Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

So, I leave Connecticut, spend one night in my own bed, then it's off to the ranch for a week and a half. I will continue to use over-scheduling as my excuse for not blogging, along with the fact that, while the stars at night are big and bright at the ranch, cell service is nearly non-existent. Enough excuse- making.

Mom and I returned to the hill country to spend our traditional week of summer with my niece Ashley. Love,love,love that girl! Despite living a fairly privileged life, she is happy with the simple things. We played dominoes, read books, road around the property in the Polaris looking at flora and fauna.

Ashley is now friends with the family that has the property adjacent to my brother's ranch. On a visit to Texas earlier this summer, she was invited to ride their horses, ride around in their golf cart, and just be a kid in the hill country of Texas. She immediately fell in love with their dog, Rosie, and Rosie loved her,too. One night on our most recent visit, she was invited to go with them to chase jackrabbits. Ashley admitted to feeling bad for the rabbit, but she thought the whole experience was quite fun.

Other highlights of the week included a visit to Inks Lake, running an antique mall, doing mixed media pictures of cactus plants, learning the cupid shuffle,and a boat ride on the Colorado river. Ashley has always been something of a rock collector, and she added to her collection by picking up interesting stones at the ranch, on a beach in the middle of the Colorado, and at a rock shop in downtown Bertram.

But, probably the most fun Ashley had was "doing Nana's hair." This event began several summers ago when we went to New Braunfels. Ashley brings in her bag of hair do-dads and creates some very avante garde styles, supplementing her hair accessories with anything else she can find - straws, string, you name it. Mom is an absolute trooper, giving Ash total creative freedom, and enduring several revisions of any style.

I love that my mom is so willing to play, and so gracious about the outcome. And, I love that Ashley will always have these memories of summers with Nana and Susie.

Greetings from the land of Lorelei and Rory...

I have been in beautiful Connecticut for two weeks now. In that short time I have taken two graduate courses, two final exams, written four papers, completed one project, walked about a mile a day, eaten ice cream from the UConn ag school dairy, and called the family at least 10 times. I have seen chipmunks, squirrels, deer and groundhogs (yep) on my way to and from class, and located 8 different species of trees I've never seen before.

I have discovered the Mansfield General store, which is like something straight out of Gilmore Girls - a general store/diner/antique store where a guy with a base and a guy with a guitar play accoustical and folky renditions of Paul Simon, John Prine, and Talking Heads songs. Serious!

I have been to Mystic, by way of giant frogs on posts on a bridge, seen Bad Teacher with a group of good teachers, and seen a small collection of Theodor Suess Giesel's illustrations (right here on Campus, at the Benton Museum, where you can shop, have a latte and watch a lady mod podge chairs.)

I have learned so much about gifted education, and yet so little. I have also learned a lot about myself - what I can do, be, become,-and I have met an incredibly brilliant, generous, and talented group of people, who I consider colleagues and friends.

It has been a busy, enriching, creative, stressful two weeks, and one of the best times of my life. Tomorrow, Confratute begins. Another grad course, but with mime, fun technology, and cocktails. Hopefully a chance to go back to the general store to see if Luke or Layne's mom are hiding out.

Goodnight from Storrs, Conecticut.