Travel is hard on your exercise regimen, and I ve been on the road a lot lately. The basic answer is the hotel gym.Fine.

But today I was richly rewarded for being a bit creative. I made some phone calls and found out that one of the country’s great rowing centers – the George Pocock Center on Lake Union – lends single sculls to members of a national association I belong to. So down I go this afternoon…get in a fancy, racing scull and go out into the hurly burly of Lake Union…have a beautiful row, almost through downtown Seattle. Teeny bit scared, plenty proud, great workout. Yippee skippee.