Published again!

So, three more of my photos on Flickr have been published in online travel guides from www.schmap.com . I've had several shots scooped-up by them: my schmap tag on Flickr.

Loonies and greenbacks

For the first time in my memory $1CAD = $1USD - makes "Dinner in Kingston" an expensive proposition ;-)

Story here.

9-11

Wow, just realized it's 9-11. A year ago I recall being on a train from Ljubljana to Vienna with Ania, and talking to a fascinating Slovenian man about politics and such. So, a year later, not much about my perspective has changed.

I'll spare the rambling on about politics here, but lets say I'm ready for a change. I think we should remember how we got to the point we were in 2001, face the facts of change, move on, and stop looking backwards for a punctuation mark to define us as we move forward.

The swing of things

So, I guess this is my first actual post here. I just returned from my latest trip to see Ania in Poland, and after having an extra day to recover, I'm back to work and "normal" life. I spent the day yesterday downloading all the photos and videos from the trip, unpacking, sleeping in several-hour chunks, and running a few little errands around town. Oh, and fending off two frantic little kitties :-)

New Mexico is having much different weather than when I left only 10 days ago. It's been rainy here, and the temperatures at night are already starting to feel chilly. Not long now until the leaves start really turning. It's State Fair time, and I already have an invitation to go meet for a Flickr shoot at the Fair on Friday. That should be a lot of fun. Autumn is my favorite season here, and it looks like it's a bit early this year.

I'll be trying to stay focused for the next month on getting ready for my sister Heidi's wedding in October, and also the beginning (in earnest now) of the K1 visa application process for Ania's eventual arrival in the States next year. With work and a little play, I should be plenty busy. I also need to make some decisions about what to do about some home-imporvement projects that have been hanging over my head for some time, and I'm hoping I can make some headway at least in figuring out how to finance the things I need to do in the coming year. I noticed that my next-door neighbors had new windows installed while I was in Poland, and I'm jealous, as it's something I need to do myself.

Hopefully in the next couple of days/weeks I can get some of my pics and video from Poland processed and online to share.

I'm feeling good after this latest trip. Ania seems to be doing well also, and although we both miss each-other, it's nice knowing that this parting hasn't had such an emotional toll on us as it has in the past. I'm grateful that her family has been standing by her, and really appreciate everything they do for her and have done for me.