During vacation, I kept my resolution to avoid all computer technology for the entire nine days (unlike my e-mail addicted travelling companion.) For most of the trip we were at the boyhood home of Alan DeNiro in Erie, PA (site of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's Battle of Lake Erie.) I got to meet some of the older family members from the Polish side of his family. I was immediately reminded of my Norwegian-Minnesotan relatives except that staid Lutheran sensibilities might have been offended by some of the raunchy jokes. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing Youngstown, Ohio (site of many Barzak stories), and dancing with Chris on New Year's Eve. The low point was developing pleurisy on the last weekend which sounds as old fashioned a condition as my bursitis from the month before.

We arrived home to a bad smell and a note explaining the smell from our pet sitter. It seems that nine days may be two days too long to be away from our old dog. It took him six hours to calm down last night. I wasn't sure we were going to get any sleep. In the morning he seemed back to normal. Dogs are so forgiving.