Last Days of Summer

With only a couple weeks left before our flight across the pond, the pace really picked up. Between wrapping up summer fun and prepping for departure, our days were a mix of work and play. One of the big tasks was shipping a little bit of “home” to Poland — toiletries, favorite packaged foods, air filters, dish sponges, a blower, clothes, and who knows what else (after two giant boxes you kind of forget). After a few hundred dollars between Walmart and Amazon, plus two nearly 70-pound boxes from Menards, we loaded them up at Polamer, dropped about $180, and sent them off. If all goes well, they’ll land in Tarnów sometime in mid-October. Perfect timing.

The weather was still incredible for mid September, so Piotrek and Filip decided to skip school and work one Thursday and sneak in a fishing day on Deep Lake. With a small rental boat from Jack and Lydia’s and Piotrek’s electric motor, they explored the shoreline in search of the best spot. The boys and I joined them later off First Street, just in time to fish, splash, and catch the sunset.

That weekend Piotrek, Jola, and their kids came back to Lake Villa. More fishing for the boys, followed by a bonfire at Babcia’s on Saturday night.

On Sunday, the boys had a sleepover at Ciocia Anetka’s — they’re always thrilled for time with her, and we’re so thankful she carves out that space for them.

Meanwhile, I finally got around to sticking the trip decals on my panniers — including the “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” one that had just arrived. It felt good to make the bike look as accomplished as it felt.

Packing was in full swing by then. We made multiple runs to the storage unit, and gave the Sienna a proper sendoff wash with Jeff’s Shell gas station unlimited car wash plan (thanks Jeff!). I detailed the wheels, then walked with the boys to First Street while they rode their bikes. On the way back, Grayson got waved over by Romcia, who handed him a platter of fresh racuchy — apple-filled Polish crepes. We carried them to Babcia’s, where everyone happily dug in.

Saturday was crunch time: our last full day before departure. We met with the condo tenant to wrap up details and hand over the keys, then shuffled more boxes to storage. I sneaked in another ride on the F900 with Filip and Ania to Lake Geneva. The plan was to grab pizza at a place Filip swore by, but it was closed, so we settled on another lakeside restaurant with good food, drinks, and dessert before heading back. While I was gone, Sylwia took the boys to a Fall Festival on Gages Lake, where they packed in a few hours of petting zoos, tractor rides, horse rides (just Grayson), face painting, dunk tanks, and old cars. Later, we regrouped at Deep Lake for one last swim with Piotrek who came in solo that day, then ended the night with sausages and beers around a bonfire at Babcia’s. Aneta even brought champagne for an early birthday toast. The boys spent their last night there, which felt like a fitting sendoff.

Fresh off the press — our S & S Adventures t-shirts! — now we’re officially geared up for the next adventure.

Then came Sunday — departure day. After a late night of ramen and a fire, we were up early and in full travel mode. We cleared out the condo, hauled the last items to storage, and set up Babcia’s screen door for winter with a glass insert. I took the BMW north into Wisconsin to burn fuel and refill with fresh ethanol-free gas, then dropped it off at Jeff’s, where we left both the bike and the Sienna in his care. By the afternoon, everyone had gathered at Babcia’s. The boys squeezed in one last fishing session with Piotrek and Filip, and Damianek stole the show, landing a massive bluegill on his new pole. Piotrek swore it was the biggest he’d ever seen, adding to Damianek’s already impressive fishing record. After the excitement, the boys grabbed a quick bite at Jack & Lydia's end-of-season picnic, then headed to Babcia’s to change and enjoy her final home-cooked dinner. We made a quick stop at Hank’s to see him and Bronek, and after hugs and goodbyes, Uncle Filip drove us to the airport.

Check-in at SAS was, of course, a little messy. They didn’t see our checked luggage in the system, wanted to charge us again, and flagged our carry-ons for being overweight. After a long back-and-forth, they finally let it through and even gave us a VIP pass through security, which probably saved us from missing the flight.

The 8-hour flight dragged on, as long flights usually do. The kids were troopers—switching between cartoons, games, and snacks—while Sylwia and I scrolled through the movie options, trying to pass the time. Sleep wasn’t really in the cards. The boys dozed off for maybe a couple of hours, but Sylwia and I didn’t manage more than a few restless minutes. And then there was the food… classic airline cuisine at its finest. SAS served up a mystery chicken and rice dish that somehow managed to have no flavor at all. Grayson and I did our best to eat most of ours, but Sylwia and Damian weren’t having it—they poked at a few bites and left the rest. Just when we thought we were done, breakfast arrived: a sad, rubbery breakfast sandwich that was honestly inedible. The only redeeming part of that meal was the little carton of orange juice, which tasted normal. By hour six, the kids were finally asleep while we were just counting down the minutes to touchdown.

Our layover in Copenhagen lasted about two hours—just enough time to grab some wildly overpriced burgers and fries and refill our water bottles at airport “premium” rates. Everything in airports seems to come with a huge markup.

Somewhere on the short hop from Copenhagen to Warsaw, Grayson lost his third baby tooth in just two weeks. The tooth fairy is going to need a bigger wallet.

We finally touched down in Warsaw, where Artur was waiting in our old, faithful Altima. With just a three-hour drive left, the long travel day was nearly behind us. We couldn’t help but feel grateful — we’d truly squeezed every last drop out of summer. From perfect weather to endless adventures, it had been everything we hoped for. Next year might feel far away, but the thought of doing it all again already makes us smile. By the time we reached Grajewo, Marzena had a warm dinner waiting — the perfect welcome home.

For the record: I racked up nearly 2,000 miles on the GS in a single month, the Sienna clocked almost 7,000 miles in four, and Babcia’s Subaru carried us another 3,500 in the first stretch. Not bad for one summer.