We’ll be arriving in Geneva in about four hours.  Our flight left the gate on time, but was then delayed for almost two hours on the tarmac because of stormy weather and simply because JFK Airport is JFK Airport, which really aspires to be a small town airfield in the middle of nowhere, with only a single operating runway.  Seriously.  But who am I to complain?  I’m on vacation.  After all, we did finally take off.

The girls did pretty well, especially considering the fact that we left the house extra early in order to avoid summer Friday traffic.  That strategy paid off – if one thinks arriving at the airport 4 ½ hours before takeoff a good thing.  We made good use of our extra time by checking into to one of the private airport lounges, where we sat in super comfy leather chairs, ate a few snacks, had a few drinks and enjoyed free Wi-Fi.

All was good in the land of “Up in the Air” (George Clooney is single again, by the way.  I may just have to venture a little further into Italy during our trip to pay him a visit at his villa on Lake Como) until Chloe decided that she needed a new puzzle book (word searches just aren’t her cup of tea, apparently).  And we discovered that Hudson News no longer sells puzzle magazines anywhere in friggin’ terminal 4 at JFK.  They sell plenty of other crap, though.  But no puzzle magazines.  Anywhere.

Chloe was not a happy camper.  Mostly because she didn’t get all of her beauty sleep the previous night and was exhausted.  I chose to ignore her.  She stewed.  She recovered.  And sat next to her father on the plane.  Which was terrific by me.  Because Sophie was a happy camper.  And I got to cuddle with her, which Chloe would never allow me to do, even on a good day.

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On an unrelated note, I realized during the very early morning hours Friday – during yet another bout of insomnia – that it was 20 years ago, almost to the day, that I arrived in Annecy to start my first quasi-real job after college.  Which makes this trip especially special.