In recent years, it has become fashiobable for people to create their “bucket list”, a set of things they want to do before they kick the bucket. Personally, I am not a fan of bucket lists for two reasons.

First, I am not one to tempt fate. To me, having a pre-death checklist seems very moribund. Since I live by creating, and completing check lists, the last thing I would want to do is check the last thing of my list and just sit around waiting to die.

Second, aren’t all such lists things you want to do before you die? I mean, is there another choice? Can I have a list of things I want to do after I die. Apart from avoiding extremely warm places, or having my ashes scattered (which technically would be on someone else’s list), there isn’t much I will be doing. At least not that I’ll be aware of. If someone wants to do a “weekend at Bobby-C’s”, I certainly won’t be in a position to stop them, but I am still not really a participant.

So, instead I have a list of things I want to do. It changes from time to time as things are checked off, or added, or deleted from the list. So here I will tell you some things that I want to do. Some of them are very much within my control, while others are more dictated by circumstances and timing. Here they are in no particular order:

Visit all 48 contiguous United States. I would love to visit all the lower 48. I am sure I will probably also visit Hawaii some day, but not because it is on my list. I will go because my wife really wants to. I will enjoy it for sure, but if left to my own devices, I wouldn’t go. And, since I REALLY dislike cold weather, I am not in any particular hurry to get to Alaska. I am sure it is very beautiful, and I am sure that many people go there (with coats on in the summer time), and tell amazing tales. But, not for me.

Live in a World Series winning city. I am in my 50s, and this has never happened. I moved to the Detroit area the year after their last win in the Fall Classic. Since then, they have come close, but no proverbial cigar.

See the Cleveland Indians win the World Series. My favorite team from my childhood, I would love to see them breakthrough and finally win one.

Drive across Route 66. It has lost some of its luster, but there is still plenty of classic Americana to be seen on this gem.

Visit every lighthouse in Michigan. I am well on my way, but still many to go. Depending on who is doing the counting, there are about 125 lighthouses in Michigan. To date, I have visited 81 of them. Most of those remaining require boat trips or fly overs, so they will be a challenge.

Watch a baseball game at the classic ball parks. Yankee Stadium is gone, but Wrigley and Fenway are still there. I have been to a game at Wrigley, and want to do it again sometime.

Write a book. On what subject I have no idea, but I would love to write and publish a book. I just think that a published work is a legacy. It’s something that will be around long after I am gone.

Be spontaneously asked for an autograph. Put this in my “off the wall” category. I would like sometime for someone (who has no knowledge of this list item), to ask me for my autograph

Weigh less than 200#

As a NASCAR fan, I have several tracks I want to visit to watch a race or two: Daytona International Speedway, Talledega, Martinsville, Bristol (at night), Eldora, Bowman Gray Stadium

Take a month-long camping / touring trip Might be fun to combine this one with my Route 66 item. I want to take an extended time to just visit some great parks and campgrounds. In future posts I will be talking about the love my wife and I have for camping. Having the time and ability to do it for an extended trip would be a lot of fun.

Visit and photograph a total of 500 lighthouses. Considering that, according to the website Lighthouse Directory there are over 13,000 lighthouses world wide, this is actually a modest goal. There are about 700 in the United States. Either way, there is plenty of exploring and hunting to be done.

Be in a live studio audience I think it would be fun to be in a live studio audience for the taping of a sitcom, or one of the late night shows.

These are just some of the things I really want to do. As I complete them, or add to the list, I will keep you updated.