DAY 30: Journey's End

July 15

For pioneers crossing the Great Basin, the Sierra Nevada Mountains were the last, great, daunting obstacle before they reached the promised land of California. For us, they were a welcome sight, a grand, glorious welcome home from the Golden State. As one last attempt to help the kids understand what it must have been like for their forbears, who made the trip without DVDs, air conditioning, cars, roads or even food, we visited the Emigrant Trail Museum and the Pioneer Monument at Donner Memorial State Park.


From Donner Pass, we made the familiar drive across the state, and soon were emerging from the Caldicott Tunnel into a sunny Oakland afternoon. We had done it. We had traveled half way around the world in 30 days.

DAY 29: The Great Basin

July 14

This was the last of our hard-driving days. After a make-your-own-waffles breakfast at the Best Western in Price, Utah, we crossed Utah's Wasach Mountain Range on Highway 6, and rejoined the Interstate Highway System at I-15N. After a flying glance at Salt Lake City, we headed west on I-80 past the Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats and into Nevada. We stopped for gas in Wendover, and again in Lovelock, the childhood home of family friend George Loorz, and reached the home of Hilary and Jack Vonich in Reno at six. Hilary was a friend and neighbor of ours in Oakland, and we all served on the First Covenant Church Urban Outreach ministry team the summer of 1985. We had a chance to speak to the Vonich's Bible Study group that evening, and our kids instantly befriended their kids, Paden and Cate.

DAY 28: Into the Land of Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote

July 13

This morning, with great reluctance, we said goodbye to Keystone, with its resident and migratory population of Granties and Gruncles, and headed west over Vail Pass, down Glenwood Canyon and out into the Great Basin. We had decided that the day's drive was a light one, and we could afford a detour down Highway 128, the "Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway," to Arches National Park.

We told the kids that there would be no movies played that day, to keep them looking at the country as we listened to books on tape instead. We had, in any case, been unable to find any Road Runner and Coyote cartoons on DVD, and knowledge of Looney Tunes is a definite gap in the Cultural Literacy of our Third Culture kids. They were left to admire the beauty of the Balanced Rock on its own merits, without pondering how to knock it off its pedestal and crown a passing roadrunner.

DAY 27: A Visit to the Keystone Science School

July 12

This day was a down day, which means a laundry day. The kids enjoyed spending time in the pool and looking for beaver dams along the Snake River. In the afternoon, we visited the Keystone Science School, a mile down the Snake River from Grauntie Joan and Gruncle Bill's house. The occasion was the dedication of the Science School's new Observatory and Yurt. I'm not sure why Yurts are all the rage in Keystone, but you'll see more of them here than in Kyrgyzstan. The Observatory was named for Bob Craig, the founder of The Keystone Center, which in turn spawned the Science School. The anonymous donor who chose to honor Mr Craig in this was, of course, none other than Joan.

Even in the bright daylight, filters on the telescope made Venus visible to Andrew.

After touring the Science School's Museum, and learning about how the Pine Beetle is managing to so devastate the local forests (and what should or should not be done), we took at look at one of the School's 32-bed dormitories, Henry Hall.

It was named for Todd's maternal grandmother, Kitt Daniels, and there is a painting of her on the wall in the entry. Joan, for reasons I never understood, called her mother "Henry," so that's the name she gave to the dorm.

DAY 26: Katie turns Five!

July 11

For the second year in a row, Katie celebrated her birthday at the home of her Grauntie Joan. (Grauntie = Great Aunt; Gruncle = Great Uncle. Note to OED editors--Joan herself coined these terms.) Her haul for the day included a bag of polished semi-precious stones from Grauntie Helene and Grunkle Larry.
Her cake was designed in light of her road trip to California, and gave us some design ideas for the Silver Bullet. She blew out her five candles in only three tries.

After the cake, the kids moved to the deck to roast marshmallows.

