View from my car window

Saltillo, Mexico:

View from my window

Mountains, sunshine, calor, mucho calor, enjoying my last days of farniente...



Ivan, looking very professional and preparing his meeting with President Calderon:

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai avec le meuble...

Pour ceux qui s'inquietent de l'etat de mon meuble, voici quelques updates:

1. j'ai termine de peindre le meuble en debut de semaine - apres avoir bien gratte - que cela me serve de lecon
2. j'ai achete un produit pour faire la finition du meuble - une sorte de laque. Ivan m'a conseille de monter le meuble avant de la poser

For those who worry about my furniture, here are some updates:

1. I finished to paint the furniture beginning of last week - after a nice session of scratching - something I will definitively not forget for the next project
2. I bought the coating to apply to the furniture for a smooth "finition". Ivan recommended to assemble the furniture before applying it

3. C'etait une bonne idee...en effet, en essayant d'assembler le meuble aujourd'hui, leger probleme technique: il ne s'emboitait plus! Les couches de peinture (rappellez vous...je n'y suis pas allee de main morte) ont reserrees les embouchures, les ont rendues plus petites, et par consequent, impossible de le remboiter. Heureusement que le physicien de service est la...Ma technique au debut a ete de grater l'interieur des embouchures jusqu'a ce que la peinture disparaisse, pour pouvoir re-emboiter. Bon. Ca n'a pas vraiment marche, et puis, c'est quand meme assez long. Le physicien qui partage ma vie a dit que selon la theorie de Newton, si on tape avec un marteau, non pas directement sur le meuble (car le meuble est tres fragile) en un point, mais sur une planche en bois, l'impact va se repartir sur cette surface et ne va pas abimer le meuble, et aura le meme effet: emboiter la piece du haut sur celle du bas. Je lui ai repondu: je suis sure que ca va peter le meuble, pas question! Et puis, j'ai dit: ok, on essaye mais si tu me petes mon meuble, on va chez Ikea pour le remplacer.

3. It was a good idea...Indeed, when trying to assemble it today, slight technical problem: it did not fit together anymore! The paint layers (remember...I was heavy handed) tightened the openings, openings became smaller and consequently, no way to re-assemble the furniture. Luckily, I live with a physician, I mean physicist. My first thought was to scratch (again) the inside of the openings, to remove the layers of paints. Well, it didn't really work and it was a bit time consuming. The physicist explained me that according to Newton, if we hammer the furniture using a long piece of wood as cushion, the impact will distribute itself on the whole surface and won't damage the furniture, while fitting together the two pieces of wood. To which I replied: I am SURE the furniture will break with the impact, no way! (the wood's quality is very basic). Then, I said: Ok, we'll try, but if break it, we will go to Ikea and you will replace it.

Conclusion: Newton avait raison, meuble emboite sans avoir ete endommage - dommage, j'aurais bien ete faire un tour chez les Suedois...

Conclusion: Newton was right, furniture has been re-assembled without damages - too bad, I would have loved to visit my fellow Swedish friends...


p.s. Ivan m'a explique la theorie de Newton avec des chaussures a talon qui s'enfoncent dans la boue, et bien j'ai tout de suite compris.

p.s. Ivan explained me the Newton theory with High heels shoes which sink into the mud; well, it made much more sense to me!

Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity - Volontariat avec L'organisation Habitat for Humanity

Le weekend est enfin la, avec le soleil en prime! N'oubliez pas que chez nous, il ne pleut que la nuit...

The weekend is finally here, and sunshine too! Don't forget that it only rains at night where we are...

L'entreprise de Ivan a sponsorise un projet avec l'organisation Habitat for Humanity. L'entreprise a recolte des fonds (environ $60,000) pour acheter les materiaux necessaires a la construction d'une maison et a fournis beaucoup de volontaires (les employes de l'entreprise) et l'organisation Habitat for Humanity a organise le projet: construire une maison pour une famille qui n'a pas beaucoup de moyens.

The company where Ivan is working is the proud sponsor of a build-a-home project with Habitat for Humanity. The company raised about $60,000 in one year to purchase the materials needed to build a home and is providing an army of volunteer (the willing employees). Habitat for Humanity is managing the project: building a 4 bedrooms home for a family that can't afford to purchase a home. The organization is screening thoroughly families. The selected family will have to volunteer as well at least 75 hours with the organization and will still take a mortgage on the home - but for a very low price.

