BaSF Memoirs

Christmas 2007

2008-01-11T21:39:00.001-05:00

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

2007-03-05T09:11:00.001-05:00

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"

2007-01-30T22:40:00.001-05:00

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

2007-01-16T22:09:00.001-05:00

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

2007-01-16T22:06:00.001-05:00

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

2007-01-16T22:04:00.001-05:00

Seasoned traveller
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Trip to Mexico.

Flora Jolly Jumper

2007-01-16T21:58:00.000-05:00

2006-11-09T18:03:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-23T21:21:00.000-04:00

Flora bunny, originally uploaded by saumier.

Flora says hello to all her friends around the world!

Baby in the sky

2006-10-17T00:50:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-05T02:46:00.000-04:00

Parents walk in the parc

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

2006-09-04T19:32:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-04T11:22:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-08-24T20:20:00.000-04:00

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

Surprise! A baby shower!

2006-08-03T23:27:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-08-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

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

2006-07-01T13:28:00.000-04:00

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

2006-07-01T12:58:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-11T22:37:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-10T11:54:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-10T22:33:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-05-10T22:01:00.000-04:00

Relaxing on our balcony.

When will Sylvie finish her next chapter?

Turrel view of the sky

2006-05-06T19:17:00.000-04:00

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

2006-02-26T12:02:00.000-05:00

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

2006-02-13T13:23:00.000-05:00

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

South Indian Film Night

2006-02-04T15:45:00.000-05:00

PICT2271.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

We had the honour of having Réjean Dumouchel accompanied by his wife Anne, daughter Joelle and her companion Mathieu, present excerpts from his favourite Tamil directors.

Notably the films with music by A R Rahman:
- Roja, 1992
- Bombay, 1994
- Dil Se.. , 1998
- Kannathil Muthamittal , 2002

Thank-you Réjean for an illuminating evening.

Réjean sums up the evening well in his email:

"Salut gregory,
Merci encore à toi et à sylvie pour la soirée que tu as préparé. L’accueil et la nourriture étaient délectables et cela m’a permis de réaliser un rêve soit celui de partager ma passion de ARR Rahman, Mani Ratnam et des cinémas indien et tamoul. Je t’envoie les références des quatre films que je vous ai présentés. Ils sont tous de Mani Ratnam et ils ont tous la musique de Rahman. À mon avis c’est le nec plus ultra du cinéma indien depuis les années 90 mais mon avis est celui d’un étranger qui en sait si peu sur un sujet si vaste.

Quoiqu’il en soit je crois que ce tandem cinéaste-musicien ferait un bon sujet de doctorat et me permettrait d’organiser des festivals Ratnam-Rahman avec plein de couleurs, d’émotions, de danse et de chansons. Le sujet est tellement inconnu pour les gens d’ici mais tellement émergent à l’échelle occidentale que c’est le temps de prendre le train en marche comme dans la chanson où Sharuk Khan danse et chante sur le toit d’un wagon en marche.

Merci encore et si tu crois que le sujet peut intéresser d’autres gens je serais prêt à refaire la même chose où quelque chose de différent avec d’autres films Cinéma hindi moderne Lagaan, Swades from Gowarinder et un autre. Les Tamoul en folie (les cinéastes Shankar et Surya)
Si tu connais des gens reliés à la danse, cela pourrait être un échantillon des chorégraphies extravagantes indiennes."

Food, friends, and kisses for the New Year

2006-01-09T14:17:00.000-05:00

Menu
Wild mushroom soup with white truffle oil
Chateau de Campuget, Costieres de Nimes, 2003
§
Rabbit in prune sauce, potato gratin and green beans
Chateaux L'escart, Bordeaux Superieur, 2001
§
Mesclin salad with red onion jam and St-Augure bleu cheese
Taylor Fladgate LBV, 2000
§
"pavé" of chestnuts and 70% dark chocolate
Champagne

Christmas Dinner with Babariks and family

2005-12-19T01:22:00.000-05:00

Our new fire place!

Our humble abode was host to a Christmas feast of wild turkey and celery rave truffle soup for the 2005 Christmas dinner. Sylvie cooked up a storm while Gregory put the final touches on the newly decorated fire place. Gifts were opened and a celebration had by all.

Is she Alie? or Alley? or Ally?

2005-12-13T22:25:00.000-05:00

Is she Alie? or Alley? or Ally?
Originally uploaded by saumier.

A-cat's first night in our home, stolen from her comfortable street life. Will she stay, or will she just love us and leave us?

Celebrating the arrival of snow

2005-11-28T21:59:00.000-05:00

PICT1880.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Oh no! Christmas is a month away and we've already got ornaments hanging from our ears! I guess we'd better convene a dinner party to address this situation.

