It’s Leadership Friday, highlighted by a lunch meeting at Buffalo Wild Wings. I’m still recovering from a golf outing that started the week. My forearms remain sore from some bad swings, while the rest of my body feels sluggish. This morning’s run was the slowest I’ve ever experienced, nearly a minute a mile off my normal pace. I could feel the extra five pounds I’m carrying thanks in part to excess carbohydrates. I had been pretty good about sticking to the “white diet,” avoiding favorite foods like pasta, bread, and rice. However, beer puts on the pounds faster than anything, and there will be more today at lunch. 

I may have some regrets about not being back in my hometown of Elkhart, Indiana at our 50-year high school class reunion. I’m already seeing some pictures on Facebook, as old friends gather to celebrate. I had paid for tickets thinking that we’d be back in the area for my mother-in-law’s 98th birthday. She passed away earlier this year, so it didn’t make sense to make the 2,000-mile-plus trip for just a party. Besides, my wife would not have enjoyed it, and my voice would have suffered in the loud atmosphere. Instead, it will be “Movie Night” here in Portland, as we return to one of our favorite activities. It’s been over a month since we’ve been to the theater between travel and other commitments. A good movie on Saturday night is always a sign of a return to normalcy. 

The 1000 Places to See before I Die continues to stare me in the face each day, daring me to leave the comfort of home for places unseen. This week’s pictures of personally unexplored travel destinations included Delphi, Greece; Bear Glacier Lake, Alaska; Salvador Da Bahia, Brazil; game animals of Africa; Palawan, Philippines; Dettifoss Waterfall in Iceland; The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland; Northern Territory, Australia; and Temples of Khajuraho, India. There were only two days of familiar places like Windsor Castle and Monet’s Garden that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. We take our first summertime excursion to Steamboat, Colorado in a few weeks. It will be strange to see it in bloom rather than covered in ice and snow. I’m looking forward to hitting the road again. 

Looking ahead, a wedding in San Francisco quickly follows our return from Colorado. My wife, and mother of the bride, is excited for this special Labor Day weekend. Her other daughter ties the knot nine weeks later here in Portland. My wife is also making plans for business trips to L.A.; Washington, D.C; and New York City. I will soon decide whether or not to accompany her. In October, I fly into Tampa to spend some time with my son and his family between weddings, while my wife entertains her best friends from Indiana who are visiting. At the end of the year, the two of us would also like to take a drive down the Florida Gulf Coast to explore retirement property. Our Portland condo goes on the market next week as part of our long-range scheme to travel the world. As the “Places To See” calendar suggests, I’m dying to travel…before I do!