Nous avons donc participe a la construction de cette maison aujourd'hui. Le projet a deja commence depuis quelques semaines, alors les fondations et le toit etait deja en place. Aujourd'hui nous avons installe les portes ainsi que les bordures en bois situees en bas des murs.

Ivan and I did participate in the construction today: because the project started a few weeks ago, walls and roof are already in place. Today, we did install the interior doors and the trims.

La preuve en image:
Take a look:

Peindre un meuble 101 - Painting a furniture 101

Puisque nous avons de grands projets de peinture dans notre bureau - notament les tables - nous avons decide de faire un essai avec un meuble en bois que l'on avait recupere gratuitement a Portland. Meuble tres basique, donc meme si on se plante, la perte ne sera pas trop grave. En fouillant notre garage, nous avons trouve de la peinture noire et un pinceau - parfait pour commencer!

Since we have big paint projects in our home office - the desks - we decided to try out our painting skills with a small wood furniture we got for free in Portland. Basic furniture, which means that we can make mistake, it's Ok! By looking up in our garage, we even found black paint and a brush - we are good to go!

Je suis en charge de cette tache. La peinture a l'air tres bien, pas seche alors qu'elle date surement, mais je suis bien partie, et me voila a peindre tous les cotes du meuble. Pratique ce petit meuble, car on peut le demonter tres facilement (il est emboitable).

I am responsible for this task. Paint looks good, not dry even though it looks like it has been in the garage for ages. I get started and decided to paint all sides except for one that I will do tomorrow. This furniture is really nice - we can assemble and un-assemble it very handily.

La lecon de peinture arrivera le lendemain: j'avais pose mes planches sur des journaux pour appliquer la peinture, et je m'etais dis: "pas de probleme si je deborde, car il y a les journaux en dessous". Que nenni...la peinture qui a deborde a servi de colle et les journaux places sous les planches ont colles sur les planches....le lendemain, c'est qui qui gratte pour enlever les bouts de journaux sur le cote encore vierge?

The first paint lesson will come the day after: I had put the sides on newspaper to protect the floor. I paint very generously and didn't bother not to jut out of the sides. Well....the paint acted like glue on the other side (the one that still needed paint) and the newspaper got glue to the wood piece. Guess who is going to scratch the mess?

Lecon numero deux: n'oubliez pas de laver le pinceau a la fin de la seance peinture...le lendemain, sinon, il sera tout dur, et impossible a utiliser. Je crois me souvenir vaguement que ma maitresse de maternelle m'avait deja enseigne cela...mais j'ai du oublier en route....la preuve en image:

Lesson number two: don't forget to clean the brush after being done with painting. Otherwise, the next day, the brush will be unusable. I think I can remember my kindergarden teacher giving me this advice a long long time ago. Oh well.

Toute fiere, qu'elles sont belles ces planches repeintes:

Very Proud of my brand new wood pieces:


Apres lecon numero 1 (voir ci dessus), c'est moi qui m'y colle:
After lesson number 1, I am the scratcher:


Suite au prochain numero...application du vernis...Stay tuned!

Next, coating the wood pieces...Stay tuned!

Comment construire un Collecteur de Pluie/How to build a rain collector

Rendons a Cesar ce qui appartient a Cesar: le collecteur de pluie n'aurait pas ete possible sans wikihow et nos voisins American Beauty Garden Center. WikiHow nous a donne les bases - American Beauty Garden Center nous a montre qu'une version simplifiee marche aussi.

Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar: This rain collector would not have been possible without wikihow and the American Beauty Garden Center. Wikihow gave us the bases, ABGC showed us that a simplified version works as well.

Pourquoi un collecteur de pluie? Puisqu'il pleut autant a Charlotte qu'a Portland - preuve a l'appui apporte par mon ami John - il serait dommage de gacher cet "or liquide". D'autant plus que la construction du collecteur s'est avere tres facile. Les gouttieres americaines me semblent beaucoup plus facile a demonter que les gouttieres francaise. En meme temps, j'ai jamais essaye cela en France...

Why a rain collector? Since it is raining as much in Charlotte as in Portland - proof brought by my friend John - it would too bad to waste this liquid gold. Especially knowing that the construction turned out to be quite easy. American gutters look easier to unassemble than the French ones. At the same time, I never tried to unassemble them in France.

