Happy Birthday, Prince Charles!

After much rushing around, we finally made it to the UK. Just in time, it seems, for the Queen's eldest son to celebrate his 60th birthday. There is much speculation here as to whether HRH will step aside for Charles, but I'm afraid our stay here will be long over before that decision is made public.

Our reception here has been wonderful. Everyone seems sincerely relieved that Obama was elected. Many of us forget that the Brits have men and women in harms way in Iraq as well. In fact, two Royal Marines were killed this week. There does seem to be a hopefulness that is spreading around the world - even as the economy appears to be imploding. Of course, for the first time in years, the dollar is up against the pound, so we have a bit more buying power than usual on our trip. In other words, we can afford to buy the occasional round!

We'll be renting a car next week, and taking a few day trips. Friday, we go to London for the weekend before flying home to ... oops! Not sure where home is! Let me rephrase that, we fly back to Denver to pick up Jeffrey and Emma, then head for St. Louis. Sadly, my brother-in-law, Russ's family suffered a tragedy this week, so celebrating Thanksgiving will be more about being together than about food and football. Life is so unpredictable.

On a lighter note, my favorite judge, John Creuzot, was re-elected to his 5th term in office. Some of you will remember that I ran John's campaign in 1992. I consider it one of my proudest career highlights. John has done incredible things with his position, and has helped countless individuals with substance abuse problems turn their lives around. His website, http://www.judgecreuzot.com/, shows video testimonials to his good works. Yay, John!!

Hope all of you are well and safe. We will be back in touch once we are back over the pond. I already miss Ann and Tony, and we having even left. Cheerio and all that stuff!

President Obama!!

Stewart and I came back down to civilization in order to contribute in our own small way to the democratic process. We walked precincts up in Wellington knocking on doors making sure that those who said they'd vote, did. It was so exciting to listen to people, proudly wearing their "I voted" stickers, tell us they had stood in line to vote for Obama. We were so exhausted at the end of the day so we celebrated back at Peregrine [OK, so I am calling T@B that until otherwise instructed]. What a sweet victory.

When we got back to Fort Collins on Tuesday, the weather was mild and the sun was shining. Yesterday, the wind picked up, and this morning I awoke from a dream at sea. Believe me, 40 mile per hour winds in a 1200 lb trailer is REALLY windy. Instead of oatmeal, I wanted Dramamine. Stewart was able to do his magic, and we are no longer rocking with each gust. so now, I am a happy camper!

Our plans may require a quick trip back here after sharing Thanksgiving in Olivette, MO with my sister, Nancy and her family. We will know more about that in the coming days. Alas, I am not disappointed, because the point of this trip is to take things as they come. We'll keep you posted. Besides, in the meantime, we are off to the UK on Sunday. We will be there for two weeks, so don't be surprised if our posts have an accent!

We did it!

We did it! With a few hiccups, we still managed to hit the road, and get to Walden before the sunset. It was in question for a bit as our movers flaked. They came for a few hours, spent their time talking to each other between complaints, and checking their phones for texts. As soon as one came in for a Halloween party, they were gone. My beloved rabbi and our friend, Yerachmiel Gorelick, managed to find us one guy to help from 8-midnight. He was a lifesaver. I ended up going to the closing alone while Stewart stayed and slaved away on the final cleaning of the house.

The drive here was gorgeous. We skirted the Poudre River the entire way. First it was on our left, then our right. The snow on the mountain tops juxtaposed against the streaming water was magical. We picked up our fishing licenses, then headed for our site. Just as final darkness descended, we built a fire, made popcorn, and sat down to rest. There is a certain quality to the darkness when the nearest city or town is 90 miles away. It is like nothing a city dweller ever gets to see outside of a planetarium. [Commentary: That is why the new $3mm projector in Chicago is so important] The crackling fire, and the dogs wandering through the brush was the only sound for what seemed like forever. One other soul was here when we arrived. He left today to head home for work tomorrow. Poor guy!