Thirteen hundred miles

 Miles climbs the rungs at a park to make yet another trip down the slide.

 At a park Margo bumbles down the trail to burn some energy.

 Miles reads a bedtime story to Goonie.

 Sibling rivalry

 Taunting

 Miles gets a lesson in horse riding from trainer Susan.

 Brian and Margo watch Miles ride the horse.

Flower girl

Out of Office

Glad to be out of the office, and even more glad to have been able to set my automatic "Out of Office" reply, saving me from the usual 75-100 daily emails.

We've come 670 miles, plus probably another 25 just driving around towns along the way, to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This is a town of one-of-a-kind inns and restaurants and unrelenting, hot sunshine. We arrived a couple of days early to visit family and we are looking forward to the wedding of Emily's sister Kate and her fiancee Alex. Before the 8-o'clock-in-the-morning wedding on Saturday, however, we will share an outdoor barbecue feast tonight on the lawn of our motel, the Country Mountain Inn. There is no shortage of food here at the inn or in the town. I captured this rare father-son photo in the dining hall.

Basking in the glow

Some people go to tanning beds. Some people lay out in the sun. Others have what I like to call a computer tan.

After spending a wonderful extended weekend in Iowa, this work week was short and sweet. Even better: I have all next week off. It's both blessing and a curse in my industry, where there is always the nagging reality of returning to an inbox full of emails.

Village Green Lodge

Emily and I had our first B&B experience in Door County when we stayed at the Village Green Lodge in the quaint city of Ephraim, WI. And I should tell you that if you ever make it up that way and need a place to stay call Steve or Sue Sherman--they are the innkeepers--and you will be well taken care of. Their friendliness alone is worth the very reasonable price of rent. Unlike many B&Bs, this one is set up more like a small motel that offers the hospitality of a smaller, more intimate house setting. Our room had its own entry and private bathroom...something very nice that allowed us to come and go as we pleased without disturbing the neighbors. Yet in the morning, Sue and her helpers cooked up a wonderful buffet-style breakfast that brought the vacationers together.
As we satisfied our appetites in the morning, we planned out activities for the day, looked at restaurant menus and conversed with the other folks staying at the lodge. Everyone was pleasant and, from what I could tell, there for the same reason: to get away from everything Door County is not. Like smog, traffic, work, chain stores, Wal-Mart, concrete, commuting, cell phones, and mean people. The Shermans might not fully agree, as running the Village Green Lodge is their work, and any work brings stress and uncertainty. Thus I suppose they can't fully appreciate the relaxing atmosphere of DC. But they seem to be truthfully joyful in what they do, and that's more than a lot of people can say.
Go there. See the sights. Buy the souvenirs. Watch the sunsets. And at the end of the day, check in to the Village Green Lodge.

Ready for a vacation

It's probably a sign of me growing weary of my current job, but I am definitely ready for a vacation. Emily and I haven't been on a real vacation since our honeymoon in November 2004. We've taken 3 days off of work at the most, and usually take long weekend trips to visit family or friends. After two and a half years, we have finally booked a low-key, low-cost, but longer vacation to Door County, WI. We'll stay at a Bed and Breakfast--something neither of us have done--and enjoy all that the Wisconsin peninsula has to offer. Kayaking, biking, hiking, shopping, eating, and taking a scenic plane ride are all things we hope to accomplish while there. Cameras will flash and memories will be made...and we shall be renewed!