In Canada, they use dollars, right?

Not sure if I was comforted by the sight of the pilot washing
the window to our plane or disconcerted.

We flew into Boston without any real struggles other than having to sit through Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." (I really don't understand how you could make such a boring film about something as interesting as the financial crisis.)

Our luggage came through without a hitch, there was no problem in picking up the car and driving. The only complication we experienced was one I could never have anticipated not being an attorney specializing in US immigration law. It turns out that if you were born in America but have a Canadian passport, you cannot travel to America because they do not recognize your Canadianess. Our three older children were non-compliant with present immigration laws, and, as the immigration officer was giving them a stern warning, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed in my children. I've worked hard to raise them to be responsible, law abiding citizens, but here they were flouting international law as if they were somehow special. I promised the immigration officer that they would comply, but my kids didn't seem too concerned. What's a father to do? Would it be fair to threaten them with the prospect of American immigration prison? I want them to comply. I really do.

Our mini-van was waiting at Budget just like it was supposed to. It turns out that the Kia Sedona makes for a pretty smooth ride. I did make a wrong turn just out of Boston which took us through New Hampshire, a nice state and I was glad to visit, but as soon as we saw a Target I was off to buy a GPS unit to get me back on track. We had to do a little more shopping, of course, but we were soon on the road to Augusta where we had booked a hotel for the night.

It's the simple things that bring the greatest joys.

The next day was for driving, we did a little more shopping before really getting on the road, although I'm sure we could have found lots of great deals and much needed items, no one wanted to delay getting to Grandpa and Grandma's any more than they had to.

Living in a country where I have access to virtually anything money can buy has, surprisingly, made me a little less materialistic. Although I enjoyed our time in Target and the 4th of July sales at Old Navy were a bargain hunter's dream, the experiences didn't bring the same level of comfort that I remember experiencing a year ago. What I wanted was to get in and get out so that we could get back on the road. Even our time in Costco the following day felt a little underwhelming. Perhaps we had built it up so much that there was no way we could be anything but disappointed in it; however, our disappointment did little to discourage us from spending more than I wanted.

Yeah Canada! (We're much more tired than we look)

After a full day of driving, we pulled into Cole Harbour around ten o'clock. There was soup waiting for us, of course, and it really felt like no time had passed at all. Thanks to the miracle of Skype there was none of that awkward reacquainting stage that comes with long absences. Even Miley welcomed us without reservation.

James with his new best friend!

On Wednesday we got down to the business of tying up some loose ends. There were papers to review, a driver's license to renew and a Costco to visit.

Destined for the shredder.

It's a very difficult thing to sever oneself from a place completely. You can sell everything you own, close down all of your accounts and still you leave a presence long after you left. You leave trails wherever you go. I was incredibly blessed to have a man I trusted manage the unfinished business we left behind. Apart from selling our home and our vehicle, he sifted through mounds of mail, helped to resolve tax returns and numerous other issues. It really didn't hit me how much he had done until I saw the pile of paper he had been dutifully filing away for me over the past year. The fact that he wasn't all that excited about me taking the family to the other side of the world, made his help and support all the more meaningful. Knowing that my father was here managing so much on our behalf spared me more worry than I can express and really permitted us to throw ourselves into our new lives in Abu Dhabi without constantly looking over our shoulders to all the things in Nova Scotia we had left unresolved.

Some recovery required.

Lucy was able to reconnect with her friend Amelia and James was quite insistent that we visit Chaim as soon as possible. In both cases, it was as if no time passed at all. I believe that the best test of friendship is geography. It's not until you've spent some time away from those closest to you, do you come to understand that a relationship is built upon more than the convenience of proximity.

Day 6-'Going Out on a Whimper' or 'The Toll of Travel'

It's the little things, like walking by Christie's that I'll miss.

We'll also miss the Lamborghini dealership (but we've got
one of those in Abu Dhabi)

Of course, what we'll miss most are Grandma and Grandpa!

Do you know that my mother didn't make fun of my facial hair once on this trip. What more evidence do you need
of a mother's love?

Well it was bound to happen. Kind of inevitable really. We actually had an uneventful day. Our morning was filled with packing. Afternoon was church (and apart from the accents, it was pretty much the same as church anywhere else in the world, and after Abu Dhabi, even the accents are starting to feel pretty familiar). We did a little more packing in the afternoon, visited some more with Mom and Mike and then off to the airport hotel. We had thought about trying to fit another museum in on the way to or from church, but it would have been cramming things in, and when you try to do too much you run the risk of spoiling what you've done before. There's a fine line between just the right amount of ice cream and a tummy ache.

So, I guess this is the point where I reflect on the first leg of our Summer of Franksyness.

First off, it would have been impossible to have the experience we had here without all that Mom and Mike did for us. Their generosity in relocating to a hotel so that we could stay in their home made the whole trip considerably more doable. We got to spend some great time with them. I only hope we weren't too much of a distraction from the work they're doing there. It was a lot of fun to sit back and watch how they interacted with the Young Single Adult Members, and to feel of the love they had as they talk about the many new people they've met since they've been there. We're grateful for what they are doing here and the example it is to us and our kids, and I'm grateful to have a better sense of what they're doing. I'll definitely be reading their weekly updates with a better sense of what is going on in this part of the world.

