Snowy Lane - Photo 65 - Project 365

We didn't get much snow, living on the coast as we were in Dieppe, but a little showed up just before Christmas. This photo was taken a little before dawn, which lends itself to the gentle light. On this particular morning, I was hoping to get into the school where I worked because I thought I could get a nice time lapse of the sun coming up across the harbour. Although the school is normally open Saturday mornings, on this particular morning I found the doors locked. Maybe it was the snow, maybe it was because it was the day before Christmas vacation...

Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Lens ID: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Exposure: 1/15 sec
Aperture: ƒ/4.5
Focal Length: 32 mm
Flash Used: No
ISO: 800
Filter(s): HOYA UV(0)
Date and Time (Original): 2010:12:18 08:34:47

Post-Rapture

So I don't know who he uses for PR, but some guy in California figured May 21 was the "end of the world." Amh, that was yesterday, for those keeping track. But the PR guy deserves a raise because the story seems to have hit all the major papers. Never mind that the same guy predicted the end of the world in 1994....

Anyway, there's nothing quite like being shut down with scripture:

Anyway, I thought I'd share; it made me laugh :)

Path in the Sand - Photo 64 - Project 365

I'm on a St. Malo roll, why stop now?

St. Malo is a wonderful little city, and one of my favorite places to visit in France. This here is on the beach, during low-ish tide. Just barely off the coast, there are several old military posts. This is the path leading to the closest one. But a picture of a path like this is a little more because it opens the question "Where does this path lead?"

Where would you like it to lead?

Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Lens ID: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Exposure: 1/160 sec
Aperture: ƒ/9.0
Focal Length: 55 mm
Flash Used: No
ISO: 200
Filter(s): HOYA UV(0)
Date and Time (Original): 2010:11:20 13:18:38

Les Peiux - Photo 63 - Project 365

This is also from St. Malo. St. Malo is a coastal city and can have so very large tides. To protect the city, there is a seawall, and to help protect the seawall and dissipate the energy of the breaking waves, there is a double line of woods stakes (peiu) that I thought made a very neat picture from above.

Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Lens ID: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Exposure: 1/100 sec
Aperture: ƒ/8.0
Focal Length: 33 mm
Flash Used: No
ISO: 200
Filter(s): HOYA UV(0)
Date and Time (Original): 2010:11:20 12:51:35

Caen France District Dissolved

Spending 7 months as part of the Rouen Branch meant that, in a way, they become our family, and the Caen District, which covered all of Normandy, became our extended family. Our last week in "France" was actually spent with the District at the Temple in Frankfurt. We knew that District Conference was this last weekend, and we were a little disappointed to come home just before it, but I was very surprised to receive this email:

Bonsoir
Etes vous bien arriver chez vous
Merci pour tout ce que vous avez fait ici a Rouen
Dimanche nous étions a Caen pour notre conférence de District
Il y avait la Présidence de Pieu d'Anger la Présidence de Pieu de Paris
La Présidence de Mission
et le Patriarche
Rouen le Havre et Caen
sont rattaché au Pieu de Paris
et Alençon est rattaché au Pieu d'Anger
Le District de Caen n'existe plus
Voilà pour les nouvelles
Comment allez vous?
Nous ça va, nous sommes heureux d'etres rattaché au Pieu de Paris
Nous vous disons a Bientôt
La Famille Decaudin

So, the Caen District has ceased to exist! The Branches of Rouen, Le Havre, and Caen have been moved to the Paris Stake (based out of Versailles), and the Alençon Branch has been moved to the Angers Stake. What I don't know is what happened to the Branches of Coutances or Cherbourg. Possibilities include them also be part of the Paris Stake, the Angers Stake or the Lorient Distrist (informally, the "Brittany District"), or possibly they are directly under the Mission! (The Evereax Branch was closed down a year or two ago and merged with the Mantes-la-Jolie Ward in the suburbs of Paris).

On one hand, I'm sad to see the District go, but I know there has been a lot of talk over the years on how the Caen District could become the Caen Stake but the numbers just we're there. I think this will be a good way to reach the same result of offering the members in Normandy the strength of being in a Stake.

I'm always excited to watch the Church progress in France!

Stakes, Districts, Wards and Branches: I should explain, for those not familiar, what a "Stake," etc is. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon Church"), the members are organized geographically. The local units are Wards. About a dozen Wards are grouped together into a Stake. Branches and Districts are similar to Wards and Stakes, but used when there are less members. Wards are about have 150 to 300 members, and can vary is size. In some parts of the United States, a Ward will correspond to a neighbourhood, but in France a Branch or two would often cover a Department.