Well, that went fast! My five-week vacation/sabbatical is over. Tomorrow, it’s back to work as usual.

While I won’t be able to go back with stories of climbing Mt. Everest or hiking thru Nepal, the time off did do what I needed it to do…get some space between me and the goings-on in May and June. I’m hoping that the several new hires that happened while I was away will result in a much more positive work environment. Time will telll!

In the meantime, I celebrated this last few days with all sorts of last-minute fun, including a couple of movies (Scoop and Trust the Man), a pedicure, and inspired by Kathleen, a photo excursion to the US Botanic Garden on the National Mall.

The latter turned out well, though I now have a second life lesson for my list: charge your damn camera battery before you go on any photo excursion. (The first is make sure kids go to the bathroom before any trip that will take more than five minutes.)

I managed to get a handful of shots I liked, and a couple that I was really pleased with (see the whole set at Flickr). I’m looking forward to many more such excursions!