Meet My Parents

For 10 days beginning on Christmas we had the JOY of hosting my parents (known to everyone else as Paul and Nanci). Since they've spent 20 + years in Cameroon, they're fluent both in French and in the peculiarities of living in a developing country. They also couldn't seem to get enough of washing our dishes and helping to prepare meals which, let's be honest, made them the perfect guests.

On the itinerary:

• eating (in addition to emptying her kitchen cupboards into her suitcase, Mom brought us a full Christmas dinner!); we managed to eat our way from Port to Jacmel and the Artibonite and back
  
• hiking with friends from Kenscoff to Furcy (for lunch here in keeping with our strict eating regime) and back
  
• exploring Jacmel, lounging (and eating) on the beach in Ti Mouillage (Mom's suitcase was accidently left behind in Port-Au-Prince so it's a good thing that she looks better in my clothes than I do)
  
• a night at the lodge in Seguin (thwarted because the road above Peridot turned out to be impassable)
  
• extensive touring of Port-Au-Prince
  
• RAM on New Years Eve (thwarted because the lead singer ate rotten fish). I must say I was impressed that my parents were up for a show that doesn't even get started until 11:00 PM. Unfortunately, the massive quantities of coffee consumed prior to 11 PM kept Mom and me up until 3:00 in spite of there having been no show.
  
• cuddles with Luna (she slept with them every night and threw a massive temper tantrum when they left. They disturbingly refer to her as their "grandkit")
• building of a 2nd cargo bike (Ben and Dad)
• swimming in the waterfall in Saut d'Eau
• shopping for a piece of Haitian art for the 'rents dining room. This was also accidently left behind in Port-Au-Prince, so our next visitors may find themselves carrying 4 10x35" panels of cut-out steel back to the States...