As we're on our year long trip Nikki and I have read a lot of books. We find that without as many friends, family, and normal recreational activities there's a lot more time for touristing but also more time for reading. This has been great. The last 5 months I've read more non-technical books than the past 5 years (seriously).

At that same time - we're fresh out of reading material! I (Greg) will be coming back to the states for a usability work session at the University of Minnesota and then for Drupalcon Boston. It's going to be great.

While I'm home I'll be bringing back books we finished down here (and some wine) and hope to make a big purchase of books to bring back down.

One of the problems I have with a lot of "green" building ideas is that the products are so specialized you have to get them from across the country. At which point it's not so green anymore...

From elephant magazine I found Sutherlands Lumber which sells all sorts of building products in Boulder and Fort Collins. Not exactly convenient to Denver, but not bad.

Colorado is not known as a rainy place, but in the spring and summer months we do get our fair share of downpours -- especially in the mountains. This past spring my good friend Libby and her man Reid took off to Central America. But before they went, they were kind enough to hook me up with a great a-line rain skirt!

The Rain Skirt Story - at least as I know it

A while ago Libby made herself a rain skirt. The idea was simple - skirts are so useful and keep cool even on hot days. When you're wearing a cute skirt, how do you make sure that it stays dry? Why not combine her favorite piece of clothing with some protective goodness and a lot of time at a sewing machine trying out different designs to come up with the ultimate wet weather wearable? So, she did. Libby's rain skirt made her extremely happy and led to lots of envious looks from friends who had uncomfrotable rain pants or drenched legs when their long jacket failed to protect them fully. So, Libby started thinking about making them for other folks.

The Rain Skirt Evolution

Libby has thought a lot about the best way to bring Rain Skirts to the masses. She knows that she needs them to be professional, that's for certain. So, she started exploring vendors that make outdoor apparel and found a great company that creates lots of items for some of the big brands. They went back and forth with ideas for designs - both to make them more functional and more fashionable.

Rain Skitrs are Born

Last weekend we went on a hut trip with friends Sleeper, and Steve and Kaycie Rosen. See all the wonderful scenery in a gallery of photos from Harry Gates Hut Trip.

Denver is really a great place. Every time I say that I wish I didn't say it because one of the things I like about Denver is that it's a medium sized city. There will come a day in the future when we have suburbs and shopping malls from the New Mexico Border right up to Wyoming all along the front-rang/I-25 corridor. Until then, we can just be excited about infill, denser downtown Denver, and a lot of exciting mass-transit options. As the Denver Infill Blog put it:

Inspiration: Your tired, Your poor

In Emma Lazarus famous poem The New Colossus she describes her personal interpretation of the Statue of Liberty. Lazarus' brief poem captures many of the concepts and ideals that people have for America as a land of opportunity, a shining city on the hill where poor exiles from around the world can seek freedom:

Home Stuff:

• Vivavi - Backpack recharger, recycled seatbelt chairs, navigate closely since it's apparently somewhat confusing.
• GreenHome - Various recycled and "green" products by room in the house.
• GreenFeet - various enviro products

Gardening Stuff: