Volume 18 - Day 318/47, 2026 - Saturday

Well, I guess that miracles can still happen! I made my way from the hotel in Barcelona to the airport, to the gate, boarded the plane, got to Malaga, got to the hotel in Malaga without a single person in any of those places speaking a single word of English. Luckily, all the signage is in more than one language, my salvation. From the teeny tiny little bitty bit of both cities I have seen over the past few days, I like Malaga better. Where I am staying reminds me a lot of the urban areas in Italy that Paulina and I visited. Malaga is about one-third the size of Barcelona, so that fits me better as well. In the ride from the airport, I certainly saw a palet of different economic situations, but that is not unusual for any city. But where I am, there is a lot of pedestrian activity, and I am wondering if the activity will last after the weekend. I am here for three nights, and I actually have some work to do on Monday, which will be a free day here for me. I am looking forward to tomorrow, when I will go to Morocco, and I am excited about that. What I am not excited about, is that I meet the tour guide at 6:30AM, and the tour will last 12 to 13 hours. Me and my short attention span are a little bit worried about that, so look for my report tomorrow to see how it all worked out. The photo is what I see looking out the hotel window...because I am a sucker for a 10Euro room upgrade.

Volume 18 - Day 317/48, 2026 - Friday

This is my last day in Barcelona. Tomorrow, early, I will head to the airport and fly to Malaga. My high school prophecy was 'To become a marketing teacher and live in Malaga.' I was a real estate instructor for a little while, so maybe I made good on part of the prophecy, but I have never been to Malaga. Fifty seven years after high school, I will visit for a few days, and maybe that will give me a chance to see what I missed. Honestly though, I have had a really great life, and I would not change any of it. Who knows, there may be more Malaga in my future. Today was a free day, so I spent the day doing a lot of nothing. Wandered the streets a couple times, bought some souvenirs, sat on a bench in front of the hotel and did something I really like doing; watching the people and the day go by. I could become a professional person watcher given the opportunity. Barcelona is a really big city, lots of things to explore, and it cannot be done in a few days. I'm at about the half-way point of this adventure, so there is still lots to do and lots to see. I wonder how much of it I will remember? 

Volume 18 - Day 316/49, 2026 - Thursday

The day started off with breakfast in the hotel...scrambled eggs, bacon and something with corn in it, not sure what it was. I was elected to show other guests how to use the coffee machine, and that was kind of dangerous. And then I was off to see if where I thought I was supposed to meet the tour was actually the place I was supposed to meet the tour. And...it wasn't. But I was only off by about a half block, so it could have been worse. AND, I was the only person on the tour. I was going to take my jacket, but it was 68 degrees and sunny, so I left it in the room. What I was not expecting ws the wind, and it got kind of chilly, but I survived. The tour was interesting, we covered a lot of ground in Barcelona, and a lot about the architect Gaudi, whose church (rumor has it) was completed last year, after 140 years. I think I have that right. Well, I am sorry to tell you this, but the church is not finished (in my opinion) and it may take another 140 to finish it. PLUS, it took so long to build that they built residential and commercial buildings all around it, and they plan to tear those down to make the plazas around the church that were in the original plan. Gaudi also did commercial and residential buildings, and they are very interesting buildings. We went 'up the mountain' to get views of the city and the harbor, and overall, Barcelona is a busy place, with a population of about 1.7 million in the city, and about 5.48 million in the metropolitan area. I think it is the second largest city in Spain. I also think, if you refer to Barcelona, it is kind of synonymous with Catalonia. Interesting... I plan to spend most of the day tomorrow just wandering around. I have one goal, and that is to buy one t-shirt. Oh, and the photo of the church with this entry is actually the BACK SIDE of the church...

