Turns out I'm not the only one enamored of this bit of lawn in one of the canyons.

Meanwhile, I'm headed out of town for a week, maybe blogging, maybe not. Will be in Chicago for Printer's Row, the annual book festival there, where I get to interview Justin Cronin, whose mammoth third novel"The Passage", a post-apocalyptic vampire saga, got a multi-million dollar advance and is now racking up mighty fine reviews.

That's on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday morning, I get to moderate a panel of talented novelists. And then it's a teensy road trip before a return to the Cove.

So wish me luck. Oh -- and happy birthday to you, Melissa Lion! (Her hilarious blog is here.)