So where were we? The 16th? The rest of the trip was uneventful, in a good way. No more scary food, no getting lost or kicked out of the country. On Sunday, Cabel and Steve headed back to the states, leaving Mike and me to fend for ourselves. We did some sightseeing, bought presents for everyone back home, took it easy—a nice break from the constant running around at the beginning of the trip. The flight back was similarly uninteresting: We took off, eight hours later we landed. I've been feeling listless and tired since we got back, and I can't tell if it's recoil from a week running around constantly engaged, jet lag, or the miserable weather here.



Next Monday we're leaving for Austin, driving south through California, across Arizona and New Mexico, through the sage and brush of West Texas, into the rolling Hill Country that still feels like home.