Surprise parties are a great way to kickoff a thirtieth birthday; this Saturday the Wife took her turn at the birthday wheel. Keeping secrets from the Wife is almost impossible, but I succeeded, along with nearly two dozen conspirators. Muhaha. I’ll post pics when the attendants send some along.

On Saturday I hiked part of the Delaware Water Gap. This meant a long, steep ascent, over boulders the size of basketballs, many of them loose and covered with jagged tips. The descent — over similar terrain — started off miserable, until I quit fighting the rocks and let my body go with gravity. Had a couple of close calls, but my boots doubled as eyes and led me to the bottom in one piece. Guess Keroauc was right, one can’t fall off a mountain.

Work on the novel edits continues. Nearing the 2/3 mark.