Day 280 (6 April 2011) – It’s 77 Degrees Outside!
I just checked online and that’s the Fahrenheit conversion. Here in France they refer to this as 25. 
Whatever you call it (heck, call it a rose for all I care, it would still feel as nice), it’s an incredible feeling. It reminds me of when we arrived last July, although it was even hotter then. But after months of chilly, 77 can feel like 90. Chloe just literally walked in and said, “It’s hot!” She’s brilliant when she wants to be.
I got out my shorts this morning and have been wearing them all day. While Melinda and I were out running errands, I asked her to take my picture in front of the fountain at La Place Royale (I had my picture taken in these shorts there on our first day in Nantes). Melinda was having none of that, though. I guess it’s one thing for me to subject the citizens of Nantes to my white legs. But it’s another thing entirely to put up a photo of them on the Internet. She thinks I need some new shorts, anyway, something more European than this plaid pair I bought at Fred Meyer two or three years ago.
Nonetheless, I did just take this picture of me (but I cropped out the shorts for marital bliss reasons). That’s our pool in the background, beckoning me but not yet ready for swimmers. See the beads of sweat on my forehead. I’m ready! The pool isn’t…
French Sabbatical 
Please, please can I come? We have set a new record not having a day with 50 degree weather in April – and it is only the 6th!! Not only that, we are setting records for amount of rain. If I can’t come will you please bring some of your 77 degrees to us?
Hope Spain is having your weather when we get there in a couple of weeks.
And we’re to get another day like it today and maybe tomorrow. Incredible. Everybody is outside. BBqs are going. And it stays light an hour later here (and gets light an hour later in the morning) as compared to Seattle – same latitude. So Melinda & I went for a walk last night and got home at 9pm and there was still a good deal of light in the sky.
Take the plunge! Think rolling in the snow or jumping into a cold mountain stream after a long hot hike in the summer and this will be a piece of cake. Just don’t scream too loudly or the neighbors might call the police.
The bigger issue than the pool temperature is the health of the water. We need to ready the pool for swimming before jumping in (and scaring the neighbors…).
Ah, I guess you are referring to all those nasty chemical thingies…