Lots happening since our last posting!

In some ways it seems like we never left - has it really been two years?  Of course, this is partly because we stay in touch with our French "family" and friends, though mostly via email and FaceBook.  But, the coast is finally clear to come in person, so here we are...diving right back into our life in Lyon! 

Estelle our French (exchange) daughter invited us to be surprise guests at her older son, Paul’s, 22^nd birthday celebration on Sunday, June 20^th.  This was a typical family celebration with grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, lots of little kids, and a sprinkling of friends, but it was the first such gathering since Covid hit.  Needless to say everyone was in a very celebratory mood and happy to be freed from confinement.  We showed up, a bit jet-lagged and bleary eyed, with Anna’s potato salad (per special request) to  very surprised and happy greetings. (The typical first comment was, “I’m vaccinated.”  Then, “So glad to see you again!”)  It was amazing to see how much the children had grown up in those two years!  Laurent, Estelle’s husband, was manning the barbecue with chicken and merguez (those yummy, spicey sausages) on the grill when a major rain storm hit.  He soldiered on through the rain and got thoroughly soaked.  When he finally was able to deliver the last of the meats to the dining room, he was greeted with cheers and an ovation.  We all enjoyed lots and lots of food, wine, soft drinks, and, of course, celebratory Champagne as well as conversations and catching up. We have missed these lovely people and their amazing celebrations!  It is really wonderful to be welcomed back into our French family.  (Sorry - no pix.)

Did we mention rain?  Lyon does get periodic thunder showers in the summer.  But, Sunday was just the beginning.  On Wednesday, the 23rd, at around 7 PM the skies darkened, and we were in for it. How about torrential rain, thunder and lightening, wind, and hail?  Streets flooded, sidewalks became rivers, and cafe owners and patrons scrambled to take down tables and chairs and rush inside.  And, it just kept on coming.   According to the local newspaper, three weeks of rain fell in 40 minutes. Here's a photo (shamelessly copied from the web) showing a street in Lyon during that storm.

But, the rain is gone, the sun is shining, and other than a few lingering problems for businesses due to the deluge, life is pretty much back to normal.