Father of Six

#21. See a Verdi opera
I’ve seen one opera in my life, and it was Othello, by Giuseppe Verdi. Verdi is probably the most prolific opera composer. Season scheduling will be a factor in which opera I will see during these 1001 days, but the prospects of Macbeth, Rigoletto, La traviata, Aida, or Falstaff are exciting.

#22. See a Mozart opera
Mozart is generally considered to be the greatest composer of classical music. Prospects here include The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute

#23. See three Shakespeare Plays
I’ve seen live performances of A Midsummer Nights Tale and the Taming of the Shrew, two of Shakespeare’s comedies. I’d like to see a Tragedy (Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo or Juliet) and a History (Henry V or Richard III) and then a wildcard – anything else.

#24. Visit the WWI Museum in Kansas City
This just opened last winter. Check the link and spend some time cruising around. Looks like a first rate place.

#25. Visit 3 National Parks
I’ve been to these National Parks: Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, Capital Reef, Bryce, Zion, Valley Forge, Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, and Roosevelt’s Campobello International Park. Three more should be easy.

#26. Climb one Colorado 14er
There are 53 peaks in Colorado over 14,000 feet in elevation. People have clubs and forums about every facet of climbing them. I, like a lot of people, have been to the summit of two – Mt. Evans and Pikes Peak, but also like a lot of people, I reached those summits in a car. There are several “peak groups” whereby a person could summit two or more 14ers in a single climb. Amanda and I attempted to climb Gray’s and Torrey’s Peaks on July 21st, 2001. We were within 500 feet of the summit of Gray’s Peak, but Amanda didn’t feel comfortable in continuing. Always respect your climbing partner’s trepidation. A few weeks earlier, on July 12th, 2001, Tami and I had good intentions of climbing Mt. Holy Cross, but 5 Dirty Martini’s the night before at 11,000 feet of elevation is not the proper pre-summit eve meal.

#27. Drink 1-2 glasses of wine each day for good health
I’ve heard that this is good for you. I’m all for that.

#28. Take Tami on a “beach” vacation
The beach is Tami’s favorite environment.

#29. Take a cruise across the Atlantic Ocean
A transatlantic crossing is THE legendary, grand travel experience. This is most certainly going to happen.

#30. See the Bayeux Tapestry in the museum in Bayeux, Normandy, France
Along wih #31, porbably the least likely to occur. However, if there is anyway to couple the transatlantic crossing with a few extra days on the other end, I’d really love to see the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to, and including, the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

#31. See the Bayeux Tapestry copy at the Museum of Reading
See #30. On that same trip, it would be interesting to see the full-size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry, finished in 1886.

#32. Compare the two
I’ve heard or read that there are some subtle differences in the two works, and it would be interesting to see those and discuss the significance.