Volume 18 - Day 59/306, 2025 - Saturday

I am going to make this quick, because there is no internet on this train, and I am using my hotspot. I got to the train station in Detroit at about 5:30 this morning, and walked (quickly) the three or four blocks to the train station. Changed trains in Chicago (a station I love), and I just got back to my room after dinner. We should be in St. Louis soon, and so far all is good. I met a lovely woman named Gail while we were in line for the train, she is from Wisconsin, and we had dinner together. Dinner was good, and I brought a piece of cake and a diet Coke back to the room with me, perfectly logical if you ask me! I will get off the train tomorrow in Taylor, and Jimmie and Linda will pick me up. So far it is estimated to arrive in Taylor at 6PM, but we are already 35 minutes behind schedule, and I don't really care. You all have a good evening!

Volume 18 - Day 58/307, 2026 - Friday

Well, the nostalgia tour went pretty well today, even though I could not really have found my way around the places I used to live by landmarks...because all the landmarks have been replaced with other things. I did see my two Elementary Schools and my Junior High School, and I got inside my High School, although they really did not want me to come in, you can't blame them, I guess. I went past two of the houses my parents had bought, and I also got to go to Horse Island in Gibraltar, where I lived when we first moved to Michigan. Horse Island is now a very upwardly mobile place to live, with very nice homes. We lived next door to Miss Vick, and she ran a bait and tackle shop across the street from her house. On one side of the island (which has only one single lane street) is a channel, and on the other side is the Drtroit River. I have no memory of this, but apparently I fell in the river one afternoon, and Miss Vick told my mother that I fell into one of her minnow tanks, not the river. I'll tell you the story of visiting my old High School tomorrow. SO, I wandered around 'Downriver' for about four hours, and I am glad I did it. There are a few things left, but most of it was totally unrecognizable, but that is what progress smells like! Oh, and I NEVER, EVER called Miss Vick 'Queenie!'

Volume 18 - Day 57/308, 2026 - Thursday

My flight was not until 12:55 this afternoon, and I was awake at about 5. At about 7AM, I had an email that asked if I wanted to check out on-line, so I did. When I checked out, every light in the room went out and all the curtains closed automatically. SO...I got in an Uber with Melinda, Steve and Nancy, and I got to the airport in plenty of time. Five hours to be exact, but I had some breakfast, and there was plenty of people watching, so it was not terrible. In the past week, I have been in (or through) every time zone in the Conitnental United States. Right now, I am in the Eastern Time Zone. I'm in Detroit, tomorrow I will do the 'Nostalgia Tour' of places where I grew up, just to see it all once again. It has been 57 years since I was here, and I expect there have been lots of changes, but I think it will be interesting. On Saturday, I will head to the Amtrak station in Detroit (just a few blocks from the hotel, and I will be back at the Curious House around 7 or 8 o'clock on Sunday evening. 37 hours on the train, and I can't think of a better way to spend 37 hours!

Volume 18 - Day 56/309, 2026 - Wednesday

Alright, today was the last day of this conference, and tomorrow, my adventure will continue. The day started again with breakfast, and today, the eggs were similar to eggs, as opposed to yesterday. Here is a breakdown of the speakers today: NAR Leadership, a retired three star General, a guy that does national political surveys, two US Senators, two former US Senators and Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor, a military veteran in Afghanistan and former Cabinet Member in the Biden Administration. When the formal conference session ended, I had the opportunity to meet Pete Buttigieg and shake hands with him. There will be a photo documenting the event sometime in the future. After that, I went to my room and took a nap and watched Forensic Files, and met up with Vanessa, Phillip, Steve, Melinda and Nancy. We attended the closing reception, and then Steve, Melinda, Nancy and I went to the Mob Museum, and then we stopped at the Hard Hat Lounge for burgers. I will be leaving the hotel about 10 o'clock in the morning, and this particular adventure will continue.