Volume 18 - Day 315/50, 2026 - Wednesday

Today has indeed been a day, not that there is anything wrong with that. I left the B&B in Paris about 6:30 this morning, and headed to the train station. I was there in plenty of time for my 7:42 departure to Barcelona. The train ride (about 700 miles in about 7 hours) was remarkably unremarkable, in the same way train rides are in the states. We passed by nothing, we passed by small villages, hamlets, hills and valleys. Just exactly what I was expecting. The Pyrenees were disappointing because; A. I did not see the Pyrenees, B. I was expecting snow capped peaks (nope), and C. Maybe we went THROUGH the Pyrenees and not around them or next to them. There were definitely long tunnels (several) at points that I thought I should have been seeing snow capped mountain peaks. Whatever. I am getting to where I dislike cab drivers in Europe, because I am relatively sure they see me as a target. fifty Euros from the train station to the hotel. Sounds like a lot to me. After I checked in to the hotel, I decided to go find the place that I am to meet up with my tour tomorrow. I walked and walked, asked several people for directions, got several different sets of directions, but I finally found it and I know where I will need to be at 9:55AM. Thanks goodness. The photo accompanying this journal entry is of some anonymous woman who was fortunate enough to have a statue of herself erected in the middle of one of the main streets in Barcelona. About a half block from the hotel. If you know who she is, let me know. Oh, and just in case you need to know this, I cannot figure out how to flush the toilet in this room. It kind of gives new meaning to 'OH CRAP!'

Volume 18 - Day 314/51, 2026 - Tuesday

This is the third time I have been to Paris, and it is the first time I have been here when it is not 'summery.' It is definitely 'wintery,' and I find I prefer 'summery' weather in Paris. Everything is wet, cold and cloudy, but I have not seen it actually rain. I might have heard rain a few hours ago, but I did not get up to look out the window to see for sure. I had a nine o'clock driver reserved this morning to take me to Versailles and anywhere else that looked interesting. We made a few stops on the way back to Paris, but in many places, there was a large police presence, in anticipation of protests planned later in the day. I assume the protests proceeded, but I have not seen any news since I have been here. It is about 10 past eight here right now, and I just looked out the window, and it is raining! After I got back to my hotel this afternoon, I took a nap, and then walked up to the square that I am familiar with, and just walked around a bit. I stopped at a market, bought three bananas and a diet coke, so I am set. Early tomorrow morning, I will board a train and go to Barcelona. It is a seven hour train ride, and I am looking forward to that. A quick note from my ride to Lesigny yesterday: While we were traveling, I noticed a Burger King, and I remarked about it to the driver, Zain. He said 'Yes, we gave you the Statue of Liberty, and we got Burger King!' I thought that was perfect! I also learned a few things today about editing photos; The photo accompanying this entry was not only cropped by me, but I also learned how to 'Clean Up' and 'Extend.' Yowzer! Louis XIV is very happy about that.

Volume 18 - Day 313/52, 2026 - Monday

Okay, well, the plane left Dallas just right on time yesterday, and the nine hour flight got me to Paris this morning at about 9:30AM, Paris time. There is a seven hour time difference, so figure that out. The cab driver from the airport was a maniac with a really bad sinus condition, but we got to the hotel at about 11 o'clock with all pieces intact. I had reserved a car and driver for 1PM, so I got to close my eyes for a few minutes, and the driver arrived promptly. I am a big fan of Castle Impossible on HGTV, and the plan was to go to Lesigny (pronounced lay-zeen-yee) just to see if I could run up on them, but I would get to see the Chateau if nothing else. A few days ago, I was reading up about the Chateau, and found out they were closed on Monday, but, whatever. SO, I got there, tresspassed a few yards past the gate, and there was Ian, doing a little work on one of the buildings. He was very kind and we talked for a few minutes, and I could not have been happier. I didn't push my luck to mention I would like to see inside the Chateau, but it was really fun, and it made the effort worthwhile. Tomorrow, Versailles.

Volume 18 - Day 312/53, 2026 - Sunday

Howdy, y'all. It is a rainy day in central Texas, not that there is anything wrong with that. Val, Paulina and I left the Curious House at a little after 11 this morning. I am beginning this blog entry in the airport in Austin, and I will finish it in the airport in Dallas. That is because I am too cheap, and likely too illiterate, to figure out the complexities of paying for WiFi in the plane. Plus, I am not expecting anything exciting to happen after I leave Dallas. So, that is it for now, more in a couple hours. Okay, the plane was late leaving Austin, but the pilot hauled ass and I am on my connecting flight. We were side-by-side with another plane almost the whole way here, and that was interesting. I have to pee, but there is no time for that right now, I will wait until we are in the air, but at least I have an aisle seat, so that will be convenient. Time for PM pills, then time for some sleep. There will be more tomorrow. Lexie was not really happy this morning, but I am sure that Paulina and Val will spoil both the girls rotten while I am gone. 

