Busy Days

We have thoroughly enjoyed the recent warm spring days-- we have been frequenting the children's farmyard near our house. Sometimes we arrive before the staff, and have the opportunity to watch the animals being fed their morning meal. They are very noisy when meal time approaches, and that is a lot of fun.
I (Katharine) head off to Croatia tomorrow for a water conference. I am really looking forward to Dubrovnik, which everyone highly recommends as a destination. Apparently it is a major summer travel spot, but I think going in April I will miss the crowds. Here are two photos of the city I found on the web:
For those who may not remember, Croatia is one republic of the former Yugoslavia, and lies across the Adriatic from Italy, a bit north of Greece. I have been busy trying to analyze the data for my dissertation and prepare my presentation, so I have not taken a lot of time to study the history of the region. I am afraid my knowledge goes only as deep as the Lonely Planet Croatia guide book, but it has been fascinating to learn about a corner of the world that is new to me. Croatia was a part of the Roman empire, has connections to Venice as a city-state, and then was joined with the other republics (Macedonia, Bosnia, Serbia, etc) by Tito.
I have also learned a lot about the wars there in the 1990s-- I never realized those conflicts were between two different types of Christian groups in some cases. Though apparently even the details of this Wikipedia link are disputed by the different sides involved (granted it is only Wikipedia, but I wanted to find a link that was not too overwhelming). Even the cursory coverage of the Lonely Planet Guide states that there were war crimes committed by both groups, and guide books as a rule do not focus on such things.
Dubrovnik was shelled heavily during the wars in the 1990s, but apparently made huge efforts (and used a lot of money-- ten million USD at the time) to use craftsmen and artisans to restore this ancient city. Fortunately the conference organizers have two tourist-y events planned for the participants: a boat cruise and a tour of the "old city". I will take my camera, and hope to have more to share next week. I am sure it will be wonderful.
In other news there is a possibility James and I may be heading to south Georgia for a month while Mike is gone. My mom was a little concerned about us being alone for 2 months with me pregnant. After a lot of thinking she realized even coming over or trying to send help would not really work. I think any visitor would spend the whole time adjusting and figuring out where to get what. So, long story short she has offered to fly us to GA from mid June-mid July. She has actually offered to bring us back for the entire time Mike is gone, but of course there is a limit to when I can travel while pregnant. I have searched endlessly on the web, and the average time is 36 weeks for limiting travel-- though each airline is different. Both KLM and Northwest (their US end carrier) state 36 weeks, even for international travel. Deep vein thrombosis is one risk, though that is a risk no matter how far along you are. With James as my travel companion I do not think it will be a problem to get up and walk every hour. I am also a water-drinking fanatic, even when not pregnant, and I know that helps curtail the risk of DVT. I never suffered from a swollen ankle, foot or wrist (or anything) when I was pregnant with James, which I chalk up to my water-drinking habits.
The travel limit is usually imposed not because of health risks, but because airlines do not want you going into labor while in the air. Legally they must divert to the nearest airport with a hospital, leading to I imagine a plane-full of angry travelers and huge costs. One website I read stated that this costs tens of thousands of dollars. I would be travelling in the 29-33 week range, so I hope this will not be an issue. I am calling the midwife to get approval, and calling the airline to triple check before buying the ticket.
Now, after all this information, we give you the star of the show: James sporting his summer casual wear, and sitting contentedly at Judith and Niels' place.