Made it back from a lovely, lovely week in the mountains, free from TVs, Internet, computers, phones, pets (not such a great thing, if only for the dog; the cat I did not miss), deadlines, work, worries, laundry, cooking, and commuting.

Elizabeth and I had a wonderful time. Our biggest concerns each day were what we'd do with all our time -- hike? kayak? sleep? read? -- and what time we'd be downstairs for the gourmet dinner that night. And which kind of wine we'd drink with the meal -- we brought 6 bottles, one for each night (the lodge is in a dry country, so you had to BYOB).

We went on longish (6-10 mile) hikes on three of the days, and kayaking on another, and on our last full day we just stayed at the lodge, reading. Elizabeth gave me some excellent feedback on the first section of my recently-revised Wannoshay novel, and I read almost all of Mieville's The Scar, and I even wrote about 2,000 words here and there in longhand, no less.

But the best part was just learning how to relax again, and get to know Elizabeth again. We've been incredibly busy and "hermit-like" over the past nearly 3 years, so it was great to put on the brakes and just hang out together again. We had a ball. Even if we did see one snake an hour on our last hellish hike up the side of a mountain... not to mention the questionable "bear track" that my wife "apparently" saw...

I must admit, though, it's rough being back.

Not only do I have to endure the jealousy of not having gone to Oregon for the Strange Horizons workshop, I also have to deal with bouts of jealousy at missing World Con up in Toronto. But we're going to see Tori Amos and Ben Folds tonight here in Raleigh, so that ain't so bad.

At least I've got a long weekend to chill out and visit with our family for Labor Day. And man, it's good to sleep in our own beds again! With the dog next to us on the floor. And the cat outside...