Starting Wednesday, the annual Northern Great Plains History Conference meets in beautiful Bismarck ND This year there’s a major focus on the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. In fact, regional history usually dominates the conference, but the range of topics is wide. As an example, I’m giving a paper on the suppression of a slave revolt in South Carolina. Good scholarship and good people make it a pleasurable part of each Fall.

The Conference is a movable feast. Last year it was in Fargo; before that Minneapolis. Next year it will be hosted by UW-Eau Claire, one of my campuses.

I am sure politics will be a big part of the lobby and bar talk, unless the Cardinals do us a favor and prolong the series. In any event, I get a day or two away from my home phone. That's good, because these days it is under constant assault from the forces of virtue, who are getting out the vote and panhandling for way more than a dime.

Take care.