I am back in Massachusetts and it's so good to see everyone again. I visited my parents, sister, brother, and several friends from my high school days.

Later in the week, I went to New York City for a few days to catch up with Lee and Co. on yet another national training tour and to visit Jason at his cool downtown Manhattan offices. There's such a life and energy to this City. I have done a lot of travelling and there's no place like New York.

Then back to Springfield, Mass. for more visiting. Outside, I can see my breath and am already ready to head south to warmer climates.

I went up to Burlington, Vermont to visit Ken and Lindsay on the lake and my cousins Ann and Peter. The Maple trees are amazing—all the red, orange, and yellow—I can't stop taking pictures. Then I went across to New Hampshire, the Live Free or Die state, to visit another old Navy friend, Jim and his family. We donned our heavy sweatshirts and went apple picking in Maine one afternoon—that's such a fall in New England thing to do.

On the way back to Springfield, I stopped in Exeter, New Hampshire to check on some of my family tree. As it turns out, one of my great, great, ... great grandfathers was a governor of New Hampshire.

More family time and more pictures. I attended a ballet practice of my niece, April, and the karate practice of my other niece, Lydia. I suppose these two disciplines are related, but they definitely reflect the differences in the girls' personalities.

I also went to my favorite western Mass. town, North Hampton, to see my favorite local band, Gumhead, play.

Did stuff to get ready to leave. While visiting a very old friend, Chris, I had the good luck to sell my car to his landlord. Mark wants a winter car and is willing to fly to San Antonio, Texas in a month to pick it up and drive it back to Massachusetts. Talk about serendipity.

Stored a few things in Mom's attic, gave a few things away, then headed on down the road after a very relaxing month with family and friends.

Stopped in NYC again to visit other friends and take in a show. I saw I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the Westside theater; it was excellent.

Continued on to old Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia to visit cousins Nancy and Herb. We took a drive thru the Jamestown plantation and had a dinner party with several other cousins whose names I always forget.

Headed inland to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit still more cousins, Pat and Eileen. Boy this area is growing fast.

I made the long drive from Charlotte to New Orleans to again catch up with Lee and Co. We spent a couple of days in New Orleans feasting on Cajun faire...mmmm, those frosty bignettes. One afternoon we toured Jock Sturges' controversial photo gallery wondering how anyone could consider these beautiful pictures wrong.

Then we drove to Houston, Texas for a training seminar. I liked Houston more than I remembered from visiting years ago.

Next we went up to Dallas for another seminar. While there, we toured the sixth floor of the Texas Book Depository. It is now a good museum of the Kennedy era and of those days around the time of the assassination. I looked out "that" window and imagined John going by in his motorcade. Why do good people have to die because of kooks?

We all drove down to San Antonio, stopping for dinner at the Boiling Pot in Austin. That's the restaurant where they dump a big bowl of food on your table and you eat with your hands. In San Antonio, we had a nice lunch and tour of the NewTek building with company president Tim Jenison.

Lee and Co. moved on with the tour, and I stayed behind to get ready. I stayed at my friend David's house most of the week. Mark came down and got my (his) car. I bought the last few things I needed. I spent the last night at a youth hostel in downtown San Antonio. I am really starting to feel the tingle of anticipation now....