Penguin Dinner Photos?

2005-11-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

What are these?

Visiting Hamid in Sherbrooke

2005-11-02T00:29:00.000-05:00

PICT1655.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Sylvie and I spent the weekend with Hamid in Sherbrooke: philosophising in Beckett Park, promenading along the banks of Massawippi lake in North Hatley paying a yearly hommage to the yellow and red cycle of leaves, making merry with good food and drink. This has become our yearly autumn ritual!

Sylvie's Birthday Garage Sale

2005-10-09T15:28:00.000-04:00

PICT1585.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

New concept birthday. For your birthday, instead of asking people to buy you gifts ask them to spend their money buying gifts from you. Its easy. Dig up the bottom of your closets, lay the articles around the house grouped by theme, and invite all your friends over for drinks and finger food. Instead of setting prices, ask your friends how much they would pay. And if your lucky you may even have a bidding war! Click the photo to see the evening play by play. Thanks to everyone for a great evening. We rasied about 200$ and cleared a whole lot of needed storage space. Happy Birthday Sylvie.

Dinner September 17, 2005

2005-09-20T22:45:00.000-04:00

PICT1364.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Hot dishes collided with cool people. We toasted to Sonya's visit, Chris' birthday, Pavel's return from Slovakia, Adrien and Renatta's first dinner with us, Heather and Arnold's ability to get a babysitter, and Nick and Vanessa's new house.

CFCF Dinner Sep. 4, 2005

2005-09-05T12:47:00.000-04:00

PICT1313.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Dinner table stretched to hold 14!

Wedding portaits from Linda

2005-08-28T22:09:00.000-04:00

wedding portait
Originally uploaded by saumier.

A small sample of the photos Linda took at our wedding. Linda is a long time friend and professional photographer. There are many more photos, some which I am still debating if they should be shown or not :-) Those of you who have seen the hard copy photos know what I am reffering too. Let us know your thoughts!

Alfred P. Sloan Building at MIT in Boston

2005-08-23T17:30:00.000-04:00

Alfred P. Sloan Building
Originally uploaded by up4.

Finally after 15 years I make to MIT! Great News, we have been asked to be part of the innovation lab by Dr. Eric Von Hippel, head of the Innovation and Entreneurship Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Wedding portraits

2005-08-19T23:01:00.000-04:00

gregsylwed15
Originally uploaded by saumier.

I uploaded 101 digital photo portraits of friends and family from our wedding. Photos taken by Mishka and Linda.

Dinner 18 August, 2005

2005-08-19T01:21:00.000-04:00

Dinner 18 August, 2005
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Dinner with Hamid, Frederique, Hamid's brother and wife. Cigars on the balcony with swooping night swallows. Battle of the Persians against the Greeks. The Greeks lost sorely as is to be expected when the brothers get together. Who knows what next, a late breakfast perhaps?

Dinner July 23, 2005

2005-08-07T20:32:00.000-04:00

PICT1214.JPG
Originally uploaded by saumier.

Summertime dinner on the balcony with 10 of us. Needless to say the balcony did not collapse!

Upload of Gregory Boy photos

2005-08-07T20:17:00.000-04:00

tunisia-gsf-1200
Originally uploaded by saumier.

I have uploaded photos of when I was a boy to my Flickr account. Take a look!

2005-02-18 Dinner

2005-02-27T18:08:00.000-05:00

We made it with 15 around the table!

View all the photos here.

2004-12-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

Dec 26th pre-new year's dinner. Sylvie calls for help!

2004-12-27T18:59:00.001-05:00

Sophie and Andrew arrive to our rescue

2004-12-27T18:59:00.000-05:00

Sacred Duck preparation dance

2004-12-27T18:58:00.002-05:00

Andrea and Sylvie flower girls

2004-12-27T18:58:00.001-05:00

Duck is served! 3 of them.

2004-12-27T18:58:00.000-05:00

Duck chop watch out!

2004-12-27T18:57:00.002-05:00

Duck chop 2

2004-12-27T18:57:00.001-05:00

Dec 26th Table 1

2004-12-27T18:57:00.000-05:00

Dec 26th Table 2

2004-12-27T18:55:00.000-05:00

Chill out in the living room

2004-12-27T18:43:00.000-05:00

Christmas dinner

2004-12-27T18:42:00.001-05:00

Gregory & tree

2004-12-27T18:42:00.000-05:00

Pavel helping with champagne and cookies

2004-12-27T18:41:00.000-05:00

Sylvie's earing ordeal

2004-12-27T18:40:00.000-05:00

Pavel's smile

2004-12-27T18:35:00.001-05:00

Gregory enveloped in generous gifts

2004-12-27T18:35:00.000-05:00

Tilly poses for a surprise photo

2004-12-27T18:32:00.000-05:00

Christmas dinner preparations

2004-12-19T23:17:00.000-05:00

Paul welcomes Sylvie & Gregory to dinner at their home in Longueuil.

