from Janis

Bonjour!

We are so busy that we haven't had time to post today.  Today we left the house about 9 a.m. and walked to Des Gardes the nearby village and painted. We returned in time for lunch and a nap.  The girls spent the afternoon finishing up paintings and napping.  Tonight the people of the village of La Tourlandry are doing their dress rehearsal for a show they will present in Belgium next week.  Quite interesting!  I hope to get one of the girls to blog later tonight.  I can't post pictures because I have lost the cord to transfer pictures to my computer.  I'll try to do better tomorrow.  

From Corie

Alright, today was wonderfully beautiful.  We all rose early to eat the incredible French, country breakfast.  The fresh bread and Nutella dissolved delicately in our mouths and in our stomachs.  After breakfast we met out in the coach house to begin our first painting assignment, which Mrs. McCarty left us to after having a minor emergency.  We worked for about 2 hours in the hot sun.  Mrs. McCarty finally returned and then LUNCH!  Later we took a bus to the Chateau d' Angers.  This castle was built in the 13 century.  To our delight, we arrived to find camels, a donkey, pigs, horses, goats, and sheep, all in the area that once was the castle moat.  We saw the Apocalypse Tapestry ("the oldest surviving tapestry of its size") and we sketched at the chateau.  We are now ending the day with different activities of idleness, including watching "Sabrina".  We miss everyone and can't wait to see you all soon!!

Here is a picture of us at the Chateau.  

From Janis

We painted today and the paintings are beautiful!  A few are not finished but will be by the time we head home.

Day 1 at the Chateau

The food is awesome. We really enjoy it. Also a constant supply of cookies keeps us full. Today was a lazy day. We got to the chateau and explored. We were also assigned a sketching assignment. After the sketching, we played basketball, ran around the track, slept, and many more fun activities. Tonight, we ate dinner with everyone as well as sat around and looked at everyones sketches from today. Now we are just sitting around and will get to bed eventually. Until tomorrow..... From France.

Written by Taylor

La Giraudière!

We have arrived in La Giraudière and it is beautiful and the weather is perfect.  Lunch was ready when we arrived so I am posting a picture of our luncheon on the grounds with the house in the background. We were served deviled eggs, French style, mustard glazed pork roast, and apricot mousse. The girls are very happy to be here.  It is 4:50 p.m. and they are all out sketching.   

 (I was unable to post anything yesterday.  I could not connect to the Internet.)

Late Sunday Evening

Happy Father's Day to all of our Fathers! (And husbands)

We finished up our day on the Champs-Elyéees with a wonderful Italian meal : ) and a visit to the top of the Arc de Triomphe.  I got a great picture of the girls and had to post it tonight. Please leave comments and let us know your looking at our blog. 

Sunday in Paris

We  have had a busy day today.  We started the day at Versailles, the home of the Louis Kings of France.  Versailles is one of the largest palaces in the world and also the home of the Hall of Mirrors, the historic site where several peace treaties have been signed.    We then proceeded by train and subway to the Place de la Concorde and to the Louvre, the largest art museum in the world.  We are resting and will soon be heading to the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triompe.  Our feet are tired, but we are trudging on. The weather is beautiful, although more rain was predicted.  Please notice in the second picture the girls are eating bread and pastries.  We are eating well every place we go.  It is a good thing that we are walking 5-6  miles each day.