DAY 25: Crossing the Great Plains

July 10

This was the longest driving day of the whole trip: 863 miles in 12 hours 22 minutes of driving time predicted GoogleMap. It was also the first day that we used the onboard navigation computer on our minivan, the Silver Bullet. It calculated a route that was two miles shorter, and took 40 minutes longer to drive. The onboard computer has every house and road in America programmed in, but doesn't have the speed limit information that Google has. It did take us along part of the Iowa "Scenic Byway" or something like that, so that time wasn't totally wasted. Iowa really does have some of the lovliest farm country to drive through.

Soon, though, we had crossed the Mississippi River into Nebraska, and a mere five hours later, having crossed the Missouri and the Platte Rivers while in Nebraska, were on the plains of Eastern Colorado. The kids, of course, were oblivious to the scenery, as they had the DVD player going non-stop. We did pause the player so they could watch a gorgeous sunset over the Rockies.

A couple hours short of midnight, we reached another major crossroads on the trip, the Continental Divide, which we reached on Loveland Pass, the highest paved road pass in the Rockies. (It was too dark and cold for a photo when we crossed, so we went up the next day to snap this one.) The real highlight of the day came about 300 yards below the Summit of Loveland Pass, when we came across a family of shaggy white Mountain Goats, drinking from a rivulet of snowmelt by the side of the road. Four adults, and two little kids. Shy as they are, they allowed us to come within 15 feet of them, which was pretty amazing. Unfortunately, 15 feet is more than the range of our camera flash. Half an hour later, we arrived at "Bear Maximum," the home of Todd's aunt Joan and uncle Bill. We were also pleased to learn that Todd's uncle Larry and aunt Helene would also be there.

DAY 24: Tornado Tourists.

July 9


After breakfast, we head out for a tour of natural disaster damage. We begin with the flood damage to the town of New Hartford. Then it is a brief stop at Steve’s house before heading with the whole family to Bret’s house.

We then stop by unannounced at the farm where my mother grew up. The house that my grandfather built was not in the path of destruction, but they did find a great deal of debris and wreckage in their yard and fields. I stopped here for a visit when I drove through town 12 years ago on my last drive across the country. Then I was impressed by how well maintained the farm was and by how charming the young family that had taken it over. They were sitting outside by a wading pool and their young toddler was busy throwing his shoes in the water. Twelve years later we drive up and I see a boy that looks about 13 riding the mower around the extensive front lawn. When we park and get out, Steve Koop, who owns the farm walks up and greets us. He asks “You look familiar. Have you been here before?” I can’t believe he remembers. The Koops are as friendly and hospitable as ever and stronger by two more kids. They invite us in and show us the features of the house that my grandfather built and they have lovingly refurbished. Then outside to meet the calf, the goats and to climb on the new combine.

There is a large friendly dog named Lucky, and so Andrew, who has an irrational fear of dogs tours the grounds on Todd’s back. There are also two friendly and affectionate kittens who follow us much to the delight of Christopher and Katie. Steve proudly points out that it is my grandfather who was the first in the area to terrace his farm and thus was a sort of pioneer in soil conservation. Steve also is interested in environmentally friendly farming and is proud of his choices of crops and pesticides. It is wonderfully reassuring to know that the farm is in the care of such likable and like-minded people.
Reverse Culture Shock Moment: At one point Steve offers the kids some pop and Christopher says “Sure, what’s pop?” He probably would have had the same reaction had he been offered a soda, and it makes us all laugh.
Then over to the town of Parkersburg where the damage is unbelievable! I have seen tornado damage before and I was struck then by how capricious a tornado can be. It touches down here, then there, striking one house, then lifting up and passing over the next to strike the third. Parkersburg was different. This was no capricious, fickle tornado. This tornado was serious and hell-bent on destroying everything in its very wide path. Every single house on both sides of the highway is completely leveled. One block over the houses are badly damaged and it is unclear whether they can be repaired. Another block over and things seem completely fine, though some houses have a broken window or two. It is as if a gigantic tank has plowed through the town squashing everything. The kids proclaim it “Spooky!” and that pretty well sums it up.

