“How will I send you pictures?” K asked before leaving with the kids to Poland. We worked out a couple of different ways, but uploading directly to MTS seems to be the best method.

And so now I begin the shift from blogger to historian, for I’m writing about pictures and events where I was absent. I can look at the pictures, make an educated guess about what was going on (informed by what K told me via Skype), but by and large, I’m still just a historian.

So I look at the pictures and think, “Hum, at the airport.” And I think further: Charlotte or Munich? It doesn’t look like the terminal from which we’ve always left from Charlotte, but it looks less like the Munich airport. Still, the carpet, the handicap sign (why are my children sitting in a seat for handicapped people?), the general surroundings, the alertness of the kids — it must be Charlotte.

The other pictures are easy: I recognize the spot immediately, and more importantly, K told me about their shopping trip to “downtown” Jabłonka.

The clothes are another clue: Charlotte was 98° when they left; Poland was in the 50s, with the 5 AM morning temperature (Babcia is an early-riser) being a refreshing 32° F. Still, you’ll notice in L’s hand an ice cream cone. Apparently they’re continuing the tradition we started in 2013: if you go to the village centrum, you must get an ice cream cone. Still, you’ll also notice in the background that children returning from school are wearing shorts. It is, after all, June. Summer in Poland.