IS IT SUMMER YET? (for grownups)

I don't think the bad impression of a children's book in my previous post gave me quite the ironic distance I had hoped it would, so I might as well admit a sappy affection for this little pile of basalt in the middle of the Atlantic. It's a beautiful place, and I still have lots of family there. There was a stretch of time when I visited almost every year, but I haven't been back since 2003 and I miss it terribly. This year my cousin is getting married, and I can't wait to get my ass on a plane to the islands.

But wait! There's more!

I'm taking a close friend of mine with me, and then after that we'll be visiting his family--in Egypt. We're trying to make this an overland trip and, although it's shaping up nicely, there have been some kinks in the planning process. So if you know anything about traveling in--or if you have any friends currently residing in--northern Portugal, southern Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, or Libya, I'd love your input.

Around late June or early July I guess this will become a temporary travel blog. Stay tuned.