A Pirate’s (Party) Life for Me

September 19, 2012

Last Saturday our home was invaded by Capt’n Theo and eight of his scallywags for his belated “Par-AAAARRRH-ty” (Everyone is on vacation in August, so we push his party to September).

The festivities began with pirate songs and dancing. The last one moving when the music stopped had to walk the plank.  Once everyone was in the water, we swam to a nearby deserted island.  On shore half of the crew was instructed on knot tying while the rest tried to pin the “X” on the treasure map. The final knot was tied and the buccaneers combed the island for the buried prize  The chest was finally recovered, so we moved to another part of the isle to split the booty and partake in rum and cake (OK, there was only one pirate that relished the rum).

Loaded with gold and full of sugar, we navigated to higher ground for a cannonball blasts battle. The smoke from the guns cleared and the gang was split in two for a rousing game of Capture the Pirate Flag.  There were prisoners and casualties on both sides, but it was Capt’n Theo’s raid on the opposing camp that delivered the coup de grâce.

Eventually it came time to hoist the anchor. Each pirate set course for their own destination.

A tear rolled down his good eye, and Capt’n Theo saluted his mates as they moved beyond the horizon.

“One could not have asked for a better crew,” he said.  “Godspeed, Scallywags. Godspeed,” he continued before hobbling to his own boat and sailing back to reality.


Old No. 7 Brand

August 18, 2012

Happy 7th Birthday to my boy Theo from our favorite playground!

I love you, Little Guy!


Pourquoi le 4 Juillet?

July 5, 2012

One of the first things you realize about living abroad is that not everyone celebrates the same holidays as you.  With kids, you must take time to share why particular dates are important and the memories that enforce it. Whether it’s describing the Hefty-size bags of Halloween candy, why cranberries are a must for Thanksgiving or the magic of July fireworks, Theo has always listened and appreciates his heritage from “the other side of the pond”.

I had some work to do yesterday morning, but took the afternoon off to celebrate the Fourth with Theo.  Armed with two Nerf Super Soakers, our date quickly degraded into Father-Son Water War.  We attacked the other’s flank with reckless abandon as the citizens of the garden looked on in horror.  Streams of water screamed pass trees, through bushes and onto the occasional bystander.  Soaked, starved and out of ammunition, we signed an armistice around 6 p.m.

With the patties on the grill, we sat on the balcony and stared at the puddle-pocked battlefield below. Freedom has a price I told Theo.  He nodded in agreement.  We then stood, toasted our mugs of ale & grape juice and shouted “To Peace & the Fourth of July!”

Fun with guns and beer & burgers: it doesn’t get more American that.


The End of the Season

June 21, 2012

For after-school sports this year, Theo did basketball and judo.  Last week was the final practice for basketball and the last competition for judo.  He excelled at both, earning a place on next year’s team and winning a gold medal in his division.

As you’ll see in the basketball video, dribbling is optional and defense is almost nonexistent. That’s what happens when six-year-old boys play…or the Charlotte Bobcats.


Birthday Week

March 2, 2012

It is a traditional in the Duncan household to celebrate Birthday Week (BW), as mine is February 25 and Anne-Laure’s is March 1.   Part of this year’s BW overlapped with Theo’s school vacation, so the beginning was spent in the Alps.

The weather was excellent and Theo reached a milestone in skiing as he conquered his first black diamond slope, Sarenne.  It claims to be the world’s longest run at 16 km (10 miles) with a vertical drop of 1820 m (5971 ft).  Sarenne isn’t technically challenging (except for the beginning), however the distance can be tiring.  Theo had to push a bit at the end, but he loved it enough to do the run two more times.  We celebrated his achievement (and my turning a year older) with cake, champagne and a cozy fire.

After a ten-month absence, Anne-Laure started back to work on March 1 (which, unfortunately, coincided with her birthday).  It was hard for her to walk out the door in the morning, but she was rewarded with smiles upon her return.  We celebrated her birthday by goofing around with the kids and enjoying a nice dinner.  I prepared grilled tuna with white beans and sun-dried tomato sauce complemented with a bottle of ’95 Cahors (Malbec).  Please wipe the drool from your keyboard.

Outside of the two cases of chickenpox, BW 2012 was a success.