Hello again.

"Hello, again, hello...I couldn't sleep at all tonight..." so I got up and made myself a cup of tea and a piece of peanut butter toast and I have been sitting here reading through quotes and downloading updates to my computer and searching campsites for later this summer and, mostly, trying to figure out what to write. Trying to figure out how to say, "Hello, again," to this blog after a rather long and unintended break.

"What happened?" You may be wondering. "Where did you go?"

 I went to a place called Summer Vacation. I went to a place called The Kids are Out of School. I went to a place called The Relatives are Visiting. And I went to a place called Japan.

 I went on a 35,000 km motorcycle ride with Nathan Millward (author of The Long Ride 'Home'). And I went on a journey to the depths of the human experience with Dear Sugar (in her book Tiny Beautiful Things).

I went to a place called Happy. And a place called Sad. And a place called Confused. And a place called Mad. And also to a place called Contentment. And a place called Exhausted. And a place called Rest.

And now I'm here again. At a place called larasimmons.net. A place called My Blog. A place I like to call Home.

I have a lot to share with you. Quotes, of course, and stories and pictures and lessons learned. And also lessons not quite learned, or in the process of being learned.

 It's a big, rich life we are living and there is so much to share. I do hope you haven't given up and gone away. My apologies for not leaving a note. I didn't know I'd be gone this long.

Hello, again, hello.