Back in the saddle

Hello once again from southern Taiwan. We made it back with an unremarkable flight and, remarkably, very little jet-lag. I had a nap the first afternoon home, but otherwise we all three just slipped into local time, sleeping all night and waking at normal times. Unfortunately, I've gone too far, returning to my night-owl ways in the last week, so there will be some adjusting to do once school begins next month. But, we are home and happy to be here.

Last weekend we were hit with a storm (not quite a typhoon), which dumped lots of rain and sent several thunderstorms our way. Nora handled them much better than before, barely even noticing most of the noise, and only making calm commentary on the flashes and booms that did get her attention. Today, Sunday, we are again looking at another storm, this time a full-fledged typhoon, headed straight for the middle of the island. I think it's supposed to hit sometime tomorrow afternoon, which means our Tuesday plans – heading downtown to the science museum – may be off. Typhoons are fickle, though, so I'm holding out a little hope.

Our trip to the States was a good one, and the five weeks flew by. I would have enjoyed perhaps one more week, dedicated to staying on Whidbey and spending time with family there and anyone who was up for braving the ferry lines to see us. As it was, I ended up spending much more time on the road than I had intended. Perhaps next year I will maintain my resolve to travel the 9,000 miles to Whidbey and let everyone else come to me. (Yeah, right.)

I didn't take a camera with me on our trip home (I felt Tim's trip to Beijing trumped my need in that department), but fortunately others took lots of good shots for me and let me borrow their cameras from time to time. We packed a lot into five weeks, thanks in part to some wonderful weather and long summer days. Nora asks often if we can go back to Pop's house, and when I say not until next summer, she replies, "Windy Island is very far away." It is, but thankfully we have a whole store of good memories to tide us over 'til then.