The bed in the guest bedroom has had piles of clothes on it for weeks now. I had a test run of packing the backpack that I will check, and so far everything fits. However, I keep turning up books which I will want to have, too late to be included in the general mailing. So I think one of my Friday chores will be to go by the PO and send another box o' books.
"Beware of any enterprise which requires the purchase of new clothes," says Henry David Thoreau (an approximate quote). In that case I have reason to beware, as I have several new items: Wendy has put me onto the Ex Officio brand of light, fashionable, durable, outdoorsy clothes, so I have a fleece, long-sleeved shirts, and two pairs of wash-and-dry underwear. In the clothes box en route to Poland are several new ties and shirts, slacks and a suit coat. But I suppose their purchase was not required--the trip served as an excuse to update my wardrobe a bit.
In two days and eight hours from now, we'll be checking into MBS airport. Fortunately, the airlines changed our departure from the original to an earlier time, giving us a few hours in Chicago. We might elect to leave the airport and take a taxi to a decent restaurant nearby, or we might allow nerves to keep us at O'Hare and sample what they have. I've eaten at the Chili's there, and Andy says they have a good hot dog stand.
I've gone all summer feeling pretty laid-back about the whole experience, but as the time approaches, it's getting more and more exciting. The house prep has moved along quite manageably. I cleaned carpets yesterday--not exactly a sign of panic. Guide books have been thumbed. Polish has been studied (a little bit, at least). If I'm overlooking something important, it hasn't come to me yet. Wendy's prep has been tighter thanks to her work schedule, of course, but I think things are falling into place for her as well. We're off, in two days and 7.5 hours now.
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Hi Gary and Wendy,
ReplyDeleteSome great coverage of your peregrinations! Thank you both for the photos and the running commentary. Margaret and I have been enjoying the moon as it grows toward full (today), and seeing it over Lublin establishes a link with Midland. The shots of Majdanek are sobering. We visited Dachau several years ago, which was not a death camp though there were plenty of deaths. I hope Wendy had a safe trip back and that Gary's work at the University is off to a good start.
Yesterday, I drove my English 499 class to Ann Arbor in a State van, with Dan Gates along as shotgun. It was a thoroughly successful and enjoyable trip; we had a most welcoming reception by our contact at grad library Special Collections, and saw and were able to handle some of their treasures including a Caxton printed book, a leaf from a second century Pauline letter on papyrus (under glass) from Alexandria, and their newly acquired Kelmscott Chaucer, of which our seminar leader is extremely proud.
Margaret and I look forward to more of your blog reports. Thank you for taking us along in this way on your adventure in Poland!
Basil