Onward and upward to the finish line. Part 2 of the Bucket List:
N — I spent a week in Nashville in 1984 covering the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament (Kentucky won), but as was too often the case for me in those days, I didn’t use the opportunity to see the sights of my destination. I would purely love to return and see that there was a lot more to the city than just a basketball arena. Which leads us to …
O — If there’s one venue in the world where I would love to see music performed, it’s the Opry, as in Grand Old. Every Saturday night, back to the first half of the last century, fans from all over the South came to Ryman Auditorium or listened on WSM/650. Imagine the history. Yes sir, I’ve got to see the Opry in person at least once.
P — I have probably been to Paris on more different trips than anywhere else I’ve traveled outside the United States, so this bucket list entry isn’t so much about where, but about where and when. I will be 74 in the summer of 2024, and Paris might be my last chance to see the Summer Olympics. Yes, I know they’re scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028, but I really don’t know if I can count on seven more good years.
Q — I’ve been to Queens and I’ve been to Quebec. I would certainly like to see Queensland if I ever make it to Australia, but my pick for the letter Q isn’t a place but a thing. Back in the days before trans-Atlantic flights, trips to Europe involved ocean crossings on giant liners. I would purely love to do an ocean crossing on the QE2.
R — To some people, the idea of being on the radio, recording a song or running a four-minute mile are ultimate goals. I’ve got a simpler one. I want to be remembered fondly by the people who matter to me. That’s the R on my bucket list.
S — I was born in an S city in California, San Diego, and an S city a little farther north, San Francisco, might just be my favorite city in the entire world. I like Seattle, too, and there is at least one person living there I wish I had had the opportunity to know better. We made several trips to Seattle during my daughter’s first marriage. Her husband was from Seattle.
T — A fairly easy one, and it should get me to Africa in either 2022 or ’23. My daughter’s next posting , which begins this summer, is as chief consul in Tunisia. Maybe the most fascinating thing there is that the city of Tunis now stands on the city that once was Carthage. I’m looking forward to it.
U — A tough letter. I can’t think of any U places I haven’t been that I really want to go. I’ve been to the UK and there is no longer a USSR. I suppose I could bring the Aussies back into it and say I still want to see the land (Down) Under.
V — The most important V on my bucket list is my son Virgile, a truly exceptional young man. I know he would downplay this, but his first college roommate in the fall of 2003 paid him a wonderful compliment. He told me Virgile was the nicest person he had ever met. My son is in his mid 30s now, and I expect that if I live long enough, I will see him accomplish amazing things.
W — “(A) Whiter Shade of Pale” is my W entry. It was a great song is the late ’60s, and it is also the title of the best book-length manuscript I have ever written. If I get it published, it will be the pinnacle of my professional life.
XYZ — Probably not, although something may come to mind later.