Happy. Healthy. Heathen.

I haven’t blogged since Ragbrai, and while there hasn’t been high drama going on, we have had lots of fun with the girls home!

This first picture is of the girls and me at Arrington Winery.   We may not be Napa or Sonoma, but Tennessee has developed some pretty nice vineyards.  Glenda and I stopped at a couple on a trip from Atlanta; one in Monteagle and one in Manchester, right at the Bonnaroo entrance, and we were pleasantly surprised at both the grounds and the wine.  Arrington had a great Blush, and since we were there on a weekday, we were able to taste everything they had!

Amy made a quick road trip last week, going to Atlanta, then to Athens, then to Asheville, through Knoxville, and back home.  She joined up with her Humboldt posse for all that, and they all ended up here (pics of that bunch later in this post).  This particular trip she rose to the occasion with this onesie, gold belt, gold boots – I think she was representing Tennessee.  Her friends are from Germany, France, Colorado, and Georgia, and she may have been channeling Dolly Parton.

Next was the bus outing to the square in Murfreesboro.  We bought beer and pizza, then parked right next to the courthouse for chat.

Gibson found us and joined us for a bit.  It was hot and muggy, but it was a pleasant way to spend the evening, and to introduce the Europeans to small town southern life.

After breakfast, we all piled back into the bus for a trip to Lynchburg, TN, to see the Jack Daniels distillery.

After the tour, and BBQ in Lynchburg (only so-so), back home went the bus, showers all around, and then the group piled into the van (me as DD) to visit the hot metropolis of Nashville.

Glenda made some contacts at a couple of the bars, and may have picked up some weekend work with her hoop, and all in all it was a fun night in the honky-tonks.  The 4 travelers had to hit the road the next morning, leaving Amy and Glenda to pack for their move to UT in Knoxville.

Sam, as I write this, is on a plane from Johannesburg, SA back home.  We’ll pick him up at the airport in the morning as we head to campus.  I’ve taken a couple weeks off from training (since Ragbrai), but will pick it back up tomorrow with a scorching run, even at 8am.

This morning the girls and I met with a group of friends at Starbucks to discuss their experiences in Paris and California, and the differences in those societies and our own here in middle Tennessee.  We had some delightful conversation and intriguing questions, and we plan to meet soon to do it again.

I know, I know, I haven’t blogged about my 50 things – I’ve got some things cooking, and I’ll catch up with that soon (how often have I written that?).

Thanks for reading!