The Roadster has landed!  And now it’s starting to sink in that I traded this …

for this …

Today I’m driving from Santa Fe to Denver, where I’ll hang with some close friends for the night. Santa Fe is an incredibly unique city — and it’s very, very brown (which I’m fond of). A city ordinance says that every building has to be brown. That’s my kind of city! Building or home owners get to choose from twenty or so shades of brown; I think that’s generous.

Last night I stayed at the Santa Fe International Hostel (in photo at left), which is by far the best and biggest hostel I’ve stayed in. For $27, I got my own room and wireless Net access and a wonderful cheese danish breakfast. And I enjoyed some conversation with some sweet, sweet people, fellow guests.

If all goes well, I’ll be in Chicago by Monday evening. So far my 1987 Toyota Corolla — packed with all my earthly possessions — is doing great!

I’m in Raleigh, NC, this week to visit friends and attend my good buddy Jerry’s wedding. (At left, see azaleas in full bloom outside Jerry’s house.) Yesterday my friend (and fellow gardener) Carolyn emailed me a photo of my garden and wrote the following: “in case you were missing your babies.” I am! So, like a proud parent, I’ve gotta show you a photo of my one-month old babies. See if you can pick out the lettuce, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, flowers, chard, peppers and carrots. Awwwww … aren’t they cute?!

I spent a few days at my sister Amy’s house in Minnesota with my dad, mom, sister, brother-in-law (Chris), nephew (Christopher) and niece (Sophia).  We built forts with bed sheets, pillows and chairs; went on secret missions with Spider Man; and played ice hockey.  Sounds like a real “Guys” Christmas, huh?  Don’t be fooled:  Sophy joined us for all of it — and she’s the one who instigated most of the wrestling on the bed.

Check out my photos of Christmas morning.  It was a treat to experience Christmas morning through the exuberance of Christopher and Sophy.  At one point I thought they might explode!

Spanky and Randy (at left) aren’t blood, but they feel like “family” — and it was fabulous to be reunited with them both!  (Spanky’s looking good, no?  That’s one sexy surf monkey.)

In a span of three days, my family and I celebrated four things:  my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary, my dad’s retirement, my grandma’s birthday and my dad’s birthday.  Yowsa!  It was good to be together.

Check out my photos of the family parties.

A couple weeks ago, my buddy Deek convinced me to go South of the Border with him for four days. Deek wanted to ride bikes across the border, through Tijuana and down the coast of the Baja Penninsula. (That’s Deek — he likes to live on the edge, the very edge!) I gently persuaded him that taking a car had SO MANY benefits. I don’t think I persuaded him; he just decided to drop the biking idea.

It was a fun four days of exploring the Baja coastline, sleeping on the beach, “showering” in the ocean each morning, harvesting mussels and cooking them over an open fire and eating mucho tacos.

Check out my photos of the trip.