Bonjour, Montpellier

I woke up yesterday morning in Montpellier, France, my home for the next 12 months. Here is the view of our neighborhood from the roof.

I'm happy to be here, with the last week of house cleaning and travel preparation far behind me. The trip itself, except for delays, was easy. My kids and I (Ruth and our dog went 4 days earlier to save money) wrangled our bags through many halls, stood in many lines, sat in many seats, and emerged into sunshine just as our patience was about to end.

I haven't left the house except to run with my dog across the river to Castelnau-le-Lez, the village next door, and to walk around the neighborhood with my family after dark to enjoy the silence of vacation season, see the stars, and spot geckos hunting for insects under the street lights. Friends have come by to welcome us back and I've unpacked and stashed our empty luggage. In a few minutes I'm going to log in and begin to catch up on projects and look forward to going out to visit friends this evening. There are a bunch of tasks ahead of us this week: getting new phone service and bank accounts, school registration, meeting with a French tutor, and shopping for home and office supplies, but I'm going to put these off for a few more hours and enjoy a break from lines and service counters.