Lighting Out for the Territories

September looms. With it, a return to the travel death march that threatens to break me each and every fall. In an inevitably futile effort to prepare myself, as of Saturday’s appearance at the excellent WordCamp San Francisco, I am officially indulging myself in two plus weeks of much needed R&R. I’ll be returning to the office shortly after Labor Day.

The time between now and then is to be spent enjoying what charms Maine – and my ever present weather curse – will permit me to. The early part of the week will see me out of state down the Cape, going on assignment as it were with the lady friend to Wellfleet. The moment that’s complete, however, I’ll be hightailing it back to the Good Lands, much to the chagrin of my Maine dwelling friends and neighbors.

Next week’s tentative plans include a visit to one of the state and country’s finest parks in Acadia, along with my inaugural visit to the easternmost point of this country up in Quoddy. Apart from these two items, however, the plan is to linger in Georgetown and spend as much time on the water as circumstances will allow.

In spite of the virtual collapse of the Maine striper fishery – which my numerous critics can confirm for themselves elsewhere – a day on the boat is never a lost day. Few things, in fact, make me feel more alive than whipping up the cove and going for a swim in between the sparsely populated shores of our particular corner of the state. So the cooler will be stocked, most days, and the gas bill will be brutal.

A trip – or trips – to real Portland are likely, as that city tightens its grasp on my attention. As long I’m down there, I’ll try to see some of the recent promotions to the Sox AA affiliate in Lars Anderson and Josh Reddick, and if the stars align I just might swing a game at Fenway.

Either way, I anticipate a relaxing calm before the storm. You, in turn, should anticipate very little activity here. At least activity related to my day job.

For emergencies, please contact my colleague Tom Raftery (tom @ redmonk dot com) – he got the short straw and is the only one of us working, poor gent – for analyst related questions, and the invaluable Marcia Chappell (marcia @ redmonk dot com) for everything else.

Until next time, I bid you a fond (and gloating) farewell.