We would have liked James to have been a little healthier, and, at times, that pesky need for sleep did get in the way of a few things we might have added to our experience, but I honestly don't know how we could have done more or had a better trip. It was great to see this city and see how Lucy, Liam, Miranda and James adapted to such a new environment so quickly and effortlessly. It was just as great to be able to spend time with Mom and Mike learning about their mission and the work that they're doing here. We really felt like we were able to experience the best of all worlds while we were here.

I'm also grateful for the lessons I learned about anticipatory stress. Even though I had been to London once before, I had never been with four children. Before coming out here I experienced a great deal of anxiety and stress. Obviously, I was excited about the prospect of coming to one of my favorite cities in the world, but I worried about all of the logistic and practical issues of navigation and safety. It turns out I wasted a lot of energy worrying about problems that never came to pass.

I'm very big on the idea minimizing regrets. There was a saying that my Dad sent me on my mission that goes something like this: "When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did." I really feel like we were able to do so much that we can leave without any regrets even though there is so much more we would love to see and do. Another time perhaps, and if not, well that's alright too.

Day 5--Only the slightest hint of slowing down

Liam and Lucy riding the tube like the pros they are. The insouciance is palpable.

In the morning, I took Liam, Lucy and Miranda to the British Museum. We went into the experience knowing that we'd only be able to see a fraction of the collection, but even with that knowledge, we still weren't prepared for how much was there and how little we would get to see. We limited ourselves to the Egyptian and Greek/Roman collections (and a statue from Easter Island) and even then we weren't able to see everything. Every nook, cranny and stairwell was stuffed with artifacts that would have centre pieces in nearly any other museum in the world. It was almost as if the place was littered with history. After a while, it's hard not to become a little numb to the significance and majesty of everything around you. I was pretty proud of myself that I only got lost a couple of times in navigating our way through the halls, but the nice thing about getting lost at The British Museum is that you always stumble into something interesting.

Now this is a lobby.

The Rosetta Stone

Toys!

The Elgin Marbles

Liam, Me and Socrates

We headed home to collect Julie and pass James off to Grandpa Mike for an afternoon of wonder. We're so grateful they were able to spend some time with James and allow us to go see yet another show (it's hard not to feel a little spoiled).

Before our show, the plan was to grab a quick bite to eat at the some place around the theatre. There weren't as many choices as I thought there would be and I ended up opting for the simplest and easiest--Burger King. We've had such great eating experiences that I felt a little guilty for giving into the temptation for All I can say for my burger is that it gratified without satisfying. Miranda and Julie made much better choices. However, one bland burger does not a London eating experience undo.

After our compromising lunch at Victoria Station, we crossed the street to see our final show of the trip, Wicked. As a family, we've been listening to the soundtrack to the show for nearly six years. It's got a fantastic score and it was great to finally be able to see how the songs fit together and what the heck was going on. The theatre and sets were fantastic and the performances were great. It definitely allowed us to go out on a theatrical high note. At the end of the show, the cast announced  that we had just seen the 2000th performance of Wicked in London. There were balloons and there was much cheering.

We joined Mom and Mike for some pizza at a nice little Italian restaurant around the corner from their apartment, and then, the next block over, we were treated to some great gelato. In Abu Dhabi, if you go into an Italian restaurant, odds are your server speaks Tagalog or Chinese. In London the waiters at Italian Restaurants and the servers in Italian ice cream parlors all speak Italian. I have to say that it makes for a somewhat more authentic experience.

Onslow Gardens. Our home away from home.

We were home by eight, but it felt much later. Hard to believe there's only one more day left, but on the other hand, I'm not sure we could survive much more of this place. London gives generously, but it takes too.

Day 4--The Royal Treatment

There was a civil servant strike today. Not sure what all the implications of that were. The tube was a little more crowded, I suppose, but for the most part we got around without many complications. Again it was a pretty laid back morning, the highlight of which was a picnic lunch with Mom and Mike in the gardens behind the house. How we will miss those gardens.

A Belated Thumbs Up for 'The 39 Steps.'

Then off to M&M world because everyone simply had to experience it. Apart from the aborted evacuation of the building (let me tell you when a fire alarm goes off at M&M world, the people there know how to organize and clear out the place in an incredibly efficient manner), we had a great experience. Miranda, Lucy and James enjoyed creating their custom coloured bags of M&Ms (did you know you could get them in silver and gold?), Liam found a T-shirt that he liked, and Julie picked out some M&M themed silicon trivets that spoke to her.

If you could judge a personality based on the M&Ms they would choose
this would be Miranda.

This is Lucy!

