Volume 18 - Day 172/193, 2026 - Sunday

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there, and also Happy Summer Solstice day, the longest day of this year! I walked this morning with James and Paul, and then I did some grown up things in the office at the Curious House. Went through the mail for the last week, paid a few bills on-line, and sorted through some things. I went out into the garage this morning, and found a GFCI had tripped, and some of the stuff in the beer fridge freezer had thawed. Some of it was not totally thawed, and I put that in the refrigerator part. The items that were totally thawed will be put out in the trash on Thursday. Those things are still in the freezer, I don't want the garage to start stinking until Thursday. I still have not completely unpacked the carry-on, there is plenty of time to do that next week. I had a two o'clock appointment in FAR south Austin, and that drive was about forty miles each way. The client was a man I represented over twenty years ago when he bought his home, and it was nice to see him again. He told me I had not changed a bit, and that was a little bit concerning. After that appointment, I had dinner with Val, Paulina and Oliver at the Cheesecake Factory at the Arboretum, and now I am ready to be finished with this day. Tomorrow will be a platelets day, and I need to pick up prescriptions and maybe hit Upper Crust for cinnamon rolls. We shall see. Marian will ride with me, and we will meet Paulina at the blood bank, so the three of us are back in the groove. I may even do a little bit of grocery shopping tomorrow. Maybe.

Volume 18 - Day 171/194, 2026 - Saturday

I am back home again from my past week's escapades, and I am pretty sure the girls would like me to leave again so they can become more spoiled with Val, Paulina and Oliver. I got off the train in Temple so we could stop at GoGo's Treatery for FroYo, cupcakes and macaroons. All very yummy. I took a couple naps on the train, and I apparently slept through the stop in Cleburne, when I woke up, I was surprised to find that we were in McGregor. Whatever. I emptied 3.96" of rain from my gauge, and I will record that shortly. I have unpacked the necessities, and I will do the rest tomorrow, but for now, I am ready to go pile up in the big chair with the girls. I was happy to see this rainbow on the way home, that was a welcomed surprise, and for a while, there was a double rainbow, but it did not photograph very well.

Volume 18 - Day 170/195, 2026 - Friday

Happy JuneTeenth everybody! I was going to include the ussie of me and Richard for this entry, but I thought the contrast of the sad buildings and the St. Louis Arch in the background was more in keeping with why I ride trains here and there. Sadly, I am a little bit disappointed in this leg of my return home. The parts I am in control of are just fine, like looking out the window of my room and seeing the real country. The parts I cannot control are the alleged rudeness of the staff on this leg of the trip. Maybe it is just my imagination. In addition, my room is cold enough to hang meat, and the solution was 'there's a blanket up there.' Not good enough. Whatever. I just got back from dinner, salmon and red wine (I know), and now I am in the room for the night. We are in St. Louis, and I think this stop will be about a half hour. I am not sure where we will be when I wake up in the morning, but I am looking forward to getting home. I think I will be in Taylor about 6:30 or so tomorrow, not exactly sure. I think Paulina and Oliver are going to pick me up, and then we will have catfish for dinner in Taylor. I have work to get done over the weekend so Eileen won't be mad at me, and I have a listing appointment on Sunday. Life goes on! 

Volume 18 - Day 169/196, 2026 - Thursday

A lot of times, people do not really understand why I take the train home from conferences and meetings, and this is a perfect example. We are outside (on this side) of Martinsburg, somewhere, and we are on the other side of Point of Rocks, also somewhere. The train I am on stopped to let another train pass, and what better view could I have asked for? I just got back to my room after dinner, met a nice lady traveling with her husband and 10 month old child from Richmond, and that is what my idea of train travel is. I was in the First Class Lounge in DC for a few hours, and never once heard the baby cry. Fingers crossed. It was a fun day today, I went with Taylor, EIleen and Brandy to the Smithsonian Castle, and I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed, very likely because I did not know what to expect there. I got back to the hotel, checked out, and headed for the train station. The train left two hours late, but again, I take the train because I am not in a hurry. I expect to get to Chicago tomorrow morning, change trains, and head for Austin tomorrow afternoon. I have space in the room if anyone wants to join me!

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. 

Volume 18 - Day 161/204, 2026 - Wednesday

After our walk this morning, I got ready to drive in to Austin for a ten o'clock meeting. Traffic was typical, I encountered an invisible wreck, and it took about 30 minutes to go four miles on MoPac. It must have been an invisible wreck, because when traffic started moving, there was nothing I could see that caused the slowdown. I got to my meeting, and I was only four minutes late. I always leave early because you never know what will happen along the way. I ran a few errands on the way home, and one very fun thing I did was to take a big jar of coins to the bank to cash them in. I have been putting coins in the jar for a LONG time, and some of the things I found in the jar were pretty interesting; three or four foreign coins, fourteen dollars worth of two-dollar bills, and a note that Jody had written. Jody's note said 53 nickels, 2.65. 107 dimes, 10.70. 75 quarters, 18.75, and 315 pennies, 3.15. To say the least, I was really surprised to find that note. Tomorrow I will call the Volkswagen dealer and ask them what time to body shop is open, so I can go get an estimate for the Buzz repairs. I am taking a four hour virtual class tomorrow and Friday, so maybe I can get the Buzz to the repair place after 2PM. Probably.

