Today I’m reclaiming my homestead for a week between guests and comfortably settling-in for an eleven-day homestand. We’re a week and a half away from our trip to Napa Valley and dinner at the world-renowned The French Laundry. The restaurant has been on my wife’s bucket list since her first taste of Chef Thomas Keller’s creations at Per Se in New York City. He’s the only American chef to have been awarded simultaneous three-star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants, and we will soon have had the privilege of dining at both.

The French Laundry is actually an old French steam laundry in Yountville, California. Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery are his other two long-standing signature brands with active locations in Yountville, Las Vegas, and New York, along with recently shuttered locations in Beverly Hills. He also just opened The Surf Club in Miami that we may need to visit someday. It will undoubtedly be part of a gourmet weekend that will include the original location of Joe’s Stone Crab, another of my wife’s favorites, that once served the likes of Al Capone and Frank Sinatra. It’s another on her Bucket List, as we continue to plan future retirement travel.

As I returned the last of our houseguests this morning to the airport where we picked them up six days ago, I began to look forward to some alone time at home. We’re eleven days from getting on another plane, but we entertain my wife’s brother next weekend. I’ve already reclaimed my car, my desk, my computer, and my privacy. Don’t get me wrong! I like having houseguests, and enjoyed their visit, but as is the case with travel, it disrupts my routine. I certainly don’t mind sharing my home, car, and office with anyone, but I value my alone time.

I’m sadly schizophrenic when it comes to interaction. The social side of me is disappointed when I am alone, while the recluse craves solitude. I’ll miss my house guests by tonight but will enjoy an afternoon alone. By the same token, I’ll look forward to interaction with my friends during the weekly “Leadership Meeting,” and will share our dogs’ excitement when my wife comes home from work each evening. I will not, however, scratch and claw at the door and bark uncontrollably.  I also relish my down time, when I don’t have to engage in conversation, and can spend time alone with only my thoughts.

The tough thing about travel for me is there’s never enough “me time.” Rigorous schedules, crowded transportation, and close quarters are some of the hassles. The payoff is seeing the world; something you can’t do in the privacy of your own home. I cherish family, friends, and companionship, but also look forward to coming home. There’s no place like home…alone.