We then headed off to the London Eye for our afternoon appointment. Now the thing with booking an appointment for the London Eye is that you're not really booking a time to get on the ride, but rather you're booking a time to get into a long line to get on the ride. Understanding this, we gave ourselves plenty of wiggle room before. However, soon after we stepped into the line, a man with a clipboard approached us and asked if we'd like to be moved to the front of the line for a "capsule experience" that would entail us taking two trip around the circumference. Obviously I was a little suspicious. You've got to pay big bucks for the fast pass experience and two times around seemed too good to be true. It turned out there was a catch, but a relatively minor one at that. They were experimenting with some new interactive guides in one of the capsules and they wanted to see how people interacted with them. It was a pretty spectacular view and James was very appreciative of the opportunity it afforded him to sit down for an hour. There's a lot of things we've been doing over the past few days, but sitting down is not one of them.

We then passed by Trafalgar square to see some of the Canada day celebrations. It was quite the party, and, judging from the pavilions set up around the square, our national identity is pretty wrapped up in our hockey and our beer. Maybe that's why I've always struggled to fit in.

Canada Day at Trafalgar Square. The beer's to the right.

Dinner at Sophie's Steakhouse!

From Trafalgar Square we made our way to the Covent Garden area where Mom and Mike treated us to a great dinner and a performance of the Lion King. About seven or eight years ago, while we were living in Arizona, we bought tickets to a travelling company version of the show, so I wasn't all that excited to see the production again. I remember being impressed by many of the puppets, but I also remember being a little bored at different points in the show. It was a completely different experience seeing it here. The show didn't start until 7:30 and with the full day we had before, I honestly believed it would take a miracle to keep James awake through the show. Well, it turned out the show was the miracle (I'm sure the constant stream of sugar from Grandpa Mike's Tommy Tucker didn't hurt either). He didn't nod off once during the play, though as soon as it was over, he made it perfectly clear that his legs were no longer functioning and would I be so kind as to carry him just a little bit more. Note to self, 4 year olds aren't too big for strollers.

Is it only Day 3?

Today started off a little more slowly. But by the afternoon, you never would have guessed anything was amiss yesterday. With the aid of a little medication, Lucy seemed to bounce back from her slump of the day before. James, as usual, was bounding with a surplus of energy. We hung around the apartment in the morning trying to get as organized as our suitcase existence permitted. It was a much needed breather.

I do need to write a little about where we're staying in London. 56 Onslow Gardens is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in the world. For the week, Mom and Mike volunteered their apartment (or flat) and have taken up residence in a nearby hotel. You might wonder how we've all squeezed in here. Obviously, six people in a 1 bedroom flat can feel a little tight, "James, get off me!" is a phrase that I think everyone has uttered (we understand our children's need for personal space, but we're trying to teach them how to say, "Leave me alone!" with as much love and affection as possible). But with the gardens out back (the best yard that you never have to mow), and all of London just outside the door, it actually feels quite spacious. We're so grateful for how they opened their home to us and its permitted us to have experiences as a family that we never could have imagined having even a year ago.

Present sleeping arrangements!

The South Kensignton tube is a five minute walk (8 minutes for James' legs). It's just far enough outside the city to get away from the chaos, but close enough to easily steal away for an evening of theatre. And with the Natural History, Science and Victoria Albert Museums a ten minute walk, it feels like we could stay here for weeks and still see and experience only a fraction of what's available. We couldn't have asked for better accommodations. Even the Lamborghini dealership on the corner is a touch of our Abu Dhabi home.

At lunch we went down to the Hyde Park chapel for one of their weekly lunch time concerts. It was a world class performance in a very intimate setting. Even James was more or less attentive for the duration of the recital. After the concert, we had a nice lunch at the Natural History Museum across the street and then Grandma Edwards and Grandpa Mike treated the kids to a Butterfly Garden experience which was incredible. The quantities and varieties of butterflies flittering about was overwhelming. The kids became quite adept at welcoming them onto their hands, their shirts and their heads.

Mom and Mike had mission duties to attend to, so we took in the Natural History Museum, or at least a couple of rooms of it. Of course, when given the choice of any room in the museum to visit, the kids picked the Creepy Crawly exhibit. We also were able to visit an impressive display on birds and we learned a lot about the different ways rocks are formed and shifted around. It felt like we walked around for a while, but there were whole wings and floors that we never even glimpsed. I know that we can't see everything, but it's hard not feel like we have to make the most of every moment here. But, alas, we do have to sleep and there's that eating thing we have to do too.

The Natural History Museum and Butterfly Experience

The Lobby of the Natural History Museum

Lucy with a lot of birds!

In the evening, Julie stayed home with Lucy, Miranda and James so that Liam and I were able to take in a play together. Liam's was so great to hold down the fort for us the night before, I really wanted to do something for him (and, selfishly, for me too). We watched a West End production of 'The 39 Steps' which was the perfect play for the two of us. There was a cast of four actors playing over a hundred characters through the course of the show. (http://www.love39steps.com/). Liam and I then got to meet some of the young adults Mom and Mike are working with. It was great to see them in their element.