Every time they ate, Kit and Rusty (but especially Rusty) felt the need to write home about the food. For a glimpse of the food Rusty and Kit ate while in Paris, read on …
24 Hours in Paris!
When our kids were 10 and 12, we decided to give them a whirlwind glimpse of Paris.
After 10 days in Great Britain, we arrived at London’s St. Pancras International Station ready to board the early morning Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel to Paris, France. Although the “Chunnel” is only 31.4 miles (235 of those miles are under water), the entire distance from London to Paris is 307 miles and takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
We arrived at Paris’ Gare du Nord, hopped on the Metro, and got off at St. Michel-Notre Dame. Though the weather was hot (about 85 degrees), we walked slowly from Notre Dame Cathedral to the top of the Eiffel Tower, exploring the Left Bank along the way.
We were lucky – our lodging that night was at a friend’s apartment in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a western suburb of Paris. We sat outside on our friend’s balcony drinking champagne and speaking English interspersed with French.
The next morning, a short Metro ride brought us to the Avenue des Champs Élysées and a 2-mile walk to Le Musée de Louvre.
After a quick tour past the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, we left Paris for our train back to London.
If you had only 24 hours in Paris, what would you do?
Trip taken: July 2008.
How to Make French Onion Soup | The Tucker ~ Tyler Adventure
Do you like French onion soup? If so, read on …
How to Make French Onion Soup | The Tucker ~ Tyler Adventure.
When Will It Be Green?
Even though spring is less than 2 weeks away, when I look outside, all I see is a winter wonderland.
So I put on my skis one day and my snowshoes the next and continue to make new tracks in the snow.
And I dream of warmer places: Hawaii, Santa Barbara, Florida, where green and blue overrule white and brown as the predominant outdoor colors. Where 45 degrees isn’t balmy. Where the sun is warm on my bare shoulders.
I keep reminding myself, April will be here soon.
Kit and Rusty Visit Normandy in 1954 | The Tucker ~ Tyler Adventure
Moteling in California
“Roll up the windows and lock the doors,” my husband said as he and the kids went to check out our motel room just off the highway in northern California. I looked at him in surprise. The place looked nice enough, though there had been a police car in the driveway.
A few minutes later they were back. “The police were pounding on someone’s door,” the kids said. “They said, “This is the police, open up!’” My husband reported, “The cop said it would be fine to stay here.”
And it was. But the next morning, while helping ourselves to the motel’s continental breakfast, we couldn’t help but overhear a heated discussion between a wiry, bearded man in his 60s with the woman working behind the desk. His hair was shaggy, his clothes were untucked, and he was irate. “I’ve been staying here every year for the past 10 years, and you’ve never charged me for my local calls before,” he said again and again in various word combinations until he saw my husband waiting for his bread to toast.
“You wouldn’t be safe if it weren’t for me!” the man said, his voice elevated. “If you’re not going to fight,” he stared at my husband. “You might as well move to Brazil!”
Choosing to ignore him, we ate our breakfast on the sunny curb outside the motel. A few moments later, the police arrived, but we headed for the car. We’d had enough excitement for that motel and drove away, heading for our next destination.
Trip taken 2010.
What Did People Eat On Board the Queen Mary? | The Tucker ~ Tyler Adventure
Rusty and Kit wrote about the food on board the Queen Mary. Kit even saved the 
menu from their farewell dinner!
What Did People Eat On Board the Queen Mary? | The Tucker ~ Tyler Adventure.
How to Survive All the Snow
If you’re like me, and you like the snow, but after awhile, you long for a change of scenery, you’ve got a few options.
You can:
1) Embrace the cold and sled, snow shoe, or ski. (See my post “How to Survive a New England Winter.“)
2) Look for warmth.
In between snow storms this past week, I stopped in at the greenhouse at Water Fresh Farm in Hopkington, Mass.
I dined in front of a fire at Red Barn Coffee Roasters in Southborough, Mass.
And I visited the Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market inside a greenhouse at Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland, Mass., where people ordered pizza from a mobile wood fired pizza truck, tasted wine and cheese, bought root vegetables, jams, fish, meat, and even mushrooms.
Where will I go next week? The forecast is for more cold. Maybe this time, I’ll go for option number 3 and get on a plane!
On Board the Queen Mary | The Tucker ~ Tyler Adventure
When to Visit an Elephant Seal
When the air is cool and the days are short, the elephant seals come to their own special place along Northern California’s shore to mate, to calve, and to raise their young before venturing back out to sea. The place, Ano Nuevo State Park, is located about 55 miles south of San Francisco, about half way between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz.
After years of hearing about Ano Nuevo State Park, my family finally ventured there to see and to learn about the elephant seals one late December day. After meandering down the coast from the city, we arrived at the park in time for our 2 p.m. tour.
At a massive 8,800 pounds (that’s right, over 4 tons!), elephant seal bulls are wild animals and potentially dangerous. Visiting their habitat is allowed only on guided tours led by park naturalists between December 15 and March 31 during the mating season.
As we walked along the trail, listening to the naturalist and taking photos, large rocks turned into sleeping giants. Twenty foot long gray masses slumbered while we tip toed by, leery of danger signs warning us to stay at least 25 feet away.
During our 2 1/2 hour tour, we heard bellowing and watched young calves more quickly toward us, curious, just like us.
If you’re curious, too, you can make reservations in advance online through Reserve America or by calling 1-800-444-4445.
Trip taken: December 2010.
Snapshots and Sojourns 