So we had to give the little UMs back...Thomas made the long car ride to the Lisbon airport alone with them and was quite sad when he came back. He said he kept thinking of them going off with the airline person, (a person we don't even know!) past the security, out of his view. Oh how they amuse us! And in case there was any doubt, there really is a difference between girls and boys. With girls, there is so little urgency, so little instinct for aggression. Also friends and shell collecting take on such a huge role. They made friends with a little English girl in their class named Spencer (or Simon...Hanna kept getting confused) who lives on a boat. At this point Frederick got interested. Where? What kind of a boat? is it a houseboat or a boat that can sail? None of these details were known by the girls. They just knew she lived on a boat and they wanted her to come for a play date. We don't do play dates in Europe girls, I can barely feed the three of you (F has never asked for a play date in portugal ever). Kate announces she lives 12 hours away from here. BY CAR OR PLANE? asks Frederick. "Car..."
but you can tell she is guessing. Before their tennis lesson we had a ritual of getting iced teas at the snack bar; and like many lines in europe it is chaos. For once I decided to stay out of it, and let them order for themselves. After many minutes i look over and they have not progressed an inch. Every portuguese grandmother and chubby English kid is pushing ahead. Finally Hanna comes over and I think they need more money. Aunt Ellie? yes Hanna? I figured out where Spencer lives! Great Hanna, but what about your place in line? I look over and young Kate is being buffeted around like a paper airplane in a storm...farther and farther from iced tea and their lesson has started. Hanna! why did you get out of line??!!
She lives in Singapore! I just asked her!
Kate is now being trampled, but she just stands there clutching her little five euro note in the air like this will signal something to the iced tea man. Hanna get back in line!!
The funniest was when they went carting...god we laughed. It was like a slow speed chase; a sunday drive rather than a car race. There was one father yelling at his son to OVERTAKE THEM!! OVERTAKE THEM! Kate was ahead because that is just how it started, and the others were too polite to pass her. So round and round they went like they had all day. Finally Hanna very, very gently edged past Kate, then lapped her, then Kate announced she, kate "was ahead again". And Hanna nods! Frederick Schumacher Wehlen, in his self appointed role as sheep herder to his girl cousins, was watching from his line at the real go cart track and was nearly apoplectic at the bonhomie and slowness.
Besides collecting shells and singing along to the Bee Gees (such a bonus for me) they seem to like to name things: they even named a clam shell (picked clean mind you..dainty eaters they are not), 'Shelly' and planned to take it home until the waitress mistakenly assumed otherwise and cleared the plates. Shelly! Thomas almost died laughing. I thought we were going to lose him.
We were a good combination the three Wehlens. I got to be head girl at the boarding school and plan all the fun stuff, while Frederick and Thomas poured over charts of the girls' caloric intake, sleep patterns, irrational fears of sharks in pools; and irrational belief seat belts are optional. Thomas was so flummoxed that Kate got a cold. On his watch! in the summer! I kid you not he kept analyzing the temperature and scratching his head. It does not make sense! It is almost impossible to transfer bacteria at this temperature!!!
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| girls with BFF Spencer (or maybe it was Simon) from Singapore |
