Uncle 'Eko Antics

Things are pretty busy around here anyway, but when uncle 'Eko comes into town they get even busier. There's a bit of the "show him new places", and the "we want him to feel special" and then the "it's great to have him around" and also the "we have things to do so he'll come with us" too. Put it all together and poor Aleko, fresh off the plane and not well-adjusted to seven time zone differences, was doing a bit of running here and there. The girls were thrilled to have him around and it was with tears that they said goodbye. He didn't see them, though. They came as we got into the car to go out to dinner, when the girls realized that there is no third person in the back seat with them.

The weekend began, practically off the plane, with a team dinner in honor of daddy's basketball team. It was enjoyed thoroughly and Amalia, in particular, was a big success sitting on laps and clapping games.  Both girls were treated, as is not customary, as the stars of the team. 'Eko did the best he could to hang in there with the loud crowd and focused on the dumplings and spinach in soy sauce. Pretty yummy stuff. 

From there on it was a number of outings to places as diverse as Shangi-la's brunch buffet or the local hawker stalls down the street. The Thai food at the stalls in the final night, it seemed, was the winner in the food department, though the outing for some good old fashioned European bear earlier didn't dampen the spirits one bit. 

This was a bit of a different trip. Uncle 'Eko seemed to be more involved, not quite as 'running around' as he often is. So we enjoyed his presence to the fullest, from storytelling to playing with the girls. The biggest adjustment for him, apart from dealing with younger crowds, was the heat. He seemed to also enjoy the work environment when he visited daddy on campus for a short while. But now, he's off to bigger and better things, starting a new just in a few weeks. Thank you for the visit, 'Eko. We love you!