La Neige a Marly-le-Roi

It snowed last Tuesday and Wednesday, and in a happy serendipitous way it snowed again last night.  It feels like the perfect winter moment, just enough snow to enjoy playing in two weeks in a row.  I feel so grateful today that we've been able to adjust our schedule to maximize enjoyment of it this week.  Sledding and snowball fights made the perfect afternoon recess.  The kids even got a snow day last Wednesday, which they were not expecting because:

I'm usually the mom who says, "We can play in the snow AND learn today!" while my kids stare at me in disbelief.  

Unlike last week when the skies stayed cloudy, the sun is shining brightly today so the kids are having P.E. early before it becomes too slushy, and I'm having unexpected time alone in a quiet house, one of my favorite things.  

I walked in the park this morning just after sunrise.  The snow was deeper than last week.  The steps in the picture above once led to the door of a chateau, torn apart during the French Revolution.  You can still walk around the foundation of the house, enjoy the view of a king.

I love the colorful buildings in our town.  Marly-le-Roi is actually a place several impressionists came to paint.  Here is one by Alfred Sisley:

This could be the same spot we pulled the kids on sleds last week; I just didn't get as wide a view from the bottom.  But that is the park on the left and the row of trees we're walking between on the right.

Here's another painting of the park in the snow by Sisley.  The trees have grown a lot in 140 years, so I don't think this view exists anymore.  You can see the tip of the church steeple in my picture from this morning.

The kids are back so it's time to fix lunch and do their math.  They'll be so pleased.