On the Road Again

I've just returned from a whirlwind tour in the US. I meant to write at least one newsletter while travelling; between the impact of being back in the US (always disorienting for me) and a sensory overload of Woodstock topics, I had plenty of inspiration. But finding a confluence of inspiration with time and energy proved difficult, so here I am, finally writing from home in Lecco.

It was a great trip, one of my famous full itineraries in which I try to pack as many friends as possible into three weeks. I scheduled it around a reunion of Woodstock alumni, held in North Manchester, Indiana (on the premises of Manchester College - the organizers tend to choose out-of-the-way places, to keep costs down, which means there's nothing to do but reunion). I was there on behalf of Woodstock, to meet people and gather material for the book I've been asked to write about the school.

I flew into and out of Boston, staying with friends there, and also visited friends in New York and Virginia (near DC). I didn't do much touristy stuff, just concentrated on spending time with friends, most of whom I hadn't seen in years, some of whom I'd never even met. As I start organizing my thoughts about Woodstock and settle down to some serious work on the book, I'll be writing more about this.

I did get to see "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," which I'd been looking forward to. The movie wasn't as good as the comic, which I also read during the trip, but Naseeruddin Shah and Sean Connery were great fun, and seemed to enjoy working together. Unfortunately, I suspect the film didn't do well enough to merit a sequel. Perhaps they'd have been wiser to stick closer to the source.