Le Chateau de Villars, dans le Dordogne (that's french for ooh la la) -

after chasing our hosts kevyn and bill (they drive FAST, babies)
through the countryside from limoges to the petite village of Villars,
we pulled down a chestnut allee
to the grand timber gates of the Chateau de Villars:


and through them,
one of the most beautiful homes i have ever seen,
our family's escape from the world for the next week:



here we are in front of the former coach-house,
ready to roll those mandarina duck bags
(that, coincidentally have seen me from asia to argentina and back without issue)
into our rooms:



good news: they DID have diet coke stocked for tim.


better news? everything was in bloom,
the air smelled of lilacs,
and though mid-july,
the weather was san francisco beautiful,
warm but not hot during the days,
cool at night.



and then tim stumbled under an arbor
and found where we would spend the better part of the day:


mom could not have picked a more magical place
for the family to regroup.


it felt like a physical reward for a grueling year.
and i began to breathe.