14 December 2014 : Some Photos From Today

Published on by Andy Smallman2 Comments

This afternoon, outside the Pompidou Museum.
This afternoon, outside the Pompidou Museum.
Tonight at 10pm, Melinda & I went for a walk.
Tonight at 10pm, Melinda & I went for a walk.
Ella with a jambon fromage sandwich that we were about to share.
Ella with a jambon fromage sandwich that we were about to share.
We are staying on the Rue du Temple, a half block from where Melinda is standing.
We are staying on the Rue du Temple, a half block from where Melinda is standing.
Outside the Hotel de Ville, near the Seine. M for Melinda, right?
Outside the Hotel de Ville, near the Seine. M for Melinda, right?
Not a good first half for the Seahawks!
Not a good first half for the Seahawks!

14 December 2014 : We’re Here!

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We arrived in our December, 2014 apartment in Paris yesterday afternoon after a fairly uneventful day of traveling. We got out of Seattle right on time and even arrived in Iceland 30 minutes early. The flight had a few bumpy moments which necessitated a temporary delay in food service. But we were in the second row to be served, so lucky us! If you’re interested in knowing, Carib, I watched 6 episodes of Person of Interest on this flight. Interesting show! image

We arrived to it snowing in Iceland and a 50 minute delay of our flight to Paris. This gave us time to explore the airport and have breakfast. It was about 6:30am local time, the middle of the night. In fact, it’s pretty much the middle of the night all day long right now in Iceland. Chloe looked it up to find the sun doesn’t rise until past 11.

Well, we got on our plane and then sat at the gate for a while, the added delay due to a de-icing truck having broken down. That took about 30 minutes to get straightened out and then we were off to Paris. A few more bumps along the way during the 3 hour flight and then we were there. Our bags arrived with us, which is a good thing. Tired, we collected them and made our way from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, then on to the train to the city, a 40 minute ride. We transferred from the train to Line 11 of the Metro, which was only 2 stops from our apartment.

It was raining when we emerged from the Metro, but our apartment was easy to find so we didn’t get too wet. We were oriented by a kind, young French woman and taken to our place on the 3rd floor. The photo is a selfie (no one else is ready for their picture to be taken) in the living room looking into the courtyard. I’ll provide more of the apartment another time.

Having gotten somewhat settled, we trekked to a nearby grocery store to get some simple supplies. It was wonderful to see the French packaging in the grocery store. Back at the apartment, we snacked as jet lag took over. We all were wiped out by about 6:30pm. The 12 hours since have been filled with moments of nutty sleep, alternated by weariness and then fits of energy. It’s noon on Sunday right now and we’re about to go exploring.

More soon.

26 August 2014 : “Summer is over…”

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depart03So said the text I received from Théo as Melinda and I were driving away from SeaTac late this morning and he was seated at the departure gate awaiting his flight to Amsterdam, from where he will fly to Nantes and home.

Those three words also summed up how both Melinda and I were feeling…

Our eyes were a bit moist as we hugged our French son and bid goodbye, pausing afterwards for a few minutes to watch him pass through airport security. The last two weeks at home have been absolutely lovely, in no small part because of Théo’s presence.

As we’ve experienced in each of the last four years (Romain in 2011, Manon and the Boudeaus in 2012, and the Bertails in 2013), having a French connection join us in Seattle extends our trip to France.

It’s really quite lovely.

From the parking lot to the airport terminal.
From the parking lot to the airport terminal.
Checking in...
Checking in…

23 August 2014 : Late Night Basketball

Published on by Andy Smallman1 Comment

Waiting in line.
Waiting in line.
If I could wave a magic wand and provide Théo the greatest experience he could want while in the US, I think it would be for him to see an NBA game. Given it’s the off-season for the NBA and that Seattle no longer has a team and it would take a magic wand with sizeable power. So what happened late last night? Théo discovered that Seattle resident and NBA All-Star Jamal Crawford had organized a midnight game for a few of his friends, including All-Star point guard Chris Paul. The game was being promoted on social media. We learned it would be taking place at Seattle Pacific University and that it was free. Additional rumors included that other NBA players would be participating, including Blake Griffin (Théo was wearing a Griffin jersey).

Chris Paul working out.
Chris Paul working out.
Like I said, the game was slated to start at midnight and doors to the small arena would open at 11:15pm. At 9:45 Théo and I left the house to see if we could get in. We arrived at 10 and stood in line with other hopefuls, wondering all along if we would be among the lucky few. Excitement in the crowd swelled when through a set a windows to our right we saw Chris Paul in a weight room warming up. He was no more than 15 yards from us! Théo squatted to take a picture.

The opening tip.
The opening tip.
Just past 11:15, the line started to move. We kept our fingers crossed as we moved forward, soon finding ourselves in the brightly lit arena, 8 rows up from the floor, and with goofy expressions on our faces. The game started at about 12:15am, and while Blake Griffin never did arrive, we were treated to some incredible basketball just a few feet away. Several NBA players performed, but the highlight player may have been a 17 year-old Seattle high school player who attends the same high school that Jamal Crawford attended. The two put on some epic one-on-one battles during the game with the kid, nicknamed Baby Boy, often getting the best of Crawford.

At 2am we left the arena and headed home, those goofy expressions still on our faces.

Lucky boys.
Lucky boys.

20 August 2014 : The Budding American

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American Lesson #1 : Football & Beer
American Lesson #1 : Football & Beer
Melinda, Chloe, Ella, Chloe*, and I took Théo to a Seattle Sounders FC soccer match tonight. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for root beer floats. Théo said he enjoyed being in a grocery store at 10pm and, as you can see, thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Seahawks paraphernalia in front of the cheap beer. Melinda took a picture so his parents can be proud of his budding Americanism.

About that soccer game, the Sounders played the San Jose Earthquakes and were heavily favored to win. Instead, the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie. The game was actually a little frustrating for Sounders fans. They outplayed San Jose, but were tied 0-0 at the half.

American Lesson #2 : At sporting event, eat hamburger with hands while balancing fries on lap.
American Lesson #2 : At sporting event, eat hamburger with hands while balancing fries on lap.
During the intermission, Théo and I hustled down to the concessions to get cheeseburgers, garlic fries, and root beer (more American training), returning to our seats in time to see Seattle score a goal in the first minute of the second half (during the only time during the whole match that we were seated). They completely controlled the play after that, up until San Jose scored 20 minutes later on a fairly cheap goal. Despite a plethora of chances and shots, the Sounders could not regain the lead.

On Théo’s training, I believe he videotaped the playing of the American national anthem before the match began.