Smile, you should try travel writing. You've got the talent. Your word pictures are rich and evocative. In every post you've written about a place, you've taken me to that place. And, you keep journals, so you have, likely, a vast store of raw material to work with.

And you've got an edge to your style that grabs a reader. I bet that Thelma-or-Louise/Brad Pitt novel you've got squirreled away is outstanding. You should dig it out, dust it off and see where you can take it.

I, too, love the Mexican people. I've traveled only to the state of Quintana Roo. Did the Cancun thing, and then went down the coast to Tulum and Chichen-Itza, stopping in small towns along the way. We'd just find the main square and sit on the steps of the church or on the rim of the ubiqitous central fountain that never had any water in it and wait for kids to come over and talk to us. They were invariably gentle and lovely. Driving back into the tourist madness of Cancun after that was difficult.

Dotsie, I see tatoos in your future. Rendered somewhere south of the border. Smile will hold your tequila glass while the artist works.

Thanks for your good wishes regarding the leg. God's just giving me a chance to practice the art of patience. But you're right, Dotsie, I'll keep moving regardless. If I can't run, I improvise. It works.

Having a good morning. Just sent off a travel story, and the editor loves it. Doesn't pay much, but it's good for a few days of lunch money for the kids.