What's next?

Northfield,MN
Originally uploaded by Donavon.

Dateline: vacation.

Anna and I are wrapping up a very necessary retreat to her homeland, about to return home tomorrow and reunite ourselves with backed up mail, an overgrown lawn, and (hopefully) a progressing Vegetable Factory.

I spent a few wonderful days with five dear friends at the Miller Cottage. Most of us were college roommates. One was grandfathered into the group by way of workplaces and kickball teams. There was the retelling of classic tales, the listening to of old vinyl LPs (Led Zeppelin IV on the original wax? At my in-laws' cottage? Are you kidding me?), the playing of bocce and boardgames, and the repeated exposure of one's backside. (It goes with the territory of my friends, I suppose.)

Anna and her family joined me for the rest of the extended weekend. There was less exposed backside (probably better for everyone), more good cooking, and lots of paperback reading. If you're in the mood for an action-packed murder-mystery-suspense-adventure book under 400 pages, this cottage has got its own library. Feel like some John Grisham? Maybe some Ken Follett? Robert Ludlum, perhaps? They've got you covered.

There was also some movie watching. Finally saw Star Trek. Now I want to join Starfleet.

Soon I will jump into Year 2 of this graduate school experiment. Year 1 was successfully completed a couple weeks ago and the break has been a good one. I'm certainly ready for the next year to begin. Gonna try to ride my bike to and from school as much as possible. Ask me in six weeks how well that is going.