Happy Birthday to Me!

This is kind of a strange birthday.  I'm off at this seminar in Michigan with a group of people I don't know, my family is spread across the map, and the Democratic Convention is in full swing.  So...some rambling thoughts as I turn 51:

Yesterday afternoon I went for a short hike in the dunes on the 1.5 mile Cottonwood Trail (it took me an hour -- the sand is deep in most places) in Sleeping Bear Dunes. To my surprise, I ended up at the top of a famous climbing dune, visited by lots of tourists because of the ample parking provided at the bottom.  I had an entertaining conversation with two boys from Wyoming who were pretending that the top of the dunes was a landing spot for space aliens, and then I hiked back across the sand.

After dinner, I went back to the little lake that almost runs into the big lake -- North Bar Lake, it's called -- so that I could take some pictures and enjoy some quiet time.  I am entranced by places on this earth where bodies of water begin, end, and merge into something else, so there's a real appeal for me in standing in a small delta that runs from Lake Michigan into something not much bigger than a large pond. 

I listened to a lot of the Convention as I was driving around, and got back in time to watch all of the Edwards' family speeches.  I didn't need convincing, but it was the first time I've seen John Edwards make a speech and I thought he was terrific.  I am finally excited about this election -- Teresa Heinz Kerry is elegant and articulate, Elizabeth Edwards exudes intelligence and strength, and John Edwards is a dynamo.  I hope that tonight the candidate himself lives up to the rest of his entourage.

As far as the seminar I'm attending is concerned, today is the first day that I'm coming away with a sense of accomplishment. The material is vast and diffuse and it's been hard to get a handle on, so it's been a frustrating week.  But I've finally put some work together and I think I'm seeing how to approach my class this year, so that's something.  It's hard to believe that I have one more week of travel, two weeks at home to get organized, and then the school year cranks up again.

I'm off to celebrate with a walk -- what else?

Walked: 3 miles.

Yesterday: Walked: 2.5 miles.