For the Fourth, we went to Buford, Wyoming: Population 1 (it said that right on the sign). We were at a little campground that's up just a little ways from I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne. Our elevation was somewhere around 8,000 feet, and I was struck by the difference in the flora.

When I came to Kansas to interview (in September, after the heat had passed), I couldn’t believe how green everything was. I must’ve said it to 20 people when I got back, “It’s just so green there!” It made such an impression because you don’t really notice how not green it is in the West (I lived in Loveland, Colorado). One of the things that continually amazed me was how dry everything was. I know people always talk about the humidity differences between here and there, but it’s not like the eastern slope is a desert, right? Well, actually it is, especially during the drought times.

This year has been a wet year for them, though. Wyoming on the Fourth was certainly greener than usual. It actually felt hot and sticky at least one afternoon. We go back to that campground every year, and I saw flowers I hadn’t seen up there before.  These flowers (on the right) are mostly alpine desert, but with a few that I might find in my backyard thrown in.

We set up our tent in the dark, and this prickly pear grouping was right outside the door of our tent. (I succeeded in not poking myself, but one of my traveling companions was not so lucky.)

We had a great dog next door, “Shim.” Let’s just say he wasn’t watch-dog material. Though as we were packing up, he did try lying on the tent to get us to pet him (it worked).

While I don't live anywhere that most would qualify as a "city" (Topeka is pretty urban for Kansas), I still sometimes feel hemmed in by streetlights and paved roads. I get a hankerin' for wide open spaces and sandy soil. And, to be honest, a good drive across Nebraska, where you can see the weather coming can be just what I need.

Where do you go to recharge? What's "home" to you?

We're right in the thick of putting out the magazine this week (we ship the issue that you all will see in September at the end of next week). Even though it always involves stress and work literally piling up around me, I truly love it. It comes with an energy and a fast pace that fuels my deadline-driven soul. I've been working in publishing for 15 years this summer, and I can't imagine another life for me.

My time with "The GRIT" (as our more venerable readers call it) has been especially sweet. The group I work with here has a very special chemistry. The best part is when we get the machine going. When it's purring right along, the magazine and our team become one. K.C. provides the inspiration, Hank the instigation, and Jean and I are almost to the point of finishing each other's sentences. While each of us has moments of panic, we keep each other going and help each other through.

"I just talked with Michelle [she's our off-site art director], and she's really excited about how far ahead we are," I tell the rest of the staff. "We are just worrying because we're usually more ahead of schedule." And they reassure me that, yes, people will want to read about laundry.

The nuts and bolts of putting out a magazine aren't incredibly thrilling to talk about – adding a comma there, futzing with an image until it fits just so, cutting a few unneeded words to make an article fit in the space we've got – but watching the pages as they all come together and seeing the cover in color on the wall brings a particular thrill, and a palpable excitement hangs in the air.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to make magazine magic for you all.