Pointe Noire,
Congo
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Instead of going to the "secret beach", we stayed around the house most of the day because the rains rolled in around nine o'clock. We thought there might be a break in the weather, but it only rained some more until about one. We've been waiting since early September to go to this beach, and I guess we'll just have to wait some more. It's been just fine up to now alternating between the beach with restaurant "at the foot of the sea", with the river meeting the ocean just below the bluff that the restaurant sits on and the beach house spread between Phil/Melanie and Regis/Nathalie, but Friday night I brought up the "secret" beach with Klaus and it seemed like the time was ripe. Oh well. The boys and I had gone on a morning run for eggs and assorted groceries so that I could make the golden pancakes -- otherwise known as my version of crepes -- and then they watched some of the new videos that Grandma sent, cut some boxes, played with lego, painted, and watched some more movies. Then it was time for a puddly walk with Lyle. Klaus and Angela, our secret beach guides, had suggested a terrace picnic instead of the beach, so we walked toward their house with boots and raincoats on. We didn't find them home, so we went down to the first floor of their building and found Melanie and Phil, Nathalie and Regis and their kids enjoying a pre-Christmas Christmas before Nathalie left with Jeremy and Didi to France next week. So we hung out with them, then I walked home to check in with Ann=Mary, only to find Klaus and Angela there having the picnic on the terrace. So I stayed for a while, then went and picked up the kids. After hockey and soccer and painting and a few beers and rum and cokes, it was time for the kids to eat, bathe and go to bed. So Angela and Klaus have gone out to one of the Morroccan restaurants to pick us up some food and then we'll watch Fahrenheit 9/11.
This coming week we've been invited to two events with the US ambassador. Tuesday there is a reception on board the USS Leyte (?), and Wednesday there is a dinner with Schlumberger folks at La Arbelette. If we can find someone to stay with the kids Tuesday we'll go to the boat reception, and Wednesday we have Adele signed up so that we can have another nice dinner on the company tab.
Two weeks to go until winter break!!
