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Retirement Year Seven, Still Going

Retirement Year Seven

Year seven of retirement in 2023 went by so quickly! We saw some beautiful new areas of the country on an epic trip to the Pacific Northwest. However, the year was not without its challenges, particularly related to health. But, we and our family are doing well overall.

Retirement Year Seven Travel

Anyone who has read my blog knows that travel, mostly in our camper, is an enormous focus of our time in retirement. The goal is to do everything we can while still able. Fortunately, it was a very active year in this area.

Our Winter Getaway

Our winter getaway was a little more than six weeks in several Florida campgrounds.

Topsail Preserve State Park

Firstly, we had two weeks at Topsail, a favorite campground, near Destin, Florida. It has a private beach and great places to ride our e-bikes. We bought a cart Sophie and provided lots of treats, but she was not a happy biker. So, she stayed at the camper for most of our rides. We rode bikes almost every day!

Retirement Year Seven biking — We tried to get Sophie involved

The park is close to Destin with all its restaurants and shopping and is one of our favorite areas in Florida.

Topsail State Park — Our home for two weeks

The beautiful beach at Topsail never gets old, particularly during sunset.

Presnell’s at Port St. Joe

Secondly, it was a week at Presnell’s and we loved our site that was right on the water. It is more expensive than State Parks, but, it has more amenities like a heated pool and clubhouse.

Every morning, there were egrets in the water right behind us and there were stunning sunsets each evening. The area has several nice restaurants, so not much cooking by me.

Retirement year seven at Port St. Joe — Egrets behind our campsite

Eastbank COE

Next, we spent a week at Eastbank, Corps of Engineers. Our site was right on the water there as well and the views were spectacular. There is a nearby restaurant, The American, that we really loved. We visited it twice.

We took a day to drive into nearby Tallahassee to visit the State Capital and it did not disappoint. There is a historic building and right across from it is the currently used, ultra-modern building. It was quite the contrast! We toured both. There were films, exhibits, and artifacts, but no tour by a person. A nice lunch downtown at Harry’s completed our excursion.

Manatee Springs State Park

We just had three nights at Manatee Springs, but we loved being able to get in the water and paddle in a couple of rental kayaks. Two manatees were just hanging out where we put into the water.

We took a wrong turn on a bike trail and were a bit lost as the sun was going down. I was worried we might end up all night in the woods. Happily, we found our way out before it was too dark. It’s not good when neither of you have a sense of direction.

Hillsborough River State Park

The stop near Tampa at Hillsborough was primarily to visit our son and daughter-in-law. They took us out on a boat and it was glorious with the sun on our faces and breathing the sea air. Our dogs loved it too!

Problems with our Truck

It was a wonderful trip with mostly great weather. However, it ended on a sour note when our practically new Ram 2500’s transmission failed. The truck was under warranty, but we had to find a truck to tow our camper home. Then, we had to drive back to Ocala to pick up our truck after the new transmission was installed. It was all very stressful.

Camping with Friends

We have camped with a group related to our former camper for many years and were able to take a three trips with them this year. However, also we had three trips on the books that we had to cancel. One was because of bad weather, one because of our truck problem, and one because we contracted Covid.

Falls Creek Falls in Tennessee was a lively trip for us in early May. It is always a good time seeing the folks in this group, many of whom we have camped with several times a year during most of our retirement. They are an active group who hike, bike, and kayak every opportunity they can. (We do our best.) Later in May, we met the group at Monte Sano State Park in Alabama.

Retirement Year Seven with Friends — Fun times at Calfkiller Brewery

Lastly, in September, we camped with the group at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia. I did a hike that was very challenging for me that I was proud to complete with my lung issues. I believe that it was close to four miles with a fair amount uphill. The views were certainly worth the effort.

The Pacific Northwest

The highlight of our retirement year seven was the trip to the Pacific Northwest. In fact, it was our most epic trip ever. We were gone for almost all of June and July and towed the trailer approximately 7,000 miles. This trip included four new states for us: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado. It included six National Parks/Monuments, two State Capitols, and the Eisenhower Presidential Library. Upon retrospect, I believe this was our best trip ever.

Glacier National Park

Montana was not a new state for us, but we didn’t include Glacier on our previous visit because it was so far north. We made it a point to visit Glacier on this trip and it was so worth it. The Going-to-the Sun road into the park is only open for a limited time in the summer months because of the climate and opening day depends on current conditions. Coincidentally, it only opened two days before we were there on June 15th. We weren’t aware that it could be an issue when I planned the trip.

Idaho

I did not expect to love Idaho as much as I did. It actually blew me away. We had three very different stops and all were outstanding. In the north, we visited Farragut State Park, one of my favorite parks in all our travels. We also stayed downtown in Boise and loved our time there. If it wasn’t so far from family, I would love to live in Boise. We visited the State Capitol and the Territorial Prison. Lastly, while visiting out-of-the way Arco, we saw Craters of the Moon National Monument. It was very otherworldly. See my post, Idaho Camping, Summer 2023 for more details about this incredible state.

Washington

Our time in Washington included five different stops, a day trip to Seattle, Puget Sound, Mount Rainier National Park, and Olympic National Park. I was expecting it to be wonderful and it was. We did some dry camping at a couple of stops and all went well. Washington Camping, Summer Trip 2023 has more details.

Retirement year seven in Seattle — Post Alley in Seattle

Oregon

Oregon was another surprise for me. It was another favorite state. The most beautiful and memorable view on this trip of beautiful views was in Crater Lake National Park. At almost 2,000 feet, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. It was so beautiful that it felt like a religious experience to me. We also really enjoyed the little town of Prospect, which is near the park.

Retirement year seven at Crater Lake — Crater Lake National Park

Another breathtaking area of Oregon is the Columbia River Gorge and the many falls along the historic highway. More information about our time in this beautiful state is at Oregon Camping, Summer 2023.

Colorado

Colorado was a world of its own with its unique beauty. We had three stops in the state with Rocky Mountain National Park as our ultimate destination. High elevation dominates most of the state. I did okay around five thousand feet, but in Gypsum, which had an elevation of 6,400, it was beginning to be difficult for me.

We traveled on to Estes Park Campground near Rocky Mountain National Park, but the elevation was over 7,500 and my blood oxygen levels were dropping too low. So, our three night stay became only one night. The National Park has elevations as high as 14,000 and I knew that would not work for me. So our only activity there was The Stanley Hotel., which was the inspiration for the movie, The Shining. For more on our time in Colorado, see Our 49th State, Colorado.

Our Dance Group

When in town, we still tried to meet with our dance group friends and dance a little. But, I am sad to say that with the infrequency of our dancing and declining health that our dance skills are poor. But, we still enjoyed the time with friends in this seventh year of retirement.

Retirement year seven leadout — Our leadout was “Come Back to the Prom”

We dressed up for the Halloween Dance too

Sophie

Our sweet Sophie was a big part of daily life in our seventh year of retirement. She turned three at the end of the year and is such a good girl! Sophie went through e-collar training in 2023 and her behavior was taken to a much higher level. We love our baby!

Our pup made retirement year seven special — Sophie is a great traveler

Other Interests

I developed two other interests during retirement year seven. The first was Ancestry and I can literally spend hours working on it and the time flies. I have learned so much about my ancestors, some were quite impressive and some shocking.

