The Steussy Ranch

Baby Aaron is crawling. We have it on video.

When flying back to Budapest last weekend, we flew over some of the Greek Islands. These islands are all amazing close to one another, just 5 to 15 miles away from each other. They are a sailor’s dream. Wake up late in the morning, get breakfast, raise anchor and hoist the sail. You’re at your next destination by martini hour.

Santorini, which was a bit further from the plane, is the most beautiful of the islands. The entire island is a semi-submerged volcano. Snow white villages dot the vertical cliffs on the inside walls of the crater. We had planned to go there on a day-trip, but canceled since we knew the kids would break down over the fourteen hour trip. I’ve seen it, but Gabi hasn’t. On the list of a thousand places to see before you die, Santorini is in the top five.

As I mentioned, the islands are very close together. When I was in Greece in 1987, I spent five days on Naxos swimming on the Western beaches, three days in Ios (the party capital of the islands), then on for a week in Santorini. Naxos was full of holidayers from Italy, England and Germany. Ios was a younger crowd, partying until the wee hours of the morning. On that island of 500 residents, there were 50 bars and 3 discos. The visitors were mostly Scandinavian.

One day, I’d like to lease a nice, substantial sailboat and spend time sailing around these islands. Yes, I really think so. It would be a good idea.

Being the inventive kids that they are, Dan-dan and Camilla have decided that Baby Aaron’s gray plastic bathtub is their personal spaceship, ready to take them to the moon, Mars and beyond.

Here they are before blast-off:

Here they are in flight to the moon, earlier today:

Wow! Look at them go!

There is a report out recently that scientists have been able to time exactly the end of the story of Odysseus. An eclipse of the sun, along with other astronomical data in Homer’s work, time everything to noon, April 15, 1178 BC. I love this kind of stuff …

Yes, we’re back, but only slowly getting back into the swing of things. And the swing is changing!

This Friday is the kids’ last day in school here. The school is closing for renovations over the summer and Gabi decided not to send them to a new school for the three or four final weeks here. Tunde is arriving on Sunday. We have our first visitors coming (Charley and Max) on Wednesday next week. And lots of other things, so all is in flux.

Assorted random photos from our trip. A picture paints a thousand words …

We’re back in Budapest. More soon.

Just returned from Knossos, the 1600 BC Palace of King Minos on Crete. Wow! That was an adventure. More photos when we return to home base in Budapest.

We’re here! Dang, it’s hot today …

Well, now that we are all (mostly) healthy, it’s time for more adventure! We’re off to the island of Crete for a week long vacation. This means it could be a long time between posts until we’re back next week. Have fun while we’re gone!