Bill and I start our Asian adventure tomorrow afternoon....the excitement between the two of us is rising.  5 am and we both are up and wide awake!  The bedroom is filled with suitcases and layered with clothes, especially mine, as I decide what to pack and what to leave behind.
The cats seem to be undisturbed, as though they know they will be staying here the entire time and will not need special caretakers or any boarding.  Their care and routine should remain the same; they will be taken care of by our daughter Cathye who lives with us.
5 weeks is such a long time to be gone from our home, our place of solace and yet we have often travelled together over the years to far places.  We become our own place of solace, finding strength in each other and our mutual love of travel.