life & times 1

The Life & Times of Sadie Austen ScheuA Chronicle of Sadie's Third Week

The Life & Times of Sadie Austen Scheu

Sadie was born in Geneve, Switzerland, on July 30, 2008. Here's how her dad, Tim, announced her arrival in an email to the family: "Amid a firestorm of anticipation and a pair of eager grandmothers . . . Sadie Austen Scheu was born at 6:36 this morning weighing 8 pounds and measuring 19.5 inches." She also had blue eyes and a full head of hair. This book chronicles a proud grandfather's look at some of the events in Sadie's third week of life.

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Here are the Scheu clan -- Beulah, Kodi, Tim, Sadie, and Ashley -- at home.

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And, here are proud grandparents, Jim and Penny, with Sadie.

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Sadie lives at 73 Avenue du Jura, Sergy, France, which is roughly 13 kilometers (8 miles) as the crow flies from the heart of downtown Geneve, Switzerland, where Sadie's dad, Tim, works.

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Sergy has a population of about 1,400. It's a charming little place. Part of the charm is in the flowers, which are front and center throughout the town.

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The middle picture shows Sadie's 73 Avenue du Jura, Sadie's first home. Her apartment (A-37) is on the top floor left with the A frame balcony. From that balcony, Sadie has a view of a rainbow, and she can see across the valley to the Jura mountains. Not bad for a kid who is only three weeks old.

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And, here are more sights just outside Sadie's front door. How many three-week old kids have their own rooster?

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Inside 73 Avenue du Jura, life revolves around Sadie. She's learned quickly to communicate to Mom and Dad just how she feels. There's happy Sadie, unhappy Sadie, and hungry Sadie . . . .

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. . . And, here's yawning Sadie and sleeping Sadie. We love them all.

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In the countryside near Sergy, Sadie has wonderful places to hike and to enjoy the great outdoors, though right now she tends to ride in the baby bjorn.

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This bridge leads to a path through farm fields. It's just a short walk from Sadie's house, and it takes you on a very pleasant journey.

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A walk down this path is a terrific way to spend time with Kodi and Beulah, who rush out ahead of their human charges, and, of course, it is the absolute best way to commune with with your average cow with a bird on its head.

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In addition to cows and birds, there are many beautiful wild flowers along the way as well.

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After a walk through the fields, it's time to relax with Mom and Beulah and then maybe a nap.

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After the nap, another hike is in order, this time through the woods and along a creek.

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This walk is a favorite with Kodi and Beulah.

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The hike ends at a waterfall.

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After a hike, it's quality time with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Penny, and it's time to supervise Kodi and Beulah to make sure they don't get too rambunctious.

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Next, it's off to Geneve for lunch with Dad.

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Geneve is a beautiful city, with the Cathedral of St. Peter, Mount Blanc in the background beyond the eastern shore of the lake, and Geneve's pride, the Jet d'Eau Fountain.

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After lunch, we took a boat ride on the lake. These are some of the sights along the way.

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Sadie also spends time at a bakery in Crozet where her mom and dad like to relax.

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Grandpa and Grandma join in for breakfast as well.

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A little more family time.

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Now, it's time for a day trip with Mom, Dad, and the Grandparents to the Swiss Alps.

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The first stop was Sion, which is apparently in the heart of Swiss wine country. The stone structure above is Notre-Dame de Valere, a fortified church. We didn't go to church. We went straight to lunch.

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Ash, Tim, and Sadie were hungry.

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After lunch, Sadie watches a Sion native who joined us for desert.

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After lunch, a beautiful drive to ride the train to Zermatt.

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Once in Zermatt, the grandparents took another train to the top of Gornergrat, which is a ridge 3,089 meters (10,135 feet) above sea level that overlooks the Gorner Glacier.

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The ride up and down the mountain was spectacular.

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Back in Zermatt, we could see the Matterhorn off in the distance.

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After that, it was dinner at Swiss chalet and then a drive home, back to 73 Avenue du Jura. A big day for a three-week old.

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Back in Sergy, all seems well at Chateau Scheu.

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