Volume 18 - Day 311/54, 2026 - Saturday

After our walk this morning, I headed to the Amenity Center in our neighborhood, and we turned it into a Blood Bank. When I left this morning, we had sixteen donors scheduled. As the day progressed, we had two no-shows, four walk-ins, and counting the platelets that Marian, Paulina and I donated yesterday, our count for the day is a total of twenty donors. That is the goal that the Blood Bank was hoping for, but I was trying to get twenty five. Twenty is twenty more that they had yesterday, so all is good. We were done by about 1:30, so I headed to two estate sales that were open until three, and again, I bought nothing. I got back to the Curious House, did a few chores, and sat with the girls in the big chair dozed off for a couple minutes. I have turned the sprinklers off, because all the prognosticators are prognosticating rain over night, maybe heavy rain, and tomorrow is supposed to be a wet day. Fingers crossed. Otherwise, that is all the news that is fit to blog, and I am almost ready for bed!

Volume 18 - Day 310/55, 2026 - Friday

The windows in the Curious House are officially closed until further notice. It was chilly outside when I got up this morning, and I don't think it got warmer than the low 70s all day long. It became a beautiful, bright and sunny day, so that was good. We had a good walk this morning, and that was good, too. There was nothing on my chore list that needed to be done this morning, so I went to one estate sale with Val. It was disappointing for a couple reasons; first, it was a full price day, and second, there was nothing there that even remotely interested me. Awful! Soon after that, Paulina, Marian and I headed in to Austin to donate platelets. We did not even stop at Upper Crust, I have no idea what is happening to us. That place was extra cold this afternoon, and I think I was actually donating ice cube platelets. We were all freezing, and it was lovely to get back in the Buzz that had been sitting in the sun for a couple hours! We got back home about 4:30, and after taking a little rest, I am washing clothes. Tomorrow is a blood drive day in our neighborhood, so I will be there before 8AM and hang out until a little after 1PM. The blood bank goal is 20 donors, my goal is 25 donors, and right now we are at 16 scheduled, and there is still time, AND walk-ins are welcome. I will let you know how it turned out tomorrow.

Volume 18 - Day 309/56, 2026 - Thursday

Okay, it's Thursday night and it is almost my bedtime. The weather remains tolerable, and that makes for nice walks in the mornings. There was nothing on my chores list, but I did not think that was a good enough reason to do laundry. Paulina and I went to lunch, which did not take too long, and I brought much of it home. I did arrange for the tree limbs in the front of the Curious House to be trimmed off the roof, and that worked out well. Tonight was the last class for the Civilian Police Academy, and I am glad of that. It was only a ten week commitment, but I am still glad it is finished. Tonights session was about the K9 Unit in Georgetown. Here are some interesting facts: All the K9s at Georgetown (and I assume many other places) are bred in Poland. Apparently, they have superior canine breeding programs in Poland. The cost of a new canine for a police program is currently $21K. The dogs are constantly being trained, but they are not considered police officers. They are in some states, but in Texas they are considered service animals. Last (and maybe the most interesting) fact, the canine we observed tonight, is given instructions by his handler in Czechoslovakian. While working they don't want the dog to respond to someones command in English, so Czechoslovakian it it for that particular dog. I thought that was pretty interesting. Tomorrow will be a platelet day, and before that, Val and I are going to an estate sale. Busy, busy, busy!

Volume 18 - Day 308/57, 2026 - Wednesday

I think a cold front came in overnight, and it was somewhere in the lower 50s when I got up this morning. Cool enough that I had to put on a jacket for our walk. The prognosticator just said another cold front comes in tomorrow night. The high tomorrow is 82 and on Thursday, the high will be about 73. Nothing for me to complain about there. After the walk, I watched some news, and then got ready and took off to Austin for our monthly office meeting. On the way back to the Curious House, I stopped by the Capitol, just to see what I could see. I love going inside that building. I got home about 12:30, went down for a nap, and then met a guy that will be trimming tree limbs off the roof tomorrow. I prefer preventive stuff rather than emergency repair stuff. That is just opposite of some people I know. I have crossed my fingers, hoping I have everything together for my trip next week. Hotel reservations, flight tickets, train tickets, tour tickets...it seems like a really long list of stuff, but I think I have everything under control. We shall see...

