The bad news: My son Phillip likely won’t be joining us in Rimbach this June after all. His office will be way too busy this summer for him to take a week or two off in the middle of things.

I’m thankful that he got to join me in Rimbach in October of 2007. I told him then, “Let’s go now, while we can.” It was a good decision.

Still, I’m sure he’ll be back to Rimbach with me in the future. He had a great time there, in Plzeň and in Praha, and loves meeting and talking with you guys. And he’s very disappointed he won’t be able to travel with me again this year.

The good news (for him): Another reason he won’t be able to join me this summer is that his employer — a certain fruitily named computer company in Cupertino, Calif. — is sending him to China twice even before our June reunion in Rimbach. So he’d be pretty traveled-out by then anyway.

(Ami Charlie, you have any China advice for him? Ever stay at the Grand Hyatt Beijing?)

Phillip leaves Tuesday for his first trip to Beijing, which I think will last about a week or so. He’s to return to Beijing about a month later.

So the first part of 2009 is pretty travel intensive for him. He’s promised to raise a few for me in Beijing, and I’ll bend a elbow several times for him at the Rimbach fest. (And I’ll post any photos he sends as well.)

There’s a bit of other good news though: The volleyball coach at the college, Justin Maness, having seen photos of Rimbach and our activities from prior reunions, wondered if he could come with me this time. Seems he loved the photos of the place and would love to experience it himself.

I said sure, come along! It’s fest time, and I guaranteed he’d experience more of the “real” Germany in Rimbach than he would during some packaged tour.

So I’ll be getting with him to nail down some details for him soon, and hopefully he’ll be able to come along.

And that’s my reunion news for this evening.