Sorry to have left you hanging. We spent our last days in City Bell with extended goodbyes, parties at the children’s school (they were selected as the ones to lower the flag in the end-of-the-day ceremony), marveling at the amount of stuff that we’d accumulated in just 12 weeks, packing it up to give to Mari or return with us, walking around town to see things one last time, and all the while shivering because it had just turned frigid.
Eventually we did indeed make it home to California, all in one piece (or many pieces, of luggage). I have never loved living in Redlands as much as I did last Sunday afternoon, with some friends meeting us at the airport and others waiting for us at home with a lunch to share. It was warm and sunny in every meaning of the words. My most common response to the “How was Argentina?” question is, “Wonderful, with a current of inconveniences running throughout.”
Meanwhile, I can’t believe how quickly our calendars have been filling and how much mail we accumulated. Each day we must try and remember how nice it was to have simplified things for a while. For three months there we managed to go without a car. While we were away, gasoline prices here have soared to $4.35/gallon and they’re pennies higher EVERY DAY. We will change our habits. We must change our habits.
One highlight of the week has been the short phrases and sentences in Spanish that the children have been using. Even the kid who was most resistant to being there from Day 1!
Thanks for reading. This blog is likely to be re-purposed for topics more related to mapping, but I’ll be sure to let you know when the next extended trip will occur. However probably not Argentina 3…
diana maps 