I’m back in Beijing.  The trip back to China was uneventful, but long.  The first leg to Washington, DC, Dulles Airport was slightly less than 3 hours.  I was worried about a short layover.  On paper it was going to be 50 minutes.  Sometimes, negotiating a big airport and the occasional extra trip through security can make the time between gates really long.  I was lucky today.  I walked out of the gate, across the hall, and into the gate for my next flight.  That was the easiest transition I can remember.

The trip from Dulles to Beijing is 13 hours.  Whew!  They serve two full meals, and a snack (small sandwich) in the middle.  This was a newer plane, so I had the chance to watch 4 movies and two NCIS episodes on my own individual screen on the headrest in front of me.  I’ve also learned to pay a little more for “Economy Plus”, with an added 5 inches between seats for your legs.  I had no one else in the seats with me, so I was able to stretch out and sleep when I felt like it.

I took this as we flew over Japan to the US on Monday, 4/14. I haven’t seen too many snow covered volcanos in Texas & New Mexico.

My trip to the US was productive.  I was able to help with my parent’s move to Baton Rouge.  It was tough for them to figure out how to downsize from their home of 50 years.  Lots of memories had to be left behind, for now.  Even with as much stuff as they left in Fort Worth, they probably have even more “cutting” to do.  Sometimes it’s less about what you think you need, and more about the size of the closets.  The “crew” from the church was exactly what we needed.  They were efficient, quick, and strong.  Even with Brad & Courtney helping, it would have been a daunting task.

Robert (my brother), his wife Susan, my sister Kathryn, and my parents, pulled out Friday afternoon in a 3-vehicle caravan, including a stuffed trailer, headed to Houston.  After spending the night at Kathryn’s house,  they make the drive to Baton Rouge, arriving Saturday afternoon.  Robert and Susan were joined by sons Geoffrey and Nicholas, and moved mom & dad into their new residence.  I think Robert’s body was reminding him the next day about his age.

After the caravan left Fort Worth, I dealt with a few loose ends to close the house.  Lots of decisions still need to be made on the home, but not this trip.  The remainder of my trip included several meals with Courtney and Brad, and a visit to Granbury to see Judy’s dad with the kids.  I visited Martin HS and saw some familiar faces.  I had breakfast with Ken Valliant, lunch with Michael Knipe, and “afternoon tea” with Bill & Margaret Huff.  As always, the biggest regret on traveling back to DFW is there is never enough time to see everyone I want to visit.