A note from the road

I'll get back on the road for home on Tuesday, making it back to Van Horn on Wednesday. This has been a successful and enjoyable trip. Next week is a big one for me, as we launch our Texas Mountain Trail BookCrossing Project on Friday and Saturday. You can read more about it here: http://www.texasmountaintrail.com/home/index.asp?page=823

It is always a great change of pace to work from the road. I sit down in a laptop friendly coffee shop and get a couple of hours of emailing in--sometimes in two sessions to be polite to the establishment--and get quite a bit done. I see and hear things I'd never hear at home. The place I'm working now is a relaxed coffee spot, a favorite for first dates and casual get togethers. Friday I sat next to a couple obviously assessing whether a second date would occur. He was too aggressive in his sensitivity and she was polite but remained unimpressed. When I heard him say, "I learned that in my essential oils class," I was reminded I was NOT in Van Horn.

I like getting emails on the road. This is the first week of the Texas State Fair, so Larry and I have begun our annual debate as to which fair is the best, Iowa's or Texas'. Since the evidence is not in his favor, Larry obviously needs a partner in this endeavor so he's gotten Michael into the act, who has the misfortune of directing a museum located on the fairgrounds, so he's there EVERY DAY, which must be a special kind of hell. Michael sends silly photos of the fair in defense of their misguided assumption of Texas' fair dominance--the fried latte booth, the judging of craft 'masterpieces,' and a smallest champion hog I'd ever seen....which was clearly not up to Iowa standards.

When I pointed out the obvious, Michael had this to say, "Boris’ official spokesperson here says that after the Texas State Fair, Boris actually heads up to Iowa to spend three weeks at a special hog spa to slim down. I think we need to cut old Boris some slack anyway since he is encamped for 24 days in a stall adjacent to the Owens Country Sausage Pavilion and Restaurant, which can’t be good for his psyche, sort of a constant reminder of the impermanence of life."

And reading that, I pretended to be ashamed but Larry and Michael know me well enough to see through that nonsense. I hear the "best" food this year is the fried cookie dough. Count me out.

After months of lusting after the ice cream maker and cookbook I read about in the many food blogs I read each week, I finally got them both. The first batch of fresh orange sorbet was yummy, light and not too sweet. Sara emailed, "Now that you have an ice cream maker, you will never need anything else! Life will be perfect!" And she's practically right! I'm going to be the only one in Van Horn game enough to try cranberry-ginger and earl grey sorbets. Van Horn's distance from shopping centers is a relief most of the time, but when I get to the city I tend to STOCK UP!

I also have been keeping up with the running, posting my 6th consecutive 20 mile week. In fact, this was a 24 mile week. This morning we did 12 miles, my personal record. It wasn't pretty but it felt good to go that long. It will take me awhile to work up to that distance running by myself, but I'll get there. Now that I have that ice cream maker, I'll need the miles.

More later, when there is actually something to say.