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.