Example of irony... it's warm and sunny in Germany.

On the 28th, we decided that we had had a wonderful vacation, but it was time to head back to Germany. The car was filling up with expensive wine, we were dead tired of the few warm layers of clothing that we had brought, my black sport shoes were permanently water logged and smelling, and our livers hurt. Not that we're complaining. We EARNED that liver failure, thank you very much, drinking heavenly Tuscan and Piedmont red wines. Our wine cellar will be a prime method of enticing you folks to come visit us! (plus I've decided that I'm going to try to learn to make ravioli and make that egg-yolk thing. Cholesterol be damned.)

So, we spent a night at lovely Army Lodging near our home base, then gave up on Army lodging and broke into our friends' house while they are out of town. Actually, we had a key, so no windows were broken, and we're planning to beg forgiveness next week when they return. The 29th, my birthday, was mostly a day of laundry and unpacking and the typical mundane activities after a big trip. The very best part of the day has been receiving so many great email greetings. Really, I'm sitting here in the Ramstein library just glowing. I made the executive Birthday decision last night to NOT celebrate the occasion yesterday, amidst piles of laundry, and so we're getting together with Gabi and Mike tonight and having my traditional strawberry shortcake birthday "cake" (just like I would make for all those Burgers, Beers and Broads celebrations).

We'll be in Sarah and Aaron's house until Tuesday, then in Ramstein AFB lodging until we fly out 6/14. So far, I think that the Wanderlust is fading, and we won't try to squeeze in any more trips over the next few weeks. But I can't guarentee that!

The most ironic part of all this is Germany's current weather-- muggy, but high 70s/low 80s, blue skies, better weather than we've had in weeks. It's a good lesson that sometimes, the best place is "home". Wherever that is.