I heard from a few people that yesterday's blog entry was ""dark" and "depressing". I think that means it was a success.

I have been discussing with a few trusted friends the nature of the book I should write about this trip, and at this point the thinking is that the book should be very honest about our feelings and observations -- not just a travelogue. This past week's blog entries have been an attempt to discover what sort of observations are honest enough to ring true, and if everyone found my discourse on Lake Champlain to be a bit dark, well, that's perfect because it means you got the point. But don't worry, it won't be like that all the time.

We are back in Tampa. At 517 miles per hour, taking a jet is the best way to see nothing from airport to airport. Only when we walked off the jetway at Tampa International could I smell the sweet humid air of Florida, and suddenly it was like we never left. Except that now we have an abundance of sweets with us, and a few more memories.

We are considering staying a little bit longer. Our next engagement is Dec 26 in Alabama, and between now and then we just want to relax a bit. Things have been hectic, and a little quiet time might be good for everyone. Also, we need to do some thinking about our plans for Texas in January. It looks like we may be there longer than we had originally thought -- and why rush? Our only real deadline is our next set of airline tickets, set for mid-February from Tucson.