Retirement weeks 1 and 2

Well it was Friday afternoon and suddenly it was about to get real. No more standby's, ID badges, project deadlines, long commutes, etc. My boss stopped by and said that I could leave anytime that I wanted. Got a card and cupcakes from the office as a goodbye. I got the last of my stuff together and I have to admit that I had butterflies as I sat back in my cubical one last time and looked around.

No matter how much time you put into spreadsheets and planning, there is still the unknown when you retire. Did I save enough? Did I miss some expenses that would bite me in the behind and melt away what I had put away. But I had always consoled myself with the fact that I am not going to forget all that I had learned – worst case scenario it is a sabbatical while we get our traveling in the 1^st 3 years and I get another position to catch up.

But things would have to be really bad to do that, I see myself doing some side gigs to help pay for health care. Sports reporting for sure. And maybe coaching for a school or even going back to being a referee again.

And it's a milestone event. It's like getting your drivers license, graduating from high school, getting married, etc. Someplace where your life changes and in some sense, there is no going back. So there is that anticipation of an event and then you cross a threshold to the other side. In some way, shape, form, or fashion there is a change and life as you experience it has changed.

But after I said my goodbyes and left, I treated myself to a victory bagel on the way home and enjoyed the sunshine during my last commute home. We had a nice little retirement party at the Red Mule – it was originally planned to be just Becky and I, but she turned it into a surprise party. It was a good time with friends and family. It was a crowded venue as it is a small place.

Joe invited us many months ago to go with his wife and Ryker on a cruise to the Bahama's. So that seemed like a good way to start our new venture. We drove down as we also planned to stay at Hannah campground in a cabin at Jacksonville. We had stayed there on a vacation when Chelsea lived there.

We entered a slot pool on day 1 at sea. We did not have the beginners luck that we had on the first cruise. We put in 20 and got back 16, so we were not high rollers by any means, but then we did not lose much either.

Joe and his wife Sam had a friend from Japan that met them on the cruise – her name was Alyssa and she had her 2 brothers with her as well. Had some drinks with them on the deck. They work hard but make good money polishing concrete for big stores and warehouses. They are on the road a lot which is a drawback. But for 2 guys under 25 – they are pulling in decent money.

Reminded me of my early days. I was a telephone subcontractor and was paid well for my age and got to travel a lot. Being young, making decent money, and traveling a lot – it was a carefree and easy start to the working world. There were some lean times when telephone deregulated, but it was fun while it lasted.

Tried to give them some sage advice, we shall see how of it sticks. Living beneath your means and not making rash purchases just because you can. Money isn't everything, but being careful with money makes life easier. The younger brother seemed to pay attention so maybe some of it stuck. Made me feel good when he said that he wished that he had a Dad like me when he was growing up – he didn't have anyone that gave him that kind of advice.

We were celebrating a trifecta on the cruise. It was our 40^th anniversary in January, I retired the Friday before departure, and Joe (our baby) turned 27. Hard to imagine Joe being that old. But then I cannot imagine being as old as I am.

We spent a lot of time at the beaches. Didn't do much touristy stuff like shopping and such. I brought a book to read at the beach. But maybe read like 5 pages at the beach. It was just fun watching Ryker, he had a blast. Found some other kids to play with and went full bore until it was time to go onto the boat.

The sky was blue and the water was blue and clear. It was just a pleasant day, so nice there in the sand.

Makes you almost want to move there, but I imagine that it is expensive to live on an island like that. Everything except conchs and coconuts have to be imported.

I got to walk at each stop. I have been saying that being a desk jockey has been partly to blame for my weight and now I am making an effort to be more active with the extra time. In Nassau I walked over to a small marina. On the way I encountered a guy who had mental problem. He was harmless, but every few minutes made sort of a caw-caw sound. Still I kept my distance – didn't want him to think that I was another crow or whichever bird he was imitating. There were 2 women who were gathering sea weed that had washed up overnight. For some sort of crafts I suppose. Lots of vendors close by the beach.

Oh Joe bought a conch shell from some guy on the docks. When he went to bring it back on the ship – it was confiscated. Said that it smelled fishy and it was against their policy for anything like that with organic material on the ship. He was only out $5, but it was a nice shell.

We went to another Island the next day. Same beautiful white sand beaches. A nice guy from Branson Missouri let Becky use a beach umbrella since she was burned so badly from the sun the day before. We have his card and maybe we will visit his resort some time.

Joe and I went exploring on the paths on the island. We quickly found that the employee's fly down the paths away from the beaches. We learned to hug the bushes whenever we heard a gator coming. Joe noticed chicken tracks a couple of times. Then in a clearing we spotted a chicken. He was skittish and did not stick around for a picture. Apparently they are descendants of escapees. But they have learned the habits of the cruise passengers. When it was time for everyone to leave, they started to creep up to the beach and sneak tidbits that folks had left on the beach or around trashcans. The apex predator on the island is reduced to the role of scavenger.

Part 2 of our vacation was at Hannah campground at Jacksonville. I had brought my fishing poles, but I enjoyed just reading and walking on the beach and did not feel like fishing at all. Again it was great to just breath sea air and take in the waves and sky.