My second new interest is the game of bridge. It started near the end of the year. I have joined the Birmingham Duplicate Bridge Club and really enjoy it!

A Wedding in Louisville

Our year ended with a beautiful wedding of a cousin in Louisville, Kentucky. Our hotel was downtown in a cool area and the wedding was on New Year’s Eve. So, we were able to ring in the new year with many cousins we adore. Win/ Win!

The wedding was wonderful and the venue was perfect for the night. We generally don’t go out on New Year’s Eve and often don’t even manage to stay awake. Most importantly, we were awake for it all. Retirement year seven ended on a high note.

New Year’s Eve in retirement year seven — Wedding at the Mellwood Arts Center

Retirement Year Seven, In Conclusion

As I look back on these memories, it is clear that in retirement year seven we were very blessed. We have had some health challenges and are clearly slowing down, but we are still going. I’m so thankful for the year we have had and for the people in our lives!

Wishing everyone a wonderful ‘24!

New Interests, Retirement Year Six

New Interests

New interests has been the theme of this sixth year of our retirement and at this stage in our life, it is exciting to be doing something new. When I first retired, how to fill the time was a concern. Fortunately, camping and our sweet girl, Sophie, kept us mostly busy and engaged. However, it is nice to have a couple of new interests.

Biking

Biking is one of our new interests and I have to give my husband credit for making it a thing for us. It’s an obsession for him and I was more of a reluctant participant. He has been wanting an ebike for a year or so, but I was always cool on the idea. But, we finally pulled the trigger and bought a couple of Rad Rover 6 bikes.

It was a big deal to figure out how to transport these heavy bikes when camping, but we discovered that they transport quite well on the front of our truck. See Hauling Bikes Camping With Lance 2075 for details on how we carry them. Once we had an easy way to haul them, we have taken them everywhere.

New interests, one is in biking — Riding the Santos Trail in Ocala

Kayaking

I wasn’t sure that kayaking was something I could do because of a bad shoulder. So, we never gave it a try until a camping trip with a favorite group at Silver Springs State Park. They made it look like so much fun that we had to try it. I loved it and my husband was the one who was not so enthusiastic. He seems to be coming around though and I think a purchase of a couple of kayaks is in our future.

Family

The most important time that we spent this year was with our family. I am happy to say that our children are doing well and we have a close relationship with them.

Our son and daughter-in-law live in another state, but we were able to visit them a couple of times in 2022. They are doing well and have just bought a beautiful condo. We enjoyed their company for several days.

Our oldest daughter lives near us and we are able to see her and her husband more often. She hosted us for Christmas this year and really made it special. She is so sweet and always works hard to make birthdays and holidays nice for us. We really enjoyed seeing them and the grandkids.

Our youngest daughter and her husband live nearby as well, so we are able to see them frequently. They took great care of our pup when we were in Alaska for a couple of weeks. We always have fun with them.

Long Winter Trip

We were fortunate to be able to spend several weeks in Florida during the winter and it was an amazing trip. Topsail State Park, near Destin, was our home for two weeks. The weather was nice and the sea air was good for my underlying lung condition. Our pup loved it too!

Port Saint Joe was our second stop and it was a wonderful week . Our friends from Michigan were also there, so that made it a lot of fun.

Our last stop, was Gamble Rogers State Park. It was a wonderful week that included meeting our friends and having a few days on a beautiful site with an ocean view. We were there for Valentines Day and our friends hosted us for a delicious steak dinner. A day trip to St Augustine and another to Ravine Gardens State Park kept us entertained.

Not a new interest, camping — Gamble Rogers State Park

New States

Our summer included a trip to New England. That trip added six new states to our effort to camp in all fifty. We camped in Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. While in Maine, we had lobster on multiple occasions. It was fabulous! If interested in reading about this trip see New England Camping.

A favorite in Newport, Rhode Island was Cliff Walk. It is a gorgeous trail by the sea with enormous old-money mansions on the other side. So beautiful!

Vermont was a standout because of the many quaint covered bridges. Really, each of the states we visited was special in its own way. I hope we get to come back to the area again.

Alaska

Our trip to Alaska included a rental camper and a train trip to Denali National Park. The weather was great, but a little cool on some of the days. We were camping right on the water at Resurrection Bay in the photo below.

Homer Alaska was another beautiful spot and the shot below was taken from the beach below our campground. It felt other worldly with very large rocks on the shore.

Our rental camper was from Great Alaskan Holidays. They were a pleasure to deal with and the camper was a current year model that was in great shape. We highly recommend this company.

One of our new interests is Alaskan Travel — Rental camper for our 10 days in the Kenai Peninsula

A highlight of our trip was seeing the Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. The glacier was calving while we were there, meaning big chunks were falling off. If interested in more details about our Alaskan adventure, see Alaska Camping in a Rental RV.

Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park one of our new interests — Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park

Other Camping

We made it to three camping events with Southeastern T@Bs, T@Gs and Friends. It is a great group and we have known many of its members for several years. They are a lot of fun and they allow us to hang around even though we are in a bigger camper now.

Lastly, there was one short solo trip to Tupelo, Mississippi and Tombigbee State Park. It was a nice campground and Tupelo is a nice city. Elvis tributes are everywhere.

Downtown Tupelo, one of many guitars — One of many guitars in Tupelo

Dance and the Vikings

Dancing is not one of our new interests. In fact, we have been dancing for more than ten years. When in town, we still dance with our Viking Dance Club. There were two Viking-sponsored lead outs this year and we were happy to be able to attend both.

Dancing is not one of the new interests — Tuxedo Junction Lead Out

In Conclusion

It was an incredible year for us and we were so blessed to be able to have lived it. At this stage of our life, we are trying to live life to its fullest. Our new interests give us something to look forward to that will be a bit of a challenge. However, we will have to stay as healthy as possible to be able to enjoy them.

Be happy and healthy!

Changes, Retirement Year Five

Many Changes

Year five of retirement was kind to us. Looking back through 2021 photos emphasized that thought for me. It was a year of changes and some challenges, but those changes enhanced our year and our lives. The Covid pandemic that began in 2020 kept us isolated early in the year, with the exception of camping. However, the Moderna vaccine enabled us to be around people more, starting in May.

A Puppy, Our Biggest Change

Our sweet Sophie came into our lives right at the end of 2020 and became our obsession for 2021. We have not had a dog in decades and never one so fully integrated into our lives. However, it was quickly clear that we did not correctly anticipate the amount of work a puppy would bring.

We had many challenging moments. Potty training was certainly not easy. Puppy biting was not fun. But she is now well over a year old and is the sweetest thing.

One of our changes, a puppy — Our puppy, Sophie

Sophie is very smart and has gone through a couple of training courses, Basic Obedience and Impulse Control. She did a great job at Love Them, Train Them. Our greatest challenge today is that she is still excitable when people come into our home and there is way too much trying to jump on them.

One thing that made our life much easier as puppy parents was having a portion of our yard fenced. It gives her a place to run around when she gets the zoomies and we don’t have to watch her every moment she is outside.

