After 11 months in France we've found our way back to Seattle. It feels like we left the arms of loved ones and fell into the arms of other ones. The transition was easy mostly because of the immense amount of support and kindness we have received throughout the trip. There is no appropriate way of expressing my gratitude to everyone, I will only say that I look forward to the next evening, dinner or drink that we can share together.

We were more or less lucky getting home. Céline's parents dropped us off at the Nantes train station with 250 pounds of luggage, a confused baby and a stroller. The train ride was a tense 4 hours(Gaël was not kept throwing at the passenger behind us - he gets his charm from his father) and finished with a short 4 minute stop at the airport. As we had 5 bags I ended up in this mad scrum with all the other passengers trying to get all of our luggage off in time. At one point I sprinted up to the baggage on the second level and a nun passed me her bags and walked off. We got everything off just in time and the train took off. Getting the bags from the train to the hotel was also an adventure, as the baggage carts didn't go all the way there. We established this system where Céline and Gaël would advance 100 feet and I would sprint back and forth relaying the bags. Thankfully that ended up being the most exciting part. The plane ride itself was uneventful as we got lucky, both planes were empty enough that Gaël got his own seat.

Arriving back in Seattle we found that our renters had left our house in a fairly messy state(they were doctors - apparently the Socratic oath doesn't extend to lodgings). A week of cleaning, a new couch cover, a few bottles of Lysol and things are more or less back to normal. The biggest surprise is always realizing how many "things" we have. Discovering boxes and boxes and boxes that you lived without for a year always gives pause for reflection. That being said, it is wonderful to have my bookshelf back and all our kitchenware.

Quick updates:

Gaël has started daycare here and it is awesome. He is learning all sorts of neat things, like how to put on his own shoes or throw things away. Language is an uphill battle though as he seems to be completely thrown by the English/French thing.

Céline is back at the university teaching and studying. She is teaching French 101 this term which is a nice way to get back into the rhythm of things. She has also been taking advantage of the Amazon Prime unlimited reading program and is tearing through novels and other types of literature. We are both looking forward to returning to some of our favorite happy hours in downtown Seattle.

Myself I am more or less drifting. I am still employed by the same company I worked for in France, but I have taken a short(I hope) leave of absence. The transition has been a bit jarring for me and I am trying to get a vision for what life will look like long term(vocationally and in terms of physical location). Maybe it's fitting that during fall I am meditating on the seasonality of life and trying to look forward to discover the what the next one will hold for me. I am spending most my time walking, reading(mostly about food and animals), writing and cooking.

I hope all of you are well, cowabunga dude,

DJ

PS: To the new members of this list that I have "conscripted" feel free to unsubscribe (also there is an archive of the old messages if you want to see what past ones looked like).