By some miracle, we are safely back at Stately Beat Manor, after a continent-crossing turn as a tagalong on the CHOKER Tour. The Bens Templesmith and McCool (and yes that does sound like a detective agency) are still out there barnstorming the Southwest and getting tattoos, but we’re home reacquainting ourselves with things like laundry and breakfast. A few things that must be mentioned:

1) Is the woman on the left a saint? YES. Our good pal Zenametal has been taking care of Inky, our cranky 18-year-old cat, while we’ve been jaunting around, and that alone would elevate anyone to sainthood. Zena, dinner is on us, and you pick the place — KFC, Mickey D’s — you name it.

2) Zena is not the only saint in our pantheon. This entire trek has been a parade of marvelous hosts and friends, the sort of kind, good people that anyone would be blessed to know. So super duper extra huge thanks to Socko and Jen in SI, Aaron and Christen in Orlando, Jimanda in Tampa, and Marti Zimlin and Jon Hurwitz in Stumptown, You are all the best friends anyone could ask for.

3) In the past year, we’ve been to all four corners of the continental US — Maine, San Diego, Florida, Seattle…wow. I have to say it — what a country. Whenever I travel I am stunned by the endless beauty — natural and man-made — of America, and this has been a real mind-blower. I’ll have a photo parade on my personal website over the next few days, but once again, I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be able to experience all this first hand, whether it was seeing Manhattan’s skyline emerge through a snowstorm on the Staten Island Ferry, the amazingly rococo Tampa Theater, the austere changing color of the water of Puget Sound, or the delicious whimsy of Voodoo Donuts.

4) On that note…don’t forget to fill our your Census form!

5) Next stop….Chicago! But not for a few weeks…thank god.