Jay:

It's interesting seeing what's going on in Iowa from the EU perspective-
people in the streets here in southern France ask about the flooding, which
is the only domestic news from the US in the area, via CNN international.
Most of their interest is, or at least was in the Euro Cup, until France
lost.

People in the stores and restaurants ask if we live near the flooded areas.
Most of the rest of the US news has been about the economy.

There are a lot of planes flying overhead, mostly the turboprops from nearby
Salon, the air academy for France. Soaring is big here, with a local club
that is quite famous. However, the mistral winds have been lacking, so the
lift over the mountains has been weak at best. We're waiting for the winds
to pick up, so my son can celebrate his birthday with a ride.

Most cars run on diesel, and 3/4 of a tank cost $150.00 yesterday! I'm
afraid to learn what avgas costs, particularly with the weak dollar.
Breakfast in a hotel restaurant can be as much as $60.00, just for some
bread, pastries, juice and coffee. Even an inexpensive dinner is around $100
for the three of us.

So, from the world wide perspective, we have a ways to go before we see the
end of climbing gas prices and other costs of living.