Sophie is a great little traveler. She loves riding in the car and we discovered she especially likes being on a boat. We rented a pontoon boat in Carabelle on one of our trips and she was so happy. We will seek out more boating opportunities in the future.

More Changes, A Much Bigger Camper

Last year, we were content with out T@B 400 trailer. It had all the basic comforts in a size that could fit into any campground. We camped in it for three years, but having a dog in that tiny camper was a different story.

After a six-week trip covering over 6 thousand miles, we were happy to welcome our new and much larger Lance 2075 trailer. It is a good size for our now larger family and we feel it is a real beauty. It’s definitely not as cute as the 400, but is so comfortable in our new puppy world.

Changes in our camper — New Lance 2075 Trailer

Last Major Change, a New Truck

So we got a puppy and then felt we had to get a bigger camper. Once we had the bigger camper, we felt we needed a stronger tow vehicle. Though vehicles were scarce, we located a Ram 2500 diesel. It does a much better job of pulling our Lance than our SUV. An added bonus, we traded my husband’s 2016 Camaro convertible that was mostly sitting in the garage for an excellent amount. Win/win!

Changes with a new tow vehicle — Ram 2500, Our last big chance in 2021

Travel in 2021

We were fortunate to be able to take some wonderful trips in this year five of retirement, including two long ones. Our longest trip was out west to The Great Plains, Our Summer Trip in 2021. We were in our T@B 400 and it was tight with the pup, but we managed. We camped in six new states and visited four national parks and many national monuments. It was an extraordinary trip!

Our Lance arrived in August and in time for our other big trip, Lance Shake Down Trip was a Long One. This time we were headed northeast and we were on the road for three and a half weeks. The Lance made it much more comfortable. That trip included three new states, Niagara Falls, and the Roosevelt Museum and Library. That trip made nine new states for us in 2021.

We also took four smaller trips to meet friends in our T@B camping group and two shorter trips to Florida. Needless to say, we love to travel!

Family

I am happy to say that one constant in this fifth year of retirement was family. Though Covid was still an issue, vaccinations enabled us to spend more time with them. We are very grateful that our immediate family remained healthy and prosperous in this year.

Though they live in another state, we are happy we were able to visit our son and daughter-in-law a couple of times. They are well and recently purchased a new home.

Lori and Mitch live fairly close to us and we were able to freely see them once vaccinations were available. They had a good year overall, but Lori got the flu and we were unable to see them for Christmas. The photo below was taken on Memorial Day.

Angie and Steven live relatively close to us and we are happy we are able to spend time with them. The photo below was taken at a celebration of Steven’s birthday.

The photo below is our granddaughter, Kayla, and her family. It was also taken at our house on Memorial Day. Who knew that Memorial Day would be our big get together with photos? They are all doing well and also moved into a new home this year. I am happy that it is just a few miles from us.

I don’t have photos of several of our grandchildren from 2021. We did get to see them, but sadly, we did not take any photos.

Dancing

Dancing was a major part of our retirement life prior to the pandemic. But we danced only a couple of times this past year and none last year. It was so good to dress up and finally get out and see our dance friends.

In Conclusion

I am grateful for so many positive changes in our lives this last year! We are really enjoying the new trailer and tow vehicle. Our sweet puppy was a wonderful, though sometimes challenging change. She is such a joy!

Our family remained healthy overall, which is vitally important in a year where COVID harmed so many. For that, we are very grateful.

Though we are certainly getting older, we remained relatively healthy and able to travel. Every day with my sweet husband is a blessing! We were able to see some incredible parts of our country and meet lots of interesting people. Also, we were blessed to be able to connect with friends.

Lookin forward to 2022 and year six!

Year Four of Retirement During the 2020 Pandemic

Year Four of Retirement

Winter Travel

Our year four of retirement began better than most of my adult life. In January and February we took two distinctly different trips, both of which were wonderful.

Phoenix

We were fortunate in January to spend several days in Phoenix, Phoenix, A Winter Getaway in the Desert. It was a outstanding winter trip! The weather was dry and warm and we were well entertained by local sights including the Arizona Capital Museum, Desert Botanical Garden, Japanese Friendship Garden, and Phoenix Art Museum. Our hotel, The Hilton, was in the heart of downtown and near some incredible restaurants. Our meals on this trip were outstanding, better than most of our travels.

However, we did not exclusively stay in the city. One day, we took the Metro to Scottsdale and on another an Uber to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home. I highly recommended both.

Year Four of Retirement Scottsdale — Downtown Scottsdale

Camping in Florida

For almost a year, we’ve had a winter trip planned along Florida’s coastline, with most stops at state parks. We met friends at several of the campgrounds, which greatly enhanced our trip. Highlights of our trip were Topsail State Park, the Florida Keys, and Everglades National Park. This was truly a dream trip!

Enjoying the beach at Topsail State Park

COVID-19

Just after our winter travel, it became known that COVID-19 was a serious thing. Undoubtedly, 2020 will go down in infamy for its devastating impacts. It was horrific for many families with loss of life and livelihood. Some survived, but with lasting impacts to health. We actively strived to avoid exposure to the virus and it appears we have succeeded. The promise of a vaccine in a few months does much to brighten our hopes for next year.

Quarantine Activities

We spent much more time at home this year than our other retirement years. So, there was the search for things to keep me entertained and engaged. My husband is more comfortable than I just puttering around.

Sewing

I entertained myself by dusting off my limited 40 year-old sewing skills on a used machine I bought from a friend. I made many masks and altered a few of my clothes. It is good to have a working sewing machine again.

Year four of retirement, masks are the norm — Masks are the new normal

Painting

Paint by Number kits helped me while away many hours and I found the painting to be quite relaxing. After completing one kit, I ordered a custom one using a personal photo. I think we are recognizable in the painting below.

My husband actually painted a kit too, but he was far more freestyle than I. I believe he has more actual talent.

Exercise

Lastly, as a person who had a regular routine at our local gym, I needed a way to continue my exercise. We had purchased a stationary bike before the pandemic and it helped immensely. However, a major part of my exercise regimen was Body Pump classes with weights. Just using hand weights was not doing it for me. I learned that Les Mills classes, including Body Pump, was available by subscription. So, I ordered weights and a bench and could do those classes I loved at home. I do miss seeing my friends at the gym though.

Pandemic Camping

When the pandemic lessened during the summer, we took several camping trips. The breaks really made it easier getting through the isolation. We felt that camping was relatively safe because we were social distancing.

The Midwest

We took an amazing five-week trip to the Midwest in the summer, Midwest Camping in a Pandemic. It was different camping for us however. We like to eat out a lot while camping. This trip we had a few outdoor meals that were great, but so many were in our car or camper. Museums and libraries that we would normally visit were closed, but we did get to visit the Lincoln Library. Masks and a reservation were required to limit the number of people. We also visited parks and gardens, which greatly enhanced our trip.

Our amazing lunch at Jack Stack in Kansas City

Camping With Friends

We met some friends at Myrtle Beach, Pandemic Camping with Friends .
It was a wonderful time, but the weather could have been better. A couple of days were sunny, but there was a lot of wind and rain.

We also met our SE T@B group for a couple of short trips, one at Vogel State Park and the other at Fort Mountain. While we made these two trips, we cancelled three others because the weather was colder and virus cases increased dramatically.

