This is the last post of my second sabbatical, covering the last few day so of week 6. I got sporadic near the end, for a few reasons, but this looks back at days 29, 30, 31, and 32.

Day 29 was a bust. After finishing up at the Oracle conference on Day 28, I felt sick. I woke up worn out, with a running nose. I ended up staying in bed all day, playing a little guitar, but mostly just sleeping and trying to get better. It helped, as I felt OK for Day 30.

Day 30 came with a lot of snow. It covered the property, and while no cars were stuck, it was a mess. Friday’s are my wife’s day to feed, and I agreed to help and try to dig things out. I ended up going through and trying to plow out some of the property. I got a bit done, but some was too covered. As a result, we ended up putting out large bales. That means I start here:

and end up here:

Then I drive this out to somewhere and leave it for horses to eat from. I joked with a few friends on Facebook that not only is this a skill I never expected to learn, it’s one I never knew existed.

I ended up spending about 3 1/2 hours on the tractor trying to get things cleaned up and organized, including moving snow on the driveway to ensure my wife could get out Saturday morning with a trailer.

From there, a little yoga, coaching, and then finally an evening out with my wife watching George Lopez.

The weekend and Days 31/32 were spent in the mountains. My son and I got up early Saturday and drove up to snowboard. We had a great time on a rather warm day, going up and down at Keystone.

We then retired to a house that my sister in law had rented for a week. She’s on vacation, and we went to spend time there. It was a beautiful place, and we enjoyed it.

Everyone arrived Saturday night or Sunday night and we ended up with about 7 of us spending time there. Monday and Tuesday were very cold (around 0F) and windy, so we didn’t ski. Instead, it was good to catch up with family and friends. Rather than working at all, I enjoyed the last two days of my sabbatical with a relaxing morning each day. I cooked breakfast for everyone, which is relaxing and enjoyable for me. I also did one dinner.

The days were spent talking, laughing, playing games, and wandering around Breckenridge doing a little shopping and eating. A bit too much indulgence, but I’ll get back to the routine now and improve the diet and exercise time.

I wished I had brought a guitar, but it was a good time, and very relaxing.

Day 1 back at work was getting up early and driving home.

That’s it for my time away, and I’ll summarize a few things in another post. A few thoughts in today’s editorial, but now I’m looking forward to the next sabbatical in about 4 years.