I'm Still Alive!

I've had limited time to write, or limited internet access, or just no energy due to heat and long days of driving. I'm in hopes of catching up here in the next couple days but for now, I thank those of you who have called or e-mailed asking if I'm still alive. (The answer is yes, but given the heat, just barely..... Arayo is struggling even more than I, but she's hanging in there. I keep promising her icebergs! She keeps giving me "The Look". You know the one. The one that says "if you were so smart you won't have left the Pacific NW when the rest of the country is 110 degrees. What did I do so wrong to deserve this?")

Photo of the day - a reminder that, while Western Nebraska is really very stunning, it is certainly not a place for sissies........