Back to Blogging?

Haven't blogged in months.  In the meantime I've logged almost 1900 miles on the great green bike (Gattamelata), took students to Italy for a month (never again), signed up for bike camp, made plans to visit mom in Phoenix for Thanksgiving, and booked a trip to Morocco for March. Maybe that's why I haven't written anything.

Today I rode the Fritz Miereke Memorial Ride to the Depot from White Heath.  Karen, Ann and I did the 30 mile loop through Allerton Park early since I promised Carrie I would help with lunch.  We were back before 10:30 so that worked out very well.  We also got the lighter winds and the cooler temperatures.  Turn out for the ride was great.  I had only really started to get to know Fritz last year, partly through bikes since he sold me my first bike (the hybrid) and partly through a shared love of mysteries. He died while we were in Istanbul with students for winter break and the funeral was the day we flew home.  I was glad that I could take part in the memorial.

We seem to be very busy with going to movies, plays, concerts and the gym. And obviously I am doing a lot of riding too.  Not much knitting and I haven't really been seeing my nonretired, or even now retired, friends from UIUC. Being retired is very good but at some point I have to reconnect with people.  Not that they are beating down my door--or flooding me with e-mail.

In the spring I will teach a 6-week course on the history of polar exploration for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UIUC.  It will be interesting to see what it is like to teach students who are 50+ and want to be there rather than college students who have to be there.