**Summer Break: Day One**

Today was a pretty day. High 70's. Sunny. I spent most of it at work trying to make progress on several projects that need to be wrapped up before the end of June. I did get home about 4 PM, cut the grass and worked on taming the beds in the front yard (in part out of guilt from my neighbor ragging on me to clean up the beds). I can't believe at my age I can still be motivated by guilt. And nonfamily generated guilt to boot! It is more like keeping-up-with-the-Joneses guilt. But not self-induced.

I sent this observation to a dear, sweet friend of mine as I described my day:

Silly though, even cutting the grass and digging weeds can be pleasant and even contemplative - in spite of it smacking of suburbia. I think it is because I feel like I have accomplished something when there is dirt under my nails. Now how feminine is that? I probably should have read more magazines like Seventeen when I was younger.

A manicure would be totally wasted on me.

Tomorrow is another full day of work. Probably more of the same for Thursday. Friday morning, I hit the salon to mask all the grey caused by the birth of my daughter;).

Yes, dirt under my nails is ok, but grey roots are unacceptable, especially because I want to look my very best when I go sea kayaking Saturday. Doesn't everyone?

Looking ahead, I have 3-4 days of horsecamping awaiting me next week. Not a bad start to summer if you ask me.

My apologies to those of you working.

Really.

**Feeling the need to read!**

And all I can think about , other than how I get out on my next romp in the woods, is what would be a good book to read. So this is a request...

Can you recommend a good summer reading book. Fiction or really compelling non fiction. Something with an impact. Something compelling, something fun, something I can't put down.

What's on your must read list?

**Tiputini**

I came out of the shower this morning to hear the end of an NPR feature where Alex Chadwick was talking about the sounds that insects use to communicate with one another. It turns out he was reporting from Tiputini Biological Research Station in Ecuador - where my daughter spent several weeks doing research. Her stories from the area are even more fascinating. as they involve living in tree tops, nasty fish, and broken generators.
You can read the script or even listen to it at the the link for NPR's radio documentary: Journey to the Edge of the Amazon.

**It's beginning to look a lot like summer**

Well not by the weather which is more like early March, cool and raining. Although that is my personal assessment of what the weather is like. The weather folks say this is typical May weather. In fact we have had only half the normal rainfall this month. And I was just getting used to the 7 consectutive days of sunshine.

But I am writing my last final exam for the year. It is nearly impossible to concentrate. I am sure I want this week over more than my students. I have four study sessions to hold, one exam to finish preparing and then between now and noon Friday I have two exams to administer, grade and about 50 papers to grade. I can do this, because summer awaits me.

Even better, this Saturday awaits me. On that day, after grades are turned in, but before the drudgery of sitting through graduation ceremonies, I get to hike a very popular trail in the Columbia Gorge region, called Eagle Creek. It will take some time to get there, but it is, apparently, worth the drive. And my hiking partner is a nice gentleman that I met at a student's graduation party (who would have guessed such a place would be a potential source for a date). He was the nicest looking guy in the room by my reckoning and my student's mother introduced me to him. In all fairness, he had been the subject of conversation before, although I had never seen him until this party. My student had mentioned that I should meet him, because, in her words, he and I would have a lot in common.

We both apparently don't like Bush - the foundation of all great relationships.

I wonder if eHarmony.com has built that into their extensive personality profiling questionnaire?

**How Could You NOT Love a Town That Has This...?**

Yes this lovely town is home to the second largest Alien Daze festival, second only to Roswell, NM. It is odd, quirky and draws most of the town to the main street.


All sorts of "unusual" people show up for the parade.... many, not surprisingly from California.

I didn't know about this festival the first time I was in town during May. I pulled to an intersection at the south end of town and looked at the cross walk where I saw this man below, waiting for the light to change. I am not sure I can articulate what I was thinking about recent move to the Pacific NW at that time. Let me just say, you would NOT see a Klingon crossing the street in Southwest Michigan.

He has been back for the parade every year since. This year he was crowned King. Well done.


The highlight of the parade was the band. If I knew how to put up a sound file, you could listen to them.


The other key festival in this little town is Turkeyrama. Let's just say THAT festival embarasses me.