Can it be only two weeks since we moved into our lovely apartment in Aix? Establishing a new life and a new routine changes the experience of time. Every day is forever and exhausting; and the sum of a week, or two, is an instant of exhilaration.
What have we been doing? Both Ken and I have been attending french classes three and a half hours each weekday for the last two weeks at IS-Aix, an excellent french language school for foreigners. Only french is spoken, so it’s “sink or swim”! 
What impresses me is the great sense of humor of my two women instructors. We laugh continually in class, not just at our silly mistakes, but at the vagueries of life and everyday jokes. I have now signed up for the trimester program which will continue on now every weekday until Nov. 30. There are nine of us, all women, in my class: from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and US – all ages, from 20 to 70, mostly young.
Ken, on the other hand, is pressing forward with his golf, preparing for a competition in January in Portugal to play in the European Senior Men’s Tour for 2013. Yesterday and today he is playing in tournaments in Gap and Manosque – get out your google maps and take a look. It’s magnificent countryside!
We have completed lots of business, like getting new cell phones (if you want our new numbers, just write an email to- karen@karenmerriam.com or to ken at kensmokoska@gmail.com -and we’ll happily share them with you. We’ll send you our address as well.) We also have a new little red camera, a new veterinarian, a new bank account, new gas and electric accounts, and all the stuff of everyday life.
As you can see, we’re weathering the changes well, as is SweetPea, although she did meet a new Vet for help with her chronic gum problems and we’re trying some antibiotics. But she’s quite pleased with the new and different routine of going out for dinner with us and being accorded great service – like being offered her own little water bowl as she sits under our table – not in a chair!
We’ve already found two restaurants we love: one is Moroccan – Medina de Fes, and the other an organic restaurant – Drole d’Endroit – which is indeed in a funny, improbable dead-end alley. Great food, reasonable prices!
The days have been very warm, some hot, and now the winds are stirring up a storm, due in tomorrow and Tuesday. Ahead of the storm Monique is clearing the courtyard and picking up the dozens of chestnuts that have ripened and now come crashing down with their thorny shells threatening all who sit or walk beneath them. Unfortunately the chestnut trees in Aix are suffering with a disease, evident in the brown leaves. To my dismay, it’s necessary to burn the leaves as they fall, so some days I must keep our windows closed because of my allergies to smoke.
Most often we can see Mt Ste-Victoire from our window, although you have to lean out and look east to get a good view. With the new telephoto I was able to capture an up-close-and-personal view. 
This whole area, from the coast of the Mediterranean north through the Luberon valley and up to the Alps in the east is breathtakingly beautiful. Truthfully, I’ve been too tired to travel around much, but that will soon change. We’ve learned that SweetPea is welcome to go with Ken or the two of us to play golf, so the coming fall days should be full of outdoor excursions.
Again, I’m writing on a Sunday morning to the background music of the bells of the Cathedrale St-Sauveur. 
We walk by the church every day, and especially at night the lights capture the beauty of its facade in which four different architectural styles are represented, from the middle ages until the 19th century. 
The cathedral has become our landmark as we walk around the city – it tells us we’re almost home. And from the living room window it’s our anchor to the city, also, seen through the trees of our courtyard.
The rest of today will be occupied with french homework, errands, and perhaps beginning a journal in french (part of suggested work for my class at IS). The huge challenge, of course, is in speaking spontaneously with others in french, which I have to do each day as I navigate life here. I find it’s hard to measure progress when my levels of frustration remain high. But there’s no doubt I’m learning, little by little.
I’m thinking I might try to do some sketches and watercolor impressions to go along with the journal. Yesterday I saw a lovely little Calendar for 2013 with drawings by Sempé. So delightful. I’ll try to remember my lessons from Tricia to see if I can capture the feel in watercolors. Ken and I miss all our friends and family. We love hearing from you.