We go back to Steve’s house where Elizabeth and her mother are waiting to go swimming. They come back to our hotel and the kids enjoy a very well earned afternoon of play in the pool. We have dinner again at Steve and Pat’s and we stay way too late catching fireflies and enjoying the beautiful Iowa sunset with family. It’s too hard to leave even though tomorrow is an insanely long driving day.

DAY 23: We Reach Land's End

July 8

We say good-bye to Kevin and Bekah as they head off to work, and then we pack up the car for another day on the road. Todd yesterday e-mailed a high school friend who is working in Dodgeville for Land's End, which is directly on our path to Iowa. In the morning, Alan writes back that he IS in town and can see us for lunch today. Nothing like giving someone a little advance notice! A few hours later we see Alan’s smiling face on the steps of Land’s End.

The kids are getting used to meeting this endless string of “Friends of Mommy and Daddy” and love having a fresh audience for all of their tales (some on the tall side) of their adventures. Thanks Alan!

Halfway to Iowa and we are making great time today. We arrive at the hotel in Cedar Falls a half hour sooner than expected but my mom is already in her room waiting for us. The kids are absolutely thrilled to see her. Much as they have enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends, they are VERY glad to have their very own Grandma Darlin’ with them now. All is well.

We head out together to my Uncle Steve’s house where dinner and family await. Katie has a special treat. My cousin Todd has a daughter named Elizabeth who is 10 days older than Katie. As we pull up in the driveway, Elizabeth runs out to meet us and she and Katie are instantly best friends. They run off together and we will hardly see them apart for 2 days. The boys, too, are enjoying running around, catching fireflies, and enjoying the wide open spaces after so many years living in a high rise apartment and then so many days strapped into the car. It is a wonderful, relaxing evening with family!

After dinner, Renee, my cousin Bret’s wife, takes my mom, Christopher and myself over to her house for a grand tour. We have noticed on the way in the gaping holes where houses used to stand until the tornado came through about 6 weeks ago. On the way to Bret’s house we look up at the hillside and can see the path the tornado took. It is about a mile wide and there are skeletons of trees and piles of burning rubble reminiscent of war movies. Volunteers have been combing the fields for weeks and what cannot be salvaged has been put into a pile and burned. We pass on the way the Quonset hut where my cousin Bret and his son-in-law Matt found refuge during the storm. There is a big dent in the side where something really heavy hit it and it is missing the front door, but otherwise it is intact. Bret’s house, however, is gone with the wind. Christopher asks “Where is the house?” and we just point to the fields towards the North. The foundation and front steps remain, and so do the lily bushes which are in full bloom, but otherwise there is nothing. Had Bret and Matt found refuge in the house instead of the Quonset hut, there is no way they would have survived. We are so thankful that as bad as the storm was, no one in our family was injured!

Back at Steve’s house, Christopher captures a couple of fireflies he is determined to keep as pets. I doubt they will survive the trip to Colorado, but for now he is happy and settles down to sleep with the jar tucked in by his head.

DAY 22: Return to North Park

July 7

In the morning, the stresses of yesterday’s drive have diminished if not faded altogether. I contact my friend Francesca, whom I have not seen in close to 11 years. She is working at Northeastern Illinois University which is conveniently located next to North Park University, my alma mater. So, we agree to meet for lunch at the Swedish Restaurant right across the street from my freshman dorm. It is great to reconnect with Francesca and the kids are still so exhausted from yesterday that they sit flopped in their seats and are quiet while the adults get caught up. Again, the time is all too brief, but now that we are on the same continent I am hoping that I won’t have to wait 11 years to reconnect again.

We say good-bye to Francesca and then take a tour of North Park.

It has changed a lot since I have seen it last, but all for the better. It also retains enough of it’s former self that it is not too disorienting. The kids are tired, but we reassure them that it is a small school, and so it won’t take long. Back to Kenosha in time for Todd and Kevin (Bekah’s husband) to take the kids to the beach while Bekah and I can relax and chat. Kevin, God bless him, has picked up Giordano’s pizza on the way home so we feast in grand style. We get the kids to bed and then Kevin runs us to Blockbuster to replenish our DVD stores for the long drives ahead. Thank you Kevin, aka the DVD Fairy! Our kids have sung your praises across several states! We have clean clothes and a well equipped car and we are ready to head off to Tornado Alley tomorrow.