2004-12-19T23:08:00.000-05:00

Louise & Gregory before the feast!

2004-12-19T23:06:00.000-05:00

Sylvie & Louise planning a trip to Italy to pickup another tapestry.

2004-12-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

Mother and daughter share recipe secrets.

2004-12-19T23:04:00.000-05:00

The Cipate is ready!

2004-12-19T22:40:00.000-05:00

Paul practising video moves!

2004-12-11T21:12:00.000-05:00

Father and daughter brave the elements after Montreal's first serious snow storm.

2004-12-11T21:09:00.000-05:00

Tilly and Pavel, two images of the strength of "mere mortals."

2004-12-11T11:41:00.000-05:00

Dinner with Nick and the new digital camera!

Menu 13.08.04

2004-08-14T12:53:00.000-04:00

Canapès huitres fumèes sur mayonnaise de tomates séches
Beurre au crabe et ficelles de poivrons rouges
Champagne Paul Goerg Brut 1996 Premier Cru (merci André)
***
Crostini de tomates rôties avec oreille d'endive a la tapenade
Barbera D'Asti 2002 Constalunga
***
Raviolis farcies de trompettes de morts at créminis dans son beurre a la
sauge
Riesling - Deidesheimer Leinhohle Riesling Kabinett Pfalz 2002
***
Saumon sauvage poelé sur son lit d'aneth, sauce safran accompanier
d'haricots et poivrons rouge
***
Tarte Bleuetes at amandes, coulis de casis
Errazuriz - 2000 - Late Harvest Sauvingnon Blanc - Chili

Invitées

Sonia Saumier de Bueno y Zirión
André Saumier Sansoussy
Ngyuen Tuong

Gregory Saumier-Finch & Sylvie Babarik

2004-07-11T19:30:00.000-04:00

Study session on the back porch with the Red Spanish Beanstalk growing on the right, accompanied by a tomatoe plant, a laurier and a lime tree.

2004-07-11T19:28:00.000-04:00

Sylvie lost in the jungle of our back porch, with the church steeple in the background.

Official encounters!

2004-07-02T12:10:00.000-04:00

Dates at the Nicholson's.

Short hair!

Long curly hair. We match!

2004-06-27T13:46:00.000-04:00

Sunday birthday brunch. Sophie, Andrew and Sylvie brunch sip rosé on our back porch. Gregory is under the table :-)

2004-06-26T11:33:00.000-04:00

My Darling in Prague.

2004-06-26T09:44:00.000-04:00

Pre-birthday of Wai-Lin and Gregory w/ Sylvie and Claude. My hair is standing on end!

This bottle of Chateau Les Hauts d'Aglan was soo good...

2004-06-24T14:03:00.000-04:00

Katlin and Fabrice and baby brought this bottle to our June 19th dinner.

Chateau Les Hauts d'Aglan 2000
Cahors AOC
Mise en bouteille au chateau - Isabelle Rey-Auriat
Medaille d'Argent 2003 Concours Mondialle Bruxelles

Where we became one!

2004-06-24T13:07:00.000-04:00

The palace restaurant where I knelt down and proposed to my dear Sylvie.

Photo of the Vivaldi restaurant in the Shlosshotel Berlin.

Hotel Photos.
...and more photos!

History:
The Schlosshotel Vier Jahreszeiten Berlin was originally built as a private mansion for Von Pannwitz and Catalina Roth in 1914. Its style was based on the late baroque classicism of the early 19th century. The palace was built around Von Pannwitz's art collection (mainly Flemish masters: Franz Hals, Jan Sten, Rembrant, Jacob van Ruisdael, Hobbena and David Gerard.) Its interiors were designed by 30 different Parisian artists. Some rooms reflect the style of Louis XIV demonstrated by the impressive amount of Gold leaf.

For a brief period after the war, it became the "Embassy Club" under the British, and then in 1951 the hotelier Wolfgang Gehrus open the first hotel under the name "Shlosshotel Gehrus". Scenes from the film "La pasante du Sans-Souci" were filmed there in 1981. The hotel attracted many glamorous guests including Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Kennedy, Errol Flynn, Josephine Baker, Jane Mansfield and Peter Ustinov. With the death of Wolfgang Gehrhus the hotel declined into decay (under the GDR) and was only put up for sale after German reunification. It was bought by a group of Berlin famillies and reopened in 1994 after 3 years of substantial renovation under the artistic direction of world-famous fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.