Andy Smallman

Melinda and I took Ella to catch the “Bolt Bus,” her transportation method for returning to her Portland home this afternoon. Soon after her departure and before even reaching Tacoma, Ella reported to me via text that they had encountered some snow. This only slowed the trip a little, as Ella also commented, and I quote, “My driver drives like Melinda.” She went on, “Keeps up with and passes cars.” This report came soon after she had told me that her bus had caught up and passed the Bolt bus that had left 20 minutes before hers.

Once in Portland, Ella announced that there were two inches of snow on the ground and her city bus was out of service. This caused her to have to walk home quite a distance while pulling her suitcase and wearing her backpack, both stuffed to the brim with bounty from home. She made it, however, and then sent a text about how quiet it is in her apartment. The solution to that? “I’m putting on some music.”

I went for a run yesterday morning and it was quite cold, on the Fahrenheit scale somewhere in the 35-40 degree range. That’s chilly and it took me some time to get warm. It also got me thinking about how hot, and how sweaty, I’d get just a few months ago when I went for a run. Yesterday I wore a long sleeve shirt and long pants. Back in the summer, I ran in a super-lightweight shirt and shorts.

Yeah, I know, this isn’t all that interesting. But I was also reflecting on this as Melinda and I drove home from work today. It was right at sunset and for the first time in what seems like months we actually saw the sun set. No thick cloud cover to hide the sun; in fact, we got a beautiful glimpse of the snow-filled Cascades tinted pink.

I’m still months away from another sweat-soaked run, but I found this picture to remind me. Mercifully, I turned off the photo-scent feature…

WordPress provides bloggers with an interesting report at the end of the year. Not only is it a fun way to reflect on one’s blog, it gives some interesting data about popular posts and from where readers are connecting.

The report for this blog arrived in my inbox this afternoon, along with an option to make it public so others can see it.

If you’re interested in doing so, here’s the link.

Dear Celeste,

Look what happens here once you leave! All kinds of decadence and debauchery! Ella returns from Portland, Brenda shows up… What’s a boy like me to do? Do you know the expression, “Either leave them or join them?”

Or is that, “Love them or leave them?” Maybe something from the Surgeon General? Anyway, whatever the saying, I joined them.

Now for the real story. And it’s really quite simple. For Christmas, I bought a box of candy cigarettes for Brenda (and Greg). That’s right, candy. C-A-N-D-Y. Melinda grabbed the camera and the acting began!

Quite a way to enjoy Christmas Eve, don’t you think?

—Andy

PS – You should see the picture I got of Perrin with one of these candies. I don’t think Brenda wants it out and about on the Internet, though.

That’s right, it’s time to bring back this fall’s popular blog feature, the 365 Faces of Celeste. With her departure from Seattle last Tuesday, you may have thought that you wouldn’t get to see more photos of her. But thanks to Bérnard, her father, I have this one, taken Christmas afternoon in Nantes. Of importance to me, the photo was taken inside the Nantes racetrack, which just so happens to be a public park (if you followed my sabbatical blog in 2010/11, you might remember this fact). This is a place I visited almost every day, if not when going for a walk then to use the trotter track to go for a run, or to throw a Frisbee or kick a ball.

Now about this photo… I actually cropped it to highlight just Celeste. The one Bérnard sent can be seen here to the right and includes not only Celeste but her sister, Claire, and their mom, Christine. Bérnard is a graphic artist so he has quite the design eye. I think this photo would make a great album cover. But for what band? Here are a few possible names:
– From C to Shining C to Shining C
– Christine & the C Sisters
– Don’t Mess With Claire

Dear Celeste,

As you know, my oldest brother’s name is Scott. What you might not now is that his partner, Sally, has Dickinson as her last name. Last summer, back before you and your mom arrived in Seattle, Melinda and I spent time in the surplus store at the University of Washington. There, they have all sorts of things the university is discarding. They put these things up for sale, first to nonprofit organizations (like PSCS) and then to the general public. You might recall that we got Théo a UW jersey at this time, and one for you, too, if I remember correctly.

Anyway, Melinda spent a lot of time, more than I wanted to dedicate, to sorting through the names pulled from the backs of various of UW sports jerseys. Among the tape dispensers and discarded pieces of college furniture were dozens and dozens of names. And she painstakingly sorted through them and found several that matched people we know, among them being people named Scott (like my brother). Another was Dickinson, which just so happens to be Sally’s last name.

So yesterday, packed in their lovely Christmas gift that I selected, Melinda enclosed these fabric name plates, something she paid all of 10 cents each to buy. Scott and Sally were so pleased that I think they preferred these to the designer olive oil and vinegar bottles I selected to help ordain their soon-to-be-remodeled kitchen.

It just goes to show you, the cost of the gift is not what matters.

Happy holidays, Celeste. We miss you here.

—Andy

PS – Chloe keeps eating your buttercups… What should I do?