Home from Nantes

I thoroughly enjoyed my mini-vacation in Nantes with my friends. It was relaxing to spend time with other Americans, and they were excellent tour guides to their region of France. We got to see islands, castles, cathedrals, and more. I am not sure which part was the best--it was all so great.

I found this metal sign in a store window and it stopped me in my tracks. I collect crab stuff for my kitchen here in France. I suppose its my way of creating a little niche of "home" here in France. Most of my collection is from Baltimore or Ocean City, but I am always on the lookout for anything with crabs here in France, because, well, how cool would that be! But crabs just aren't as popular here, for obvious reasons, so I have only ever found a little postcard that I framed anyway.

So when I saw this sign in a window, I got all excited. Unfortunately, since its in English, it was probably made in the US or maybe in England, but the important thing is that I bought it in France! I can make a little note on the back of where and when I bought it, for posterity's sake, I suppose. But I was so excited to find it, and it wasn't even expensive! I hung it up on the wall above my stove the day I got back from my trip, and its the first thing I notice now when I walk in my kitchen.

Now, I should mention that when Matt Boyer mentioned crabs on his blog, he got like 26 comments, so I am sort of waiting with baited breath to see what kind of response I get when I mention the magic word guaranteed to make Marylanders take notice!

Comments

Ben Rainey said…
I think I've seen that sign before, and next week we're hosting Keith Edwards, and SRC will enjoy yet another crab feast.

--Ben
BTW, I should mention that on my blog to drum up comments.
6:44 PM
Matt Boyer said…
Did somebody say crabs??? MMMMMM... let's plan it now. The next time you come home, we're having a crab feast and you're gonna bring that metal sign to hang on the wall. Sound good?
10:08 AM
Ariel Rainey said…
sounds perfect! Its a deal!
1:53 PM
Dad said…
"when I mention the magic word"... Remember, crabs make the mouth water but chicken, corn and shrimp fill the stomach.
10:03 AM
Ariel Rainey said…
Hey, I'm in for all of it!
11:23 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A lot of work for cheap bookshelves!

Continuing the “catch-up” on old posts . . . Feb. 25, 2006 I thought you would enjoy the (mis)adventures of my day today. I had the day off of work, so I decided to go to Ikea to get some bookshelves. Ah, the beauty of a plan! Are you also one of those people with a “to-do list,” evenly checked or crossed off, that keeps you on track? My whole life seems in order when I have that piece of scrap paper in hand, telling me what to do next! So this morning, I was up, ready and out the door by 9:00AM. Ikea is six or seven exits up the beltway, so it’s about 20 minutes. I was actually early. They opened at 10:00 AM, so I sat in the car and made a grocery list, because I have no food in the house (having been gone all last week). In fact, I had so little food, I had to eat French pastries for breakfast (the only store open yesterday was the corner bakery). Now, I know you are thinking, “French pastries? Poor Ariel!” But really, I don’t like to eat them for breakfast because they ...
Read more

Ethan Allen Faith in an Ikea World

Image
I had a conversation with my brother recently, while moving furniture, that Ethan Allen furniture is really great stuff. It's built to last forever, and it's worth the high price. Unfortunately, most people can't afford to decorate their entire home in one fell swoop from expensive furniture stores, so half of their furniture is hand-me-downs, a few pieces are high quality, and a few pieces are from places like Ikea. You can only afford to do so much at one time, and when you first move into a new home, you need things immediately--beds to sleep in, tables to eat on. You get what you need at the moment. The problem is that you get what you pay for; buying furniture from Ikea means you'll have to replace it in about three years. In the past few months, I've dealt with a few things spiritually that have been difficult for me. I was praying this weekend about it, and I questioned God about these particular trials. I was reminded of my furniture conversation. My faith ...
Read more

The Shadow Proves the Sunshine

Image
I have a commute to work every day. Until our office moves in a few weeks, I continue to drive thirty minutes to work and thirty minutes back. I spend that time either deep in thought—once I even missed my exit—or singing at the top of my lungs. I suppose it depends on my mood. I try to redeem the time by listening to French music, learning through musical osmosis, if you will. But sometimes I take a break and this week I am listening to Switchfoot ’s second album, Nothing is Sound . My brother and I are both fans of Switchfoot, and we spent some time over my vacation discussing the merits of our various favorite songs. Until this week, I wouldn’t have said much about the song, “The Shadow Proves the Sunshine.” It’s got a fairly singable melody, but it wasn’t one that jumped out at me. However, this past week, I was reading Psalm 22, which starts with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” One of the most famous quotes of Jesus as he was dying on the cross, this reference stayed ...
Read more