Volume 18 - Day 307/58, 2026 - Tuesday

Another busy day, but it didn't start with a walk, we had some rain overnight, about a half-inch, and it was raining off-and-on, so we decided to call it a rain day. We did not call off our ROMEO breakfast though, and it was fun seeing Dick, Rick and Bob. Bob rode with me, and we did make a stop at Galaxy bakery, and Rick was stalking us. He had never been to Galaxy, and I think he is now a convert. Once I got back to the Curious House, I changed clothes and headed in to Austin. There was a Past Presidents luncheon at the Austin Board, and then I stopped at the pharmacy to pick up one prescription. Heading back home, I watched, what I thought was, a low-speed chase down the Interstate, but apparently this cop was just following the box truck being pulled down the highway. It has been a long time since I saw something like that. It kind of brings back memories of when I could push a car and pop the clutch to get it started. I am really not interested in doing that again. I have not had the air conditioner on for a week or maybe longer, and that makes me happy. It has been a series of really nice days and evenings, top down on the little white car, and sitting on the front patio or back deck. I am enjoying it as much as I can, because I know it will not last for very much longer.

Volume 18 - Day 306/59, 2026 - Monday

I had a few more things to do on my chore list, and I got everything done that needed to be done. It was a lovely and warm, cloudy day, just the kind of day that lends itself to keeping the top down on the little white car. I did make it in to Austin for a couple things, as I will do tomorrow and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are not certain, but I wouldn't be surprised. There is a chance of storms overnight tonight, and I like watching that when it wakes me up. As long as it is just a good storm, no damage or injury, I am good with it. Tomorrow is election day, get out and go vote.

Volume 18 - Day 305/60, 2026 - Sunday

At my VERY advanced age, I still amaze myself at the number of things I can accomplish when I set my mind to it.  i will not go in to how I dislike the time change stuff we STILL do twice a year, but I did not sleep worth a crap last night. All the clocks that matter have been reset, so that is something. I had a nice walk this morning, and then there was some tv news and Sunday Morning, but I did not find it interesting enough to keep watching. That woman at CBS really does know how to F-Up a network. I am making lists of things I need to accomplish in the next week, since I will be leaving town a week from today. I added some things to my chore list, then edited the list, then did other stuff. I got the little white car inspected, and since today was the first day of the month, every old man in a 50 mile radius of the inspection place was there. Also, the girls got their monthly pills today, and got the little white car registration done while I was at HEB. Thanks, Bob! Oh yeah, I got my hair cut, too, but I think it is still a little bit too lang. Whatever. I have a few things on the calendar to get done this week, I think I will be in Austin at least three days this week, but that is okay, too. It is top down weather, so that makes it all more interesting. I actually bought this word finder thing at HEB today, since I have now finished six or seven of them since I have been at the Curious House. I am about 18 months behind on reading my magazine subscriptions, but I find time for finding words.

Volume 18 - Day 304/61, 2026 - Saturday

Happy Halloween, y'all! As usual, or mostly as usual, the day started with a walk. There were four estate sales today, and I bought two things that I really didn't know I needed. After the estate sales, it was time for a nap, and then after naps, Paulina and I went to Temple for Frozen Yogurt. The best Froyo is in Temple, and it is just a fun drive, too. When we got back from Temple, it was time for another nap, not that there is anything wrong with that! It was a quiet evening in the neighborhood, I had ONE kid come by for candy, and she did not even say 'thank you.' I was the only person on my street giving candy, and there was one person on the street across from me. I know Dick and Marge were giving out candy, but I didn't see many kids going up or down on their street, either. I have nothing on the calendar for tomorrow, but I really am going to have to break down and go to HEB at some point. I have already turned most of the clocks back, and I will do the rest of them tomorrow, there is no hurry as far as I am concerned.

