I have been encouraged to begin writing here, even though I am not presently in Krakow. It seems kind of odd to be celebrating the 4th of July in America, as an American, and be homesick for a foreign country, but what can I say? My home is in Krakow, and I'm just visiting here. That's the way it feels. Kind of like moving back with your parents after you've grown up and moved out. It's still home...but it's not the same.

Since my kids don't get to experience a "real" 4th of July when we're in Poland, we made a big deal of it this year. They especially enjoyed the fireworks display, which was spectacular, and set to music, and pretty much a heart-stopping, ear-splitting, eye-popping half hour of explosive entertainment. The baby (C) was great. She loves noise, and never so much as flinched.

But my thoughts can't help but go back to last year, when we celebrated the 4th in Krakow with a couple of other American families. We packed a picnic supper--including genuine Polish sausage, to be cooked on a grill, and hiked about 2 blocks from home to picnic beside the Vistula (Wislwa in Polish) River. It was a terrific location, and we had purchased some great no-way-would-these-be-legal-in-the-US fireworks to celebrate. Fireworks look terrific when you set them off above a river. We had our picnic, and waited for the sun to set and darkness to set in. Unfortunately, it was freezing. After the sun went down, it got colder and colder. We built a fire and huddled around it, sending the kids after sticks and wooden debris for fuel. When it was finally dark enough (and darkness comes late when you are so far north), we enjoyed a great home-made fireworks show. All husbands present were pyromanics, but are there any other kind? And so we wished America a happy birthday from 5,000 miles away.

And as soon as it was over, we hurried home where it wouldn't be quite so cold. It was a great 4th, and I have a feeling I'm going to remember it a long longer than I will remember the terrific fireworks I saw last night.