Morning all:

Finally a Saturday morning at home, it is fairly warm, windy, dark, and feeling very much like autumn outside. Therefore, sitting here breaking in a new and larger coffee mug feels pretty good. This weekend we are dog-sitting Shang, which means that I won’t be lengthy since he’ll start reminding me that he needs to go on his constitutional very shortly.

We’re trying to get back to normal after a week and a half in California. The background music is specifically loaded to help with the transition process. Last Saturday we had just a super time at Art & Jolene’s home in the chaparral/desert area away from Los Angeles. For everyone not living on the warm side of the West Coast their ability to make use of the outdoors is wonderful. Just have a look at their outdoor wood-fired Pizza oven , in which Art baked some superb Pizzas and a great Calzone. I guess that rather than dream on I should keep repeating to myself that here in the Mid-West “we have the four seasons” to break the monotony.

This week I spent a few days in Chicago and managed the time to have an evening with my nephew Nick. It is always good to be somewhere on travels and be able to connect with family. I had a chance to take a look at his newly purchased loft condo, complete with a great view of the Chicago Loop. It is good to see the younger generation take on a whole new level of responsibility and start stepping out into adulthood in such a positive fashion. Nice going Nick.

Normally I expect to read wacko stories from places such as England or even Milwaukee. Yesterday was a major exception and this came right out of our own backyard in the neighboring town of Norwood. Be sure to click on the hyperlink. All is fine with the family and I am discovering that from this point on the getting ready phase for the Tall Stacks gathering is accelerating. We are ready though!

Have a great week.

Cheers,

Dirk