Counting Down

Counting down the hours, about 24 before I am heading to bed before our flight out the next morning. I haven't been counting down the days because I've been too busy to think about this trip, really, until TODAY. Sort of like preparing a big meal for a large group -- there are things you can do to prepare ahead, but there are still so many things that you can't do until the absolute last minute. That was today, and will finish up tomorrow. I have all the bills paid that have arrived but I imagine a whole boatload will arrive in tomorrow's mail and I will be inclined to pay them before we leave. What I'm most concerned about is credit card bills. And I never did get any dog food bought, even after two tries to Safeway. They are apparently out, and that's the only kind the dogs like.

We will head to Spokane sometime tomorrow evening and stay overnight at a motel that will keep our car for the 12 days and shuttle us to the airport at 4 AM & back. Our flight leaves at 5 AM Wednesday morning, to Minneapolis where we meet up with the tour group, then to Amsterdam and Istanbul. Both Istanbul and Athens are in the same time zone, 10 hours ahead of home, so we lose a good night's sleep flying over there. I don't sleep well on airplanes -- they are not comfortable, my neck gets kinked, etc., and I snore so I don't like to sleep where anyone can hear me ... so I will be tired when we get there. I am already tired! The first day there, Nov. 5th, is mostly to catch up, with a lot of free time in Istanbul, but sleeping won't be on the schedule, I am sure. This is a pretty quick trip -- lots to see in just 10 days and lots of locations to travel to, with a cruise in the middle to boot. Our first cruise.

I am undecided on whether to bring my little computer along. It's only 3 lbs but that can add up with a camera, cell phone, and various chargers and converters, etc. to carry around too. Looks to me like most of our hotels have "free wireless internet available" but don't mention computers for us to use like we had in some places in South America. We will be on a bus a lot, I think, so I *could* leave it on there when we get out to various sites, and there are 3 days on the cruise ship. We'll see how things pack up tomorrow, whether I grab it or not.

I checked the weather and it looks like we'll have 65-74 degree days with sun or scattered showers. That is, if one can put confidence in 10 day outlook forecasts. One day even mentioned a possible thunderstorm (which would be GREAT). So should I try to dig out a fold-up umbrella?? Lou says "pack light." Again, we'll see what fits.

Thanks to Ben and Kit for holding down the fort here while we travel, at the same time they are finishing up corn harvest.

Speaking of which, it finally dried off enough to get out into the fields here this week. Ben was getting nervous about the wet corn getting moldy in the field but so far I think it's OK. It is a problem in some areas of the Midwest though. They've also been bagging earlage -- instead of chopping the entire corn stalk for silage, they put a corn header on the chopper (borrowed) and only take the ears off the stalks to be chopped and bagged. There are a few dairies that wanted some of that to feed. This is the first year Ben has run a chopper in November. Corn to be combined after that ... shame on us for planning a vacation during harvest ... but we thought it would be a pretty easy harvest and nearly done by now when we planned this. They will do fine.

I seriously think I won't be posting any more before we leave, so watch for me again in 2 weeks, maybe 3, which is right in line with my normal blogging schedule!