In 1984, before we had any grandchildren, and our eldest was just graduating from Dartmouth College, a very dear friend, John Hennessey, told us how he and Jean took each one of his grandchildren on a long summer trip without parents or siblings. It is a wonderful bonding experience for all concerned, and I urge you to do it with your grandchildren when they reach the age of 12.

Our first was Aron, who in 2004 chose to go on a Lewis and Clark Expedition, retracing the steps of those early American explorers. Our second was Natan, who chose to go to Alaska, and even managed to help land a 7-passenger plane in Barrow, the northernmost hamlet of the United States. Our third was Erik, whose first choice was Hawaii, which was deemed too dangerous for his doddering grandparents, so he settled for his second choice, Washington, DC. Our fourth and last was Anika, Erik's sister, whose first choice was also Hawaii, but her grandparents were deemed to be even more doddering than before, so she settled for the Northwest.