa, I looked at some of my balade books. Looks like the series is called, "Balades et randonnees, A Pied et a VTT"
Hope that helps!