Perpetual Change

I am sorry

Everything is fine, thanks for checking on me all of you. I really have no excuse so I am sorry.

First, I worked a week in Tuscany, went for 3 days to visit a friends family in southern Italy. Train-road at the last minute up to the Czech Republic. Familiarized myself for 3 long and busy driving days with the trip. Train-road immediately after dropping off my van to Frankfurt, paid an exorbitant amount, and flew to Chicago 2 days earlier.

There I had a wonderful time with my Dad's extended family, particularly with my Uncle Rob's family, who so graciously hosted my early arrival, and my Uncle Tom's family who sent me off in style. And then, there was the big family reunion in the middle, where we barbecued, and played volleyball and ping pong and went swimming and jet skiing on the lake. It was great fun.

But immediately after it, I flew to Frankfurt, had problems, but got to Prague on time and went to sleep. The next morning I greeted 8 guests on my first trip to the region and explained the logistics as we bussed down to meet my other co-leader (we had met for about 10 minutes previously) and the guests' bikes. It all went off without a hitch and they never knew that I was fresh arrived, in either sense. It was a great trip with a great co-leader.

So that was my excuse for the last month, but now I have had 8 days off. I slept the first few. Then bike road in the Czech hills a lot, along with cooking, visiting Prague for the day, getting to know the local town better, and taking German and Czech (very close to Ukrainian) classes. Plus I read Dante's Inferno. So it isn't that I haven't been busy, but I could have made myself write. I am sorry. I have stayed away from the computer like a plague for the last week and now I go out on two trips of a week each with 26 people on each! That is 6 families, or roughly 15 kids! Yikes!

I hope I survive.

P.S. When I do get back, I have some more notes on all these adventures that I have to type up.

posted by jjs @ 6:01 AM