As we get older, some of us reflect on what we might have done wrong over the course of our lives

[DFW]

My wife and I are currently taking a very strenuous week down in Königstein, in the Taunus hills north of Frankfurt, to take care of our four grandchildren. At ages 1½, 3½ (the two boys from New York), 4 and 6 (the two girls from Königstein), they are more than a handful. More like an oil tanker full. All intelligent, demanding, and, unfortunately, tireless. There is, obviously, a reason for this. Our two daughters and their men, plus about 50 friends of my younger daughter's S.O. are celebrating his 50th birthday. In the Maldives.

My daughter makes about five times as much as I do, and he makes about three times as much as she does. They can easily afford little expeditions like this. They chartered a 737-300, which left Frankfurt Wednesday night. It had two refueling stops, one in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the other in India somewhere. After 12 hours, they landed in Male, and got on a boat that brought them to the island they had rented for the short week. They return Tuesday.

Now, we have never been to the Maldives, but we have seen enough photos and get the idea. This is where people who live in paradise go for vacations. It is -3° C here, and there is snow on the ground. The sidewalks and the streets are icy. To make sure we knew our children are doing better than their parents (the younger one paid for her sister and family to come over from New York), they sent us a couple of photos. There will be more. We already got a short video clip (no idea how to post that) of a manta ray flying underwater beneath their villa on stilts (no idea which one they're in). If the grandchildren ever give us a moment's peace, we will start plotting our revenge.