I haven’t taken enough photos of the main floor at the chateau. On walking in, it’s a long, massive area that houses a living room area, an enormous banquet table, and a full kitchen.
Our car (me, Liz, and Audrey) arrived first. And we got really lucky with our parking (it was incredibly hectic, and most folks parked several blocks away and walked in on foot).
Someone pulled out not two blocks from one of the entrances, and we were in the right place at the right time.
While the others were on route, we explored a little bit of the market.
The direct flight from Chicago > Bordeaux was a bit pricey, so we opted for a layover in Paris (CDG). Walking to our connecting flight.
Liz tried all the things, but wasn’t able to sleep much at all. I napped for a brief bit, and was surprisingly ok with how little I actually slept.
We ended up hanging out at Gil and Jen’s house, a few doors down. I didn’t take any photos really, but got this one of all the sisters doing a silly set of poses on the stairs.
Somehow… this kitchen seems to evoke shenanigans. I’m not sure when or why, but I looked up to see my wife being hoisted up into the air. I think some kind of dare was involved.
For most of the event, I was helping pass out mocktails and moving food around. Tricia was working the grill like a pro. For most of the evening, after the adults left, Liz and Tricia and I were in the office shielding ourselves from the music and screaming and general chaos of kids having fun.
I should say: everyone at the party was impossibly polite. Every young man and woman, full to the brim with “Yes, sir” and “Yes, Ma’am” with nearly everything they said.
The pathway to/from the terminals wasn’t just cold concrete. The path took me through a tremendous amount of artwork.
It got a bit… shouty. And a lot loud. And a lot competitive. But was as raucous and as fun as I hoped it would be. Really a fun, fun game all around.
Back home – Tricia is back home! And hanging out with everyone in the front yard.
I tried to be as obnoxious as I could, asking if they had bananas… and then insisting that they sell me a full banana.
Audrey was really calm and professional, and explained that they weren’t allowed to sell fruit directly. My reply was: “But I have a lot of money.”
Liz and I were losing it in the car, but Audrey was cool and professional through and through. Eventually we just ordered Blizzards like normal people, and made our way to the window.
While Liz and I have been in Georgia, we’ve done a lot of the cooking – making meals, some involved, some easy.
We’ve stepped into the suburban tempo of living in a house full of kids, who are in both high school and middle school (and juggling part-time jobs) – with all the activity and chaos that entails.
Tonight we all went out to attend a concert that Audrey was a part of – a medley of Broadway tunes, performed by several different musical groups in her school.
In the far corner, just underneath the deck, there was a nest of young birds. And of course, both Liz and Audrey were very concerned about their well being during our construction.
Today, the kids got involved in the process. Here’s Liz, showing Paige and Audrey how to work the circular saw… and how to cut down some of the debris we were getting rid of (we were throwing the old boards from the second floor, down to the backyard).
Liz and I had a second day today, with the Ford kids. Our plan was another “Day in Chicago,” but this time a bit more reserved. A bit lower key.
We blew most of our energy last week on a pretty event-filled day. So today had fewer events, fewer things to do. But we still ended up filling the day, and then some.