Andy Smallman

So tonight is Christine’s last night in Seattle, Yes, she heads out tomorrow afternoon for the long flights (note, plural) home to Nantes. Losing 9 hours along the way, she’ll likely be home some time a week from next Tuesday. Well, you do the math. A nine hour flight to Amsterdam, plus nine hours lost for time zones, plus a 90 minute layover in Amsterdam, plus a 90 minute flight to Nantes, then the drive home from the Nantes airport. It all adds up to a week from next Tuesday.

Anyway, because of the significance of this being Christine’s last night with us, I wanted, in fact I strove, to get a poignant photo to share with you all. This is what I got, Christine and Melinda during our 60 minute wait for pizza at Mioposto Pizzeria. Clam Bake pizza. Yum.

Two years ago I think it actually was a little more poignant on Christine & Bérnard’s last night in Seattle…

Chloe and her boyfriend Alex left Seattle a little after 5 this afternoon, the start of a nearly two week road trip to southern California and back. They’ve mapped out what sounds like a pretty fun agenda, with stops that include a variety of “couch surfing” opportunities. Stop #1, Portland, OR and Ella’s micro apartment.

Given the size of Ella’s apartment (150 sf), there really isn’t space for a couch. So the “surfing” the travelers will be doing tonight is more of the “floor” variety. But I think Chloe was pretty excited to have the first stop of her vacation be her sister’s apartment in Portland. She, herself, sent me this photo, along with these text messages:

“Made it to Portland!”

“At Little Big Burger!”

“Ella didn’t get one because she’s on a budget :P”

“And she’s eaten already.”

“Just Alex and I are starving.”

“But we’re buying ice cream after and she’s indulging!”

So August 6th is an important day. Let’s just get this out there now at the outset of this post. Both of my grandmothers were born on August 6th, something I referenced five years ago. So I have a soft spot in my heart for August 6th. That’s pretty simple.

So what took place today, on THIS August 6th? Celeste flew to Washington DC to hook up with her maternal grandmother. This is the first time the 15 year-old flew by herself and it took place on a flight in the United States. That’s no small thing. Chloe had her usual work day, the last before she and Alex leave for a road trip to southern California and back. That’s a big deal. Ella sent me, via text, that Bill Hader will be guest starring on Brooklyn 99 this fall. That’s exciting. And Melinda and Christine had pedicures, the first for Christine in her life.

See, it’s a big day.

On top of that, Bérnard sent me this picture and I think it’s swell. Max and Théophile, Celeste’s older brothers, in Nantes. Max, you are looking fine.

August 6th. A good day.

So I got a text from Ella around noon today (she had probably just gotten up, given her evening school routine). In it she told me to go look up “Joe Donlon” on Twitter. An obedient father, I did just that and discovered the Twitter handle pdxpeacock. Turns out Joe Donlon is a news anchor for KGW-TV, the NBC affiliate in Portland.

It also turns out that Mr. Donlon had dinner at OCI last Friday and sent out a tweet about it. With his tweet was the accompanying picture which I grabbed via a screenshot.

So last Friday was Ella’s FIRST night serving and she made Twitter. Yes, I know, EVERYONE makes Twitter. But is everyone referred to as a “restaurant star of the future?”

So we were all just sitting around after dinner tonight, Melinda, Chloe, Christine, Celeste and me, enjoying an after-dinner cocktail (a Ricard Lemon Drop, for those of you scoring at home). The conversation centered on a plan for tomorrow evening in which we’d all take the ferry to Bainbridge Island in time to come back at sunset, something that affords some pretty incredible views. I happened to mention a time not too long ago in which Melinda and I were on a ferry and saw some orcas. Christine lit right up.

Christine likes orcas.

Chloe then commented about the time in Squamish back in March, 2014 when a pod of orcas cornered some dolphins while she was at school. She said it was a huge deal and even prompted the marine biology instructor to send all of her students to the waterfront to observe. Here’s a YouTube video of the event.

Anyway, Chloe moved us all over to the computer so she should show us what she knew. Christine was entranced.