Some housekeeping notes, as the summer moves into a higher gear:

I’ll be traveling a bit this month, so posting may be spotty. Wednesday it’s wheels-up for the Lou (as native son Nelly calls it), city of my birth, gateway to the west. I’m only sleeping there, however; on Thursday, I’m renting a car and driving a few hours into central Illinois, where I’m leading a workshop on blogging for the Prairie Writing School, part of the 2008 Cornerstone Festival. And what is the Cornerstone Festival, you ask? I’m told it’s the “Christian Burning Man.” Yes, I’m as intrigued as you are.

The week of July 14 will be off-and-on, too, as NN.C departs for a real family vacation. I keep hoping we can afford Turkey one of these days, but alas, the U.S. dollar is now the new Russian ruble, and it’s just too expensive. But we had a great time in NYC last year, so we told Kate to pick an American city she’s always wanted to visit, trusting she wouldn’t choose someplace like Colorado Springs. She thought for only a minute, and said, “San Francisco.” That’s my girl. So that’s where we’ll be (there, and Monterey). Intermittent blogging that week.

And with that, I realize I’ve left an important event off my morning calendar, so best skedaddle. What must we absolutely, positively do when we’re in SF? I mean, besides visit City Lights Books. That’s a given.

Back in a bit.