Back In Bistin, Missichisitts

Andrew and I enjoyed our final week in Minnesota.

There was a full table at dinner last Monday night, as everyone gathered to celebrate our return and to hear about our trip.

Lizbeth’s parents were present, too. They have been visiting for the last two weeks. They have one more week to enjoy Minnesota before they must return to London.

I believe their visit has been a splendid one thus far. They have been playing with their grandchildren, mostly, but they also have had an opportunity to explore the Twin Cities. They visited The Minneapolis Institute Of Arts and The Walker Museum. They attended a Twins game solely out of curiosity.

Lizbeth’s parents wanted to attend a performance at The Guthrie while they were in town, but the only current Guthrie offering that even remotely interested them was J.B. Priestley’s “When We Are Married”. We had already seen the staging, and we gave them our impressions of the play and the production. After hearing what we had to say about “When We Are Married”, they decided to wait until next summer to catch a performance at the famed Guthrie.

They say they are amazed that Minneapolis is such a clean city. They also have been impressed with how friendly and civilized is the local populace.

After our return to Minnesota, it took Andrew and me a full day to adjust our body clocks to local time. On Tuesday, we napped on and off when not unpacking and washing and storing our travel clothes.

On Wednesday, we went over to spend the day with the kids.

On Thursday, we stayed home and helped Andrew’s mother with a few things.

On Friday, we had lunch with Andrew’s grandmother at the care facility.

On Saturday, everyone came over to spend the day. We played with the kids all day, and enjoyed a grand Saturday night family dinner.

Today was sad, because it was our last day in Minnesota. We went to church this morning. After a light lunch, Andrew and I spent the rest of the afternoon getting our things together.

Andrew’s parents took us to the airport late this afternoon, and we are now back in Boston—or Bistin, Missichisitts, as Andrew calls it.

Summer for Andrew and me is now over.

We’re back in our tiny apartment—it seemed smaller than ever tonight when we walked in the door—and ready to take care of business for another year.

At least there are a few interesting things in the works.

I think Andrew and I might spend Labor Day Weekend in Niagara-On-The Lake, attending a few performances at The Shaw Festival. We will never be any closer to Niagara-On-The-Lake than we are right now, and we might as well take advantage of the situation.

I think Alex may come visit us the first weekend in October. He likes college football, and he likes visiting different college football venues, and a Boston College-Florida State game that particular weekend provides him with a good excuse for a trip East.

The following weekend, Columbus Day Weekend, Andrew’s parents may make a visit. There is an interesting Boston Symphony program that weekend, and an interesting Handel And Haydn Society program that weekend. The Boston Ballet will conclude a run of performances of “Giselle” that weekend, and one of the local repertory theater companies will be in the midst of a run of performances of “Kiss Me, Kate”. There will be more than enough of interest in Boston that weekend to warrant a visit.

Andrew and I will have to worry about Thanksgiving and Christmas plans later in the semester.