Man, it would have been swell to get to the 50 Year mark leading the Dashiell Hammett Tour, but I guess I started in just a little too late.
The gumshoes are willing but years weigh heavy. And I can’t see any scenario where they don’t just keep getting heavier. Hell, I was lucky I could bounce back for a few more years after triple bypass surgery in 2018.
In the 45 year period I was pounding the mean streets, the only year I did nothing at all was 2020, thanks to the COVID lockdowns. I’ll give myself that one — I remember circa 1982 when I did fifteen walks in one month, so maybe it all balances out.
But I also sat out 2023 and 2024 — perhaps COVID finally got me, or something else. Who knows?
Time to call it.
I suppose I could still do talks, and now have that many more hours to work on books. Got three done last year, released between Halloween and December 31st. I have three more lined up for the first half of 2025. And an as yet somewhat vague plan to get some of the history of The San Francisco Suicide Club into print or ePrint.
