Ellie seemed to have a great time. She was really relaxed, very sociable with everyone she met, and slept better than she ever does at home. We don’t know if it was the fresh air, the peace and quiet, or something else. She also enjoyed spending lots of time with her far-flung relatives. And I got the sneaking impression that they enjoyed spending time with her, too.

I’ve posted a large batch of pictures from the trip taken both my myself and my Mom. You can view them here.

I’d write more, but we’re rather disjointed at the moment. Although we’ve just returned, most of our extra time is occupied by getting ready for my next trip. I leave for Dallas on Tuesday to attend QuakeCon 2006. This will be my 7th year in a row. I’m really looking forward to it, but it’s making everything hectic at the moment.

I am not, however, looking forward to being separated from Tara and Ellie. I’ll be gone 7 days and 6 nights. I think the longest I’ve ever been away from Ellie is about 16 hours… and it was hard! This trip will be quite a bit longer. I’m going to be sad. :(