Last day at home

Trip Start Jul 14, 2011

Trip End Aug 15, 2011

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Flag of United States Machias, Maine
Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Tomorrow is the start of my journey to Islamic Iberia. I will spend the next 4 1/2 weeks immersed in learning about the culture of medieval Spain from the 8th to the 15th century. I am feeling a strange mixture of excitement, nervousness and sadness (sadness at leaving Stuart and Gretchen for that long). It's hard to believe that tomorrow I really am going to go do this. Printing off my boarding pass a few minutes ago made the trip feel somewhat more real.

Today is a gorgeous day here in Maine. Fortunately, I don't have much to do to get ready for tomorrow's long day of travel; so I should be able to enjoy some of this beautiful summer day. I still have to finalize my packing, but it is mostly done. I am going to try to spend some time sitting outside and reading A Vanished World -- Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain. I have 101 pages left in the book; I wonder if I can finish it before I leave tomorrow. I didn't get all the reading done before starting the trip, but I did manage to read 3 of the books in their entirety and at least part of 3 others. I feel like I have a pretty good background now for the seminar.

Now I need to hang out a load of laundry and make a couple of lasagnas to put in the freezer to use Blueberry Festival weekend when we will have 7 guests staying at our house. Guess I better get started on those chores. I don't want to be making lasagnas when the day is hotter. I hope that the weather is a bit cooler for the Blueberry Festival because I don't want to bake off the lasagnas in really hot weather.

Well, on to my chores and then to finish that book...

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