Seduction of Summer

In the land of smiles, and endless summer, the "real" summer pulls you in, like an undertow that you didn't notice until you're completely sucked in, rolling about, and finally shot out the other side of the wave, completely disoriented and exhilarated!

Departures commence next week as Lukas heads to NH, and "wheels up" for the kids and I next month; we'll hit the ground running, with a stop in MD to visit Nellie, before picking Mike up and heading north for stops all around New England, NY and back to DC.

Micah brought home a very respectable report card yesterday - There is hope for him yet :-) Just between you and I, I am going to miss that kid so much next year... he starts high school in the fall, at a Christian boarding school in NY, about a 90 minute drive from his grandparents' house.

 I don't think he's going to miss his friends very much, now that they all live and socialize in the magical, virtual World of Warcraft. And to answer the question that is sure to be nagging you right about now... Mary had a very good year and a fantastic report card as well.

I am scheduled for back surgery on July 1st. The doctor tracked down an FDA approved device that will wedge my vertebrae apart and keep it from impinging on my sciatic nerve, which can cause excruciating pain at times. It's not easy getting old, or so I am told on a daily basis.

We're having a brunch this weekend to say goodbye to Jeff Hill and David Aliprandi, and welcome Doyle Lee, Scott Baughn and Marcus Cox. The menu is set for Sangria, Mimosas and a variety of breakfast foods. Stefan is coming down from Chiang Mai to join us (and fix our routers!)

This is the first Friday, in about a month, that actually feels like a Friday! We haven't worked a full work week since before the Red Shirt protests. This has been the first, and it wasn't all that bad. I even managed to make it to the gym a couple of times.