The Lights Are On On the Street Where You Live

Faithful blog readers, I am coming to you tonight live from the Goudeau house in Colorado Springs. The ladies and gentlemen of the Sunday rotation for Wilderness Trek decided to take a relaxing day away from the madness that is Salida and the Springs has provided a welcome retreat.

It is always odd to make the transition from living in a bunkhouse and sleeping outside to being in someone's house for a night or so. For some odd reason it feels like I have snuck into a house where the owners do not know I have taken up residence.

I'm pretty sure that if Heather gets weak in the knees when she walks into an Urban Outfitters, I do the same when I enter a Barnes and Noble or Borders. I had to restrain myself from purchasing American Pastoral by Philip Roth and Ladies and Gentlemen the Bronx is Burning this evening when we visited the Borders located at the Chapel Hills Mall.

If all of this sounds like the inane ramblings of a book obsessed nerd then I apologize but books have always held a special place in my heart and a store filled with books that are waiting to be read is always one of my favorite places.

I began reading Annapurna by Maurice Herzog yesterday. It is the author's account of the first successful ascent of an 8,000 meter peak and its harrowing aftermath. Upon further reflection my trend this summer of reading books that contain extreme surroundings has been continued with my choice of Herzog's work. Despite only having 4 hours of sleep last night, I am able to stay awake as I read the book but that might also be the four cups of coffee that I drank this morning. You never know...