Thursday, September 10, 2009

An Extraordinary Summer


Route 66 in Kingman, Arizona



Labor Day is over and autumn is quickly approaching -- time to dust off the old Blog and get back to work...


But before doing that, I just have to share some of my summer. (Consider this my contribution to the collective assignment, "What I Did Over Over Summer Vacation".)

This summer was almost fully devoted to family, spanning generations:
  • Took a two-week road trip with my daughter on Route 66 -- the full drive from Chicago to Los Angeles (photo highlights here)
  • Helped move my parents from Smalltown, America to Minnesota's Twin Cities
Each where extremely rich experiences.

On the drive, we cut through a large swath of the United States observing sharp contrasts: from major cities to remote towns, stunning beauty to depressing blight, amazing down-home cooking to very ordinary fast food.

The move included house hunting, real estate details, and lots of construction and renovation. In the process, I learned much too much about electrical, plumbing, tiling, painting, heating & air, and general fix-it repair.

But beyond the places and things, this summer was mostly about the people I spent it with. To my family, friends, and colleagues, I could not imagine a more fulfilling time.

Thank you all so much. I will never forget these past few months.


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