Volume 18 - Day 303/62, 2026 - Friday

I expect I will finish this tub of cranberry turkey salad sometime over the weekend. Maybe I could spoon it out to any little kids that are looking to me for candy tomorrow night. The 'best by' date on it is September 9th, but it still smells fine, and it hasn't killed me yet, so... I had a busy day...there was no walk for me, I had a 9 o'clock appointment in Lakeway, and I got back to the Curious House about 11:30. After that, I had a 1:30 appointment in Salado, and I got home from there at about 4:20 or so. It has been a drizzly, dribbly day all day today. We had some rain overnight, and combining that with what is in the gauge right now, we have had about a third of an inch. Not complaining, happy for the rain, and it is enough that I turned off the sprinklers. Tomorrow will be estate sales, and then I will head up the road to Temple for frozen yogurt and maybe a baked good or two. You never can tell.

Volume 18 - Day 302/63, 2026 - Thursday

It has been a mostly grey and cloudy day, a little bit dribbly off-and-on, but I am not complaining about even a little bit of rain. I did not leave the house all day long, except to check the mail and to go to my class tonight. I did have a zoom call with a client late this afternoon, and that went really well, I think. In the class tonight, we spent the whole class in the firing range. It was interesting, but I have a hard time standing up for a hour-and-a-half. At some point I am relatively sure that I will need to make a visit to HEB, but I have been doing pretty well putting that chore off. Tomorrow, I have a 9 o'clock appointment in Lakeway, and tomorrow afternoon I will be working with James again checking things out in Salado. Saturday will be estate sales and a quick trip to Temple for frozen yogurt. Fun!

Volume 18 - Day 301/64, 2026 - Wednesday

Today was kind of a busy day. I walked with Richard, Paul and James, and got home and took a nap. I still had the loaner car, so I was not happy about that. At about 10 o'clock, I went with Linda and Jimmie to tour Brookwood in Georgetown, a residential non-profit working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They do a lot of good work there, and the facility tour was interesting. I got home, waiting for the dealer to call, nothing. I had an appointment at 1:40, and after that, I just went to the dealer, and the little white car was just sitting there. I have no idea how long the work had been completed, but she is home now, and I am very happy about that. At about four o'clock, Paulina and I went in to Austin and met Billy, Gina, Jimmie, Linda, Margie and Richard for dinner. After dinner, we went to the Austin Concert Dome and watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That was fun, and there were a lot of other friends and colleagues that joined us. Home now, girls are happy, I had some grapes, and it is time for me to go to bed. See y'all tomorrow!

Volume 18 - Day 300/65, 2026 - Tuesday

SO...we had a nice walk this morning, me and Richard. After the walk, we (Richard, Rick, Bob and I) met for our ROMEO breakfast. After breakfast, I went to the Galaxy bakery for some good, and then I was expecting that I would go retrieve the little white car from the dealer that was servicing it. Nope. Even though they harassed me until I gave in and told them I would buy two tires, they did not figure it out until this morning that they did not have the tires in stock. Then, when they got the tires, they texted me that one of they found a 'bent rim' on one of the wheels. Ugh. So now I will (maybe) get the little white car back 'late tomorrow morning.' I can't stand it. Tonight was book club night, and of course I forgot to get a photo of the group. Judy and Bob hosted, and it was much fun. I am hosting next month, which means I will have to dust and vacuum. I was happy to see the morning glory on the vines this morning, which, in my little pea-brain, means the weather has cooled off enough for them to start blooming again. It was too hot for too long for them to expend the energy to bloom for the last couple of months. The cooler weather is very nice.

Volume 18 - Day 299/66, 2026 - Monday

There were four of us walking this morning; me, James, Paul and Richard. We have been enjoying very nice weather for about the last week or so, high temperatures in the 70s, lows in the 50s. Perfect for leaving the windows open and comfortable sleeping over night. I had an appointment to take the little white car in for service this morning, their 'upsell' techniques are awful, and I agreed to a couple things just to shut them up. I am sure the 'upsold' stuff will be just fine, I just don't agree with the way they do it. Tomorrow morning, I will take the loaner car back and pick up the little white car after our ROMEO breakfast. Tomorrow night is book club, too, and Judy and Bob are hosting. Judy always decorates her house for Halloween, so that will be fun. The photo with this entry was taken this morning, showing the full moon over Val and Paulina's house and the Curious House. Ready for Halloween ourselves!