It’s family night at the Panera Bread … or so we have decreed. Emma is at my side munching on a roast beef sandwich and pickles, Eleanor is downloading system updates and sending emails, I’m working on our new Airstream Life store (to be launched soon) with a nice chai latte.

It’s a nuisance to have to drive 30 miles into Pensacola to get online, but once we have the bulk of the necessary work under control we’ll stop doing this and start seeing some local stuff. There’s a great aviation museum here, and it’s free. We’ve been there, but it was years before Emma was born, so we may take her. I’ve also heard they are aircraft carriers here that can be toured sometimes, so we’ll ask around about that.

There’s also a rally starting tomorrow at Mystic Springs, so we’ll be in the thick of that. I doubt there will be any kids for Emma but there certainly should be a LOT of grandparents. I’m looking forward to meeting Vince Saltimaggio, who I interviewed weeks ago for an upcoming article in Airstream Life. He’s one of the people who fled Hurricane Katrina in his Airstream. He’ll be here in his ’59 Tradewind, I hope.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep catching up on everything here at Panera Bread. It’s my favorite place to get online, other than the Airstream. They don’t mind us being here for hours, and the food is great. (Tom from Internet in Motion says, “I really love the ‘cobblestone’ pastry.”) This place is flooded in the evening with students from some nearby college, and they are a riot to watch: cell phone in one hand, laptop in front of them, and multi-tasking like maniacs. There are so many of them that the high-speed Internet connection goes down every evening under the load. But it’s fun to hang out and people-watch.