Got back from Sicily on wed night, a couple days later than I expected. A few changes, but it was OK. I'll get to that in a moment.

Sam got back into therapy!!! Found out about that yesterday. Marie took her to a place to look into an AFO, our Dr. wrote out the prescription for it and the therapist, and we're back in business. It's with a PT we had before, so we're pretty happy. Sam works hard and has done alot since her last round of PT. Hope we can keep it going for awhile. We're going to fit the brace today, and will start therapy when it comes in.

The original plan was: Leave on Fri on Delta to get to Sicily. Fly a trip to Djibouti. Ride Delta home on Mon.

What really happened: Last Friday I left Toledo, Ohio for Cincinnati to catch a flight to Rome. Was delayed for weather and missed my flight to Rome. Rescheduled it for Saturday afternoon, and hung out in a hotel for a day. I managed to get business class both ways, so the 9 hour ride was not too bad. Met up with the other 2 guys in Catania on Sun afternoon, a day late. Our crew was rescheduled to bring the plane back through Brussels, then into Philly. At 4:30 AM, the plan changes again, and we get sent to Africa. Fly the trip, and now our return is back on Delta, not until Wed morning. The ride home was uneventful.

We had a day off to wander around. Catania is right at the base of Mt. Etna on the east coast of Sicily. We started out around 9 am, and walked around until 5pm. No map, no plan, just aimless wandering. The best part was the farmer's market. Whole streets full of fruits, vegetables, sausages, cheese, meat, fish, you name it they had it. The place was packed, it was unbelievable. Had lunch and a couple beers at a sidewalk cafe. Found a nice park with BEAUTIFUL landscaping. At the top of the hill, there was a perfect view of Mt Etna. Farther down the street was an old Roman ampitheatre and a small castle. Lots of stuff to see. People are very friendly. Went out to eat that evening. Thought about Chinese take-out, but settled on Italian instead. If I lived there, I am certain that I would weigh @ 400 pounds. Those folks take dining (and service) to a level we're not used to in the States. To get through dinner takes at least 2 hours. I had a steak with asparagus and mushrooms, in a red wine sauce. Wonderful!! The whole meal, including wine, was about 20 euros, ($25 ?). This was my 6th trip over there, so I'm sure I'll get another shot at it.

Spent yesterday in a daze, getting caught up with mail, etc. Can't wait to get PT started again. The travel is OK, but there's no place like home.