A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
Our house was especially quiet the morning of our wedding anniversary, with only the sound of a critter shuffling around in the attic and the pepper tree branches swaying in the breeze. Outside, the wind was picking up, carrying with it the chill of fall.
I was about to mention the mouse when, “Happy 31st!” Jean-Marc said before hurrying off to Domaine Antiane to continue the vinification of their grapes. We could focus on mice and marriage later. In the meantime, it seemed a good moment to sit down and edit this week’s post.
Facing my laptop, I was studying Jackie’s story draft when, suddenly, the cursor began to move. One by one, letters started appearing all by themselves! First a “g”, then “a”… I sat back as the page seemed to breathe before me, and out came a: g-â-t-e-a-u…
This, coupled with the rattling in the attic, nearly sent chills down my spine when, instead, I burst out laughing, realizing what was happening. Over there, on the other side of the Atlantic, my daughter had just woken up and begun editing her story draft — from the Google doc we share online. Watching those roving words form before my eyes, as if by magic, I marveled at technology and its ability to bring my daughter home to me — if only on the screen, where the active cursor might as well have been her heart beating.
My own heart swelled. I knew I wanted Jackie to begin writing for this journal, but I hadn’t anticipated these serendipitous connections across the internet waves. They are the icing on the cake (g-â-t-e-a-u indeed!).
I leave you with an update from our roving reporter, Jackie.
Amicalement,
Kristi
TODAY’S WORD: la plage : the beach
PRONUNCIATION: [lah plahj]
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The last night, we had a fire on the beach.
Le dernier soir, nous avons fait un feu sur la plage.
Cake & Cape Cod by Jacqueline Espinasse
The other day on the subway, my co-worker Keemia asked me, “What’s your favorite cake?” Without hesitation, I said, “Le gâteau au chocolat et à la framboise”—just before hopping off at my stop.
The very next day at work, right in the middle of reading a story to my little toddlers (one snuggled on my lap), the lights suddenly went out. There were Keemia and Bénédicte, my two co-workers singing “Joyeux anniversaire” along with the little ones in French. What greater gift is there than being celebrated by such cute, innocent, and happy beings?
Oh, I didn’t tell you yet, but I now work part-time as a teacher in a French kindergarten in Brooklyn (a story for another blog post!).
Back to the cake. One of the toddlers (the one on my lap) pointed at the slice and spoke with the cutest two-year-old American accent, “Chocolat, chocolat!” “Yes—c’est un gâteau au chocolat à la framboise, miam miam!” Merci Keemia. She found this cake at an Italian bakery in the Lower East Side that’s been around since the 1800s.
It was already time for the kiddos to get picked up, and I was also waiting to get picked up by Vinny. And just like that, we were off for a weekend in Cape Cod!
For the long drive, Vin made a special playlist of songs related to the area. Half the trip was spent singing Rupert Holmes’ “Pina Colada Song,” and after finally escaping the New York City traffic, we drove through Connecticut and Rhode Island, finally landing at what Vinny calls “The Cape of the Cod” in Massachusetts.
Matthew, Vinny’s cousin, welcomed us into his and his fiancée’s bungalow by the beach. We got out of the car, exhausted from the trip, and were energetically greeted by his dog, Jeep. Matthew also owns two Jeeps, I think he really likes these cars.
Spending time at the beach was a big part of our weekend. “It’s all we do here—spend time at the beach,” said Matthew’s fiancée, Anna. They were well equipped: four beach chairs, two beach beds, an ice chest almost as big as the fridge I had as a student in Lyon, and, of course, a ball for Jeep.
The last night, we had a fire, guess where? On the beach, of course! I’ll leave you with this amazing sunset and a personal video production (scroll to the end of this post) of our full weekend. It’s a good way for you to picture our fabulous stay, Thanks Matthew, Anna, and Jeep!
FRENCH VOCABULARY
le gâteau = cake
amicalement = yours
la plage = The beach
Joyeux anniversaire = Happy birthday
Chocolat, chocolat = Chocolate, chocolate
C’est un gâteau au chocolat et à la framboise = It’s a chocolate & raspberry cake
Le gâteau au chocolat = chocolate cake
la tarte à la framboise = raspberry tart
REMERCIEMENTS
Thank you to the following readers for your donation this past week to this journal!
Jill F.
Chris O.
Janet A.
Linda H.
Nancy N.
Phyllis B.
Sheryl W.
Love, care, and reader support—that’s what has sustained this journal for nearly 25 years. If these letters bring a little France, friendship, or inspiration to your inbox and you’d like to help keep French Word-A-Day going, your contribution means so much.
🌿 Zelle – to Kristin.espinasse@gmail.com
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Merci beaucoup.
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You had me at cake!
I loved all the connections in this post. What a lovely weekend “at the beach” Jackie. 😎 Happy Anniversary Kristi & Jean-Marc! 💞
What a fun post! I love that Jackie is teaching at a French kindergarten. Perfect! I bet the children love her. Merci, Kristi, et Bon Anniversaire à vous deux!
