I’ve been blogging now for well over 6 1/4-years, with an initial retirement goal of a post per day. I’ve remained true to this pledge for all this time but have struggled of late. It’s taken me 142 days to write the last 100 articles, a definite lack of motivation coupled with travel disruptions and computer problems. The computer problems were resolved months ago by replacing my troublesome Surface with a used model sporting a few blemishes. I’m also in a temporary travel hiatus with three more weeks before we head to Egypt. We just received our Viking luggage tags, indicating that all systems are GO. Hopefully, I can stay on track with this blog at least until we depart. 

Egypt should give me plenty to write about as we cruise the Nile River. There will be lectures and tours that will certainly stir my interest in history. Deep in my soul, I feel there is a reason why the pyramids have always captured the imagination of my alter ego, Indiana Johnston. For me, this is a trip of a lifetime and a much-anticipated destination, dating back for many years. Our plans have been further delayed due to safety concerns and then Covid. The first stop will be Cairo and the newly remodeled Egyptian Museum. Among the masterpieces housed there are Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s treasure, including its iconic gold burial mask. 

I’ll run the streets of Cairo before we board the Viking riverboat that will take us down the Nile to visit the Great Pyramid and Sphinx, the very top of my bucket list. We’ll then go to Jordan to see the archaeological city of Petra, Hollywoodized by the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Jones and Johnston, two common names often confused. It’s known as the Treasury, the rose-colored centerpiece of Jordan’s ancient Nabataean city, referred to in the movie as the Temple of the Sun. We’ll walk the 1.2k path

After three nights in Vegas, we were back in Orlando, ready to meet my grandkids at Disney World. An old fart like me enjoys a routine, so long breaks away from the norm tend to be exhausting. The constant noise, scream-talking, lack of sleep, rich meals, and alcohol have already taken their toll, with two more days of Disney magic through the eyes of a four-year old yet to experience. We’ve really stacked one thing on top of another throughout March, including these two travel stops, dining with friends, Hippie Fest, IndyCar, Spring Training games, movies, concerts, house guests, Gypsy musical, and neighbor parties, in addition to our normal routine. 

It’s funny, because my wife’s physician scolded her about the snowbirds that live in our neighborhood. “They come to their Florida second homes and think they’re on vacation, dragging you into their world of constant partying. They are bad for your health,” she warned.  We’ve fallen into their trap, adding even more activities to our busy routine. 

We managed one evening at Epcot without additional family – just the two of us for dinner at Le Creperie de Pari, the Ratatouille ride, and fireworks. There were, however, thousands in the park on the first day of Florida spring break. My son and his entourage arrived later that night. My wife and I stayed at the Marriott Vacation Club Harbour Lake property and met him in the Magic Kingdom the next morning. My four-year-old granddaughter was now old enough to appreciate the rides and characters, but she did not seem openly impressed. The other two grandkids had been there many times. It wasn’t until the afternoon lunch at the Crystal Palace with the Winnie the Pooh characters that they all seemed to light up. It was a pricy affair but well worth the price of admission after the expansive buffet, hugs and autographs. We all left the park that night after the fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle with lots of pictures, smiles, and memories. 

The kids stayed for four more days, while my wife and I headed to lunch with friends at Ovation BBQ on the drive back home. Once we picked up Tally at Schnauzerville, it was time to get dressed for Hippie Fest, a fundraiser that also included a pre-party at a neighbor’s house. We donned our headbands, beads, jeans, and tie-dye but it didn’t hide the bags under our eyes. After a few dances we snuck away from the crowd in favor of our beds. Finally, we were home and looking forward to transitioning into our normal busy life routines…at least for a month or so. 

For the first time in the seven-year time span that I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve failed to report-in for a week. In the process, my running streak has also suffered, choosing to do shorter one-mile-plus runs rather than the standard 5k effort. Routine breakers like time changes, early morning travel, late nights, excess drinking, a cold, fatigue, and springing forward all contributed to these performance letdowns. For the first time this morning, I upped the mileage and finally settled down in front of the keyboard. 

A full week ago we drove to Orlando, spent the night at the Airport Marriott, and took an early flight to Las Vegas. For at least the 15th time, I returned to the “The Strip.” Many of the sights were familiar, but perhaps most disappointing was the lack of flower gardens at the Bellagio where we were married. A pool was being constructed and most of the lush foliage had been removed. Many years ago they had also torn down the staircase where we posed for wedding pictures.

On this occasion, twenty-two years later, we had reunited with our neighbors from Decatur that now live near Tucson, and settled on Las Vegas as a meeting point, taking advantage of our common connection with the Marriott Vacation Club. The Grand Chateau became our temporary home. We had gotten to the Bellagio via the Monorail that links the adjacent MGM with the other major casinos. 

We started our first day at New York, New York with a late lunch at Eataly and some gambling at the MGM. By the time we got to the Bellagio, our aging feet were already aching. It was then too far to walk to the chapel to reminisce, so we settled on a distant view of the stained-glass window that served as the backdrop for our vows. More walking, cocktails at Mon Ami Gabi under the Eifel Tower, and the Monorail delivered us back to the MGM for the humorous Terry Fator ventriloquism show and a nightcap. 

Day 2 was spent near the Venetian where we once enjoyed our wedding dinner at Delmonico’s. The four of us had drinks at McCormick and Schmick’s, dinner at Mott 23, and finished the perfect evening listening to Chicago in concert, performing from their 37th album. Blackjack and slot machines filled the time between. 

