The Great Passport Delay Crisis of 2007 appears to be over, or at least it was for me. Saturday, July 12, I brought my 10-month-old to the post office on South Eads Street in Arlington. We filled out the forms, paid $101.05, and even got his picture taken there (the preceding figure includes photo and money order fees). The clerk asked if we wanted expedited service, but we declined.

The passport arrived today. It was issued Tuesday. We may even have gotten it sooner had we not been on vacation; the envelope isn’t postmarked and was included with our held mail. Good work, State Department!