Volume 18 - Day 160/205, 2026 - Tuesday

Today was a busy day for a Tuesday. Besides our early morning walk, I had two zoom meetings, an in person meeting and a couple errands to get done. The two zoom meetings were nicely spaced so there was an hour between the first one and the second one. I did get a couple errands completed before my three o'clock appointment, so that meant it was nap time. A couple times! Dick and Marge are heading back to Chicago (Buffalo Grove) for the summer, so we had a Bon Voyage dinner for them tonight. There were 23 of the neighbors attending, and it was great. The server in the restaurant was a little bit stretched, but otherwise, we had a great time talking and having a great time. I am pretty sure we are all happy to have such a great group of friends, and it shows every day!

Volume 18 - Day 159/206, 2026 - Monday

I did a couple of errands this morning before I went to pick up Marian, and we drove in to Austin for our platelet donation. Of course, it goes without saying that we stopped at Upper Crust Bakery on the way, just to pick up a few things to sustain us for the week coming. While we were standing in line, my friend Teresa came over, and there were hugs all around. Marian does not know much about that past life, but now she has a few bits of information. Teresa was my first broker when I got my real estate license, back in 1995. There has been a lot of water running under that bridge! Teresa was there with Omar, who I did not recognize at first. Omar and I are both on a committee at the Austin Board, so that was interesting to see him this morning. We made it to the blood bank, and we were in and out with no big issues, nothing exciting happening! There is a lot to be thankful for if there are 'no big issues' while we are donating platelets! While blood and platelets were flowing out of my arm, I was listening to the book we are reading this month for book club, Vera Wongs Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man). It is certainly an easy read (listen), and I don't need to think too much about it while I am listening! I got home and went down for a nap, which is also a good thing, and now I am done for the day. I do need to go and check the mail, but that will be it for me.

Volume 18 - Day 158/207, 2026 - Sunday

Up until about 6:30 this evening, I had nothing to eat today with any nutritional value. For breakfast, I had a scone. Not terrible. For lunch, I don't even remember what I had, but I know there were some M&Ms involved. Paulina and I went to see The Bird Cage this afternoon, it is hard to believe that the first time I saw it was 30 years ago. While we were doing estate sales yesterday, Marian said she and her daughter Lexi were going today. Val, Paulina and I watched La Cage aux Folles at the Curious House last week, so it was fitting that we go see The Bird Cage today. We saw Marian and Lexi, and after the movie, we did the selfie that is accompanying this journal entry. My resolution to boycott CBS has been tweaked a little bit. I will NOT watch ANY CBS news programming, but I will watch the shows I like on Thursday evenings, and I am watching the Tony Awards right now. Sue me. So far, the Tony's have been really good, but CBS had nothing to do with that. Whatever. When we got home this afternoon, I fed the girls and for dinner I had the chicken and rice that Paulina brought me at some point last week. Yummy good. Tomorrow is a platelet day, and it will be me and Marian, and that will be a good day.

Volume 18 - Day 157/208, 2026 - Saturday

Overnight we collected 1.57" of rain, and that is excellent. It was an estate sale day, me, Diane, Marian and Paulina. While were were stopped at a red light, the guy behind us said his foot slipped off the brake pedal, and he hit us in the back. The force seemed like more than a 'creep,' so maybe he uses both feet and when his left foot slipped off the brake, his right foot was on the accelerator. Who knows. There is not a lot of damage to the Buzz, but I expect the whole back piece under the tail gate will have to be replaced, and a little piece of the tailgate will have to be repaired/painted. I don't know dollar wise, but likely several thousand dollars. We (that means I) had not intended to call the Police, but one saw the incident and pulled in behind us. I have been watching TOO MANY YouTube videos lately, so when the officer got out, I immediately asked him if I was being detained, and that I knew my rights, particularly my first and fourth Amendment rights, so don't mess with me. He went along with it, the other guy and I exchanged information, and we went on to the sales. I am pretty sure we all bought something, in fact, I bought quite a few things, and it was a good day of estate sales, all things considered. Now I just need to get the stuff out of the Buzz and spread it around in the house! After the sales, I had one errand to run, and then Paulina and I drove to Temple to visit a friend's 'Treatery!' FroYo, macaroons, cupcakes, everything you need for a good a lunch! We brought stuff home, too. There is not a lot of chores on my list for tomorrow, but I am pretty sure I can do something to make it interesting.

