Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
Edna Henner makes living a century seem like a walk in the park.
"I'd like to start all over again," the Carson City woman said Tuesday with a hearty laugh.
She's spent a lifetime living her bucket list, and the days surrounding her birthday are no exception.
For her 85th she took flight in a hot air balloon.
For her 90th she rode an elephant in Taiwan.
On her 95th she learned to tango.
And this past Saturday, Henner, a retired Southern California college professor of fashion and interior design, donned a helmet and leather jacket and went for a spin on the back of a friend's motorcycle around her Lakeview Estates neighborhood.
Today, Henner will hit the 100-year mark with a quiet celebration at the home she shares with her daughter, Marcy Swingholm, son-in-law James Swingholm and James' mother. On Oct. 24, a celebration will be held at the Comstock Mobile Home Park community center. The public is invited, said her daughter.
"Anyone who'd like to honor her by coming to the party is more than welcome," Marcy said.
Until recently, Henner was taking classes at Western Nevada College. A Spanish immersion course took her to Mexico. The WNC geology class prompted a trip to Hawaii to see a volcano. She is interested now in astronomy. She and James attended a digital photography class together.
She said she enjoys needlepoint but has always wanted to paint and may try to take up watercolors or pastels.
"Taking classes opens doors for you," she said. "The world is so exciting. There's something in every corner for you to learn."
Though she suffers from emphysema and congestive heart failure, Henner said she feels 22, even if her body won't cooperate.
When it's quiet, Henner said, she usually has her nose in a book.
And though her aspirations are grand, it's the little things in life that she's never experienced that give her the greatest joy, said Marcy.
Like the July camping trip to Lake Tahoe. For the first time, Henner ate a meal cooked outside and roasted a marshmallow. She sat under an awning and delighted in watching a hailstorm.
"She was just so excited she could hardly stand it," Marcy said.
Baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at age 98, Henner made her first journey to the Temple in Reno recently. Now she wants to see the San Diego Temple, said Marcy.
She also talks of going to Alaska.
Henner said besides coming from "hardy stock" - her father and mother both lived well into their 90s - she's thinks she's probably still around because there's still more for her to learn.
"I've become interested in many, many things," she said. "Pursue learning and know there's another step beyond that."