Tout d'abord, pose du robinet dans la poubelle recyclee en collecteur et stabilisation sur des paves:

First, build-in the spigot in the trash container recycled into rain collector and stabilization with cinder blocks:


Ensuite, decoupage de la gouttiere pour la faire arriver au niveau de la poubelle:

Then, cut the gutter to make it it to the level of the drum:

Resultat final: tada!

final result: et voila!

L'organisation du bureau

Le bureau. Piece ou le "coeur" de la maison bat, je veux bien sur parler des ordinateurs! Puisque nous n'avons ni telephone fixe (on en avait marre de recevoir des coups de telephone - telemarketing, ils appellent n'importe quand, weekends, soirs, la folie), ni television (c'est tres cher pour le produit final qui est une vraie daube), alors les ordinateurs nous permettent de tout faire.

On a recycle:
- la table du salon
- le bureau d'Ivan - en retirant les etageres du dessus
- un autre bureau noir que Ivan avait achete en arrivant aux states

On a forme deux jolis "L" colles l'un contre l'autre, et voila le resultat:

Avant:

Regardez mes belles lunettes:
Resultat final:

This blog se habla francais

Comme vous avez pu le constater, ce blog va parler Francais.




Y Espagnol tambien
(NdR: ca, c'est seulement pour voir si ves stats augmentent - solo para ver si las estadísticas del blog van a aumentar - just to see if the blog's stats will increase)


And English...if I still have the time!!

January 30th: New window treatment in the master bathroom

Another great thing when having a new hobby in a foreign country is to learn a whole new bunch of vocabulary.
Window treatment: la traduction en francaise serait le traitement des fenetres, en espagnol, el tratamiento de las ventanas.
Hm. It doesn't mean much in our native languages, nor do we have (as far as I know) a proper traduction. It actually means: "Window treatments add refinement and style to otherwise dull, boring windows. Shutters and awnings decorate the outside of your house, while blinds, shades, cornices, trim and draperies enhance the inside appeal".
Ca vous en bouche un coin, hein? You're amazed, eh ? Esta asombrado, cierto?

Anyway, we added a blind to the window, since it was pointing directly to our neighbor's windows - I am sure he missed seeing us in the bathroom...

Here are the highlights of this amazing performance:

Avant - Before - Antes
Durante - Pendant - Meanwhile
Apres - despues - after

Merci mon cheri!

2009: Home & Garden Improvement!

2009 will definitively be the year of our home and garden.

Starting from scratch, we have to find furniture for our new home, to start our vegetable garden and landscaping project in the backyard, build a new fence, build a home theater, have a nice guest room, etc, etc. The list seems to be endless!

The first issue that we encounter was with the wheelbarrow (la brouette - la carretilla). It was not possible to fit it in Ivan's car, and it just fit in mine - We had to drive back from the store with opened trunk. It was our first green adventure!!

I already got busy with the garden, and we were able to build our compost container (by recycling an old wood closet that was rooting in the garage: Ivan is taking the challenge to have the compost ready in three months! I am just saying...Good Luck with that! We will see...

And finally...welcome our new 'babies':

Green babies:

Tools babies:


Stay tuned...

Vacation Summary

We are back in Charlotte and slowly recovering from the 2 wonderful vacation weeks in Paris and Helsinki.

High points of the trips:
Family time - playing "the hat" with the whole family was definitively a blast



Food & Drinks - difficult not to mention the amazing food we enjoyed, especially the one we don't have here in the US at our regular stores, such as cheeses, rabbits, deer meat, dinner with food coming from my Grand Pa's vegetable garden, Champagne, Orangina rouge, and much more!


Sun: finally, after few years of terrible weather in Paris during the holiday season, we finally had two weeks non-stop sun. However, it was still winter and temperatures were averaging -3 Degrees (37 F)

Being able to visit Paris, Honfleur (Normandia), Helsinki (Finland) in two weeks, and in-between Christmas and New Year Eve celebration. Believe me, it required a very tight timing and a very lean organization...we did it!

Being able to bring some good French seeds back for our future vegetable garden in my luggage...even though my luggage has been searched through somewhere in the US.

Low Points:
Shall I mention the Chateau de Versailles? I think someone already mentioned it...


Our luggage didn't make it on time in Portland, but arrived two days later in Charlotte. I would say that the low point here would be to have to deal with disastrous customer service. We almost had to apologize to the airlines rep to ask for information about our lost luggage.

In all, best vacation ever for our December trips to Paris!