Travelling With Lucie

Well, I thought I'd write a decorating post today, but there was someone else on my travels who certainly deserves her own post.  You've seen bits of Lucie's adventures in some of my other posts this summer, but she stared at me this morning until I agreed to give her a post of her own.  She's still staring at me, of course, but with the guilt beam deactivated.

Staying in a castle with a moat suited Lucie's sensibilities just fine, just so long as the swans kept their distance -- they're mean!

You can learn all about Lucie on her website.  (As of August 2013, I haven't had a chance to update the site.  Lucie is not sending postcards at this time, so if the postcard purchase page is up whenever it is that you happen to read this post, be sure it's a promo for a current trip.)

Star and Chronicler, in France.

Traveling with a mouse and photographing the trip from her perspective, as her chronicler, was a fun assignment I gave myself.  Part of the fun was that it took me out of my comfort zone, and gave me an excuse to do kid things, like lay on the platform of the subway station in Brussels.  I didn't do it for the reason a kid would, but rather to try to get a shot from a mouse's perspective, but you shoulda heard my friend, Teri.  She put on her mom voice and sternly informed me, "If you do not get up this instant, I'm going to leave you here."  Of course, her two kids were with us, and I was setting a bad example, so she would have been justified, except that I warned her I was coming to visit just so I could instill properly naughty behavior, and she assured me she had done it already.  Sheesh.

Would have liked to have gotten a shot at a better angle, with a train arriving, but small Kai was already freaked out by Lucie crossing the yellow line.  Figured it wasn't the place to set a really bad example for small boys, and besides, I was at risk of being stepped on...or left behind..  

Teri's boys loved Lucie, especially Soren, the older of the two.  He was so good about letting her sit on his shoulder, so I could try to get shots of her gazing at all the tourist attractions.  (If only I'd figured out the camera settings for doing this effectively [sigh].) Of course, there was the day at the farmer's market, while we rested on a bench, that Soren did ask, "Could we put Lucie away now?  It's getting kinda embarrassing being seen with a mouse."

The violinist seemed to like Lucie as much as she liked him, and Soren was a darling about his job as Lucie's personal prop.  Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me to turn them around and get their faces anywhere, like normal tourists would do.  Sorry Soren,  Lucie and I would have loved a few shots with your sweet smile.   Ah well, maybe next time...?

Lucie and Kai contemplate their odds of getting away with pretending they don't know what that sign says.

I do believe Lucie impressed the Faerie folk in the woods behind the castle, with her refined ways and fancy clothes.  Lucie wanted to know if I actually believe faeries are real.  Like I wasn't conversing with a mouse in a negligee???

You see a beautifully carved antique mirror frame.  The four cats see a tasty little treat, just out of reach.

 In France, my classmates, who were all my age and older, seemed to delight just as much as the boys had in dreaming up adventures for Lucie.

Lucie did think about rafting down the copper cooling rivulet, but it's swift and cold, and empties into a fast moving river.  She's adventurous, but not extreme, thank goodness.

One day we got locked out, and Lucie looked for ways in.

Waiting for the postman.  

Lucie thought the cheesemaker's son might want to befriend her, as Kai and Soren had, but I didn't think his papa would go for having a mouse about the business.

I'm chronicling Lucie's story as a serial (for now) in my quarterly bookazine, 365 Being.  You can get the first installment in the summer issue, in PDF, and at the time of this post, there are a few print copies left, as well.  Eventually, the story will get a proper editing, and publish as a novel for young readers.  Eventually.  

For now, I'm hard at work trying to get the last photo albums out to the kind souls her helped fund Lucie's adventures (Thank you, my darlings!!!), while also trying to get the Autumn issue to press, between my regularly scheduled decorating work.  It's all one big adventure!  Have a fun weekend, and check in on Tuesday morning.  Who knows, with summer ending, maybe I really will get back to posting about decorating...