RIBBONS AND FLAGS

27 September 2001

I can't remember how many hours it's been since I last slept, so I'm not responsible for the quality of this entry. It is 10:30 p.m. California time. The day started at 3 a.m. Edinburgh time and prior to that, I'd been awake at least once an hour since I went to bed at 9:30.

I knew we were really headed home when we arrived at Heathrow for our United Airlines flight and found the flight attendants all wearing black ribbons.

After the long...long....long trip (2 hrs to Heathrow, 3 hr wait at Heathrow, 10 hrs to SF), I wasn't sure what to expect, but perhaps flags flying all over the airport. There was none of that. The only thing I saw was a guy wearing a flag t-shirt walking through the international terminal. But as the bus drove us to Sky Park to redeem the car, I began to see them. Flags. Old flags, tattered, but still waving proudly in the afternoon wind. New flags, crisp and clean flying from homes, stores, auto and truck antennas (one shared an antenna with a Jack in the Box head). There were cloth flags and paper flags and billboard flags and neon flags.

In our absence, the United States seems to have discovered patriotism. It's a sight I have not seen in my 58 years.

When we got home and turned on the television, all programs in one way or another mentioned the tragedy. In the UK, people have gotten away from all-day, all-the-time war coverage, though it is still on people's minds.

We have some emotional catching up to do.

In the meantime, I'm doing laundry, unpacking, trying to remember why in the world I bought that, and...finally....I hope...sleeping all night for the first time in 2+ weeks.