Back in the Saddle again....

Lord...things have been busy.
I have been on a travel binge of late. Part of my promise to myself, upon coming to Iowa, was to get into a more normal lifestyle. And for me, travel is an important component of living a full life.

I was back from Rehomo just long enough to get some work done before I had to jet back out to the East for a trip to the Finger Lakes. Hot Mama's neck of the woods.

I visited some friends there who live in Ithaca and they were wonderful hosts. Lots of dinners and drinks. We did a wonderful wine tour along the west shore of Lake Keuka - purported to be the prettiest of the Finger Lakes.


While I would not venture an opinion on that given this was my first trip to the area, it was definitely a pretty day and a wonderful time was had by all. We had a nice trip to Bully Hill Vineyards....the dry Riesling was enchanting. Then up to Dr. Konstantin Frank for some really outstanding wines....Riesling was phenomenal. The tasting room was simplicity and very relaxed. Small groups did tastings over the course of 20-30 minutes and there was no rush. A view from the deck of the vineyard.

I fell in love with Finger Lake Riesling right then and there. Then down the way to Heron Hill which was much more of a rush and much less enjoyable....but damn if they did not have a fantastic Johannisberg Rielsing.

We toured the campus of Cornell, saw waterfalls, had a nice drive through the countryside and did some leaf peeping...although the leaves were still in the early stages of changing.

All in all, a fantastic way to spend 3 short days. Upon my return, my parents came for a visit a few days later and spent the weekend. We had a nice visit and ate very well. They seemed to enjoy their time in Des Moines.

This week is all about getting back into the swing of things. I had two papers accepted in the past week which was a relief. These two outstanding manuscripts were my last clear link to my academic life. Having them accepted led me to feel that I am bringing things to completion and that, finally, I could move on to focus on other areas of my life.

Bubba is enjoying his new job....his new boss is a golf fanatic. Bubba has already been golfing twice with the new boss. I think that this is good for Bubba's professional development to golf with the work crowd and it is good for him to get back into a normal rhythm of life.

So it appears that Fall is going to bring us back to a very normal lifestyle of work all week and relaxing weekends of watching football and doing house stuff. I could use some predictability!

Hot Mama will be moving to Des Moines in a few short weeks....she is rather excited about starting a new position and, probably more exciting, emerging from the academic mire. I look forward to talking with her about this major transition that we both have made. It should make for some interesting blog entries!

Linus continues to thrive in Iowa - he is just happy as can be chasing rabbits and protecting us from chipmunks. He's become so butch!

I should be providing more regular entries for the foreseeable future and there is alot to explore!