In the picture above, Geoff Kittredge, partner with Debevoise and Plimpton, sits at the table, working at home before trotting off to an afternoon meeting. The next morning, he hopped a train to Brussels for another meeting as casually as I might stroll to Downtown Asheville. Behind him in the black dress is his wife Susan, also an attorney who last worked for the UN. She is the mother of Lyndon, age 7, and Raffie, age 2. The other woman is Isabel, a native of Lyons in France who helps here twice a week. Like most of you parents reading this post, the Kittredges lead very busy lives.
To Susan and Geoff I owe a great deal of thanks for their gracious hospitality here. This is a man I haven’t seen in thirty years. He and Susan took me into their home and treated me as if we were long-time acquaintances. They had a driver meet John and me late Sunday night at Heathrow. They have given us all sorts of tips on getting about in London. They have poured copious drinks for us when we returned in the evenings and put up with our many questions, all in spite of very busy schedules. (Isabel, I am loathe to admit, even did my laundry. She insisted—actually, commanded—and I obeyed).
Susan’s family is from California, Geoff’s from the New York/New Jersey area. Both children possess the accents of their English peers and teachers rather than those of their parents. They have all traveled extensively, from Vietnam to frequent trips to the continent, and still own an apartment in Geneva, where Susan lived before she and Geoff married.
Their home begins with a basement with a laundry room, a bathroom, a playroom, and an extra bedroom. Up the steps is the kitchen and large dining room. Half a flight up is another bathroom. On the next floor is Susan’s study, where I have slept (Thank you again, Susan) and a fine living room with enormous windows. Upstairs are the bedrooms for Susan, Geoff, and the boys. On top of this house is a deck. Behind it is a tiny courtyard with outdoor toys for the boys.
When John and I returned to the Holland Station from our four-day outing to Stratford-upon-Avon, Haworth, and Edinburgh, we emerged from the tube, looked at each other, and almost simultaneously said, “It’s good to be home.”
And that is how the Kittredges have made us feel. They’ve made their home our home.
When traveling, it doesn’t get any better than that.
Susan’s family is from California, Geoff’s from the New York/New Jersey area. Both children possess the accents of their English peers and teachers rather than those of their parents. They have all traveled extensively, from Vietnam to frequent trips to the continent, and still own an apartment in Geneva, where Susan lived before she and Geoff married.
Their home begins with a basement with a laundry room, a bathroom, a playroom, and an extra bedroom. Up the steps is the kitchen and large dining room. Half a flight up is another bathroom. On the next floor is Susan’s study, where I have slept (Thank you again, Susan) and a fine living room with enormous windows. Upstairs are the bedrooms for Susan, Geoff, and the boys. On top of this house is a deck. Behind it is a tiny courtyard with outdoor toys for the boys.
When John and I returned to the Holland Station from our four-day outing to Stratford-upon-Avon, Haworth, and Edinburgh, we emerged from the tube, looked at each other, and almost simultaneously said, “It’s good to be home.”
And that is how the Kittredges have made us feel. They’ve made their home our home.
When traveling, it doesn’t get any better than that.
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