We have just deposited my nephew Jim, his wife Karri, and their kids Eli and Sophie back at LAX after a visit that spanned exactly 17 hours (with a few hours in there for sleeping). They are now at the Bradley Terminal where they’ll be boarding a flight to Istanbul at 7:30 this evening. After a twelve-hour flight, they’ll have a layover before embarking on the second half of the trip to Uzbekistan, where they’ll meet American friends who are currently living there. Then for two weeks, they’ll tour the country.

Jim admitted this is not a country they would normally visit, but they couldn’t resist the chance to get a personalized tour from friends who will show them all of the highlights. I agree that it’s hard to beat that. In fact, I threatened to buy a last-minute ticket and head off with them, except I didn’t think of that until we were already at the airport. Haha. Perhaps on their next great adventure, I’ll stow away.

Liz and Ron drove down from Ojai. Unfortunately, two of Sarah’s kids had sore throats so they couldn’t come over. Rachael didn’t come either since she was on standby to take care of Sarah’s kids should they begin to feel better as the day progressed. Still, it was a lot of fun. We ate, talked, ate some more, and kept on talking. When we said goodbye, it somehow felt as if we’d had a substantive visit rather than one that spanned less than a day. I have learned that it’s possible when pressed to hit all the high points and then say farewell.

Below is a photo of our visitors. Here’s wishing them safe and happy travels and hoping they’ll have a roaring good time. I asked them to take lots of photos along the way.

How lucky to have had those precious hours together!

Talk again tomorrow, my friends.