Lasts

This has been a week of "lasts" for us. (Warning: long, self-indulgent post to follow!)

Though we still have 3 weeks abroad before we return to the US, we only have one week left in Cambridge, since today we are flying to Greece for a two-week holiday. So this week, and the end of the last week, presented our last chances to do some things and to say goodbye to friends.

The kids' last day of school was on Friday, July 17. Anne and Tim went to our friends', the Schofields, for an ice cream party, and saw some of their friends fo the last time. Colin was really upset the morning before, and insisted he didn't want to go to school. Kim believes he was responding to the realization that school was about to end, and he didn't want it to.

The day before, we'd had dinner with some American friends Greg Erbach, Romana Nowak, and their two boys Max and Linus. They had been in Cambridge on sabbatical as well (Romana is at UIUC in the Animal Science Dept.), and Max attended Tim and Anne's school. We went to our favorite Pub, the Salisbury Arms, for a last pint and some fish and chips.

On Tuesday, we had a last dinner of pizza (for the kids) and curry (for the adults) with our friends Gavin, Mateja, and their girls Hana and Lina. They all left for a Holiday on Thursday, and we won't see most of them before we leave. The food was great, and the kids really enjoyed themselves.

This week, we spent time again with our friends Steve, Rebecca, and the boys. Rebecca is going back to Switzerland for a time, and she will leave before we return from Greece. So they kindly hosted us on a trip to Wells-Next-the-Sea on Thursday. At this point the kids are pros on the English beaches.
Of course, Steve and Mike had to do a bit of showing off.

Wells is apparently typical of Norfolk beaches in how flat it is. (Hunstanton was also very flat.) Thus there is a dramatic difference between high and low tide. In fact, a large area can be covered so quickly that there's a danger of being caught out too far, so a siren will sound with the tide starts coming in. I was really surprised to see dozens of boats aground in the harbor.

The same Thursday we went to the beach, our friends the Sewells were kind enough to have us to dinner. Becky teaches at St. Albans, and Ollie, their youngest, was in Tim's class. Their oldest, Imogen, was a reliable babysitter for us, and much loved by the kids. It was nice to get to know Mike and Will a bit better before we head out. After dinner I ran off to the Pub for a last pint with a Microsoft Research friend, Andy Gordon.

Friday was my last day at the Computer Lab, and I cleaned out my office and packed up my books. It's been a great place, and I'll miss it. By the time we get back from Greece, the office will be occupied by Suresh Jagannathan. Suresh was my supervisor as an intern at NEC Research many years ago, and we've stayed good friends. He'll be on sabbatical with his family for the coming year.

Before leaving the Lab I stopped in for the weekly Happy Hour that's hosted there, and say some goodbyes. Charlie, who runs the affair, always makes the announcements worth reading:

Forty years ago today, the astronauts of Apollo 11 were feeling distinctly smug as their landing capsule returned successfully to Earth, splashing down somewhere in the Pacific ocean. Celebrate this historic moment in appropriately oceanic style with a pint of Aphrodite, the goddess who (of course) arose from the sea, apparently created from the severed testicles of the sky god Ouranos. Sounds like a load of dubious mythology to me, but that's enough about the Moon landing.

Fishbowl fun at 5. See you there.

When I got home, Kim cooked a Mexican dinner for us and Steve, Rebecca, and the boys. It was well received by all. Yum!

Yesterday, Anne had 5 girlfriends from her class over for her birthday party. She turns 7 in a week's time, but this was our last chance to have a party that most friends could attend. It was really fun. I particularly enjoy how Anne, unknowingly, turns on her English accent around her friends, but turns on her American accent around her family. She's bilingual! Hah.

In a few hours will be in a taxi heading for the airport to begin our last foray into Europe. Athens, here we come!