The Rain in Spain is nothing compared to Seattle

Taking care of business during this last week in Seattle is going to be interesting and intense. Handling the bills so they can be paid on-line, setting up details for our wonderful renter, completing tasks at our jobs and Linus's school (early finals), and then, of course, saying many goodbyes... it feels as if we're leaping into the void, happily.
Many friends have asked us how we're going about this six month trip, maybe hoping they can do the same some day. We've been very fortunate to have cooperation from our respective employers; Mark and I both expect to return to our jobs at the end of summer. When we moved to Spain in pre-Linus days, back in 1986, life was much simpler, and we left with enough money to live on for the year and no jobs to return to. Now there's a mortgage and household, and a complex life that includes wide, deep circles of loving friends and community. So going and coming back becomes a complex task.
Every journey begins with a dream - ours is to live in Spain for a time with Linus, our 15 year old son. This turns out to be a facinating time to go, as Spain has become very progressive since the change in government following the bombings in Madrid, while our own beloved country has regressed into an on-going state of fear. How interesting to compare and contrast the two countries reactions to being attacked. Of course, politics is only one aspect of life anywhere - we're also going to hang out with old and new friends in Spain, speak Castellano (what we commonly call "Spanish" was originally the regional language of Madrid, and became the country's official language), eat tapas, paint and soak up the sunshine!
If you'd like to know more of how we set this trip up, we'll write a detailed post later. For now, we're swamped, with many more chores to complete. Hasta la vista! M + M + L