I turned 47 yesterday. It was a great day, cycling around Lake Annecy..one of the most beautiful lakes in France. After, we had a typical Savoie french family dinner with my wife’s cousins. It definitely takes the edge off of getting older.

We’re just over a week into our vacation, which includes another week here in the French Alps. We did a home exchange this year and for our end of the bargain, we snagged an absolutely fabulous restored Chalet that sits on the edge of a valley in the shadow of Mont Blanc, overlooking the postcard villages of St. Gervais les Bains and Passy. Sorry to anyone who followed our European adventures two years ago, but I won’t be doing a running commentary this time. We’re not doing trains so I don’t have hours of time to fill. However, a few notes of congratulations on the birthday did include not so subtle reminders that it’s been ages since I posted anything to my blog. While I’m away I’ll try to post the backlog of Search Insider pieces and a few other tidbits, then it’s back at it in the Fall, when I promise to be more diligent in my posts.

Also, to the many that wrote on my Facebook Wall, thanks for the birthday congrats. I feel I’m a bit of a poser in Facebook, as the whole social networking concept still feels alien to me. I don’t do anything there.