Dear Friends,

I have one very tough wife. Grace got into a motorcycle crash last week when a couch fell out of a pick-up truck and the minivan in front of her slammed on her brakes. She slid on the Victory Vision tip-over protectors and smashed into the minivan going 50MPH. She walked away from that accident to my great relief and with only a few scrapes and bruises. The motorcycle didn’t fare so well and was totaled. If you want a testimony about wearing motorcycle helmets and coats, you need go no further.

That was on Saturday; on Sunday, we went to the Shelburne Museum Goes to the Dogs celebration and then went Apple picking, too. The event was a lot of fun, especially as I looked around and saw gatherings of specific breeds. Fantail Shrimp hung out with a bunch of other Pomeranians for a while and they were all barking. Hammerhead met a few other English Bulldogs and everywhere you looked, there were gatherings of dogs and their humans.

Construction and hiring continues in Manchester for our new store, and the first advertisements have been placed are are appearing at events and on NH Public Radio. As the time gets shorter, we are working hard to get everything ready for our grand opening on October 9th. Many of the new Manchester staff are in Vermont this week training at our Waitsfield and S. Burlington stores.

The jury is still out for me on my long-term Magic Mouse vs. Magic Trackpad tests. I have put the mouse in the drawer and used just the pad before, but as I glance at my desk now, I have both active—depending upon what I am doing, I grab one or the other. If I am scrolling a lot or looking at photos, I prefer the Magic Trackpad; if I am managing my email, it is the Magic Mouse. Who knows—maybe I’ll just keep ‘em both handy.

We are starting to get the new iPods in this week and I am very amazed at the whole line. I think the iPod touch is the best iPod ever and one of the most innovative products to come from Apple. The new iPod nano is so sweet. I need one for my motorcycle for sure. We have a great line-up for the upcoming holiday season. The iPad and iPods will join a very powerful family of Macs for a great selection of holiday gifts this year!