And so it ends...

FERNDALE, Mich. -- So this is the end. What a trip it's been.

Hard to tell you what's made this short vacation so wonderful. Maybe it's the cool temperatures. Probably it's spending lazy afternoons with good friends. Surely it's receiving a hug, a smile and a warm musical glow from RobinElla.

Yeah. It's all this, and nearly everything else, about this jaunt to Michigan.

Hard to believe I've been coming up here for 8 years now. They say time flies when you're having fun, and it's true. This vacation sure went fast.

Today we whiled away the afternoon at the house, watching "Magnum, p.i." on the tube. Later in the day we walked to a couple of bookstores, just browsing. I saw a long-forgotten biography about the Oak Ridge Boys, and smiled, lost in a memory.

Tonight we ate and came back to the house for another "Magnum" or two and the late innings of the Tigers game. Detroit wins 6-2 over the hated Indians.

So tomorrow it's back to the DTW to catch a flight to Knox Vegas by way of Philadelphia. Thursday, it's back to my little office, awash again in the reality of the late summer East Tennessee heat.

But that's OK. This has been just what the doctor ordered.

Three days of R&R. Hanging out with good friends. Hearing the prettiest voice you've ever heard make magic for a couple of hours.

Don't even try to tell me this isn't a wonderful life.