Getting Ready

It's 8:00 pm here in Madison, Wisconsin, as I type this. France is 6 hours ahead, so it's 2:00 am in Lyon, France. Marie Therese and her best friend are, hopefully, sound asleep. They've got about two more hours to snooze, and then they'll be up and out and in a taxi, headed for the airport.

Which airport? Well, first Madrid, and then Chicago O'Hare! Yes!

Here's Marie Therese, photo taken when Zach and I were in Lyon in 2013:

Marie Therese is my second cousin.  Her grandmother, Anna Bienia Moskal, and my grandmother, Maria Bienia Szelć Kosinska, were sisters. Our grandmothers were born in Krosno, Poland. Marie was born in Paris, France! Marie is fluent in both Polish and French. We first met in September of 1967 when I passed through Paris on my way home from Nigeria. Marie had long curly red hair and drove a tiny Citroen and we liked each other immediately. And still do!

Here's another photo from 2013 in Lyon:

That's Marie's daughter, Juliette, on the left. The three lovely granddaughters are Clara, Raphaëlle, and Amelie. You surely recognize Zach in the middle of all those smiles and hugs. Marie lives right downstairs from her daughter's family. Isn't that ideal?

OK, so you can see why I'm so excited about this visit. We plan to drive out to the Grand Canyon in my little Honda Fit. First we'll take a really quick look at Chicago, visit cousins in northern Illinois, spend a couple of days in Wisconsin, and then head West. 

To be continued!