Deb and I did some wandering over the past 14 years: New Cumberland; Raleigh; Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, SC; Summerfield and Hudson, FL; Portland; Bainbridge Island, WA; Orient Beach, St. Martin; Montpellier, France; and now Alicante, Spain. We sold homes, gave away furniture and cars, downsized and lived out of backpacks and suitcases. Currently we're in Alicante, Spain, where we plan to settle (for awhile). I poked this long-dormant blog awake so I could chronicle our attempts to learn to live in a foreign land. Let's see what happens.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Just turned 62

The earth has just completed its 62nd revolution around the sun since I was born. While it was busy tossing about polar vortexes, defrosting the poles and shifting its tectonic plates, I learned that I love the heat and humidity of central Florida and that Hilton Head Island, while beautiful, is not consistently warm enough for winter tennis. Unless you are Canadian.

I wandered Savanna’s Spanish-moss decorated streets, walked softly through Bonaventure Cemetery under a full moon, tiptoed fearfully past alligators sunning themselves along a too-narrow trail in Paynes Prairie, marveled at the rise and fall of John Ringling and the beauty of his Sarasota estate and circus museum, and happily discovered that clay tennis courts play slowly enough that I can hit a topspin backhand. I published the second of my Imhotep novels, completed writing a third and began plotting a fourth.

More importantly I enjoyed all this in the loving company of my wife, found time - never enough - to proudly admire the accomplishments of my children, and kept in too-fleeting contact with my extended family and my friends.


Although I would never claim to have firm footing, I picture myself leaning into the swirl of the earth’s spin as it hurtles through the ever expanding universe on another trek around our star. I can’t wait to see what this circuit reveals.

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