Luzern

Last weekend we decided to day trip it to Luzern/Lucerne for this beautiful Fall Fair:  

First we hit the Ferris Wheel to scope out the landscape.  Poor Maisie doesn't just get to enjoy the ride, she has to hear a story about the invention of the Ferris Wheel.  Her parents are nerds like that.

Views from the FW

Our spoils from the Crane Machine (I would be a rich woman if the Crane Machine had never been invented, or is it stuffed animals that are breaking the bank?) and our tickets for the Magic Carpet Ride.

After the fair we strolled around the beautiful old town and enjoyed the scenery.

I think this bike has been sitting here a while.  It's covered in bird poo.  Maybe it's art.

Oh yes, and our combined efforts at the Whack-a-Mole table garnered this major award:  A Simpsons blow up bat!  Score!!

This photo is for Susan (although she never looks at this blog).  It's Maisie and Unis the Unicorn.

Stay tuned for a post about our upcoming Halloween Party....  Anyone who wants to send us American style Halloween candy (tootsie rolls, starbursts, candy corns, sweet tarts, etc.) to stuff in our homemade piñata will get special mention here on the blog.  Now if that's not incentive, I don't know what is!

More Kayak Club and Other Stuff

I have never wished to go back to middle school until now.  Maisie had Kayak Club again this week.  The instructor made them stand up in their kayaks and try to shake their partner into the water.  That's Maisie on the back of the near boat.

Her partner Alexa was in no mood to play the game so they both ended up (relatively) dry.

Lesson over, the girls row into the dock.

and tow their boat in.

Lots of fun!  The club will only run until mid-November when the water gets too cold.

In other news, now that school is back in full swing, I'm back to hiking with my friends.  This hike was above a town called Les Avants.  

This was the meeting point in the center of town.

Restaurant at the trailhead

  

 views along the way

and my hiking pals.

Life is good!

Kayak Club

Maisie joined the Kayak Club at school.  Here she is on her first day rowing on the lake:

You'll have to trust me, it really is her in the front of the boat on the far right.

Here is the little harbor where the boating school is (no, Mrs. Puff isn't the instructor, I checked).

She loved being out on the water but we'll see how it goes when the temperatures start to drop!

International Day

Saturday was International Day at Maisie's school

It was a glorious day!  I didn't take the greatest photos but thought I'd post anyway.

Here is the American table.  Peanut butter cookies, Rice krispy treats and hot dogs.

Here is Maisie sampling the goods at the Italian table.

The Scots had whiskey and mince pies  

and no International Day is complete without a Chinese Dragon.

There are lots of Canadians, Australians and Irish at the school, too.  Maisie's class went from 12 kids last year to 52 this year so it's been quite an adjustment for her.  Hopefully we'll have more fun school activities to attend in the near future.

First Day of School

This is what Maisie the Middle Schooler looked like on her first day:

She didn't want me to post the head shot because she says she has puffy "morning face" but that's what you get at 7:30 am!  We have a 25 minute drive which gives us lots of time to chat and sing along with (the French songs)  the radio. 

She doesn't like wearing a uniform (too boring) but I like it.

Best of Luck to Maisie for an excellent school year!

The Kid Can Ride!

I have had many great experiences in my life.  

Teaching Maisie how to ride a bike was one of the greatest.

jam packed

School is finally out.  Maisie is no longer in primary school and the end of the year/farewell/last social activities were fast and furious.  Here's a quick look at a few events of the past two weeks:

First was International Day.  The kids were taught different national dances.  Maisie's class learned an Indian dance and they performed it brilliantly!

Next came Sports Day where the kids compete in track and field events and just enjoy the outdoors.  You'll notice that most people are wearing jackets since it was a very non-summery 58 degrees!  In this competition the kids had to see who could stand on one foot the longest.  

Below was a "charity run" where the parents donated money (for a school in Ghana) for each lap the kids completed.  Maisie had her fan club to help her around the track.

Maisie also had an end of the year Harp Concert.  Here is a photo of her with her teacher.  I'll upload the concert footage on youtube here soon.  They only had about 5 weeks of lessons between the last concert and this one so all of the performances were a little rough but still great.

I had an "end of the season and farewell to those who are moving on" hike with my hiking group.  We planned a potluck picnic and enjoyed it on the peaks of Rocher de Naye

Here is a photo of Ida (who organizes the hikes) leading the pack walking down toward Montreux.  

Not last and not least (I'm sure there was another get together I forgot to document), we had a picnic for the Year 6 class on the last day of school.  Here is Maisie with her teacher Ms. Williams

and here's a photo of Maisie and the boys, Noah, Dennis and Ignasi, who will all be moving back to their home countries this summer.  We will miss all of our friends so much!!

Well, now it's summer time.  We'll be spending most of ours with family and friends in Phoenix.  We hope you enjoy yours wherever you may be!