Our final day together in Vegas was spent primarily downtown, starting with a National Geographic exhibit, and moving on to the Mob Museum & Speakeasy, Neon Boneyard, and a late dinner at Hugo’s Cellar in the 4 Queens, an old-world dining experience of mine for twenty-five years. Table side salad preparation, massive martinis, huge steaks, and Bananas Foster never disappoint, plus every lady is presented with a rose. After a brief night’s sleep, we then caught another early flight back to Orlando. Disney World was next on the list of things to do, not ready to return to the norm, so once again breaking routine. 

The excitement of Friday just isn’t what it used to be. I’m not about to kick off an exciting weekend or celebrate the end of a grueling work week. Instead, I reflect on an uneventful week of doctor appointments, 5k runs, granddaughter sitting, drug store visits, a haircut, chair yoga, birthday calls, reading, the movie “Jesus Revolution,” and more of several TV series, Lost, 1923, Gold Rush, Pawn Stars, and Curse of Oak Island. Watching the I.U. basketball loss was another 2 hours of wasted time. My wife was much busier, as usual, with bridge club, aqua-fit, dog park visits, tap class, cooking, and a book signing event. With this busy retirement schedule, upcoming travel expenses, and company in town we haven’t had a true ‘Date Night’ in several weeks. It’s nice to stay close to home, but that will soon change. 

I organized an afternoon at the ballpark a week from Monday with some neighbors, taking advantage of our proximity to the Atlanta Braves Spring Training facility. Next week we’ll be in Vegas and Orlando, dealing with traffic, flights, hotels, shuttles, reservations, and lines – all my favorite travel hassles. We’re not even really going anywhere new. Friends and family will be the biggest attraction. When we get back in a week, more ‘framily’ are coming to visit, and we’ll begin preparations for our long-awaited trip to Egypt. 

This Egyptian cruise has been postponed and rescheduled multiple times over the last three years. Four weeks away is the closest we’ve come to actually getting there with Covid, safety issues, and war interfering with our plans. I continue to observe the horror stories of my friends with airline cancellations, strikes, shutdowns, river level concerns, and lack of personnel taking the fun out of world travel. I don’t know what to expect as our departure date gets closer and closer. Is it even worth getting excited?

We have been exceptionally fortunate dealing with a lifetime of constant travel. There have been few serious setbacks. We’re in fact lucky that plans changed on our trip to Phoenix. My wife and I could currently be dealing with flight delays due to snow along our once planned route into Mexico and Tucson. Friends just spent a night in the Phoenix airport. We expect rare, cool temperatures in Vegas. Maybe the slots will be hot! Anyway, just as I was unprepared to write this post – just wingin’it – we’ll be just wingin’ it on our quest of being jackpot winners! 

We’ve now explored the entire island from the Waimea Canyon to the surrounding Pacific shores. At one stop there was a sign that read, “the wettest place on earth.” Red clay has stained my shoes and socks. We’ve seen some beautiful shoreline, saw the coastline from the deck of a catamaran, and walked the beach that “Puff the Magic Dragon” oversees. Our Marriott Vacation Club top-floor balcony overlooks a golf course, colorful, Jurassic Park-like vegetation, the resort pool, and beach shaded by stately palm trees and thatch-roofed huts.

We covered the North Shore of Kaua’i including Princeville, home of musician Todd Rundgren’s Tiki Iniki restaurant and surrounding, unique shops. The quirky menu featured tropical concoctions served in collectable tiki mugs and Spam burgers. I had pulled pork sliders on tarot root buns while my wife enjoyed her sticky ribs. The check was delivered in an empty Spam can. The nearby famous beach on Hanalei Bay was featured on the cover of James Michener’s original Hawaii novel.

There were only a couple of hassles on this adventure, including some seasickness aboard the catamaran, a tooth problem, water pipe break at the resort, and air conditioning disruption issues. However, this was still a first-rate family get together that was several years in the making.

There’s not much going on here on this secluded tropical island. Our first days were spent adjusting to the five-hour time difference, getting the condo organized, and doing some shopping. I got up at 4a.m. to watch the U.S.A. soccer team lose to The Netherlands and monitored I.U. games in the afternoon, since neither the soccer match nor basketball game was televised here. I did get my 5k run in and spent some time at the pool, surprised by the number of kids that were staying here. The rest of the family just arrived, so last night was busy with our first dinner together, lots of wine drinking, and games. 

Everyone went their separate ways this morning before brunch. I was actually able to sleep until the sun came up at 7 a.m. rather than sit in the quiet darkness like the previous two mornings. My run was down to the Marriott Sonesta where there is much more action with shops, restaurants, a huge recreational pool, bars, and a beach. This is where the “kids” spent this afternoon while their mom joined me poolside. It’s a resort more suitable to their tastes than this one, while we prefer the quiet and seclusion offered here. 

We all joked about the roosters that hang out on the islands and the hundreds of dead frogs that lie flattened in the streets. They are baked to leather by the hot sun, looking like giant pancakes, but far from appetizing. They inspired memories of a run that we all did together years ago back in Rochester, Indiana, my wife’s hometown. On the road that loops the lake, were similar frog carcasses but not nearly of these “Jurassic Park” proportions. I called it the “dead frog” run and noted it in my diary, long forgotten until this trip. 

There will be more group fun tonight, leading up to the “Hunt A Killer” board game that I brought to play. The girls gave it to me as a birthday present years ago, and I was originally going to take it to Tahoe for us to try out. The case is called “Death in a Dive Bar,” that will require all our amateur detective skills to solve. After the fires cancelled that family get together, Covid ruined the following year that was planned for here. We finally got us all together! Over the next few days, we’ll be doing some kayak and catamaran tours, hikes, as well as other adventures. We’ll also pick up a rental car to explore the other side of the island and do some dining out before everyone heads home after plenty of Family Time.