BLOGGING HAS BEEN LIGHT because I spent the weekend in the mountains with my crowd of high school friends. When we gathered at our friend Joel’s funeral last fall we vowed not to wait until someone else died to get together again. We hiked in the mountains, drank beer, and — thanks to the generosity of a former student who owns it — got a VIP tour and tasting session at the Sugarlands Distillery in Gatlinburg. A good time was had by all.