Family During Year Four of Retirement

Sadly, our time with family suffered during the pandemic. We were fortunate to spend several weeks with our son and his wife who stayed with us, but didn’t see the rest of the family very much. The photo below is our granddaughters and one of their friends who visited us once. Our visits with family members were mostly outdoors or limited time inside with masks. There were no birthday parties nor holidays gatherings. A very strange year indeed!

We ventured out to a local restaurant for my husband’s birthday. It was a bit hot, but felt luxurious.

Health

My lung issues escalated this year. This meant many rounds of antibiotics and steroids, plus a cough has not gone away. At one point, my doctor was recommending a hospital visit. I managed to stay home though. Using a nebulizer daily has become a part of my routine. I am happy that it has not prevented me from doing most things I enjoy and am grateful for that.

Retirement Year Four means using a nebulizer — Using a nebulizer daily

I am delighted to say that my husband’s health has been good! The knee replacement is all healed and he is doing better than when we first retired.

Year Four Retirement and a New Family Member

We have considered getting a puppy for awhile, but were concerned it would limit our travel. It is still a concern, but we took the plunge. We picked up Sophie a week before Christmas. She is such a sweet pup, but despite our research, far more work than we realized. We are committed though to getting through the puppy stage.

Year four of retirement, a new puppy — Sophie, Our New Goldendoodle

In Conclusion

We were truly blessed this year, especially knowing that so many have died or suffered greatly with the virus. The economic toll that has been experienced by a large portion of our population is also heartbreaking. I hope that we can come together in 2021— physically and emotionally. Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!

Year Three of Retirement, Still Loving It

Year Three of Retirement

Year three of retirement looked a lot like one and two. The time went by so quickly! It is a bit scary how easy it has been to adapt to a very relaxed lifestyle. I still love that we can basically sleep as much as we like. However, we do like getting up early to maximize sunshine. I can’t seem to get enough of that.

My husband and I are together 24/7 and most of the time it is fine, but sometimes we get on each other’s nerves. But, he is still my best friend and I can’t imagine doing this retirement thing with anyone besides him.

Family

It is good to be able to spend as much time as possible with family. Our grandchildren are in their teens and beyond now. We had another grandson graduate high school this year. Even our great grandchildren are no longer babies. The passage of time is so easily seen through our grandchildren and especially our great grandchildren.

Our son got married, so we have a new daughter. But, they moved out of the country this year. They are happy and we are happy for them, but hope we will continue to see them often. This year, they visited several times and we were very grateful.

Travel

Our favorite retirement pastime is traveling. This year we traveled by plane, train, coach, and camper. All were a blast! We know that our ability to travel can end abruptly at any time, so we cherish this time of mobility and exploration.

Camping in the 400

Most of our traveling time was in our T@B 400, which we had for the entire year. We took one fabulous 3,000-mile trip, Long Summer Trip 2019, with Friends Old and New , that included a üCamp Rally, five new states to add to our map, an island with wild horses, Shenandoah National Park, and the gorgeous Outer Banks.

Year Three of Retirement Big Camping Trip — Our Big Camping Trip

We attended our second üCamp and it was so much fun despite quite a bit of rain and muddy conditions. This rally left us even more impressed with nüCamp as an RV brand.

Winklepleck Grove Campground — Winklepleck Grove, the site of üCamp 19

The T@B 400 really increased our comfort while camping. It performed beautifully for our five week long trip and some smaller ones. We sold our T@G early in the year and it was sad to see it go, but we love the 400. No regrets whatsoever!

Third year of retirement camping — Comfortable in our 400

A highlight of our trip was seeing wild horses in our campsite at Assateague Island. It was so exciting to see them.

Wild horses at Assateague Island — Wild horses in our campsite

The Outer Banks were even more beautiful than anticipated. We were in a small campground in Rodanthe and were blessed to experience the most beautiful sunsets over the sound.

Many of our camping trips were with groups. We camped a couple of times with our friends from dancing and a couple of our camping trips were with the Southeastern T@Bs, T@Gs and Friends. We also attended the Tiny Christmas Campout for the third time.

Winter Getaway to Miami

Miami was our winter getaway for this third year of retirement and it was more fun than we could have imagined. We stayed at the Dream Hotel in Miami Beach, which was in a fabulous location. It was a couple of blocks from legendary Ocean Drive and the Beach. The weather was clear, warm, and sunny during our entire stay.

Tear three of retirement in Miami Beach — Beautiful Miami Beach

We tried to take in all the local sights of interest to us including Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Wynwood Walls, the Holocaust Memorial, Little Havana, and the Wolfsonian Museum. We also took a bus tour of the city and one to the Everglades for an airboat ride.

Lastly, Miami gave me one of my favorite short haircuts ever. I spent the rest of the year trying in vain to find someone local to replicate it.

The United Kingdom

This was our first trip to Europe since retirement and it did not disappoint. We booked a Collette tour through Alabama Public Television. Collette Tours has become our favorite guided tour company. This tour had two spectacular inclusions that are not always available, Highclere Castle (the Downton Abbey site) and the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland. Both were wonderful beyond words.

Military Tatoo — Military Tattoo in Edinburgh Scotland

I have wanted to visit the UK for many years and this was truly a dream vacation.

A Train Ride to NOLA

We traveled by train to New Orleans in May with our Viking Dance Group. It was our first time to travel by train in the United States. We loved being able to hang out with our Viking friends while visiting this historic city. It was quite lively because our hotel, the Saint Marie, is in the French Quarter.

Year Three of Retirement in Jackson Square — Jackson Square

Dancing

I am sad to say that our ballroom dancing has fallen by the wayside a bit. It declined over the years as my husband’s knee issues progressed and we have forgotten much of what we knew. I hope to revive it some in 2020.

Fortunately, we did attend some dances, including our Viking group’s Leadout. The theme this year was “Around the World in 40 Songs.” Everyone dressed to represent a country and ours was Scotland. My husband’s legs were the focus of much attention. He is a bold man!

Third year of retirement Viking 2019 Leadout — Viking 2019 Leadout

Year Three of Retirement Health Issues

This year was our healthiest one to date because I fought respiratory issues for three months the first year and my husband’s had knee issues and then pulmonary embolisms which made it quite challenging. In year two I was good, but knee replacement occurred for my husband and it was not easy.

While this year provided more mobility for my husband, I learned that bronchiectasis is the reason for my decades old respiratory issues. I started getting sick in late October and ended the year still trying to get over the repeated infections. However, I have high hope for a Kirklin Clinic specialist I am seeing in January.

Conclusion

This third year of retirement, 2019, was truly wonderful. It was not perfect or without its challenges, but it was wonderful to be able to live this year as we did and especially to be together. Time is passing though and nothing is guaranteed for tomorrow. As a plaque of mine says, “Dream as if you’ll live forever, Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”

Three Years of Retirement — Anniversary Dinner

Miami Beach, a Relaxing Winter Retreat

Miami Beach in Winter

Why did we go to Miami Beach? It is difficult for us to stay at home all winter since we have retired. While working, we were busy and had limited vacation time, but retirement has changed all that. In the winter, it is easy for me to become bored and lazy. We took a trip to Los Angeles last year, Escape from the Cold to Los Angeles .

