Another near shut-out on the 1000 Places to See Before You Die calendar this week. Guanajuato, Mexico; Mount Kilamanjaro; South Wales, Australia; India; Jordan; and the Mekong River are all destinations I’ve yet to visit. I did once dip my toe in China with a day trip from Hong Kong, and I will probably fly over the Mekong River in a few weeks on our trip to Thailand. All I can think of is the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, a place I will probably never see as Bucket List destination. I only remember it as a place to avoid in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I could have probably gotten a trip there courtesy of Uncle Sam.

The calendar was a gift, and I use it to measure my travel experiences as it sits on my desk. So far this year, I’m only batting about .300, so hopefully I won’t be dying soon. The dates next week reflect Spain, Brazil, Switzerland, United Arab Emerates, and Wales to further lower my visitation average. Many of these places I’ve never really dreamed of visiting, let alone added them to my bucket list. Hopefully, I can play catch-up in coming weeks. Plus, I’m going to need a bigger “Bucket Of Money” – mine “Pails” in comparison.

I’m preparing for today’s Leadership Meeting and a baseball card show tomorrow. Our 18-year old cat Frankie has a urinary tract infection, so I’ve also been doing some carpet cleaning. She’s only eating the chicken broth that I place next to her food, and does not like the medication that I squirt in her mouth and further resists the eye drops. I’ve got to be careful of those claws and sharp teeth!

Tomorrow night is the American Heart Association Annual Ball that will involve donations and the need to put on a tux for the first time this year. With my wife on the board, there’s no escaping this one! Also, they only serve fish for dinner – no red meat for some reason. It does eliminate any opportunity for a movie this week, but we continue to watch The Americans on Netflix.

I’m glad I didn’t extend my stay in Arizona for MLB Spring Training. Opening Day was postponed due to snow. I now feel bad for complaining about the Desert Rains while we were there last week (See Post #842). I guess even Las Vegas got flurries, so the desert is no longer a safe “bet” from winter-like conditions. It just started snowing here in Portland, but I am watching the Mariners and Athletics, who managed to get their first Cactus League game in today. The Phillies beat the Rays earlier in Port Charlotte, Florida to kick-off the Grapefruit League. By contrast, it’s 79 degrees there. Play Ball!