July - back to California!

We're home!! there is nothing like going off to explore, experience and discover to make one very much appreciate all the beauty there is just around the corner at home.

From looking closely and with open eyes at all the wonderful things OUT THERE, we've come back with renewed vision to look around all that is RIGHT HERE. Of all the trips I've taken, I have never returned with such a warm feeling for the place I live, and I think Anna, Michael and I all have this odd combination of appreciating the familiarity of neighborhood and house while continuing to experience days as if we are travelers soaking up all the interesting things that happen around us. I'm sure this sense of wonder will fade, but I am hoping that it will hold for a bit and that perhaps the photos, journals, and stories shared will remind us of these five months we've spent learning and living together.

Our last day in England was spent packing and sorting out documents, of course, but mostly enjoying some last opportunities to play, go to the park, purchase some yummy biscuits and Cadbury's, and have a delicious roast chicken and yorkshire pudding Sunday dinner, combined with cheeseburgers off the grill - a mixture of the best of American and English cuisine cooked by chefs Michelle and Bill. Michelle's family came to say 'goodbye', and most importantly so we could say 'thank you' for all the support and love they gave to us while we were on our trip.

And Michael was able to have one more 99 Flake, for which he proudly used his own money that he had saved up.

We had a very early rising on Monday, leaving the house before 7am with ten suit

cases, one guitar, one harp, one large camera bag, and one big bear. We walked up the street

to the train station, waving farewell to Michelle and Benjamin who had gotten up so early to see us off. Then we started the first leg of a long 24 hour, door-to-door journey, on the tube across London, from the furthest eastern point to the furthest in the west. The plane trip was uneventful, but tiring. We changed planes in Toronto and Bill was scheduled to take a later transfer; since he couldn't get on ours we let Anna and Michael get bumped to his flight and earned another 400 mile voucher. Now we are definitely set for our next adventure!

On our flight Harlowe and I chatted a bit about the last few months, things we both had learned and how we've changed. But that proved a bit too deep, so after awhile we just shrugged and decided to watch '17 Again' for the third time of the day. Air Canada has a great selection of movies, music and TV to individually choose from, and sadly Zac Efron kept calling us back....

It was warm when we arrived late Monday evening, California time. We sighed happily and soaked up the balmy weather, changing into shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops the minute we walked into the house. It's been 90degrees and Michael has been in the pool non-stop. Harlowe's friends arrived within about ten minutes of us being home, and Anna has already had a sleepover. And I knew I was back to 'normal' life when that normal life found me at 3am on Tuesday waiting outside the local movie theatre to take Harlowe and her three friends home from the new 'Harry

Potter' movie.

I asked Anna and Michael what their favorite parts of the trip were and which was their favorite photo. Michael's favorite countries were Turkey, Spain and England, and the most memorable thing of all to him were the ponds built into the atriums of the Roman houses at Pompeii. He thought that they were such a good idea, and he was especially proud that he figured out why the ceilings all slanted before we even saw the little interior ponds. His favorite photo is of the three of us at dinner on Santorini where he had his first lamb chop. He reminded me that the chef/owner was so kind and kept bringing us more and more food, and me more and more wine. We laughed hard that night, and the food was sooooo delicious. I'm glad he remembers this.

What a treat it has been to discover what easy and enjoyable traveling companions Michael and Anna are. Our journeys and adventures aren't ending, we're off to Tahoe this Sunday for a week of hiking and canoeing, but it's time for this blog to come to its conclusion; time to spend a little less time reporting and more time in the moment. Thank you for letting us share our adventures in Europe this year with you!