The day dawned bright and
almost cloudless on Tuesday, July 12, but by the time I had gotten ready and
packed all my things for our flight later that day, a steady rain had begun to
fall. From the coziness of the kitchen,
looking out the large windows at the lawn and flowers and pond, I actually
enjoyed watching the rain in this beautiful setting. When we were all ready, we enjoyed a
delicious lunch (including fresh vegetables from the large garden again) before
departing.
The drive to Heathrow went
smoothly, and we had plenty of time at the airport for checking in and security
screening—which was a good thing, since Katya had clearly not thought through
her packing. Instead of putting all her
liquids--including large bottles of shampoo, conditioner, saline solution,
finger polish remover and body wash—in her checked bag, she had left them all in her carry-on. So, of course, her bag had to be opened and
everything had to be inspected and all her liquids had to be thrown in the
trash! (Yes, she is blond.)
The flight to Dulles as
well as the flight to Pittsburgh were uneventful (although there was more
turbulence than usual on the cross Atlantic flight). We arrived at 11 p.m., bleary-eyed, and
picked up a rental car to drive to New Cumberland (WV), the place where I grew
up. Even at that time of night, the air
was warmer than it had been at any time during our stay in the UK; it seemed
like summer at last!
Now, Wednesday and
Thursday have passed. We have spent time
with my dad, gone to Walmart to replenish Katya’s supplies and purchase a few
other things, and packed up for the annual Rodgers family beach vacation in
Ocean City, Maryland.
It is now Friday evening;
we departed for the beach at 10 a.m. this morning, and we have stopped just 30
miles inland for the night. Internet
service is notoriously inadequate at the condominiums we rent, so the next post
may not appear for a week or so.
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