DAY 21: Niagara Falls to Kenosha Wisconsin

July 6

We wake up in plenty of time to take advantage of the minimal breakfast the hotel offers and get to the Maid of the Mist before the crowds. How unlike the Ellis Island misfit operation! There is evidence everywhere of crowd control minus the huge crowds. We are ushered quickly through the system, given our raincoats and miss being on board the first boat only because we were dawdling and admiring the view. While we waited for the second boat of the day, the guide entertained us with stories and interesting facts about the Falls. Andrew is reluctant to board because he is under the impression that we will be going under the Falls. He agrees to go along, but I can tell he is a little unsure of it all. It is breathtaking and he is glad of his decision when it is all over.

It is running late, and we are debating whether to go into the tunnels under the Falls, but Christopher really wants to do it. It is another pretty amazing view and we get even wetter.
After 3 hot days in NYC, the cool wet mist from Niagara is very refreshing.

We finally are clicked into our seatbelts and ready for the long drive to Kenosha at about noon. It is much later than we intended and we have a long drive ahead of us. Oh, we are so grateful for the built-in DVD player in the car. We can’t watch the movies in the front seat, but we will listen to the soundtracks of the 3 movies we have over and over again over the course of the day and the kids are quiet except for the occasional giggle. It does take a certain amount of concentration to focus on the road while hearing Looney Tunes sound effects coming from the back seat. We do not have a map, and so we are at the mercy of the Google directions, but they do not fail and after a long drive across Ontario we prepare to enter the US again. There is an amazingly long line at the border which slows us down by about an hour and a half. Just as we approach the actual border, a group of US border agents rush out of the office heading toward a gate about 6 lanes over. All the lanes are stopped now and nobody is moving. Five minutes later the agents are back leading first one man in handcuffs, then a woman, then another woman. It is mildly diverting little moment, but we have lost a lot of time on a day we can ill afford it. Things are fine through Michigan, but when we hit Indiana traffic again comes to a complete halt. Returning holiday traffic combined with endless road construction means we are slowed for another hour and a half in bumper to bumper traffic. It is late as we pass through Chicago and then on to Kenosha finally arriving at my friend Bekah’s house around midnight. Bless her heart, she is still waiting up for us! We get our sleepy brood settled and then relax a little with Bekah before turning in ourselves. At this point no one is interested in ever getting into a car again, but for now, we don’t have to think about it and we settle into our cozy beds and rest.

DAY 20: Drive to Niagara Falls

It is the maiden voyage of the Silver Bullet and as Todd drives I am studying the Owner’s Manual to figure out all the bells and whistles, which are numerous. We found a set of the entire Chronicles of Narnia on CD at the Strand Bookstore, so the kids are kept busy for awhile listening to tales of Narnia. We are planning to stop along the way to visit the Foresmans, friends of ours from Moscow, who are summering at their house along the finger lakes. 10 minutes from their house, along a very windy farm road Andrew announces he is car sick and 2 seconds later the car is officially baptized into the family. We limp into the driveway at the Foresmans and while the kids take a swim, Luda gives me some disinfectant and a roll of paper towels and I get to work on the car.
Even so, it is great to see familiar Moscow faces again. Luda’s mother has made us some homemade chicken noodle soup and Bob offers me the ultra comfortable lounge chair with the view of the lake. We would love to stay much longer as we are enjoying hanging out with fun friends in a beautiful setting, but Niagara Falls awaits us about 2 hours away.
Todd has booked us a room in the Travel Lodge close to the falls on the Canada side. I did not realize just how truly tacky the strip at Niagara Falls is. It is like staying above the wax museum on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Loud, too. But the room is clean and we are about a block and a half from the Falls, so we take a quick peek before bed. They are decidedly not tacky, but rather spectacular and we are looking forward to a closer view in daylight.

