Although, thanks to a green card, we're now allowed to stay in the USA as long as we want - and are therefore no longer technically nonimmigrant - we can't stay away as long as we want. If we're judged to have "abandoned" the place, they'll eject us. Just like cricket, if you take too long to arrive at the crease when it's your turn to bat, you're out! This means we have to return every so often, to remind America how pleased it is to see us.
Personally, we're very pleased to see all our friends back in Houston, and Pete wasted no time in racing to meet Levi, Lexi, Kimo, Elena...Tilman the dog, Fifo the cat... We had a nosy at our house, and the renters are keeping the garden much tidier than we did, so they can stay. We also visited some old haunts (that is, thrift shops) and ate a lot of very-bad-for-you, very processed food.
All this happened in some of the worst weather Houston has ever had. You may have read about the "heat dome" covering much of the southern US, and while Arizona is ground zero it is plenty hot enough here in Texas too. Incredibly the power grid hasn't fried, thanks to lots of additional solar and wind, but I'm not sure how long air conditioning can keep things habitable if this is the coolest summer for the next 100 years.
But we lapped it up, recharging our solar batteries for the next northern European winter. The USA often looks bad from the outside, but when you're there it's pretty lovely, especially enjoying time again with far-off friends. Or maybe that's just the Twinkies talking.
