Courtyard By Marriott Saratoga Springs

We finally got an offer in on the house!! We had two showings this weekend and one of them put in an offer! We counteroffered today. Now we'll see if they accept! And if so, we'll be on our way to selling the house! And this person already has sold their house and is planning to close on Tuesday. So we don't even have a contingent offer on him selling his house. Man oh man oh man I hope that this works!

Just a quick note...

Jacqui and I made it back home from our awesome 16 day cruise. I'm gonna work on posting up all of the days' entries and pictures.

We still haven't sold our house yet... But on a good note, the house wasn't buried in snow when we got home either! I'm heading out to Brazil on Saturday, so we've got a lot to finish up before then.

... for Jacqui and me after I finish the job in Russia. It looks like there is a transatlantic cruise from Rome to Fort Lauderdale leaving Rome the day I am planning to leave Russia (which will be a tight connection)... If the cruise line will agree to let me board the ship in Florence the next day if I miss the departure in Rome...that sounds pretty good to me. Oh ...

... they lead. One in particular turned out to be really good until it ended at a dirt road with a hand-painted "No trespassing" sign. It was one of those signs that I figured had an old guy with a gun who would back it up so ...

The first part of the ride from the village of Lake George to Glens Falls is mostly on a bike trail. It was nice to have a shorter, much flatter ride the next day down to Easton Mountain, where I attended a retreat over Labor Day weekend.

I camped on the lazy Schroon River that night. The weather continued to be perfect, and Schroon Lake was great for swimming, much nicer - and warmer - than the muddy river. That morning, I did a loop west up over a major ridge to Olmsteadville and Minerva. Nothing like a two-mile climb before breakfast. I packed up after lunch and ...

Someone up there must like us - it rained all day Saturday, but we had booked Friday and Saturday nights at the Glen Lodge so we didn't need to bike. Although, since we didn't have a car, we were getting cabin fever by evening, and biked down to Warrensburg to get some dinner. Otherwise, I got a lot of reading done.

The weather was a bit overcast and chilly for the early part of the day as we skirted the eastern side of the Catskills. The terrain heading north becomes fairly flat between the Catskills and the Adirondacks ...

... Borders and one very good 2nd hand bookshop. It is also a spa town so if you're after a bit of rest and relaxation and some pampering head here. Even my simple but very good motel had a heated pool and jacuzzis. The Adirondacks are on your doorstep and there are good lakes nearby to do some kayaking etc. (although I didn't sample these, just happy to put my feet up ...

The night before I left, I took my bike and rode along the Jordan River Parkway near Saratoga Springs, watching a beautiful sunset go behind the mountains. Sometimes I like to just be alone.