Lone Star State of Mind

"But here I sit alone in Denver,
Sipp'n the California wine.
And I've got all night to remember you,
I'm in a lone star state of mind." (“Lone Star State of Mind” -- Nanci Griffith)

A memorable song from one of my favorite Texans. To see her in concert is one of the finest musical experiences to be had – she’s a musician’s musician, a writer’s writer, and one of the best storytellers to ever come out of Texas (which is saying somethin’!).

All four IAGers are either in San Antonio or soon to be there (a morning flight for me on Friday – straight to Texas, not direct to San Antonio, mind you, but through Dallas). We’re looking forward to seeing one another (George, Alane, and I see one another reasonably often, but Alice rarely – she’s not living in Ohio anymore), our good friends from Amigos, other colleagues, and many-times-many friends (old acquaintance and yet-to-be-met – one of the pleasant anticipations of ALA – you’ll always get to meet new wonderful people). And, of course, we’ll enjoy just being in San Antonio – what a great town!

For those of you who’ll keep the home fires burning -- and especially those of you pulling extra duty to cover for colleagues attending ALA -- a genuine thanks. Been there, done that – it’s not always the appreciated role it should be. We hope you’ll enjoy the conference vicariously through the postings of various bloggers, and that your grateful colleagues will return with great ideas and even better conference chatckes.