Sail and I have arrived. We had a short tour of the city, from the ridiculous (the downtown dildo building) to the sublime: a drive-by glimpse of Winston-Salem University, a more in depth tour of Old Salem and Salem College, est. 1700 something, Graylyn, former estate of the Gray family, now a conference center, Reynolda House and Village, with a quick drive by of Reynolda Gardens, a fast driving tour of the Wake Forest University campus, and an exploratory drive through the NC School of the Arts campus. DH gave Sail a tour of the birdfeeding stations in the back yard, and she's now eating his wonderful turkey loaf with sour cream and horseradish on the side, and mashed potatoes and watching AI.

It was a fun drive, if a longish one. I get to hold onto F2F until I put Sail on a plane tomorrow morning.

Miss Ginger, miss Katie, miss all my peeps, and miss Atlanta! Too short!

I'm not so sure I want to be put on a plane tomorrow, but rather put in a plane. Either way, don't wanna go! Alas, I must go find job so I can come back again. And again. And maybe again. It's pretty down here and it has Bev!

Just wanted to reiterate what a blast I had. Now I am back at work. What is it I do again?

Minor regrets:

• No one got a photo of Vortex in front of The Vortex.
• Did not go back to Little Five Points to get pictures of the area.
• Forgot to send postcards to loved ones.
• Did not buy a single book on this trip (when I travel I usually like to make a purchase at some local indy bookstore).

That's pretty much it for regrets. Not sure I will ever willingly drive quite THAT far again in so short a time (I'm referring to my return trip), but if I could duplicate the way the trip down went in terms of hours per day (approx. 2-6 hours each stretch), I would do it in a second.

Hey y'all, just checking in from South Beach, where I am alive if somewhat worse for wear. The beach has been a blast. I've spent the last day and a half walking around town, wading in the surf, sunning, and napping. (Well, and dealing with after effects of either a stomach bug or mild food poisoning, but it hasn't interfered with any of the above. At least this is one vacation where I'm fairly sure of losing weight rather than gaining!) Today should include more beach time, meeting up again with Laura and Brendon, and possibly touring the World Museum of Erotic Art. It's really odd to be wandering around solo after days of hanging out with friends everywhere... can we have f2f 2008 in a few weeks?

The roadworks people have destructed the approach to the airport such that you can see the other end of the roadblock from where they stop you from going to, but to get there you're routed three or four or more miles all around hell and half of Arkansas. And there's no signage, so Sail barely made her flight. But she was well-breakfasted, beforehand, and is already missed. I just hope she was able to gate-check her bag, since she was past the half-hour check-in.

I guess it's really over now, huh? Wow, what a great time. I missed seeing a lot of people who didn't make it, but on the plus side, it was more intimate and easy than the big F2Fs I've been to. I miss everybody!

Yay South Beach! Brendon is still in Fort Myers. I don't know what his plans are yet. Maybe we can meet in Fort Lauderdale for some Cuban food for a little local flavor. I'll send you some links in case you are able to get mail. I'll give you a call later when I know more about my insane schedule.

Home, where I immediately turned on the air conditioner. Can I go back to NC where we actually had the heat on last night? And no Bev's H's grits'n'eggs special for breakfast anymore! Sad, now.

I was able to do a plane-side bag check after having my bag thoroughly searched at security. I had to cough up my shampoo, lotion, toner and face wash, which wasn't too surprising and was no huge loss in any way, just annoying. Otherwise, the flights were uneventful and I caught up on some reading. Now, I'm sitting with my cats and catching up with Shear Genius. It was a fantastic trip and all I can say is "more, more, more, I want more!" Damn you, 2008, why do you have to be so slow to get here!

I have also arrived home safely. Plus I have: unpacked, done the laundry, gone out to the store, bought gas ($3.47 per gallon, so much more expensive than $2.99 in Georgia!), dealt with the garden, made plans for the future, figured out how to deal with Sail's bead project, started the book I bought at the airport and am reunited happily with my very own personal bed. And, of course, all the kitties are glad to see me, which is especially nice. I really missed not having some live fur hanging around me. I must be a cat addict.

About our Atlanta F2F: What everybody else has said, yup. Especially all the wonderful books and the house filled with fascinating things. This was good. Yeah. We must do it again and again, ASAP. Although, the missing everybody now part does pretty much suck. Sniff. I miss y'all. It was nice to see your smiling faces.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Proxy Hug From JZ. I am certain she will be one of the most well-hugged women in SF by the time I get done delivering all those nice hugs back to her.

Ah damn, Sail. I'd have hung around and taken those things and mailed them on to you, if I'd known. I'm glad you got to gate check the bag, though.

Miss you. But I'm glad you got home safely.

Beverly! I miss you and didn't get to see enough of you! It was so nice to sit and play with beads with you, surrounded by books.