Mid-year update

By the time I get done with the finishing touches on this entry, it'll be about midnight—midnight on June 30, or, if you want, early July 1. Why is this not summer solstice? It's right in the middle of the year, ain't it? OK, I don't need a lecture on pagan rites.

Half the year is already gone, again. This time last year, I was getting ready to return from Germany, after that damn sailing accident. I still have all those plates and screws. Still, it has been a fine year, and I hope things will continue on a similar trajectory. If you have followed my perambulations over the past 12 months you know that I have led an interesting and exciting life. Whether it is enviable remains the question. For some people it is, but they may just see a small part of it all. What is dear to you may not hold much importance for me, and vice versa. But I think we all agree that family, friends, and home are important to some degree.

Freshly Thompson-Water-Sealed fence and Adirondack chair; please note sun tea

I still grapple with the loss of my dad. In 10 days or so, I will sign the final documents in Berlin so that things are settled, at least from a legal standpoint. Next: Relationships are not always easy, but if I were to complain, I'd be a hypocrite. And my home? Oh man, am I glad to be home for a few days and enjoy la casa to her fullest.

Do you have one of these ....

... or those?

So here we are: The beginning of July. It is hot and windy in Lubbock, but I have re-stained my cedar fence; the weeds are mowed; I get an opportunity to entertain friends once in a while, dishing up eatable foods; my wine cellar still cradles 300+ decent bottles; and next week I'll be on a plane for another European adventure. And lest I forget: I'll serve as Chief Referee for the inaugural Vuelta del Llano after the July 4 fireworks have been launched.

The fruits of our labors

Life, indeed, is good, notwithstanding 101 F degrees and 25 mph sustained winds out there. Beats the hell out of playing an accordion in hell with ol' Satan looking on and making you replay Mozart's fugue K21 if you happen to trip somewhere along the way because of dehydration...

Jürgen