As with everything around here, this is going to be a bit of an experiment: to see how far I can go telling a story without words. To be honest, there may not be much of a story in this, as the theme for this year is simply Gratitude: gratitude for friends, gratitude for living in what many of us consider maybe not the best country in the world, but certainly a strong contender, and — speaking personally — gratitude for having a great bunch of wonderful, demented, supportive friends. This one is for you guys, and I hope you enjoy it.

So let’s hit the road…..