BaSF Memoirs

Christmas 2007

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:39:00 -0500

PICT4459.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier

Flora was delighted to participate in her first Christmas where she could open her own gifts. Saumier and Babariks grouped together in snowy Montreal to celebrate Christmas day.

Sunday morning fun

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Mon, 5 Mar 2007 09:11:00 -0500

Sunday morning fun
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Flora doesn't mind if her parents loll about in bed on Sundays. All she asks for is the middle of the mattress and most of the sheets!

Flora begins "solids"

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:40:00 -0500

Flora begins "solids"
Originally uploaded by saumier.

So far, Flora has welcomed with great enthusiasm any mush we have presented to her. Presumably, her delight will only grow as she finds out just how many good flavors await her!

Cats watching over baby Flora

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:09:00 -0500

Cats watching over baby Flora
Originally uploaded by saumier.

While dining with Sylvie and Jacques, friends, excellent hosts and kind neighbours, their cats graciously watch over baby Flora.

Christmas in Mexico

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:06:00 -0500

Taxco
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Grandmaman Sonia takes a family picture of Paul, Sylvie, Flora, Gregory, Pavel, Gerardo, Tilly during our excursion to Taxco, Mexico during our Christmas 2006 holiday.

Seasoned Traveller

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:04:00 -0500

Seasoned traveller
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Trip to Mexico.

Flora Jolly Jumper

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 21:58:00 -0500

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Thu, 9 Nov 2006 18:03:00 -0500

Flora conducts her choir

The worlds youngest conductor ever performs the world premiere of "twinkle twinkle little star". Guest singers Grandma Barbara and Great-aunt Carol make a dazzling performance. Bravo!

Flora bunny

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 21:21:00 -0400

Flora bunny, originally uploaded by saumier.

Flora says hello to all her friends around the world!

Baby in the sky

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:50:00 -0400

Baby in the sky, originally uploaded by saumier.

Flora laying back in her twinkie-shooter hammock looks upon the world with a deep inner sense of approval

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Thu, 5 Oct 2006 02:46:00 -0400

Parents walk in the parc

A very short film created by Grandmaman Sonia, October 31, on a warm sunny day...

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Mon, 4 Sep 2006 19:32:00 -0400

Day 4

Flora stars in this 5 min. documentary film. Sylvie inspects her from head to toe. She is quite the bundle!

Flora Babarik Finch

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Mon, 4 Sep 2006 11:22:00 -0400

Flora Babarik Finch, originally uploaded by saumier.

Flora was born on the 25th of August, 2006. She came out hollering and in great health at a weight of 6 lbs 8 oz (just under 3 kg) and a length of 20 inches (51 cm). Her mother and father are pround, tired and filled with joy and love.

We're going in!

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 20:20:00 -0400

We are heading over to the hospital now to give birth to our future child! Wish us good luck!

Surprise! A baby shower!

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Thu, 3 Aug 2006 23:27:00 -0400

SylvieShower003
Originally uploaded by saumier.

On July 23rd, 2006, some twenty of Gregory and Sylvie's favorite people made a surprise appearance at the door. Well, it was a surprise for Sylvie. Gregory was part of the secret-party-planning group. Friends and family arrived laden with food, gifts, and good wishes for the parents "to be."
Thanks go out to everyone who participated, especially Vivian Doan, who not only helped plan the event, but also captured much of the afternoon on camera.

Any day now!

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Thu, 3 Aug 2006 22:24:00 -0400

Any Day now!
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Baby Finch has completed his/her 36th week in the belly. Now at 37, the little creature can make an appearance anytime. However, given that Sylvie hasn't finished her master's yet, we are hoping that baby will stay put for a couple more weeks! On the other hand, we're so looking forward to meeting baby, that it's hard to avoid coaxing her/him out.

World Cup Birthday in Germany

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Sat, 1 Jul 2006 13:28:00 -0400

PICT2621.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Jean-Francois and I celebrate my birthday in Germany. My mother had secretly delivered a bottle of the official world cup champagne to my room in Metzingen, home of Hugo Boss the company we came to visit. The day before we particpated in the World Cup in Cologne. Tickets offered to us by our gracious adidas hosts including a stay in an ultra design hotel in Dusseldorf. Christian and Marcus joined us for the match as well as my colleague Elias from MVM and Ryan from the MIT Media Lab. The 16th round elimination match placed Switzerland against Ukraine. As we all know by now, Ukraine won in penalty kicks after an uneventful game 0-0. Nevertheless the atmosphere was electric. For the finaI I place my bets on Germany winning the world cup against Brazil. Let's see!

Gregory's Montreal Birthday Dinner

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Sat, 1 Jul 2006 12:58:00 -0400

Enjoying a chocolaty desert
Originally uploaded by saumier.