DAY 19: Happy Birthday America!

July 4

New York has promised us the largest fireworks spectacle in the country and the only question is whether we have the stamina to stay awake long enough to view them. We begin our day on the subway to the American Museum of Natural History. We are getting used to the subways but they are very different from the Moscow Metro. The most rundown of stations in Moscow seems palatial compared to the New York version. Moscow also has bright, color-coded maps posted in every station and on every car. The system is also fairly straightforward, with no express trains to worry about. In contrast, though, New Yorkers that ride the subway are very friendly and helpful. We are making friends on every ride and having a great time. By day 3 we almost have the NY system figured out and are slowed down only slightly by the fact that the B train, which will take us directly from our Brooklyn neighborhood to the front door of the Museum doesn’t run on weekends or holidays.
Huge dinosaurs, stuffed animals, cool artifacts, the kids are in paradise.

The kids really want to see the Central Park Zoo, after seeing the movie Madagascar. We are not sure we are going to get there before it closes and we are way too tired to hurry so we begin to meander through the park anyway, to see what we can find on the way. What we find is a lake that has row boat rentals. An hour of floating on a pond in the middle of Central Park was a pretty good way to spend the 4th of July.

We also find cool statues to climb on. And we find the Zoo, but it is definitely closed. A map of the zoo reveals that there is no lion, zebra, giraffe or hippo in the zoo, so it is not as if we have missed much.
It is beginning to rain, we are all tired and it doesn’t seem like we are up to the fireworks. As we turn a corner in the park though, I catch sight of fireflies along the path. Christopher has read about fireflies, but I don’t think Andrew or Katie even knew such a creature existed. Certainly none of the kids have ever seen one and they are spell-bound. In the fading light of day, in a quiet corner of the park, it was a magical moment. We decide then to head back to Brooklyn and enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of the sofa. We stop on the way to buy some Jiffy Pop and ice cream to enjoy with the show. It is spectacular, but all the better to be able to go to bed as soon as it is over. We have pushed ourselves hard and seen a lot, but it is time to say good-bye to NYC and see the rest of the US.

DAY 18: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

July 3

We are off to a slow and sleepy start this morning. Todd has very cleverly reserved tickets on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty at 2:30 in the afternoon so we can afford to sleep in and then have a nice lunch with another of Todd’s college friends, Dean. On the way to lunch we manage to stop at the Strand bookstore and load up on discounted kids books and movies. We will be very grateful for the movies in a few days as we begin the road trip part of our venture. For now, though, Katie’s stroller is quite loaded down.

By 2:00 we are in Battery Park ready for the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Experience. We are feeling very smug that we booked our tickets in advance, passing the throngs of those who foolishly tried to show up on July 3 without reservations. Our grins will soon fade though, as the reservations seemed to matter very little. We are stuck in a security throng (I will not use the word line, as lines were not much a part of our experience. We say very little of anything so orderly as a line and much more of mad crushing hordes.) behind an elderly gentleman that is suspected of hiding weapons in his cane and thus we miss our boat to the island. We follow the masses to the waiting area for the boat and wait in 90 degree heat in an unventilated tent for 45 minutes for the next one. One woman does finally threaten to collapse and so they pull her out of the horde so she can get some fresh air. I am surprised that she is the only one to succumb as the air is stifling. The crowd is very restless and angry by the time the ferry pulls up and no one is inclined to be courteous to those with strollers or small children. It is very ugly.

We arrive at the Statue of Liberty, fight our way off the ferry and get a lovely close up peek at the beautiful green lady. Then my gaze falls upon the line, yes an actual line, for the second ferry to Ellis Island. Ellis Island is actually where I want to be, since the furthest you can go into the statue is up to the base. But Todd and the kids have never been here before and it’s one of those things you just have to do. So Todd and the kids head off into the monument

and I trek off to the find the end of the line, which seems to loop around the island a few times. By now, we are seriously in danger of missing a visit to Ellis Island as the last boats of the day don’t allow visitors to get off there. It is about 4:45 when Todd and the kids arrive from their jaunt, a little disappointed that there was so little to see, but they are just in time to meet the ferry. We push and shove our way aboard, because the line by now has disintegrated, and in a few minutes we pull up to Ellis Island.

