OK gang,

I struggled with leaving paradise. Tonga is the most beautiful place on earth. The people are the most friendly and interesting, and the food is fantastic. I'll sneak in a photo when I can. Thanks for being patient while I was away. We needed the break from the normal routine here in Redmond, and my kids had a blast climbing coconut trees.

One of my latest articles is now live although I will not have it headlined on the site just yet. You can get a sneak peek here:

The Definitive "Hello World" Web Part Tutorial

I wanted to write an article that would help someone, soup-to-nuts, get a very simple Web Part created and deployed. I will dive into more challenging aspects later. I have other similar Hello World articles in the same Office Talk space, so you may find them interesting as well.

Here's a shot from the Tonga vacation with one of my boys swinging from a coconut tree:

 Rock thought for the day: So, I am riding this little "bus" in Tonga, and I hear John Denver's 'Country Roads' over the radio as a house-mixed dance number. This is how things can go in the southern hemisphere!

Rock on.