A warm climate in a place not previously visited was the goal and Miami Beach fit the bill for us. It is also one of the big cities we have not visited and it has great weather in the winter. We left Alabama, which had daytime temperatures in the 40s, for Miami’s mostly sunny days in the low 80s. Such a pleasure!

Miami Dream Hotel

The Dream is located in Miami Beach, just a couple of blocks from the famous Versace mansion. It is on Collins Avenue, one block over from Ocean Drive and a couple of blocks from the beach. The hotel has excellent reviews, a perfect location, and a very reasonable price for the area. However, the rooms are quite small. The Dream is actually a combination of two Art Deco buildings and still has the sign for the Tudor Hotel. The hotel was built in the 1930s and has the original exterior, but is ultra modern inside. So, if we return to Miami Beach, the Dream will be our first choice for a hotel!

The hotel has a fantastic restaurant, The Naked Taco, and we had several excellent meals there. The restaurant also provides light food and drinks to the hotel’s rooftop pool area, which we also enjoyed.

Miami Dream Rooftop Pool — Miam Dream Rooftop Pool

Getting Around in Miami and Miami Beach

We flew into Miami and did not rent a car because parking is very expensive. But, we really did not need one because it is so easy to get around. Miami Beach has a free trolley system that is easy to maneuver and we used it frequently. There is also a separate trolley system for the city of Miami. However, I never discovered a way to get from Miami Beach to Miami using the trolley.

We took an Uber to and from the airport as we had a good bit of luggage. It was only $22. There is also a bus that goes from the airport to Miami Beach.

Because we wanted to orient ourselves to the city, we took a hop on and off bus tour. It was only $49 each for two days, which gave us information about the area and provided transportation between Miami and Miami Beach.

We also took an Everglades tour with Miami Tour Company . They picked us up at our hotel and provided transportation to the Everglades. It was much easier than renting a car.

We also walked quite a bit during our stay and I am very happy to say that my husband’s new knee did quite well. This was our first exposure to significant walking since his surgery six months earlier. We got about 14,000 steps on our first day, which involved lots of airport walking.

Miami Attractions

There was so much to see and do in Miami! Our six days there enabled us to pretty much do everything we wanted.

Wynwood Area

Wynwood Walls is accessible via a city bus tour. The Wynwood warehouse district elevates the work of graffiti artists. Wynwood Walls brings the work of the world’s greatest graffiti artists to a concentrated area. It is difficult to believe that this art is created with only spray paint. It is a walkable outdoor museum. Art lover that I am, this might just be my favorite Miami attraction.

The mural below was created by drilling into concrete. It is impressive from afar and even more up close.

Concrete Art in Wynwood Walls — Concrete art in Wynwood Walls

All around the Wynwood area, there is art on the buildings. The photo below was snapped while on the tour bus and is not a high-quality pic, but I had to include it in this post because it is so amazing. The woman’s eyes appear to follow you. Mesmerizing and beautiful!

Wynwood Art — The eyes follow you in this painting

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Vizcaya was on my list and easily accessible as another stop on the tour bus. It was the summer home of James Deering. The exterior of the Italian Renaissance villa has appeared in several films. The home, located on Biscayne Bay, was completed in 1922 for a cost of $15 million.

The grandeur of this mansion is not something easily found in the United States as the photo below of one of the interior rooms indicates.

This home made me think of Downton Abbey and was of a similar time. The home is grand and during its heyday, it sported a staff of thirty. The kitchen below looks similar to Downton Abbey’s as well.

Miami Beach and Ocean Drive

The beach was beautiful and the water was a gorgeous turquoise color. Our hotel provided chairs and towels, so we were quite comfortable enjoying the warmth and sunshine.

The beach at South Beach — The Beach at South Beach

I tested the water and it was much too cold for me to get in, but quite a few people did not seem to mind.

South Miami Beach is known for its Art Deco Architecture. The buildings along Ocean Avenue and Collins, where we were staying, cannot be changed from the outside. Consequently, it has one of the largest known concentrations of 1920-1930s resort-style architecture.

Ocean Drive is also famous for Casa Casuarina, aka the Versace Mansion. The house was built in 1930 and fashion designer, Gianni Versace, purchased it in 1992. He lived there until he was shot in front of it in 1997 by a serial killer. The mansion is now a very expensive hotel. We contemplated having lunch there to see the inside, but we did not find the time.

The Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach

The Holocaust Memorial was a sobering place to visit, but it is important to remember this tragic time and the lives lost. The memorial is dedicated to the six million Jewish lives lost to the Holocaust. We learned that Miami Beach has one of the largest populations of holocaust survivors in the world. Going through the memorial brought tears to both of us.

Little Havana

Little Havana is the definitive Cuban neighborhood in Miami. It is popular for shopping, restaurants, and bars.

Little Havana is the place for authentic Cuban cuisine. We made a special effort to visit Versailles Restaurant while there. The restaurant claims to be “ the world’s most famous Cuban restaurant.” Even at mid-afternoon, we had to wait to be seated. Below is one of the specials, but I can’t identify everything. I liked most of it and the price was very reasonable. My big guy had a hamburger.

In a shop in Little Havana, we were pleasantly surprised to see, Fidel, a friend from a tour we took to Italy eight years ago. He owns Havana Collection, a group of clothing shops in Little Havana. Fidel recognized my husband as soon as he walked in. He sold my husband some shirts at highly discounted prices. It was so nice to see him again.

The Everglades

While so close, we took a Miami City bus tour to the Everglades. We learned that the Everglades is a slow-moving, shallow river that moves at a rate of about a mile a day. The airboat ride through it was exhilarating.

While on the airboat, we saw several alligators.

Alligator in the Everglades — Alligator in the wild

Wolfsonian Museum, Miami Beach

The Wolfsonion is an affiliate of Florida International University and houses an extensive collection of Art Deco artifacts. It was a good place to spend a few hours.

Wolfsonion at Miami Beach — Wolfsonion Art Deco Museum

A Short Haircut

The humility and open air rides made my hair impossible to deal with during our stay. I have been wanting to go short and finally mustered the courage while there. Summer is coming and this cut should be easy to manage. What do you think of the cut in the photo below ?

Conclusion

We loved Miami and Miami Beach! It was so relaxing to spend a few warm and sunny days away from winter weather. Incidentally, we returned home to 28 degrees! Brrr!

Miami Beach is beautiful and its people were so warm and accommodating. I highly recommend it!

Cable Cutting, A Retirement Cost Savings Strategy

Cable Cutting, Why We Did it

Recently, I noticed our cable bill was considerably higher. I learned our contract had expired and we were no longer eligible for bundle discounts. We also have Internet and a land line through the cable company. The increase brought our monthly cost of cable to $114 per month. The breakdown was: $65 for the Expanded Basic, $20 for DVR Service, and $30 for four receivers. Needless to say, I was not happy. Cable cutting became a major initiative with that phone call.

We wanted lower costs, but did not want to lose options. This meant that streaming services would be needed. Millennials are known for using streaming services, but we have learned that they are a good strategy for retirees too.

Our Cable Environment

My husband and I are retired and, consequently, have lots of free time. When we are not traveling, we have become accustomed to lots of entertainment options.