Your co-writing with Jackie reminds me of my mother-in-law. She was one of 5 sisters & 1 brother. One of them would send a card or a letter, address it to one of the sisters. That sister would read it, add paragraphs to it and send it on to the next sibling and so on. Then it would finally make its way back to the original sender. She has kept all these letters to this day. All before the internet, of course!
What a wonderful idea! And a clever way to keep family members connected in a meaningful way. Thanks for sharing.
I forgot to mention, she called these their Round Robin letters, like a bird carrying a message to loved ones.
What a delight to receive your blog but now there’s an extra bonus… Jackie’s blog too. Loving them.
Great post! Now I need some chocolate cake and beach time!
Dear Kristi,
It is so much fun to learn about Jackie’s New York life. Thank you, Jackie, for sharing it with us. So beautifully written
as well.
Happy Anniversary to you, Kristi and to
Jean-Marc! I remember your 20th! A lot has happened for you since then.
I hope you do something special later…
💕
My favorite gateau as well! What a sweet job Jackie! With so many talents there will always be a new job adventure on the horizon! Happy Anniversary Kristin and Jean Marc!
Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday 🎉
So refreshing! Thank you for sharing such Divine Celebrations! Beautiful photos and the video, simply extraordinaire! It is hard to imagine anything more perfect. ❤️❤️
Our dears Kristi and Jackie,
First of all,JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE DE MARIAGE et !JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE chere Jackie! We are sharing your joy and asking God to bless you always with health and happiness.
Your post today wrapped itself around my heart.I so love your uplifting words and how you always fill us with inspiration.Unfailingly what we look forward to!
Arms tight around all of you.
Love
Natalia xo
Chère Natalia, You are one who inspires me to share uplifting words! Your notes sparkle with kindness and encouragement. If you only knew how much you mean to us! Lots of love and God bless you, Rod, et les Mignons.
Happy Anniversary Kristi and Jean-Paul!
Indeed it seems I had not been receiving your newsletter for a while, Kristi. My fault for not noticing. I must say, I don’t always open it because of too much going on and also guilt for rarely contributing, but I always enjoy reading it! And once in a while I go back and try to catch up.
Your daughter (living in the States again, wow, and teaching French kids in Brooklyn, good for her) has inherited your talent as a writer, such a natural and fluid style.
All the best to your whole family.
Much love and good wishes from California 💗
Hello Laurence, I’m so happy to see your note . Don’t ever feel guilty! Check in when you can and know that your ongoing interest in these stories means the world to me (and now to Jackie). And thank you for the support you have sent over the years. Hugs from La Ciotat.
Hi Kristi!! Ouah! Loved Jackie’s video with music. Photos are fabulous. I remember being at the Cape when I was young!!
That was a long time ago.😫 A belated happy wedding anniversary!
🎉🥳 Happy anniversary to a beautiful couple❤️🎉🥳
Love Jackie’s story and your collaboration with this wonderful newsletter.👏👏💖
Cape Cod in the weekends! Jackie is doing great.
Hello lovely ladies, I have been following you, Kristin, from your earliest days. I immediately related to you in that I am a lifelong Francophile, my husband was in the wine business, and our children are similar ages – my daughter (now living in Seattle – one more parallel) just turned 33, and my son is named Max and is 28. Happily he has not strayed far from home in Boston (wink). But we embrace that our daughters have left the nest, ventured afar, and have found love! Though I’ve been a dedicated follower and purchased some of your first books, I’m not one for social media and leaving messages (though I well may have 20 years or so ago!). However, Jackie’s post has unbelievably spoken me in the ultimate connection. We have had a family home in Orleans on Cape Cod since 1963 – I immediately recognized the beach that you drove on, Jackie, as well as Beach Road as you left Nauset Beach. I have traveled that road most every day for the past two months, not to mention every summer of my life.
I would welcome you and your family any time. Bisous! xoxo
Lovely, Jackie! As a former Brooklynite (Park Slope South), I savor your descriptions of life there ❤️. Congratulations on your teaching position! You are with a darling age group and they are so lucky to have you.
The gift of this mother-daughter writing duo has been a real joy! Merci bien!
xo
Linda
p.s. I Love the “fun on the beach” video!!
Happy anniversary! 31 years is a fantastic milestone. I hope the two of you take time to celebrate those years of challenges and successes. You have 2 wonderful, adventurous adult children who have learned so much from both of you.
Jackie’s post was delightful. Sounds like she has adapted well to NYC. Cape Cod is a lovely place to vacation and I am happy she had a chance to visit there. She has good friends who are tuned in to her likes and preferences. She is off to a great start.
It is wonderful hearing from both of you. Thanks for your updates.
Kristi, Congratulations on 31 years of marriage! Jackie is an awesome addition to this blog. I loved the video.
Love the video!
What a wonderful job to be with little ones….in French, and what a beach!!!
What a fabulous video!
Ugh! Again this has started to show up with this odd signature, as I see it does for others. I unsubscribed & resubscribed & it took my name, but now does this again.
Happy Anniversary Kristin and JM!
Wow, your trip to Cape Cod looks so fun! Thanks for sharing Jackie!
Hello Kristin,
I added your address to my contacts and subscribed to the website, and it shows me as subscribed – but I am not getting the posts!
Any ideas? Long time reader here, want to stay in the loop.