Bonjour! Did you have a fantastic Fourth of July? We went to Hood River, a sweet little city on the hillside of the Columbia Gorge, and visited with friends and watched the city's fireworks show on the river. The Fourth of July provides such a great moment to gather with friends and family on a warm summer evening with good food! I've always loved reflecting on the past year during the fireworks show, and my heart swells with gratitude for the freedom we have here in America. This year, however, I didn't get much reflecting in, because my toddler was still awake at showtime. Life with little ones is a bit of a blur sometimes!

*View of the Columbia Gorge from Hood River, Oregon*

Since then, it's been so sad to hear about the police officers killed in Dallas . #BlueLivesMatter and #BlackLivesMatter. It's heartbreaking when human life isn't valued.

Today is the Bastille Festival here in Portland--it's one of the largest French festivals on the West Coast. This is the second year it will be held outside the Portland Art Museum. It might rain, but we'll attend anyhow! I'll be back to share photos on Monday, but in the meantime, here are a few links for the weekend:

*Croquettes from St Honoré Bakery (photo by Wendy)*

* Have you been following the Tour de France? My husband and I love watching the races unwind in that gorgeous French countryside. Google is posting frequent tour updates until the tour ends July 24th. The best place to watch it here in Portland is at St. Honoré Boulangerie while enjoying a patisserie and café!

*My youngest son and I in our home (in framing)*

* Hooray--Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom is re-visiting France with her family this month, and she posted a lovely recap of all her French posts, from school experiences to souvenirs. You can follow their French travels on her Instagram account.

* In more sports news, France advances to the European Championship finals in football against Portugal at the Stade de France on Sunday. Vive la France!

* After Brexit, Frexit won't happen. Or will it? I enjoyed talking to my French host sister about this. She says France had been talking about the possibility of Brexit for a while.

* Our new home is coming along, though it won't be finished until next year, I think. I bet you're curious about it, so I'll tell you more about that journey soon!

Bon weekend!