A touch of cabin fever

...or maybe it's the full moon.

In summertime, our world tends to shrink down to four walls. It's the busiest season for our publishing business, and much of August and September we'll be bonded to our computers and the telephone, not all that eager to go outside anyway, when the heat feels life-threatening.

But now and then I hear from a friend whose adventures stir up my urge to go roving. Russ and Phyllis, intrepid world travelers who spend most of their time vagabonding in style, have been beguiling me with daily reports of their exploits. Just back from a round-the-world tour, now they've outfitted an RV they call "IVan" and started across the Midwest with their grandson, visiting some places I'd never have thought of as vacation destinations (Ypsilanti? Sandusky?) but they seem to be having a wonderful time. Phyllis has hinted that she'll be starting a blog, but so far she's been too busy living her life to blog about it.

 Russ and Phyllis stopped last week in Cedar Breaks, Ohio, which is famous for its roller coasters

And now I'm in touch with Isabelle, a Frenchwoman I first met when she was here in Mexico a couple of years ago. Currently she's in France, soon to return to her boat, a 32-foot Swedish ketch, in Portugal. A mutual friend stopped off at the library and gave me Isabelle's email, and when I wrote yesterday she immediately responded with her blog address. Now I can armchair-travel my way through Europe! Join me, by visiting Isabelle's blog, Nomad's Dream.

Fishing harbor at Le Croisic, France, from Isabelle's blog, Nomad's Dream

We'll publish in less than six weeks, and then we wait three weeks for our annual antique guide to come off the press. I'm daydreaming up a jaunt of some kind, maybe a road trip with the Capt and my son if he can finally get down here. So much of Mexico is waiting to be explored.

But for now, back to work.