One of the things on my list of 50 at 50 was having a lime gimlet with an actual British person. I wikied the word to find out the history of the drink, and while I’ll list a couple of interesting things about the drink, it’s worth clicking on the link for the whole story, plus a couple of suggested recipes.
My bartender made it with Hendrick’s Gin (which, as he knew, would instantly become my favorite, albeit it pricey, gin) and Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice. Some recipes suggest a simple syrup and actual lime juice, but I was pleased with the Rose’s. I’ll try a low-carb version at some point, but I’ll use the Rose’s til it’s gone. Sam mixed it about half-and-half, maybe a touch more gin, shaken over ice, served over ice. It was as cool and refreshing as it sounds, and is now in my top 5 favorite drinks, maybe even displacing my go-to gin and tonic.
Beautiful Hendrick's bottle
This post is primarily to describe marking that event off my list, but I’ll also use it to catch up a bit. Sam’s visit to the US has ended and he’s back off the England to begin his master’s degree at Bristol. Glenda is missing him fiercely, but has plans to visit England again for Christmas for the 3rd year in a row.
They made it home for a visit last weekend to see Aden’s fall festival at John Pittard Elementary School. There was face-painting, jumpy things, cake-walking, and all the crap to eat that you would expect at a fall festival. Aden said it was a Great Friday, and we all agreed!
yes, that's a pilot costumeAfter she finished (it was a spider), he said he really wanted it on the other cheek
The next day our precious Emily Potts came over for breakfast; Glenda and I had been wanting her to meet Sam for two years! She was totally NOT fangirly over our very own Harry Potter (you can’t quite see the scar drawn on her forehead and her Neville shirt). Emily makes everything an instant party, and we kept her from going home to help hubby John clean the house all morning.
Q T Pies
The next weekend was son Sam’s birthday, so we had 3/4 of the kids home then. (We missed you Ben.)
Sam with his gift from his sisters, brother, and Sam M
And now, because it’s my blog and I can, here are two of Glenda’s recent watercolors (I think brother Ben commissioned her for one of them):
Lastly, a few pics of the Freedom of Religion Rally in Murfreesboro. Seriously, citizens, this is a no-brainer. Freedom of Religion means every religion, not just the ones you like and understand.
What a delightful, girlie, French week we just had!!
Amy and I headed out on a Saturday morning, and had pretty good luck getting to Paris. Glenda met us at baggage claim where we all had tears and endless smiles!
sisterlove
She’s been in the city since August, so she’s an expert in the Metro, and did a fabulous job with the language. We did a lot of sightseeing the first day, even tho we were a bit jetlagged. We went to Notre Dame, Champs Elysses, Arc du Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower.
classicsee Quasimodo?right in the middle of Champs Ellyssesat the bridge near the Eiffelat the base of the Tower
We were so glad to go to bed that night, and started the next day by going to Glenda’s campus with her. It is located near an interesting museum/shopping area that Amy and I cruised while she was in class.
Pompidou Museum of Modern ArtStreet vendor selling crepes - Nutella is at EVERY standOne of an huge volume of bakery pictures
We ate this same snack lunch every day – cheese, nuts, olives, fruit, bread. Restaurants are so expensive and really we preferred to eat like this.
We eat this way at home too!
Then it was off to the Louvre – Glenda’s right about how to see it – you just have to do a section at a time. She’s been about 8 times with her class, and has done a different section each time. Amy and I did the typical tourist thing cuz our time was compressed, and Glenda had to go to class so we were on our own.
here she isAt the interior inverted glass pyramidtwinning it upour hostel room with view of....the street
The next day was our trip to the Musee D’Orsay – Glenda’s favorite in Paris. It was structurally beautiful; it’s a museum of impressionism, and included some pretty spectacular pieces.
Van Gogh's self-portrait
Glenda talked so much about this Van Gogh, and then when we saw it, we understood. The color and pattern really are remarkable. There were sculptures and some contemporary pieces we enjoyed seeing, as well as Gauguin and Monet. The problem with a collection like that is that you become overstimulated/saturated so quickly, so after a couple of hours of following our resident docent, we stopped for a French lunch of quiche, sandwiches, and pastry.
lunch on the street...with dessert
After that respite, we cruised an upscale section of Paris with shops and stores – then we went into a wine-tasting store Glenda has visited in her oenology class, and of course we had to have a tasting! We bought a bottle of white, and a cheese tray for supper. It was delicious, with one tiny exception. These cheese samplers are assembled at the discretion of the cheese-sampler-assembler in the kitchen, I suppose, and our plate included a cheese the likes of which I have never experienced.
the offending selection is the baked triangle at the bottom of the plate
I love stinky cheese – the stinkier-feet-smelling, the better, as far as I’m concerned. I love Roqufort, blue cheese, even limberger. This cheese was not just aromatic. It was not just pungent. This cheese smelled like nothing other than…well, let’s just say that we now refer to it as Ass Cheese . It’s called Reblochment Fermier; we googled it when we got back to the dorm and cracked up at the colorful descriptions of other consumers.
our wine and cheese experience
So we began the next day. Glenda had class, so Amy and I headed out to Versailles, about a half-hour’s train ride from Paris. The weather was awful – cold, wet, windy – but it was our one chance to go, and there’s that Jordan family motto thing, so off we went. It was as dramatically spectacular as we knew it would be, but seeing it in person has a huge impact.
the Chapel at VersaillesThe Hall of Mirrorssome of the formal gardens
On our last full day, Glenda’s wine class went to a wine-tasting expo in Paris. It was composed of independent wine producers, and many residents purchase their annual supply of wine here. There were probably 300+ vendors, all offering tastings and sales. Best 6 Euro we spent on the whole trip. There were food vendors too, so you didn’t get too buzzed, and we spent the better part of the day here.
having a great time at the Expo!
That afternoon when we returned to the dorm, we created the French version of Thanksgiving, and we had a blast doing it (that may have had something to do with the fact that we were marinating in Expo-juice!) A couple other American students joined us for our feast, and now Glenda is enjoying the leftovers.
Traditional feast for us: sweet potato casserole, green beans, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pecan and pumpkin pies
All in all, it was a phenomenal trip, and we hated to see it end. Glenda put us on the train to the airport the following day, we had great seats on the plane, and about 13 hours later, via Atlanta, we were home!
Daughter Amy has to fly back to California for another 2 weeks of classes, then a week of finals, then the fam regroups in Colorado for Christmas. Oh, and in the meantime, I’ll attempt to return to training/nutrition for my race!
Happy. Healthy. Heathen. 
