Lotsa News

Well, after being in the trenches forever, two big forward movements. First and foremost, we have finally been issued a proper building permit for the studio/deck extension on the Barrel. Whew! I'll meet with the building team to see how this is all going to get budgeted for time and money. I hope (perhaps vainly) to have this in place by the winter so that I have somewhere I can ride to on the occassional day to supplement my training.

Also, the paperwork came buy for my dad to buy the cottage -- thus freeing up construction funds for the Barrel. This has been part of a long tax free exchange that involved selling an old condo from my grad school days at Yale, and reinvesting those funds out here. What a headache, but unless you jump through all the hoops, the tax man comes and makes your life miserable.

My Moots has been sold (boo hoo) for $1225 = $50 for shipping. Heck, I only paid $1500 for it two years ago. Hooray for eBay. An old computer has also gone and now I've got a slick replacement iBook and a free Nano. The Apple stuff just keeps getting better and better. Really solid now.

I'm going to sign up to do an adventure race on August 27th -- yikes. Gotta find me a kayak.

Have also bought tickets to India for the fam on December 23rd. Dunno how long work will let me stay over, but their tickets are until the 27th of January -- 5 weeks.

Pete and Emily and Zoe have left for Sri Lanka. Hope to visit them when I head to Inida. Pete Casteli (and also Pete Gilbert) are candidates for a Manali - Leh trek over the two highest mountain passes in the world in 2008. Another possible trip then is with Homer Luther (whom I've finally tracked down in New Mexico) down to his stomping grounds in Patagonia.

And Pete Gilbert is heading back over to claim his new Trek Fuel. There will be no stopping that lad now -- up or down.

Lots on -- More work likely to come through both locally and from afar. Stay tuned.