5pm and the museum closes at 6, so we have just an hour to sprint through, what is a very fine museum and one that I am sure will be meaningful to both Todd and the kids. We race up the steps, pick up our audio guides and are just about to hit the play button when a guard announces that they are clearing the building. Apparently, although we have gone through extensive security before we boarded the only boat that brings visitors on the island, an unattended stroller in the gift shop is worthy of a complete evacuation of the building. We are stuck, useless audio guides hanging around our necks for 30 minutes while bomb sniffing dogs determine that the diaper bag hanging off the stroller contains nothing more potent than a bag of wipes and some stale Cheerios.

So, now we are down to half an hour in one of my favorite museums. The kids are hot, tired and cranky and not in the mood to appreciate much of anything. We all do our best, but all too soon the tired and cranky guards start yelling at us to get out and get in the throng to board the last ferry to Manhattan. They will not let anyone sit on the lawn, of tour the gardens while we wait the ten minutes it takes for the ferry to come, but instead we huddle together on the hot concrete and grumble some more.

A complete boondoggle and the Hornblower Lines which mismanages these ferries now rank in my affections about as high as Air France. Score one though, for verisimilitude, as I doubt that the Ellis Island experience was very pleasant for Carl Daniels and his mother either. The fact that we were herded about and yelled at by angry people in uniform will help the children appreciate what their ancestors had to endure.

DAY 17: Part 2 The New York Experience

Still July 2

Remember how I said all our plans were falling through with our housing but we were trusting that God had something worked out? Our last day on board, Todd got an e-mail from a good friend who lives in Brooklyn. We were hoping to see Andy and his family, but their apartment was too small to house both them and all five of us. The sad news from Andy, is that they were suddenly called away out of town and we wouldn't get to see them. The good news is that they would loan us their apartment to stay in while in town. While we are disappointed to have missed the chance to see them except for an all too short dinner with Andy, we are extraordinarily grateful that we have a place to stay in Brooklyn. Quiet but still close to the city. Thank you Stein Family!! Again and again thank you!

Also, awaiting us upon our arrival in New York is Matt from MATS who is delivering to us our new/used car. MATS is a non-profit group that helps missionaries on furlough purchase or lease cars. They have been super-helpful and were able to find for us a car that we trust will be able to withstand the rough journey we have ahead of us in the next few months. The boys have christened her the Silver Bullet and she is lovely. She comes equipped with all sorts of bells and whistles that we will be discovering as we trek across this vast country of ours.

For now, though, it's off to Brooklyn and then to Manhattan to see the Empire State Building. Our lovely Queen Mary slips out of the New York Harbor on her way to Boston while we are distracted by the glamour of New York.

After admiring the view of New York

We get a brief glimpse of Andy at dinner before he heads off to Long Island for the weekend. Then we head off to the American Girl Store because Katie's dear Felicity has had a few mishaps as she crossed the pond. Her shoe was lost somewhere in the Atlantic and she is looking a little windblown. The boys are extraordinarily patient while Felicity gets her hair done.

We are exhausted but exhilerated and looking forward to two more days to explore this huge town.

DAY 17: Part 1, Arrival in New York

July2

Part of the reason that we have subjected the children to this trip is to give them time to say good-bye to Russia. Another large part is to help them to say hello to the US and help them re-connect with family here. We are hoping to weave our own family history back into the larger tapestry of extended family and those who have gone before us.

So, for the last few days we have been teaching the kids to say in creaky old voices "When I came to live in America, I traveled across the Atlantic by ship, sailing past the Statue of Liberty into New York Harbor and then I went to Ellis Island." We say this, tongue in cheek, though it is all technically true of them. But it is also the way their great-grandfather, Carl Daniels (aka Carol Danielski) arrived in the US and we tell his story to the kids often on this trip.

