When in Rome...

Every now and again, my job presents opportunities that are just surreal. A couple of summers ago when a "dream grant" paid for my whole family to travel 7000 mile cross-country in a rented RV was one such experience. This week, another one popped up--Mrs. Sal and I have been invited to serve as chaperones on a class trip to ROME this summer. That's Rome, Italy, not Rome, Georgia. So we're scrambling trying to make 2 weeks worth of child-care arrangements and getting passports and all the stuff that goes with a huge trip. This trip is amazing... almost $4000 per person for the kids (it's also amazing that ANYBODY can afford to send a child on a $4000 trip). We're going for food and tips. I figure the Sal family in Rome will look a great deal like the wide-eyed wonder of the country mouse when he went to town; people who haven't had a working dishwasher in years don't generally zip around Europe. But needless to say, we're pretty thrilled.