Anne and I plan to begin a Western Adventure after returning briefly to Pennsylvania to visit kith and kin and provision our motorhome.  The purpose of the trip will be to visit Alex and other friends and relatives and to enjoy western scenery, but, as usual, we will also be seeking exquisite glimses of avian fauna.

Evening has fallen at Heritage Cove.  My eyes are blurry from a good swim at the pool this afternoon.  Bob H. joined me at the pool, but instead of swimming laps, he enjoyed the afternoon warmth in a lounge chair and worked on a novel.  Mom, Cathy, and Anne spent most of the day at a quilt workshop in North Fort Myers.  Dad played bocce.  A good day was had by all.

A fresh breeze howls through the condominium and rattles the silver palm outside the window.Lines of puffy clouds mottle the hazy winter sky.Today is warm, but another cool front is expected on Tuesday, bringing back clear skies and chilly mornings.

 These comments, and there may be more, arise from my discussion at Douglas Road a few nights ago, primarily with Rob and John, that involving a party and alcohol may not have been ordered, logical, or complete. 

Some years ago, Anne decided that we should walk all of the Appalachian Trail. This scheme developed from a less ambitious one of mine that our young family should complete the some 200-mile section of this same trail across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Checking this web site, I notice we have provided no news of late. So, I will post this update and also a report on our hike last month in Shenandoah National Park. We are well. Anne is working this week, filling in for a husband and wife practice of family doctors who have not taken a vacation away from home since setting up shop several years ago. They and their tots are in a warm place this week.

Three weddings down, one to go. Jeff and Ann’s wedding events were in downtown Madison where a highlight was the convention center at the lakefront.  The dinner the night before, the wedding, and the reception were a delightful blur of greetings, watching the couple, and sporadic conversations in the crowd.  We enjoyed recovering on Sunday before starting East on Monday.

We have stopped for the evening in central Tennessee, having left Cherokee NC late this morning.  The motor home came to life nicely and chugged over the Smokies in proper form.  We coasted down through Pigeon Forge and past Knoxville.  Tomorrow we roll into Henersonville to visit the Davidsons.  From there we have planned stops in southern Illinois and then near St. Louis before arriving in Chicago.  Looking forward to the celebration.

Birding on the beach is often a relaxed affair and, if sunscreen is not neglected, usually without significant adventure.  Even as I write this I am reminded of watching out for polar bears on the coast at Churchill, Manitoba and of a windchill at Barnegat Light, NJ that drove us off despite a multitude of layers one fine winter day.  Still, usually birding the beach means little more than slogging a bit through the sand and scanning the shore and waves.  There is usually little danger of getting lost, being mauled, or sliding down a cliff.

OK, I’m a skeptic.  I watch with dismay as the government endeavors to “fix the health care problem.”  This is the same government that has created the problem.  Much as the Congressmen who most contributed to the current financial crisis now are in charge of a fix for that, I anticipate that the same politicians who add more and more to our health care costs will develop the plan to make it cheaper.