Our lunchtime visitors

Bob and Norma are coming for lunch today. They are old friends who have been here only once before, and that was more than a dozen years ago. I was an usher at their wedding in 1977. I flew to Connecticut from Illinois for that event, as did other friends who lived in Illinois. It was quite a party. Bob and Norma now live in the Boston metro area and are both retired. They have children and grandchildren In New England.

When Bob and Norma were here in 2011, we went to see the château de Chambord and the château de Chenonceau. We walked around in Blois and had lunch there. This time we won't be seeing any châteaux, except the château de Saint-Aignan as we drive by. We were hoping for weather like what you see below, but no luck.

For lunch, I'm making a blanquette de veau, and Walt is making an apple tart. We'll be having a first course of crudités (fresh raw vegetable salads in vinaigrette) — including carrots, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. We'll also have a cheese course featuring some local cheeses and some cheeses from other parts of France. And some good local wine, of course.

I'll go pick Bob and Norma up at the train station in Blois this morning. The weather is predicted to be cloudy all day, with periods of rain. Then I'll drive them back to the station in Blois in the afternoon, after a leisurely lunch. They'll stay a night or two in Paris before flying back to Boston Friday. It's all too short, but it will be fun and a chance to catch up.