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.
A slow start to the day. I hopped in the car with Kirt, Anne, and Jackson… and we just drove around for a good while, getting lost along some of the roads near the chateau.
Everywhere you look, there’s a winery. Which I guess makes sense, since we’re in Bordeaux.
But as far as the eyes can see, there are rows of grape vines. The roads are small and narrow, and everything is charming. There’s a stillness everywhere.
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.
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.
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.
Got to attend another concert, this time for Sebastian and his orchestra. We arrived to find a pretty crowded auditorium, and ended up sitting in the back of the gym – but got a pretty close view of Sebastian as a result.
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.
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.
The big day is here! We’ve got the Ford kids for another Day in Chicago, with a lot of big plans this time around.
We had a blast last year (and in all honesty probably tried to pack too much in). This year, we didn’t quite learn our lesson, as we also had a pretty busy day in mind.
While I’ve gotten to see the fireworks from land before, tonight was the first time I got to be on the boat.
Shortly after breakfast, the kids decided to break out Monopoly (rainy day today). They asked if I wanted to join, and I have to tell you… I debated, but decided to decline. Boy did I dodge a bullet there.