Le fromage de Beaufort

Dean is on a mission:  try as many different kinds of cheese as he possibly can during our year in France.  And with roughly 500 different varieties available, he has his work cut out for him!

Le fromage de Beaufort was a must on the list, so Wednesday morning we loaded up in our Ford Fiesta bound for Beaufort's creamery (roughly 30 minute drive).

Beaufort, France

G and friend, "A," in Beaufort

In search of the creamery...
another rainy day

Beaufort cheese is produced from the milk of cows who only graze in the Beaufort valley.

Cheese...okay "milk makers"

Here's the "CHEESE" picture

We found the creamery and were quickly impressed by the free, self-guided museum.

Girls standing on colorful cheese wheels in a play-area

Checking out the relief map

We drove from the far left red dot (Albertville)
up and over to the other red dot (Beaufort).

Interesting statue...yep it was illustrating a cow's innards

More a game of telephone than listening to
the display's French-speaking narration

The museum is on the creamery's upper level allowing for a great view of cheese production...

Catching a glimpse

Trying to lift a "wheel" of cheese...
not an easy task as one wheel weighs 40 kg!

The toy foam cheese wedges were much easier to handle,
and some were PINK!

So, something (non-cheese-related) we have been wanting to share is Gracie's newly acquired and quickly developing writing skill...

G's very first signature in a guestbook...
at the Beaufort Creamery!

Then she added "Mommy"'s name, too!

An unexpected surprise was that Wednesday morning is market day in Beaufort.  So, after the creamery we let the girls pick out a treat (lollipops) and picked up some fresh produce, too!

Typical style for French street markets

Then we headed UP into the mountains for a picnic at Lake Roseland.

It was foggy, damp and cold but we still managed to enjoy our PB & honey sandwiches.  AND we were thankful that the fog lifted enough for us to actually catch a glimpse of the lake...

Lake Roseland

Okay, a few more proud parent pictures...

G at her "desk" doing her "school work"

Since we spend a lot of time sitting at our desks learning French, G has taken an interest in having some school-work of her own.  Her latest interest is writing "words" on her "word paper."

Practicing in her new "notebook"

Sample of her work --
sorry couldn't figure out the rotation : )

Yea, Gracie!!  Trying to read and write English at home by night while learning to hear and speak French at school by day -- quite the busy 3-year-old.  Prayer appreciated for her (and us) as we juggle all these tasks.

DDG & K5