VACATION ALERT:¨One never knows where the nose goes¨ Sir Charles Benjamin, Beverly Hills and beyond! REGULAR UPDATES!

I´m off!

I mean, I´m ¨off¨ on a Holiday/work trip!

I´m off to see the Wizards, of Cross, Fisher, Woods, VanGoey and Clark extended families! There are so many really talented folks it´s hard for me to narrow it down but I can GLADLY tell you that I´m looking forward to several weeks of adventures on the West Coast and then on to the Midwest and more visiting of dear friends.

I´ll try and keep you posted as I discover the many wonderous things that are certain to unfold before me.

First off, one of the beautiful parts of being from a very large English-American family is that we keep discovering one another. There are many more of than ever imagined as literally dozens and dozens of cool cousins are yet to be met! This past year my lovely, talented, and the fabulously endearing daughter of my sister has been doing lots of family research and reuniting many of us who had drifted apart...so, the beginning of my holiday will be a especially heartwarming gathering as I get to know some family members, some of which I´ve not ever met before!

Then off to Chicagoland and then to Indiana to visit my much admired, and longest term, and surviving, accomplice in adult life antics (don´t forget we were from ¨the make love not war¨ generation). When we were quite young she and I literally traveled the world (often, spontaneously without planning but with Passport in hand and hangover in head) and often discovered some little known facts about some never to be seen again trouble makers like us!

Easy does it! Steady, I´m coming in for a landing.

A visit to Wisconsin has been long overdue as another great, and long-term, friend has invited me repeatedly to visit her and enjoy the ¨Summer magic in rural Wisconsin¨...complete with her own little lake where we will swim and bake!

Lot´s of visiting and renewing of friendships and once again I will ALSO meet up with six other friends and we will work together for a little over a week...it´s our annual version of our very own ¨custom work party¨ and it´s FUN! It´s fine dining with Golden Boys Club (we really are the best) every night and we meet in a different major U.S. City every year!

Three cheers for Summertime!

Enjoy!

UPDATE, JULY THIRD:

FIRST STOP, A REPORT FROM OREGON, it's gorgeous here and the weather is really, hot! 4th of July activities everywhere and the everyone seems especially festive (in the face of the economic difficulties that are very present here)...off to dinner! More later! I wonder what TEC Delegates and Bishops are conjuring up in Anaheim?

It's so odd. We have few African decended people where I live in Central America (most folks are indigenous heritage) and here I'm interacting with many African Americans...I keep wanting to HUG them and bring up pro-topics about our fantastic new President...so far, I've been able to just SMILE and act normal, well, sort of normal, instead of jumping up and down for joy for them and for ALL MANKIND...finally we've taken a important step in destroying discrimination, fear and hate...only I can't just blurt that out to passing strangers! Smiling is nice but hugging is better.

I'm looking forward to seeing my sister too and she and her husband are joining me here for a few...it's soon her birthday and she's the Mother of wonderful kids, grandmother of many and a Great Grandmother!

·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing