Goodbye Britain

50 years ago today my first wife and I arrived in Seattle with our three-month-old first-born. The photo shows us waving goodbye to the neighbors from the tailgate of the Pickfords moving van.

I remember clearly how excited we were. Our son T was in a carry-cot/portacrib at our feet -- we were sitting in the front row of economy -- and he cried for most of the flight, but I wouldn't have slept, anyway. 

I looked out the window as we were descending over the city and saw that it was snowing. The Boeing recruiter had assured us that it never snowed in Seattle -- I wondered what else I'd been told that wasn't quite true!

I've now lived two thirds of my life in this part of the world. I knew very soon after I arrived that it would be my permanent home.