I must admit, we were pretty spoiled by our cable service. Our provider gave us reliable service and the ability to record programs we enjoy. So, we were able to fast forward through commercials, a big plus for my husband.

We routinely watched local network channels and a few cable network channels. Most of our viewing was of shows we had recorded on the DVR.

Only recently, we gave up premium channels such as Showtime, HBO, and Cinemax. It seemed their offerings were mostly older content. However, we replaced them with Netflix DVD, which allows us to choose the current movies and shows we liked. It was a win for us.

A couple of years ago, we became regular Netflix subscribers and have enjoyed the added viewing options. The neat thing about Netflix is the lack of commercials at a moderate price.

Lastly, we are Amazon Prime members, mostly for the free shipping, but there is also a streaming service that is not bad.

Roku Devices

An appropriate streaming device was an important first step for us in cutting cable. If you have a smart television with your desired streaming channel, you can omit this step. Only one of our televisions is a smart TV and it is old and does not have the streaming services we desire. So, we needed the device.

From my research, the Roku Ultimate seemed a good option to replace our cable boxes. It has good reviews and is reasonably priced. Costco had them at a special price of $69.99, so we tried it. It was easy to set up. It requires a HDMI cable that plugs into the television’s HDMI input. The remote pairs with the television so it can be used to turn it off and on and control the volume. The Roku device was a hit!

Cutting cable with Roku Ultra — Roku Ultra

We also have televisions in our bedroom, guest bedroom, and den. So, we bought two additional Roku devices. The Costco special has expired, but Amazon has a competitive price. (Roku Device link.) We have an older model Apple TV device and we also set it up in one of the rooms. It did a fine job as well.

For a one-time cost of $210 for devices, we are saving charges of $50 a month to rent cable boxes with the DVR capabilities. After four months to recover our purchase price, we will be saving $50 a month.

Streaming Services

The Roku device enables access to tons of streaming services. Think of it as a smart television on steroids. We decided to try Hulu Live. It offers tons of shows for downloading, live local programming, and the ability to record live shows. The Live Subscription includes 50 hours of cloud-based recording with an option to add more. Below are the channels Hulu currently offers in our area.

Hulu recently had a monthly price increase from $39.99 to $44.99, which was sizable. But, Hulu is basically replacing our $65 cable package bill. Only one channel that we like, AMC, did not come with Hulu. There are options to get AMC, such as Philo and Sling for additional fees. Another major streaming service, YouTube, has similar channels and options and includes AMC. We will definitely be giving it a try.

Most streaming services offer a free trial and no contract. So, it is very easy to try different offerings. It is a good feeling to know that if you are not happy with a service, there are other options. I anticipate that we will make many changes to our streaming services in the upcoming years, unlike with cable, which was our only provider for the last several decades.

Advanced Sound Option

Our family room is our major viewing area and our cable transmitted through our surround sound system. Cutting cable, but losing our ability to use our sound system would not have been a good outcome for us. I am happy to say that we were able to have the Roku utilize our sound system.

To do so, we attached the HDMI cable to the stereo receiver instead of the television. Our receiver has an input labeled Stream Box and we used it for the input for the Roku. To view Roku, we must also appropriately set the inputs to the receiver and television.

The only negative for this option is that the receiver remote is needed to adjust the volume of the sound. It was a small price to pay for the great sound we are able to obtain for our television viewing. However, we had one more option to simply the remote situation.

Harmony Remote

We have used a Harmony Ultimate for several years to enable one remote to operate our television and sound system. I believed that I could set up the remote in a similar fashion for Roku. However, I ran into one major issue, the Harmoy required a firmware update before I could make programming changes. It was very difficult to get the Harmony to update, but once it did, setting up Roku was very simple. I just added the Roku device and then added an activity to turn on the three devices (RoKu, TV, and Receiver) with the appropriate inputs.

Harmony Remote Streaming Options — Harmony Keys for Streaming Options

Lessons Learned

Our Cable Cutting Savings

Once a few months pass to capture the upfront cost of the RoKu devices, we will save $50 a month on rental of cable devices. I believe we will land on a subscription to Hulu or YouTube TV, which are $40 to $45 a month. This represents a minimum saving of $20 for content. So, the monthly savings after the fixed costs of Roku is $70 per month. The monthly cable cost was $114; therefore, we lowered our monthly cost by 62%.

Cable Cutting, the Cons

There is a learning curve for watching television via streaming versus cable. It took some exploration on my part to find everything we have and to utilize the recording feature. But hey, we are supposed to keep learning and challenging our brains—right?
Every streaming service works differently, so with changing services, adaptation is required.
Cable cutters need technology skills for set up and utilization of streaming services. If you don’t have them, you might need a grandchild.
It is not always predictable which recorded shows allow fast forward. A few of our recordings had commercials.
Sometimes, the program momentarily loses reception while the data is buffering. It usually is brief and does not happen often. We also had occasional viewing issues with cable, but the buffering is a little more frequent.
Channel changing is a slower process with streaming.

Cable Cutting, the Pros

The savings for us were significant.
Additional content is available through the Roku channel and Hulu. There are also numerous free channels available.
It is very easy to add and delete subscriptions over time as new competitors come into the market.

How Low Can You Go?

If you are really looking to reduce your costs to as low as possible, an air antenna may work. We added one to our main viewing area and are able to get good reception on all the local channels. Our air antenna can be obtained for just under $10. After setting up the antenna, there are no additional costs for the local channels. Also, antenna television does not require a wireless network.

If you want more options and have a smart television with Netflix or other streaming services, you can add it for just the monthly subscription cost. However, you must have WiFi.

Lastly, you can add a Roku device. Then, a wide array of subscriptions are available. A Netflix non-HD subscription is currently $8.99 a month and basic Hulu is $7.99 a month.

More About Us

Cutting cable television is just one strategy we have employed in our goal to maximize our retirement. If you are interested in our other retirement activities (camping is a major player), check out my blog: Retirement and teardrop camping!

Second Year Retirement Highlights

Second Year Retirement

Our second year of retirement was wonderful, except for a couple of months which were quite difficult. We settled into a routine when not traveling that was comfortable and companionable. I can honestly say I do not miss working. We were also able to travel extensively and it was amazing.

I am writing this post primarily for my husband and myself. It is like a journal of our experiences. Because it will likely be boring for those who do not know us, it will not be posted on camping social media sites.

Our first year retirement summary, Retirement: First Year Highlights , is also a blog post.

Daily Routine

The time that we previously spent working is now being taken up by a slow, comfortable pace of living. We start our days later now, with ample sleep. Most of our meals are at home and are generally healthier than before retirement. We work out at the gym about four times a week, me with classes and my husband doing a combination of exercising and socializing. Our days start around 7:00 and we are usually asleep before 11:00. Sadly, we have officially become old folks!

Family Time

We now have much more time for family and we see them every opportunity, but we do try not to encroach upon their lives too much. It is great to know that we can be there for them if they need us without having to worry about working.

I have been working on a family cookbook since I retired and finally finished it. I gave family members copies of it on Thanksgiving. They seemed to like it and the personal notes in it. It is nice to have all my favorite recipes in one spot and on line.

We were able to take a couple of road trips to Tampa to visit our son. Retirement has enabled us to have much more time for trips like those.

