A little over a year ago I realized that this year would be the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. I’ve wanted to visit the Normandy beaches since I was a kid, but the opportunity never presented itself. Last summer I started thinking about maybe making the trip in 2004. I figured the 60th anniversary would be a good time and the absurd anti-French sentiment in the US would keep the number of yahoos down. I talked about my plans at the various summer cons and soon Hal and Rick signed on. We’d go together, we decided, and indulge in our history nerdism to the max.

Even up to about six months ago, it seemed like we might still go. We did some research and made some tentative plans. Then, as often happens, life intruded on our fantasy. None of us had a week to spare in June. We all work in the game industry and early June is when we gear up for summer con season. On top of that, with GR’s deal with GW, Hal and I had even more work to do than usual. By March it was perfectly clear: we weren’t going. I wish I had been able to be in France today. Maybe next year.