Susan Senator

Ned and Max are watching the end of the Tour de France (on the Internet) and we can see exactly where our hotel was (right across the street from the big ferris wheel in the Tuileries.

It’s bizarre having been there just yesterday. It was a fantastic vacation. I haven’t begun to go through it all in my head; I’ve only just sorted out the billets and receipts and brochures that littered my kitchen counter when I cleaned out my bag. Last night Max showed us the movies of us he had taken all week, and we went through our highlights in his room until we all just fell asleep — at 9 pm. I woke up at 3:30 am, feeling awful, and went downstairs to sleep on the couch, which worked. Sometimes a change of venue is all you need.

After a long plane ride, where time kind of stops, I find myself right back here, home. My thoughts turn to Nat, whom I really want to see. I just spoke to the House, and it made me feel pretty low. Nat’s life is so much consumed by learning now, rather than just kind of random living, which is what he used to do here. It is said that autistics crave consistency and structure, and that is what we are now giving him, by having him live there.

It is the same old thing, though. I don’t know how to know if he’s happy there. I wish things were different. Soon he will be going off to that camp in Colorado, and I can only hope that this is his change of venue that will give him pleasure like we four felt this past week.