I am trying to keep my brain challenged, so I spend a good bit of time doing Luminosity games, Sudoku, and others. For some reason, I find them relaxing and somewhat addictive.

Planning trips and later writing about them is also something I enjoy. I know that one day, we will not be able to go like we do now and I am working to capture our memories. Also, in a small way, I believe I am helping some new campers navigate their way. I have received responses from several who let me know how much they appreciated the blog.

Yardword and housework also take up parts of our days and it is good to be able to devote more time to them.

Lastly, we watch way too much television. We try to limit it and honestly do get a little sick of it, but there you have it.

Our Big Event

Knee replacement for my husband is something we have been working on since we first retired. It was delayed by needed vein surgery that was done in our first year of retirement. Unfortunately, there were complications that resulted in pulmonary embolisms. Then, we had a period of time on blood thinners and testing to see if it was advisable to move forward. It pushed the surgery to August of our second year.

He got through the surgery fine. While he was at a higher risk for blood clots, thankfully there were none! However, his rehabilitation was harder than for most because he had significant swelling related to the vein issue. It was very, very painful for him and challenging for me as well because I helped him with his rehab at home. Wow, it was tough! It was scary too because I wasn’t sure at first that he would even get back to where he was before the surgery.

He is now much better and we are told his knee will continue to improve many months after the surgery. We are so glad to have this behind us.

The Inevitable Decline

We both are very aware of the effects of aging. My husband had the bad knee for several years and though older, I was much more active. Now, his knee is better and we are hoping he will be able to do more. It seems that now I am going to be holding us back. An orthopedist told me that I will eventually need shoulder replacement. Additionally, a hip that was only occasionally an issue before has become quite painful.

Not to be all doom and gloom, but these things make me acutely aware that we had better go and do what we want to do while we still can.

Recreation

Yes, we do have lots of fun! I think it makes it that much sweeter knowing that this is not something that is just going to go on forever.

Camping in the T@G

We have been camping for just over two years now and we both love it. I think we got along better in that small teardrop camper than we do in our very roomy home. There is so much beautiful country to see. There is also the feeling of overcoming obstacles and working together.

Our retirement goal is to camp in all fifty states. Toward that goal, we were fortunate to take two amazing month-long trips. The first west all the way to California and the second north to the Upper Peninsula. Both were incredible!

Retirement travel — Winter trip out West

Our summer trip included the nüCamp 18 rally in Sugarcreek, Ohio. We also attended the Key Lime Rally in Gulf Shores and the Tiny Christmas Campout in Pensacola. Lastly, we went camping with several friends at Stone Mountain. We have so many wonderful memories of those trips! I feel so blessed that we had this time together.

Next Level Camping

Our little T@G gave us so many wonderful days camping that we knew we were all in for much more. We had been looking for something that offered a few more amenities—a bathroom and a place to be comfortable when inside during the day. The nüCamp T@B 400 was our choice.

We loved it immediately, but felt that the tongue weight on our tow vehicle was under too much strain. So, we traded our tow vehicle for something bigger. Lots of changes in our camping world occurred that week in November!

Bigger SUV — Very much bigger tow vehicle

We were able to use our new toys on our last camping trip of the year to the Tiny Christmas Campout. We did some camping in South Carolina on the way. Another state for our map!

We made quite a bit of progress in our goal of camping in all fifty states. Still a long way to go though!

Big Cities

We were fortunate to be able to travel to two big cities during our second year, Los Angeles in January and Chicago in July. Both cities were exciting to visit—amazing food, interesting museums, and lots to see and do. We like to stay at hotels in the heart of big cities to be able to see as much as possible.

Couple outsid Warner Brothers Studio Tour — Warner Brothers Studio Tour

Dancing

Ballroom dancing has been a big part of our lives for several years. We are members of a dance club and two dance groups. From the sound of that, you might assume we are good dancers. That is not the case, but we do enjoy it and we get to spend time with some truly wonderful people.

The declining knee has resulted in declining dancing over the last few years, but I hope we can dance more in the next year.

Second year retirement was a great for us! We look forward to our third year of retirement and whatever adventures it may bring.

Retirement: First Year Highlights

Our first year of retirement has been so much better than expected in many ways. Living life to its fullest while healthy enough to enjoy it is so important. Carpe diem!

For many years, I did not consider retiring because I really loved working. Without work, it was a mystery how I would fill my time. But I gave it serious thought as I approached sixty-six, full retirement age for Social Security. That rather big number gets you thinking about how many healthy years you may have left. My husband was totally on board with retirement and preceded me by four months. I retired on December 31, 2016.

My plan for retirement was to continue ballroom dancing, which we have done for several years, and to travel while still healthy enough to enjoy it. The problem with travel, as we have done in the past, is that it is quite expensive. We could take a few trips during the year, but there would be lots of down time at home. When we discovered that we liked teardrop camping, it enabled us to fill the time with a cool activity. As an inexpensive way to travel, it would allow us to go as much as we wanted. I was actually excited about taking the retirement plunge.

This first year of retirement has gone by quickly. I feared that I would be bored and I have been at times. I have certainly not felt as productive as when I was working, but overall, it has been good for me.

My Greatest Fear

I love my husband dearly, but must confess: I had concerns about us being together 24/7. When we first married, we got along great until it was time to take a vacation. For the first few years, we had a lot of arguments while vacationing. That leveled out after a few years and we usually had great vacations. Being together all the time, though, was a little scary.

Now that we have a year under our belt, I can honestly say that it was much easier than expected. We do annoy each other occasionally, but I can’t think of anyone with whom I would rather spend time. I think our success comes from my need to express my irritation as it arises and his willingness to hear it. Can’t you imagine what a joy it is being married to me?

A Change in Income

I believe all who think about retirement worry about whether they will have enough money. My first employer had a retirement plan in place and it provided a beginning of retirement funding at a young age. As I changed employers (a few times in my career), I saved a significant portion of my salary in the retirement plans offered. I was fortunate to work for organizations that also made generous contributions to their plans. Still, you worry about abandoning that steady paycheck. I have been relieved to see that we have been financially comfortable this year. We were able to do everything we wanted without having to worry about money. It helps that we have a relatively simple lifestyle and have always preferred to live below our means.

We did spend a good bit more than anticipated on healthcare. My husband and I had much more illness this year than ever before. An October 2017 post, “Retirement: in Sickness and in Health” describes some of our challenges.

My concern going forward is the financial stability of our current sources of income. The stock market has been good for us for several years now, but that is certainly no guarantee for the future. Social Security and Medicare are also important to our financial stability they are to all Americans.

Time with Family

Retirement has enabled us to have more time available to be with family, which is important to us. We feel that we can be there as much as they need or want us to be. We have a son who lives several hundred miles away that we were able to see more because we have more time to travel. We attended a grandchild’s soccer events that we likely would have attended anyway, but it would have been more challenging while working. Our daughter had surgery. We would have been there anyway, but not working made it easier.

We have always strived to make time for family, so we have not greatly exceeded the amount of time that has occurred in the past. Our children love us, but they don’t want or need to spend a ton of time with us because they have busy lives of their own. I think they like that we are keeping busy and not just sitting home waiting for them to visit. My hope is that we can stay healthy and not be a burden to them.

