Volume 18 - Day 167/198, 2026 - Wednesday

Another day of good meetings, good information, and good friends. I acrtually stayed in bed until about 8:30 this morning, so there was nothing to be in a hurry to do, no really early meetings, and that was appreciated. Brandy, Holly and I went to the NAR building, and I am lucky to be able to do that every year. The rooftop of the building has a great view of the Capitol, and it is always a great place for photos. Needless to say, we all took advantage of it. We got back to the hotel a little bit before noon, and hung out in the bar for a while, and then I went to my room and took a nap. The last meeting of the day, our Regional Caucus, started at 4PM, and that is my last meeting of this trip. Steve, Melinda, Nancy and I went to Drunk Shakespeare at a small playhouse not far from the hotel, and most people in the audience thought it was hilarious, but I am apparently too old for that particular humor, which I think is interesting. I am usually all about inappropriate humor, but this just did not do it for me. Tomorrow, Eileen, Taylor and I are going to the Smithsonian Castle, and then I will head for Union Station to begin my journey home. I really enjoy train travel, and I expect to totally enjoy the trip home. The journal entry tomorrow will be from the train, en route from Washington, DC to Chicago, where I will change trains. Stay tuned.

Volume 18 - Day 167/198, 2026 - Tuesday

So, today was another busy day, and honestly, I cannot really remember all the things I did today. I do remember the highlights, though. Lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill, and the quest for the best calamari continues. A nice nap was one of the highlights, and then there was a reception for PAC investors. More importantly, it was another opportunity to see friends and colleagues from here and there. This year is kind of odd, because there have been lots of issues getting to DC this year. My flight on Sunday was delayed, other flights were cancelled, and attendees are still arriving. One friend missed his connecting flight in Atlanta, and the airline DROVE him to the plane, and he boarded from the tarmac. Interesting. Tonight, a bunch of us had dinner at a Spanish restaurant not far from the White House. Again, everything is more difficult in DC than I remember from all the Legislative meetings I have attended. The photo accompanying this entry was taken yesterday at the trade show; Brandy, Holly, me and Eileen along with the mascots from the Washington baseball treams. I think. 

Volume 18 - Day 166/199, 2026 - Monday

I profess that I am likely the luckiest man in the world. I am in DC, attending the NAR Legislative Meetings, and I am surrounded by friends and colleagues. It makes me question my decision that this would be my last conference, but maybe I will change my mind. I was up early to go get my 'credentials,' and the opening session began at 8:30. I had asked to meet Doris Kearns Goodwin, someone I had previously met when she spoke at a meeting I attended in Marco Island, Florida. I carried her bags on that trip, and when I found out she was our opening speaker, I wormed my way to meet her backstage after her presentation. I have better photos of the two of us than the one posted with this journal entry, but in this photo, we were laughing and kidding, possibly over the fact that she is the reason that Winston Churchill's tits are included in the painting in the rotunda in the Curious House. It's true, and if you want more information about that, you are welcome to ask. Whatever! After that, there was a lot of networking, and lots of scooping things up in my bag at the trade show, then lunch at The Hamilton, (where we had the VERY BEST calamari I have ever had). Then, it was time for a nap, and the next function was at 5PM. I met Eileen and Holly at 4:30, and we made it to the convention center, and then there was dinner at Joe's Seafood. Somethings are just kind of a tradition at some of our conferences. After dinner, we hooked up for one more drink (diet Pepsi for me), and now I am back in my room to complete this entry before midnight. Again, I am a lucky man, and I don't know how I have cultivated all these friendships over the years.

Volume 18 - Day 165/200, 2026 - Sunday

Okay, I am here. Paulina took me to the airport, we left about 10 o'clock for my 12:20 flight. I did not have much for breakfast, so I had a $28 club sandwich, which was not too terrible. The flight to DC was delayed, the airline said that TSA was grounding flights into Reagan because of weather in the area. When we arrived, about an hour late, there was no apparent weather conditions that would have caused any issues, but I am just a passenger. Whatever. I made it to the hotel, checked in to my room, then met Steve, Melinda, Nancy and Brenda at the International Committee reception. That translates to 'free food!' I am back in my room, and honestly, I am tired. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and it will start early and go late into the evening. It has been a great afternoon, and I have aeen lots of friends from Texas and across the states, and that is what all these conferences are about. 

Volume 18 - Day 164/201, 2026 - Saturday

The estate sale today was a huge disappointment, but I did manage to buy a couple things. I spent $6.50. After I got home, I went down for a quick nap, and Paulina and I went to Marble Falls to check out the Mexican import place. She bought a few things, and I bought a little pillow. Then, we went IN to Marble Falls (the import place is outside Marble Falls), and had lunch at the Bluebonnet Cafe. I had liver and onions for lunch, with fried okra and spinach. Probably the least offensive food I have had in a while. On the way back, we stopped at the import place again, I have my eye on something, more about that later. I am just about done with my prep for going out of town tomorrow, I have to change the feeders for the humming birds, and vacuuming is also on the list, but I might not have time for that. Ugh! The next several days will be filled with meetings and seminars, and I will take the train home, that is the part I am looking most forward too. Of course, I will also see lots of friends from Texas and across the country, but I am in the winding down mode of my volunteer service. Time to quiet down! The photo did not come out too great, since I had it in 'portrait' mode. Oh, well. Pretend there is a neon sign behind us saying Bluebonnet Cafe. 

Volume 18 - Day 163/202, 2026 - Friday

Well, hell. I did four loads of clothes today, and at (kind of) the same time, I was also taking a class. Whenever we had a break, I was doing something in the laundry room. For the second time, I have had issues washing the quilt/spread/blanket thing that is on my bed. Today, I washed that with nothing but two pillow cases, and I eventually had to stop the washer, try to distribute the girth of the spread, and put it back on just the spin cycle. I finally got it as 'spun' as I could, and ended up putting it in the dryer, still loaded with water. Apparently, the reason I do not frequently do laundry is, that I am just not that good at it. I swear I have washed that quilt/spread/blanket thing before and did not have that problem, but, whatever. I am good for about another month, so if you smell something, it is likely me. After the class, I made a trip to the Post Office, then back to the Curious House, and then a quick trip to HEB. I am going out of town on Sunday, and I am in the process of marking things off my packing list, and throwing things in the vicinity of my carry-on and my back pack. I am getting better at not packing a lot of stuff, and I am kind of happy about that. We shall see how it all works out.

Volume 18 - Day 162/203, 2026 - Thursday

I have never seen a traffic jam caused by porta-potties. Apparently there were too many potties on this trailer, and three or four of them flew off the trailer onto the expressway. Okay, well, I am not sure that happened at all, but now that I have your attention... I did my four hour class today, and I have another one tomorrow. After tomorrow, I will have all the REQUIRED education to renew my real estate license, plus several that I just took because I had nothing better to do. After the class, I took the Buzz to the VW dealer in Georgetown for a damage estimate. Less that I expected, just about $2,300. Now I am having a contentious time with the insurance company. Not my insurance company, the insurance company of the man that ran into the Buzz last Saturday. I won't mention any names, but the company name rhymes with State Farm. I am not a fan. Whatever. After the class tomorrow, I may go to HEB for just a few things, and I need to do laundry and a couple other things around the house before I head out of town on Sunday. And, I expect there will be a couple other things I will need to do, like seeing if I can fit into any of my conference clothes.