- Chilled, fresh pea soup with a mint gelato
- Grilled Bombay lamb, Indian-influenced ratatouille, Basmati rice, and Quebec asparagus
- Chocolate-almond meringue with orange-almond ice cream and a drizzle of orange "honey"

Sylvie's June belly

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 22:37:00 -0400

Sylvie's June belly
Originally uploaded by saumier.

There are just 11 more weeks to go before baby's projected birth day. In that time, Sylvie's belly is expected to expand considerably more. The little one needs to gain about five more pounds, though it could easily surpass that!

Dinner at Raza – “nouveau latino” cuisine

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 11:54:00 -0400

For an elegant, inventive meal in Montreal, we recommend a trip to Raza. The chef there does a wonderful job of mixing Latin American ingredients with Nouvelle Cuisine techniques.

In choosing to eat there this Friday, we wanted to see if the food remained as inventive and delicious as we remembered it. We also wanted to see if the restaurant had finally managed to attract more customers. On our two previous visits, we shared the space with no more than two or three other tables.

We chose the chef’s “menu degustation” of five courses, assuming that the seven courses would be too much. Adventurous people with any real degree of appetite should take all seven, given the tiny size of each plate.

To begin with, we were served an espresso-sized “amuse bouche” of a corn bisque, sprinkled with crumbled of fresh cheese. The flavor was delicate, while retaining some complexities.

As a first course, we had a few slices of a seared, marinated duck. They were served cold, topped with a warm sauce of slivered red pepper and chili. The dish was accompanied by a yam puree. The tangy, tender meat greatly benefited from the slight bite of the sauce, without being overwhelmed by the spicy effect. The tiny bit of yam added a pleasant hint of sweetness, making the dish far more complex.

Served along side was a Chilean Fumée Blanc, from the Errazuriz winery. It had a surprisingly sweet nose, with apparent lychee notes.

Our second course was a fish cake rolled in “masa” corn flour. It was presented on a purée of parsnip, and accompanied by a Mojito reduction (mint, rum, lime).
That was served with another wonderful, heavy Chilean white with a mix of 3 cepages, the name of which we forgot!

Third came a baked breast of Guinea fowl. It was rolled up in its skin, which had been lightly coated with a sweet guava-barbeque sauce. The meat was served on a bed of quinoa and green onions.
The wine that accompanied the dish was almost too full for the delicate meat. It was a Californian Merlot, from the house of Beringer. It was loaded up with dried fruit and leather notes, as far as we could tell.

The fourth course was a few slices of a gilled beef on a bed of ricotta gnocchi in basil and Parmesan pesto. Diced beets provided a hint of sweet to the dish.

If memory serves us, the wine that accompanied the dish was an Errazuriz Cabernet-Sauvignon from Chile.

The final dish was desert made up of four components. The base was a thin slice of ultra-moist, dark chocolate and banana cake. Set on top was a crispy, chocolate ravioli, filled with a melted chocolate ganache. Next to it was a tiny swirl of chocolate mousse. The final element, also sitting on the cake, was a tiny ball of coconut ice cream. There was enough chocolate flavor in the dish to overpower the taste buds, however, the quantity and the ice cream both ensured that the desert remained well balanced.

Served alongside was a desert liquor from Uruguay, made from the Tannat grape. Though most like a port wine, it had some definite herbal notes that played well off the chocolate.

For the originality and quality of the meal the price was appropriate ($60/person before wine and tax). If you want to save a bit of money, don’t casually order a bottle of mineral water. Our 500ml bottle cost $7!

Sylvie shows off her bun in the oven

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Wed, 10 May 2006 22:33:00 -0400

Sylvie shows off her bun in the oven
Originally uploaded by saumier.

In early April, when this photo was taken, it was still a wee belly. But now that May has come, it has begun to take on greater dimensions. Stay tuned for those pictures!

Summer arrives!

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Wed, 10 May 2006 22:01:00 -0400

Relaxing on our balcony.

When will Sylvie finish her next chapter?

Turrel view of the sky

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Sat, 6 May 2006 19:17:00 -0400

Turrel view of the sky
Originally uploaded by aodland.

Turrel is amazing! Turrell builds art work with light. http://www.henryart.org/skyspace.htm.

Weekend at Villa Massawippi

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 12:02:00 -0500

PICT2287.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Kudos to René and Leila! The Villa Massawippi B&B in North Hatley is owned and operated by my step-father Paul's brother René Doucet and his charming companion Leila.

The location is superb; directly on lake Massawippi with a spectacular view, and private beach. The rooms are perfect; each has a fireplace and private balcony practically suspended over the water. The beds are also comfortably equiped with a firm matress. And to top it off, the breakfast crepe prepared by René is top class. Click the photo on the right to see more or visit their web site.

http://www.bbcanada.com/5524.html

babypraline

gregory@mvm.com (Gregory) — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 13:23:00 -0500

Weekend with Leila and René at their magnificent VillaMassawippi B&B in North Hatley.

Discovery of this notable blog of a young friend of theirs. babypraline