What Are You Excited About?

Happy spring, everybody!  We’re having an early one, and that’s just fine with us.  Everything outdoors is verdant, fragrant, and colorful.  As we get older, we appreciate these spring days more every year, knowing that they are finite—and so are our own number of springs.  

On the way to Windsor Island, via Keizer, OR

We're excited about a lot of things.  What about you?

Many people have been asking me when I’m going to write another book.  My answer is that I’d like to spend some time reading a few books first, which at my reading speed, will take a long time.  But at least I'm excited about some of the books I bought and some still on the bookshelf. Besides I enjoy writing our blog, and it’s been over two months since the last one.

Kathy at Command Central

We’ve been pedal to the metal since our last post, especially Kathy with her national Assistance League board duties as Finance Chair and a new technology committee she started.  They are overhauling the database and the website for the national organization. Beyond her periodic five-day trips to Burbank, CA, she spends much of the day at her computer and on conference calls.  She’s counting the days until mid-September when her term as Finance Chair expires. 

ABC's Robin Roberts.

But it’s not all work for her or me.  We’ve enjoyed several fundraisers, symphony concerts, operas, and some Academy Awards-nominated movies.    And the conclusion of Glee and the opener of the final Madmen season. 

And we signed up to do something fun—it doesn’t involve fundraising, governance, or any pressing social problems.  We’re among the first Greeters International guides for the City of Salem.  We took the training—learned about former brothels and underground tunnels— and are awaiting our first gigs for tourists and new residents to Salem.  I gave the inaugural tour to a Statesman Journal reporter. Here's her article.

With slave driver (trainer) Sam

One Year ago in March

One year ago I had elbow surgery for a torn tendon.  The prognosis was for a 70% chance to be 70% better—in other words, just half of normal. 

Well, I’m happy to report that it is 90% of normal, so I’m back to Pilates and swimming a mile weekly, Performance Training twice a week, with bicycling thrown in on good weather weekends.  That's the good news.  The not-so-good news?  We're both challenged with low back pain issues, but hey, that's part of the territory and 'adventure' at this age.  Things could be much worse!


Pilates--Impossible 18 months ago



New Wheels

And speaking of bicycling, we finally got our stolen bikes replaced and are enjoying rides together.  We’re so grateful we had replacement value coverage on our homeowner’s policy.   Kathy’s bike is so cool and light weight, and she appears to love everything about it except for the saddle.

 

What’s on our horizon for the rest of the year?  What are we excited about?  An abundance of things:
 

• We’re remodeling our Airstream to make the bed area also a day sitting area.  Hopefully it will be ready for a rally to Ashland, Oregon to see four plays at the Shakespeare festival two weeks from now.
• Daughter Feruza escaping Manhattan for two weeks of Oregon road trips and winery tours.
• Camping on the Metolius River in June with friends Bob and Lisa. 
• Biking for a week in late June in eastern France with friends Ron, Barb, Bill, and Sandy—whom we met on our Slovenia bike tour in 2006.
• Visiting daughter Shanti in London for a week and hiking the Cotswold region (Hobbit-like countryside) for a few days.
• Visiting daughter Skyler in Boston and watching her boyfriend sing with the Boston Pops at Tanglewood.
• Leading a two-week Airstream caravan through Eastern Washington and Idaho on a rails-to trails bicycle and winery tour, formally titled “the Daze of Wine and Roads.”
• Finally, in mid-September after Kathy’s swan song at the Assistance League national conference in San Diego, she will meet me in St. George Utah.  From there we will proceed with our Airstream to retrace my  last year's 880+ mile bike ride from Zion to Santa Fe.  This time, however, I get to stop more for photos and hikes.  We’ll conclude in Durango for a Kelemen family campout.  

Beyond that?  Still a work in progress and some work obligations for both of us.   But that's enough excitement.  What are you excited about?  

 

While you still can, make your future greater than your past.  



The Bobsey Twins on the Buena Vista Ferry