I’d say I’m pretty much a country boy.  I grew up in a small town in Ohio, where, and I’m totally serious here, the only stoplight was a flashing yellow…  Anyhow, I currently live about 5 miles from the Pittsburgh city proper, and yet for some odd reason, I’ve always felt the tug of both city and country living.  On one hand, I’m drawn by the energy of cities.  They have such an air of movement and possibility.  Yet at the same time, I long for the quiet and serenity of the country.  When I was in my late teens, we lived on a farm that was about 10 miles or so from the nearest town.  The farm was about 150 acres large and our house sat back a gravel lane.  I loved it.  It was quiet.  It had trees after trees and perhaps best of all, it had a 2-acre pond.  My wife rolls her eyes when I suggest driving by the old place.  It’s just that it still draws me after all these years.

Lisa and I took a trip out to San Francisco and Seattle this past October.  Both are decidedly urban.  Both were really cool to visit.  I can’t tell you which one I like better but I know that there’s no time that I can imagine where I wouldn’t want to visit either of them.  The vibe in places like that is simply unmatched.  I wish I could describe better how I feel when I’m there.  I do know I feel like I’m caught in between, at once excited by the sophistication of city life, yet also yearning for the slower, simpler pace of the country.

So because I love cities ( particularly those with Starbucks ) and hay-lined roads, and because I just happen to love the banner image for this theme, I’m sticking with it for a while.