Loss

My much younger sister passed away suddenly this year. She had lupus for many years, but it was still a shock. We were not as close as I would have liked. There was a large difference in age and we had different mothers, but I wish I had made more of an effort. It does give me some comfort that we got together for a family lunch not long before she died. It saddens me that she left a husband and two sons who are young adults. Her passing is a stark reminder of how fragile our lives are.

Recreation—Our Dance Groups

Ballroom dance is well represented in our area and we are members of a dance club, and two dance groups. This has given us abundant opportunities to dance to live bands and associate with wonderful people. We have been dancing for approximately five years but, I am sad to say, our skills have been declining. My husband has a bad knee, which limits our activity. We also may go several weeks with no dancing and what you don’t use, you lose. I think that goes double for dancing! It is still fun to dress up and spend an evening with great friends dancing—as best we can.

Recreation—Travel

We were blessed with an abundance of wonderful trips this first year. We took a cruise with friends to the Western Caribbean in January. What a great way to begin retirement in that cold, dreary month!

Most of our travel was in our tiny trailer and each trip was special in its own way. The teardrop camping was more than just travel though. It challenged us to adapt to new circumstances and ways of doing things. It offered us a way to actively work toward the common goals of figuring out how to do this type of camping and to have good trips.

For me, the planner in our family, time was spent researching where to go and what to do when we got there. Blogging about our adventures offered technology challenges and a creative outlet. There is also a bit of work before and after each trip.

Road trips were also a part of our year with trips to Houston, Texas; Redington Shores, Florida; and Monroeville, Alabama. They were great fun as well.

Healthy Lifestyle Efforts

One thing that I adore about retirement is the ability to get enough sleep. I believe I was sleep deprived for most of my working years and to be able to sleep as long as I want is such a luxury.

We go to the gym most weekdays and it sets a bit of a routine for us. I have been doing Body Pump and Spin classes for many years and have been able to add a session or two a week in retirement. The exercise helps so much to keep my back from hurting and my energy level up. Also, exercise is a great stress reliever, which I think has helped to make us both easier to live with.

We try to eat healthy and succeed a good bit of the time, but significant weight loss eludes me. Perhaps next year.

Projects

Our yard was devastated last year by poor weed control by our lawn service and drought. We must have pulled a million weeds! There has also been a lot of soil erosion because of flooding from neighboring yards. Though mostly ignorant to gardening methods, I designed and we installed a rain garden. It was moderately successful. I have a post prepared, but have not yet published it. I was definitely out of my element!

We also had our family room painted and replaced some of the furnishings. Though we are Maw Maw and Paw Paw, we don’t want our house to look the part.

A Missing Piece

I would like to find some way to do something on a routine basis to help others. I do not want a job that would limit our flexibility to travel, but it would be nice to find a way to use my skills and abilities in a way that benefits others. I know there are many ways a person can volunteer, but I would love to find something for which I could feel passion. I worked for years and felt I was really making a difference in my small piece of the world and want to feel that same sense of fit in my retirement efforts. I will have to search for that answer.

Wishing Everyone a Wonderful 2018!

Retirement Year 1: Unexpected Health Issues

We often hear that you should retire when you are relatively young so you will have good years to travel and enjoy retirement. However, there are no guarantees.

Retirement Expectations

Everyone knows as you get older, you are more likely to have health issues. I retired this year with goals of traveling and adopting a very heathy lifestyle as primary motivations for leaving the workforce. I loved working, but wanted to do so many other things. “Life is short, even in the longest days” to quote John Mellencamp. (Great song, by the way)

Our year started great, with both of us feeling good with trips to the gym each weekday. Our days were slow and leisurely. We had more time with family and to do those things around the house that we were always postponing. We planned trips in our tiny trailer and worked on ways to make it more functional. I began writing this blog.

Mild Health Issues

Just three weeks into the year, I developed a respiratory infection that kept reoccurring and then I got the flu. I was sick for three months with three separate episodes of fever over 101. There were times when I was getting better-before the times I was getting worse. During those better times, we were able to take a couple of preplanned trips, but had to cancel one. But I was not really well during any of this time and it was very frustrating. I felt like I would never be back to where I was before getting sick. Finally, a diagnosis of mild intermittent ashma and it came as a relief. Hopefully, next time I am sick I will be able to get medications to make me well.

We really love to travel. We bought our camper because it allowed us to travel as often as we liked because it is so inexpensive. While we did a good bit of traveling this year, we did not plan any big or long trips. My husband has a knee that has been very painful for several years. Many have told him how much knee replacement changed their quality of life. We planned for this to be the year to take care of that knee, so we spent a lot of time pursuing a knee replacement for him.

Seeking Knee Replacement

His orthopedic surgeon identified vein issues in his leg, which is why his leg always swells. The veins increase his risk of a blood clot with knee replacement, but the risk is less if the vein issue is addressed.

A vascular surgeon assessed him and an ultrasound identified a vein in his leg with a defective valve, technically called Venus Insufficiency. It allowed blood to flow down into his leg, but not back up. The pooling of blood in his leg caused it to swell. We scheduled an ablation procedure to stop blood from flowing into that vein. We did not expect a long, painful recovery time and we would schedule the knee replacement after vein surgery recovery.

My husband had the surgery and went home with no issues. He was also doing very well in his follow up visit.

An Unexpected Outcome

However, he had extreme pain in his chest a few days later and was spitting up blood. The E/R visit confirmed blood clots in his lungs (pulmonary embolism) and in his leg. This was a very serious complication and very painful. He had to stay in the hospital for three days while they administered heparin, a blood thinner, intravenously. They also had to manage his pain, which was very intense.

During the time in the E/R and the first day or so at the hospital, we were both very scared. We could not be certain a clot had not gone to his heart, which can be deadly. He hurt so bad, I think he must have felt he was dying. It was so hard to watch and not be able to stop it. They gave him very strong painkillers, but they only mildly relieved the pain.

Prayers of many were answered and he was remarkably better by the time we left the hospital and continues to get better every day. His lungs sustained some damage, but his doctors expect minimal impact when they heal.

Going Forward

I also have had some new health issues: a high heart rate during exercising and dizziness after working out. For awhile, I feared that something was wrong with my heart, but recent tests have not identified any issues. I still do not know the specific cause of my symptoms, but thankfully it is not related to my heart.

My husband and I have been sicker this year than we have ever been. It makes me acutely aware of the frailty of life. I am so grateful that we are now looking at full recovery from his recent health issues, though it is uncertain if he will be able to have the knee replacement surgery. I would love for him to get his knee fixed, but his life is more important than his mobility.

We have been married for thirty-one years and are fortunate they were very healthy years. This is our first year with so much illness but at this stage of our life, there is no doubt we will have others. I do not look forward to the sickness part of our marriage vow, but will definitely want to be there for that part as well.

Carpe Diem

Carpe diem is Latin for “seize the day”. It used in literature and poetry to urge one make the most of the present. It is especially relevant to me at this point in life.

Recent health issues have shown me not want to take anything for granted. I cherish each day that I can spend with my husband and our family. We may have many more good years or it could all come to a grinding halt in a heartbeat. We do not know the future, but should live each day knowing that it will not go on forever. I will try to do that.