This week marks the halfway point, essentially, of my three weeks of travel away from my new home in Houston, Texas. As some of you know, we are building a house in Houston and it will likely not be finished until the beginning of October. Until it is finished, we have rented an apartment putting us in a perpetual state of limbo. Thus, I feel virtually no guilt leaving town these past three weeks, nor will I feel any guilt when I am off to Italy for two weeks at the end of the month.

Today, after three days of riding my bike at over 6,000 feet, I am contemplating a day off from riding. I doubt that will occur however, since it is so incredibly beautiful up here in South Lake Tahoe (although the traffic is a bit much).

Monday, I head to Lodi for the Wine Bloggers Conference, where I also hope to do some riding. Lodi’s elevation is quite a bit lower (49 feet) and is near pancake flat, so I anticipate a little less pain and a lot less bellyaching.

Just one quick reminder this week:

• I announced the latest Monthly Wine Writing Challenge (#MWWC27) this week, with Jim of JVB Uncorked providing the theme of “Bubbles.” The deadline is still a ways off, but we already have a submission! All the details can be found HERE.

Have a great weekend everyone!