For this reason, we set our alarms and drag the kids out of their beds before dawn and up to the windy top deck of the ship. Actually, it's not that windy and in fact it's pretty warm, but it is still completely dark with only the faintest signs of light off in the East.

What we can see very clearly and very quickly looming ahead is the Veranzzano bridge. They have assured us that there is an ample 4 meters clearance between the highest point on the ship and the lowest point on the bridge. However, they have also informed us that they have been lightening the ship so that she will be ready to sail into the shallower waters of Boston Harbor, where she is heading tomorrow. There is also the matter of tides to take into account. I am not sure that they can be so certain of those 4 meters. As the ship approaches the bridge very quickly all on deck gasp and brace themselves for what seems to be the inevitable and horrible crashing sound of metal on metal, but it never happens and we glide smoothly by with what looks to me closer to 4 inches of clearance.

It is still several minutes before we get our first glimpse of Lady Liberty. It is still dark, but we can see a big green column against the backdrop of the grey buildings and her lamp is lit to guide us back into the US. The ship is moving more slowly now, as we are in the harbor and so as the sun rises on the starboard side, we can gaze and gaze and gaze as we get closer, come alongside and finally pass the beautiful Statue on the port side. And oh, she is beautiful at sunrise. And oh, what a great first glimpse of the US, even though we are only returning from a stay away.

We finally tear ourselves away to run downstairs for our last breakfast as we have hours yet, before we are actually supposed to disembark. As we eat a leisurely breakfast served by white-jacketed waiters, I think back, not to Carl Daniels, but to his mother, Rose. She made this voyage when it took longer, without benefit of kids clubs or indoor pools with three small children on her way to meet a husband she hadn't seen in three years. So as we arrive back in NYC, hats off to Carl Daniels and others like him, who made this journey ahead of us so long ago. But BRAVO to his mother who deserves a medal as a true Hero of International Motherhood! She has my undying admiration and respect!

DAY 16: Last Day Aboard the QM2

July 1
Time to say good-bye again. Today is our last full day aboard ship as we sail in to New York Harbor tomorrow, before dawn. We have really enjoyed this part of our trip and are not so eager to have it be over. We have, in particular enjoyed the warmth of the crew on board who have taken a special interest in our family. We have had an assigned table where we have eaten our dinners every evening. It is tucked back in a corner, close to the kitchen where 3 boisterous children should be seated, but it is also right next to a window and we are under the care of Romulo, waiter extraordinaire. He has welcomed us to the table each evening as if we were long lost relatives he hasn't seen in years. The kids have really warmed to him and sulk when at breakfast we sit at another table and our served by someone else. He is the one who conjured up lemon sorbet for the kids every night for dessert. Last night he treated the kids to origami frogs and magic tricks. Tonight it is origami birds and special hair clips for Katie.

None of the other waiters are doing these for their charges, even the younger ones. As we finish our last dessert and say our good-byes the kids all hug Romulo and I notice he has tears in his eyes as well. No shows, or movies tonight for the kids as tomorrow come all too quickly.

DAY 15: Fourth Day on the QM2

June 30

More of the same. The kids are still enjoying their program, still no sign of land. We decide to spring Katie early from her group so she could enjoy her first formal tea. She is the only child there and she is enchanting. She especially loves tea the way Mommy fixed it for her with lots of milk and sugar and she REALLY loves dancing with her Daddy.

Tonight is the Royal Ascot Party Ball, not that we plan to attend. Everyone is encouraged to wear fancy hats and in preparation they are offering what I thought was a hat decorating class. Katie and I thought it would be fun to try our hands at hat decorating. We find a seat in the conference room and wait for the class to begin. A few people have their own hats they have brought, but most, like us, are empty handed. Soon a couple of staff members bring in big boxes of glitter, ribbon, paper, glue, scissors and dump it all on the table. They inform us that this is not a class and the only instruction is really an invitation to come make something out of the materials in front of us. Katie and I set to work to make a hat from scratch and here is what we came up with: