Flying to England

At 7:30 AM tomorrow, we go to BWI Airport - and sit. Our flight for Detroit doesn't leave until 12:50 PM, but since this was the only ride we could find, we didn't want to turn it down.

Martin and I got off to a late start yesterday, and we had an uneventful but pleasant drive to Maryland. I spent three of the six and a half hours in the car stuffing, licking and stamping envelopes. My exhibition cards covered in all kinds of stamps of various amounts looked quite festive! This task made the time pass quickly and unnoticed.

We are now at my daughter's house. She and my granddaughter, Natalie, are going to England for their first time. This will be my tenth time, maybe. I've sort of lost count. We fly into Heathrow, and make our way to Notting Hill Gate tube station, and then, walk a short distance to our hotel. Check in time isnt' until 1:00 PM!!!

That's unfortunate, since poor Natalie has been sick with a virus, and a high fever for several days. Today the doctor said she should be right as rain (perfect for England) by Thursday. She was pretty chipper for most of the day, started to eat solids again after a few days of just fluids, and she actually went out shopping with Monica and I. But, as viruses and fevers go, as night approached, she started to feel poorly again.

Summer solstice has come and gone, and every one in the house but me is in bed, sleeping. I vowed to stay up until 3:00 AM, so I could sleep on the plane tomorrow evening. I am a night owl by nature, but had some problems with Photoshop Elements and a photo I was preparing for an entry, so here I am, up and writing at 3:20 AM.

Thanks to Martin, my husband, and personal Sherpa, who has the patience of the start-up engineer that he is, I got it worked out. He knows nothing about Elements, or sizing photos, but he sat here and said, "What happens if you try this, or that?" Together we worked our way through some screens, tried a bunch of stuff, and resorted to the tutorials and help menus. I was pretty sure that I knew what was causing my problem, I just didn't know how to fix it. But, thanks to Martin who kept me going, we figured it out. Why does there always have to be a learning curve?

I got my photo entered in the exhibition, paid the $48 entry fee, and now can go off to England with the attitude that at this point, at this time of the morning, "I either get in, or I don't."

I entered my fifth hen house painting: "Hughes' Hen House", 10" x 8", Oil on Canvas.

I hear the pitter-patter of feet upstairs. I think my daughter is awake! I now sit here debating whether to go to bed, or not!? It almost seems pointless.