free grain: Kate, Nana and Baba's Grand Adventure

About fifty-three years ago traveling became an incontestable part of my life. Initially it was the military moving me around the USA for various training sessions, then they expanded my horizons to include Japan, Korea, Wake Island and Hawaii. When I got into the dental biz shortly after the service, the frequency of travel increased exponentially. There was a long period when I was with DenTalEz when I would leave home almost every Sunday night and return Friday evening having visited 4 or 5 cities in between. After that things really heated up for the next three decades when I was in constant motion working on every continent except Africa and Antarctica.

During most of my travels there was a certain decorum followed by most travelers. We didn't wear suits and ties, unless we were going immediately into battle after landing, but we did dress decently. We were fed nutritious and tasty meals, even on short flights, served on china plates with sterling utensils. The cloth napkins had stitched buttonholes in one corner so one could use it as a bib protecting one's tie from dripping the soup one was served prior to the main course. Each meal came with a small card imprinted with a non-denominational pre-meal prayer and a complimentary packet of 5 cigarettes. The meal was preceded and followed by a variety of cocktails in almost unlimited quantities.

At some point during the flight the pilot would make an appearance, chatting with the passengers, reassuring them that all was well and that they were safe in his capable god-like hands.

Things have changed.

When Jill and I boarded our flight from Seattle to Amsterdam last Sunday I thought for a moment we were at a carpenters convention due to the number of butt-cracks (both male and female) exposed as passengers pushed and shoved their oversized carry-on bags into overhead bins. It appeared that many of the passengers were wearing pajamas or hip hugger pants designed for rock videos but certainly not for hefting. In one case I got a full on boob view (saggy) as the lady in front of us raised her arms to retrieve something from the bin shortly after take off. Hairy bellies draping over drawstring sweats were common and almost as disgusting as the food and service. Of course all of this is in comparison with what was... not what is currently considered state-of-the-art. Indeed when compared to other flights we've taken lately this one was benign... we left on time and arrived when promised... we did not crash and we got through immigration and customs unscathed. I guess we should count our blessings as minimal as they may be when flying.

Our unit is ground floor right

From Amsterdam Schipol we took a local train all the way across Holland to Weert where the van de Laars (the couple we are exchanging homes with for a month) met us and took us 20 kilometers into Belgium to their home in the small village of Maaseik. We were delighted by their lovely, large, modern townhome. We spent the afternoon learning about their home and the surrounding area. The next morning we took them to Weert to catch the 6:30 train to Amsterdam where they woul fly to LA, pick up our car at LAX and drive to Palm Desert.

Jill Grand Place

Brussels Grand Place

We had the rest of the day to get organized, see the village and to nap. After a restless night (time zone/jet lag hell) we drove 30km to Genk to catch a train to Brussels to meet our granddaughter Kate who arrived on the EuroStar train from London at 7 that evening. Kate has been attending a school in the UK for the last several months and is on spring break. Next semester she is transferring to a branch of the same school in Austria. Jill and I will go with her and then return to Belgium for the last few days before flying home.

We spent Kate's first day settling in and exploring Maaseik and then yesterday we took the train back to Amsterdam. We took a boat cruise around the canals, ate great food, went to the flower mart (disappointing) then to the Ann Frank house (inspiring). Nice Italian dinner then back to Maaseik by train arriving around 9:30PM. All in all a great day!!!

Village center Maaseik

Amsterdam

Tomorrow is Easter. We are going to visit a couple of nearby American military cemeteries to honor those who gave it all so we could lead the lives we do... HOOHA!

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Book update ... Last month sales exceeded 700!!! I have no idea where people hear about the book. When you consider that most self-published books rarely sell more than a couple hundred copies I'm delighted to have sold over 3,000 so far. Here's the latest review posted by a reader (no I did not write this):

WOW! This is a GREAT book! It's a contemporary/ancient story, chalk full of breathtaking inspiration. I want to paint the black stripe across my own left eye, to perpetuate the deeply moving commitment to honor our "fallen heritage" with our own transformation into a non-violent, compassionate, cooperative community of nations! Mr. Schwartz, thank you! This storytelling shines a brilliant light, illuminating all our hearts and lives. Bravo!

Why do I include this in this blog... to brag? Actually no... I do it because you are part of my core. I have no other way to spread the word effectively. I just spent $5,000 on an ad campaign in Kirkus Review and sales actually slowed down!!! Go figure? I get the best results when you... my friends, readers and family tell others about the book. Word of mouth is king. So I say THANK YOU for all you have done so far and ask that you continue to support In The Shadow of Babylon.

Mo Pics of Kate and Jill