How idyllic is this? A classical guitarist--my niece Carolyn's partner Jonathan--playing on the lawn of the Vanderbilt Mansion overlooking the Hudson River in upper New York State on a beautiful August day. That was yesterday (Monday). Today we hiked around a lovely mountain lake in a state park near New Paltz, NY. And now? I'm in a motel across the river from New York City preparing to spend tomorrow with friends from PBase (Keith Goldstein) and from David Alan Harvey's "Road Trips" blog (Spencer Lloyd). Oh my, life is such an adventure!!!