Bon voyage, mon amour!

As I write this, my wife is probably about 30,000 feet over the Midwest on her way to a conference in the Twin Cities. The kids and I dropped her off at the airport. We said our hurried goodbyes at the terminal curb amid the taxi cabs and skycaps, all the while under the watchful gaze of several police officers. We drove back home along the treelined GW Parkway on the banks of the Potomac River. As I drove, I played tour guide, pointing out the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial on the opposite side of the river, but the kids did not seem impressed (perhaps because they've seen them before). They were much more enthusiastic as we approached and drove under each of the many bridges that cross the river. And, of course, seeing the river itself.

We arrived back home in time for lunch and my son's nap to find a beady-eyed cicada* sitting waiting patiently on our doorstep as if it was invited in for lunch as well (although I've heard that cicadas are edible - and taste nutty, like pistachios - I prefer insects remain outdoors). My daughter walked up to it and said, "Hi, bug!" and casually stepped over it into the house.

My son, on the other hand, has decided to have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the emerging hordes. He's alternately fascinated, getting his face right down on top of the insect for an up-close view, and shrieking "Scary bug!" every time the six-legged creature twitched a bit (he has a similar relationship with dogs, though they generally have four legs). I finally had to carry him over the doorstep.

So, we're winging it without Mommy for the next five days. The kids will miss her, though I don't think they've grasped that she will not be back for dinner tonight. And I'll miss her, too.

Have a safe and fun trip, my love. All's well on the home front.

* This bug was an adult (as compared to the nymphs we saw yesterday), but having had the door slammed in its face, it had moved from the doorstep to a nearby tree with several of it's kin by the time I returned with my camera. Here's another pic from my yard.