From Harpenden, Herts., UK

Okay, okay, I know I owe at least a couple more days of Moscow, but I couldn't let pass this Tuesday morning in England without mentioning the joy of reuniting with may son Matthew and his wife Diane and their three beautiful children, Alice,



Georgia,


and Joe.



We see too little of them, living so far away, so it's truly a thrill to be back with them for a short while again.

And this morning, a poem:

Back in the UK

So I woke this
morning at my usual
time, five-thirty, except
that it was of course
two-thirty local time
given the time change
between here and
Moscow, anyway, yes
I woke to the sound
of rain--not your
California downpour, no,
just that gentle, unrelenting,
seemingly endless rain
that falls in England,
and a joy to hear,
perhaps not to those
who have to live
with it so many days
each year but, yes,
to me, the native
son returning, unused
to the once so familiar
sound of the English
rain; and the birdsong
too, even at night, it
seems, even in rain.
I feel, so strangely
once again, "at home."

Welcome to England friends. I'll get around to finishing the Moscow visit in a little while.