The Discreet Joy of Having a Grand-Daughter in Seattle

12/2/2013

Photo by 3/5

Nobody likes getting a call at three in the morning. Too many bad options.

I heard my cell phone rattling on the nightstand, the night before Thanksgiving. My wife was next to me, but the question remained: What?

It’s one of those old clamshell phones. (I cannot figure out Mr. Jobs’ gizmos.)

I clawed it open.

The message was a photograph of a flower in the frost.

It was from Grandchild 3/5. Given the size of this great land of ours, I don’t see 3/5 that often. A message is welcome.

I pecked out a response: Where?

She has a much faster keyboard than I do.

Discovery Park, she replied.

You have a good eye, I typed.

Thanks, Pop.

By now I was actually awake. She had outlasted everybody in her household, residents and visitors, and besides, she is something of a night owl. I thought I would toss out a subtle reminder of the situation.

You know it’s 3 AM here.

This did not seem to faze her.

Yeah, she replied. It’s 12 o’clock here.

I liked her style. It reminded me of six years ago when I received a call around 4:30 in the morning from Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, CH KBE, the great runner who was head of the London Olympic Committee for 2012. Lord Coe had come into the office bright and early and asked his assistant to get me on the phone, which she did. He had a lot on his mind. He was abashed, but we conducted business, no problem, and when we finally met in Beijing in 2008, he apologized again. I thought it was very cool to be able to joke with a lord about an early wake-up call.

Grandchild 3/5 did not apologize. Time zones or not, she can text me any time.

Plus, she has a good eye.

Drawing by 3/5

AlanRubin link

12/2/2013 09:22:05 am

George

Grandparents/grandchildren operate with a special set of rules which function better when not interrupted by parents. I do not see anything unusual with 3/5's call.

You might want to take the technical leap to a smartphone if for no other reason than texting with the grandkids, is less noisy than a conventional phone..

Two years ago when our 3/3 was 11, I received a text that she was made goalie of her soccer team and could I come out to give her some instruction. She even set up a weekend clinic for a few of her friends who were goalies on other teams. When I spoke to my daughter to clear the weekend, she knew nothing about it.

I was teaching my OLLI soccer class, which was Friday mornings. I caught a 2 PM flight from Albany, NY to Madison, WI.

It looks like 3/5 gets her artistic skills from her grandmother.

My Park Slope based 2/3 is also artistic. I'm a member of the Berkshire Museum Camera Club in Pittsfield, which holds monthly contests for B&W and color prints and digital images.

Olivia joined last year as she was getting into photography. Since she does not have a photo editing program, I prepare her images to the clubs requirements. I'll crop her images several ways and she makes the final choice.

I figured that this would be a good way for her to improve her perspective, and to develop a common interest. I did not expect her to win "best image of the year" in the regular category, but I was not surprised.

George Vecsey

12/3/2013 12:45:44 am

Alan, you are absolutely right. It's a nice relationship. See you Wednesday? GV

Suzanne

12/2/2013 12:15:02 pm

I follow 3/5 on Instagram and I agree, she really does have a great eye for beauty.

George Vecsey

12/3/2013 12:44:09 am

Suzanne: What is this Instagram? G

Diane Tuman link

12/4/2013 08:25:30 am

I think I like this new nickname that seems to be forming: "3/5".

Ed Martin

12/5/2013 05:50:48 am

I was able to post the lovely photo and article on my Facebook newsline, where the link picked up additional admirers. Ciao

George Vecsey

12/5/2013 06:59:35 am

Ed,, thanks, I don't do Facebook but a few of the usual suspects on this site surely do.
GV

Andrew Tansey

12/6/2013 11:25:12 pm

1. Great photo!

2. I love the conversation. "Yeah, It's 12 o'clock here." At least she said "Yeah." Some of my correspondents might've said "Duh!"

3. In my line of work, there are no particular time limits for being productive. When we first started using E-mail, it didn't matter when a message was sent. I might get a comment the next day from someone who read the sending time about my odd hours, but that was all. Then I began to realize that people with smart phones might hear my message arrive. I would never make a phone call after 9:30 p.m. My mother would ground me! Now I wonder whether the etiquette is not to send E-mails after hours because the recipient's phone might chirp, buzz, bark, play a riff or rattle. I've been assured by my smarter phone correspondents that there's no such etiquette; they can set their phones to stun or turn them off. Nevertheless, now I usually save my latest thinking in draft and send it the next day - or whenever I find it in my saved drafts.

4. "Clam-shell." I call mine a "way-cool flip phone."

George Vecsey

12/7/2013 12:33:28 am

Mr. T, nice to hear from you.
That sounds like a case for the NYT Ethicist.
But I think whoever is advising you in these grave matters is on the right track.
GV

Chemicals Manufacturers link

1/9/2014 01:29:44 pm

It is also useful to maintain a back-up US supplier.

Comments are closed.

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The Discreet Joy of Having a Grand-Daughter in Seattle

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