We all need to get out more; intellectually and philosophically: Connecticut wrap-up

This past week seemed like a whirlwind tour - but we managed almost five full days in Connecticut with Naomi and Craig before heading back to sultry Florida for an encore of our extended summer!

What I enjoyed the best was walking around Naomi's neighborhood, shooting pool and playing ping-pong with the family, and soaking up the New England charm of their community.

Naomi works in Old Saybrook, a small town on the Long Island Sound. Rebekah went antiquing with Naomi, and we all had lunch together at a pub on the main street. The place reeks of good taste and old-world manners.

As you can guess, Naomi has made quite an impact on the understated Connecticut scene. It's easy to be noticed in New England when you eschew demure in favor of demonstrative. It's not that Naomi flouts convention so much as that she embraces - enthusiastically - a more boisterous, joyful approach to life.

She's a big success. She has the ability to put people at ease and make everyone more comfortable with themselves. She's an evangelist for fun, and I believe she's winning some converts.

Rebekah and I took one more walk around Naomi's neighborhood, picking out lots for our potential second home. You know, the one we'll be building after a few hundred thousand more people discover my books! The fall colors were spectacular. I'm including just a sampling of photos here. But it wasn't just the trees, it was hiking in fresh, cool, air; breathing deeply and tasting it all the way through to my bones; my lungs have been waiting for this since early March.

It really is easy to forget what the world looks and feels like when you don't travel. It's easy to believe everything else - and everyone else - is just like us, feels just like us, lives just like us... but of course nothing could be further from the truth.

It's the same when it comes to our points of view, our philosophies and our world views. Most of us need to get out more - intellectually!

'Nuff said. I believe the point is fairly obvious.

Happy travels! - DEREK