Life of Wry

I’d say I’m good at this…. and for the most part I am, and, coupled with Jim, who pulls his weight and then some, we do a great job of travel prep. At least travel the way we do it. We’ve developed something of a travel style and we’re both in synch with it… so we know what needs to be done. I’m sure that’s true of all traveling couples. You just have a way.

There is one part I’m not so good at: I have a fanatical sense of thoroughness, coupled with a lifelong procrastination habit. That’s a bit of a deadly combination. (And I must be tired because I’ve now used the word couple three times in six sentences.

That means that everything will get done — and I do mean everything — but my packing will run right up to the wee hours of travel eve and create undue stress when, honestly, I did not want to have any of that.

We have a detailed itinerary the includes where we’re going each day, the overnight accommodations (addresses phone numbers, confirmation numbers), the restaurants (in major cities) we’re eating in, the length of drives, the plane & train tickets, some sight info, travel insurance info, etc. We have all the apps we need along the way (Pura Aventura, the company that set up our hiking trip in the Pyrenees has a very very cool app that includes all kinds of trip detail, and another app that has all the trails and detailed info on each of those trails), we have all our documents, our electrical converters, our chargers, devices of all kinds.. so we’re solid there.

I can also say that our house is ready. Our people know their jobs. The ones requiring payment are paid. The calendar is clear, the mail is stopped, Jim’s clients are all notified and chill, the yard is clean and tidy, the refrigerator is clean, food is culled, trash and recyclables are gone, dishes are washed, laundry’s all done, appointments are set for return, Peter’s got our itinerary, and the return to-do list is written.

I still have to finish my packing (it’s 5pm on Saturday…. T-minus about 13 hours). That is no surprise.. as I said above. The only thing I forgot to do was lose the 20 pounds I gained following our return from Europe last September. (The weight was due to my being utter sedentary as a result of the Dolomite hiking knee injuries.. then the holidays. My weight soared from Sept to December. I was supposed to lose it all between Jan and now.. but ..don’t ask me why that didn’t happen… I’m as mystified as the next guy.)

Anyway.. this is the state of my packing: an empty suitcase surrounded by some clothes that, thus far, have made the cut. Outside this frame and on the living room couch, sit piles of hiking clothes and gear, more maybe-clothes, and a whole bathroom scene I’ll never show in photos.

So.. hopping to it. I can sleep somewhere during our 13 hours of fly time.