Volume 18 - Day 55/310, 2026 - Tuesday

It took a while, but I finally figured out that Las Vegas is on Pacific time and not Mountain time. I was talking to Maggie in Austin and asked her what time it was, I was confused. But now I have that figured out, I know what time it is, but not sure about the day. It was an early day (Pacific time) starting with breakfast, and then the presentations started. Here is who we heard from: A couple former Presidential Press Secretaries, two US Senators, Lawrence Yun the NAR Economist, and a couple more leaders from the National Association of REALTORS®. This particular annual conference is ALWAYS balanced as far as political parties are concerned, and I like hearing the Point/Counter Point presentations. After today's session ended, Nancy and Melinda and I walked to get lunch, and then it was nap time, but I was not competent on the napping issue. We left the Hotel (me, Nancy and Candy) and headed to the sphere to see The Wizard of Oz, and I can confirm that the Sphere is as cool as everyone says it is, and the show was as cool as everyone has told me it was. I bought four t-shirts. Pay attention Mike! We left there and went to the Venetian, where we did nothing, and then we Ubered back to the hotel. I stopped at the little store and bought two diet Cokes ($5 each), and now I am back in the room. I tuned in and watched the end of the State of the Union speech, and now I am watching (listening to) the Democratic response. Tomorrow will be another day of presentations, then the afternoon off, and then the closing reception tomorrow night. Another good President Circle Conference is close to being in the books.

Volume 18 - Day 54/311, 2026 - Monday

Well, I don't think anyone walked this morning, I know for sure I didn't. The girls are staying with Val and Paulina, so while I was packing it was interesting to not have two dogs following me around. I got to the airport, and contrary to what I saw yesterday, there were no delays in Austin going to Las Vegas. I will be here until Thursday and then I will continue my adventures to points north. It should be fun. The association outdid themselves this trip with my room; I am in a suite on the 70th floor, and the photo accompanying this entry is the view from the living room. I got checked in, registered for the conference, and then went down to a reception. This hotel is HUGE, and I cannot understand how they can build a place this big, and not have an electrical outlet by the desk. And the desk does not have a desk chair, so there is that. I can always find something, but otherwie, everything is just fine. The flight was interesting, too. There was a medical emergency on the flight, and there was one medical person on the flight, a GIANT of a man, and he spent at least 30 minutes on the floor in the front galley with a woman. I guess it all turned out okay, because an ambulance met the plane and she refused it. The last I saw, they were bringing a gurney down the jet way, but I don't know what happened after that. This particular conference ends business about noon each day, so afternoons are free. Tomorrow night we are going to The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere, so that will be fun!

Volume 18 - Day 53/312, 2026 - Sunday

No walking today, and I doubt I will be walking tomorrow, either. I didn't do a whole lot of stuff around the house today, I had an appointment to donate platelets again at 10:45, and again, I did not qualify. The heart is still 'mis-beating,' but it was better today than it was Thursday. I am heading to a conference tomorrow, so I will give the cardiologist a call when I get back. Everything I see from Dr. Google encourages me not to worry about it too much. I do not know when I experience a 'mis-beat,' I have never felt a thing. Dr. Google says I should consult a doctor if these are frequent (not sure how I would know), or if they are accompanied by dizziness or chest pain. Nope, I am not experiencing any of that. Whatever... It also says it can be triggered by caffeine, stress or by interactions of prescription drugs. I also take several supplements, and I have started eating kiwis, so if worse comes to worse, I will blame everything on the kiwis. I took the girls over to Val and Paulina's this afternoon, I am going to a conference tomorrow, so I am looking forward to that. There will be some interesting things going on next week, so stay tuned! I finished my latest book, Best Offer Wins. It was an interesting book, one of the sub-plots was about real estate, but I absolutely despised the main character of the book. There is really not even any way I can adequately describe the book, but it made me nervous! The photo popped up the other day, not sure when it was, but it brought back fun memories of a previous life when I was participating in long distance bike riding.