Volume 18 - Day 156/209, 2026 - Friday

Today turned out to be a day for running errands and getting little things done. Paulina came over for coffee this morning, and then I went to the post office to mail a package, I stopped at a restaurant in Round Rock to make reservations, and then I was off to Austin to pick up one of my prescriptions. On the way home, I stopped at Inner Space Caverns, and inquired about doing fund raisers there, and maybe a dinner in the caverns. They wanted no part of that, even though the web site intimates that they do those kinds of things. Whatever, it is their loss. It has rained off and on a few times today, we had a nice, but rapid, downpour about four o'clock, and we have close to a quarter-inch since this morning. I went to dinner this afternoon with Jimmie and Linda, and that was fun, I have not seen them in about a week. I have had two deliveries of bird seed, one yesterday and one today. A total of 40 pounds of bird seed, that I do not remember ordering. Interesting. I think this photo was taken three or four years ago, not exactly sure, scuba diving in Playa or Tulum. It was great, not sure I will do more scuba diving. Maybe, maybe not.

Volume 18 - Day 155/210, 2026 - Thursday

I'm torn, although I really shouldn't be. I am enamored with clouds. The fluffy, really pretty ones. I don't care for overcast skies. The clouds that make the days grey and gloomy. Today was a grey and gloomy kind of day, and we even had a little bit (0.08") of rain, so no complaints about that. And the bad clouds gave way this afternoon to some pretty clouds, and I am happy about that. The girls went to the beautiful parlor this morning, and they absolutely hate that, and it exhausts them. They are back, and they have been asleep most of the afternoon. I have been taking them every three months, but this last time was too long, the girls looked a little bit like strays, so their next appointment is in two months. That will probably be too quickly, but we will figure it out. After I brought the girls home, I went to HEB and bought a few things, nothing to get excited about. I finished the book I was reading about Hitler, BLITZED - Drugs in the Third Reich. I really didn't care for the book too much, and I was aware of all the challenges he had with drugs, but I did not know of the extent that all (or most) of the victories were the result of speed and pain pills. SO, I will be on to my next book in a couple days, much more light reading, and book club is in a couple weeks. I will be going in to Austin tomorrow to pick up a prescription, and maybe I will find a couple other things to do while I am there... We shall see.

Volume 18 - Day 154/211, 2026 - Wednesday

I slept very nicely last night, and I was glad about that. My watch tells me that I slept OK, just ok, but I think I had a good nights sleep. Before bedtime, we had a surprise storm, mostly wind, some really good thunder and only 0.01" of rain. The wind blew a bunch of plants on the back patio over, and the terra cotta pot that the rubber tree was in broke into several pieces. Honestly, the wind was crazy, and it totally took me by surprise. The rubber tree is now inhabiting a brand new pot, so all is good. Paulina worked from home today, and she had never been to Dairy Queen before, and now she has! We both got a milk shake, and we were both happy with our choices. I have officially cancelled my trip to South Africa in September. I worried about it for several days, but with the health challenges in Africa (so far not where I would have been) and all the political crap going on everywhere, I just decided this was not the time to go. I still have time, I may be able to get somewhere before the end of the year, just not sure where. I expect I will make it to Playa a couple times at least, and I have a HUGE credit with American Airlines, since I had already booked my flights to Africa. Tomorrow I will take the girls to the beautiful, and I have signed up for another on-line class, so we will see if this one actually happens. 

Volume 18 - Day 153/212, 2026 - Tuesday

I did get a few things accomplished today. On the way to breakfast, I stopped at Home Depot and bought a new pot for some geraniums I bought the other day. I also got a hanging basket of purslane, and by taking the hanger off, it fits in to a wire chicken I have in the back. I got to breakfast a little bit early this morning, so I sat in the little white car and listened to the book I have downloaded. I have about an hour left, and as I was listening, I zoomed in on the photo that is accompanying this entry, an interesting view of the Williamson COunty Courthouse. The ROMEOs met for breakfast, and after that I stopped at Galaxy Bakery and got some scones, and then I stopped at Georgetown Donuts for a couple apple fritters. That should hold me for the rest of the week. I got the plants all planted and used the leaf blower to clean up both the front and back patios and the back deck. Everything is now ready just in case we get a little bit of rain overnight. I am still eating on the pizza I bought last week (or the week before?), and I will either eat it all before Thursday morning or it will find a new home in the trash can. There is a chance we will get a little bit of rain this evening, and there is a chance of rain every day in the upcoming forecast. 

Volume 18 - Day 152/213, 2026 - Monday

It seems I have turned Mondays into my weekends. I used to get household chores done over the weekends, but now I get them done on Mondays. I have better things to do on my weekends! Today, I moved the plumerias onto the driveway so they get more direct sun. The plumeria that I have had for (maybe) a decade (I think more, actually) did not bloom at all last year, and I bought three more small plumerias at HEB about a month ago. They are all out on the drive now, along with the jasmines that I have started from seeds. We will see how things go, I am 100% positive I will need to be more attentive to watering with them out in the full sun. It gets REALLY hot in central Texas. The girls got their monthly pills today, right on schedule! My week just keeps getting better and better, too. The virtual class I signed up for was cancelled, nothing I did, and a meeting on Wednesday has been cancelled as well. I have a LOT of nothing to do this week, and that totally works for me.