Even as I wrote our blog around America, detailing the trivial - but fun! - exploits of the 5 Collinses, I was hugely aware of the 'big stuff' that didn't even get mentioned. On the day we arrived, the stock markets went into freefall as America's credit status was downgraded and global recession loomed larger than ever. While we were in Pennsylvania, eating ice-creams on Amish farms and avoiding the downpour in the huge farmers market, London was in a state of siege from the riots and looting (or so CNN had us believe - I suspect there may have been some hyperbole, but it was shocking and shameful nevertheless). Throughout the summer there's been fighting and killing in Libya, Syria and Afghanistan, and our trip ended while Washington was recovering from a minor earthquake and the East Coast was being battered by Hurricane Irene. But like Jane Austen writing exclusively about what was happening in the drawing rooms of middle England while Wellington and Napoleon slugged it out at the Battle of Waterloo, I consciously kept my focus on the minutiae - things that mattered to us rather than the big wide world.
To which end, let me add a post-script as a final sign off to the blog. Ignoring all the troubles of the world around us, (heaven knows, it's been on the brink of collapse since the beginning of time and we seem to have limped on so far...) here are some much less prosaic musings on the positives (+) and negatives (-) of the Collins family trip to the USA.
+ blue skies, sunshine, warm/hot weather (All)
- the black raincloud that kept finding us! (All)
+ discovering new games to hook up and play together on the DS (R, J, T)
- the constant squawks over winning and losing on the DS (E, I)
+ listening to David Walliams read 'Billionnaire Boy' on the ipod in the car (All)
- journeys that took much longer than they ought because of pesky slow speed limits (I)
+ getting away from TV / Internet / Phones except for small bursts (E/I)
- almost no TV at all (R, J, T)
+ exploring new places, enjoying the feeling of space and admiring the gorgeous views (E, I)
- rubbish satnav which was nearly hurled out the window on several occasions (E, I)
+ eating heartily and still looking skinny compared to the locals (E)
- the dearth of fresh vegetables on offer when eating out - scurvy loomed! (All - incl. T!)
+ the wonderful friendliness of all the Americans we met who loved our accents - and our children! (E, I)
- the way all the dollar bills look the same: I looked like a tourist the whole time, scrabbling around trying to tell a one-dollar from a fifty-dollar (E)
+ the good health we all enjoyed throughout - no need to discover how good/bad our insurance was (E, I)
- unless monster mozzie bites and wasp/bee stings count in which case... (E, R, J)
+ being together and going on adventures (E, I)
- being together (J)
- going on adventures (T)
+ The complete works of Jane Austen (E)
- 'Freedom' by Jonathan Frantzen (E)
+ Finding a scenic seat after walking miles through town/city/country/woodland (E, R, J, T)
- Finding that you have in fact been 'parked' in said scenic seat while Iain wanders off for half an hour to take more photographs (E, R, J, T)
- The adventure being over and real life kicking back in
+ Getting home again, seeing loved ones and settling back in.
So you see, with every negative there are still plenty more positives... let's hope that's true of the big world wide too. In the words of George Dubya - God Bless America!
