Home in Madison

Back in Madison, a bit disoriented from having missed two months in Madison that transitioned from winter to summer. Also a bit jetlagged, but that's to be expected. Flights were uneventful except that we couldn't choose seats for our flights until we got to the airport. Not sure what that was all about, but it meant that we got crappy seats for both flights. The Atlantic crossing from Amsterdam had us sitting (luckily both with aisle seats)in the last row on opposite sides of a jumbo aircraft. But as we were sleeping anyway (or trying to - it's noisy in the back of the plane) it wasn't the end of the world to be separated. Service on this KLM flight was extraordinary - they fed us 3 times and the food was really good. Mike and Browen picked us up at O'Hare and we ate in Milwaukee at a great little restaurant before heading back to Madison. (Mother's and Father's Day treat from Mike.) The trip from Milwaukee to Madison was a bit dicey as we drove almost the whole way in a raging thunderstorm. The weather had been extraordinarily, record-settingly hot - breaking 100 in some places, so the storm was a welcome relief even in its fury. We fell into bed around 10:30 having been up over 24 hours and slept till 4 am and then finally got up shortly after 6 am. It will take a few days for our bodies to adjust back to Central Daylight time. The weather here today is dreary - grey and damp with temps in the 60's. A good day to catch up - unpack, laundry and grocery shopping. We're already lamenting the lack of cheeses at the grocery store and the ordinary bread. And what will we do for olives? But it was good to talk to our Moms and our kids today. We missed that contact while in Europe.

I haven't posted in about a week because we didn't have Internet access from the time we left France. I have a few articles I typed on my computer that I will post next, but I'll have to fill in the gaps and add photos later. I'm really glad I kept this blog during our trip. It is hard to believe, sitting in my living room in Madison, that yesterday I was in Germany and that I spent 2 months living in France. If I could walk through an alternate world portal, I would be on the streets of Thézan this morning doing the marketing and talking to the vegetable and fruit seller and to Nathalie in the butcher shop. I would feel as at home there as I do here. It's strange to think that one can live these two lives from one body. I know this level of remembrance and comfort will fade quickly as I get into the routine of this place, just as my thoughts of Madison were tucked away while I was living in France. But visiting the blog will help me remember and go back. And who knows where our next adventure will take us?