My husband and I are at a crossroads. He retired about a year ago and spent the last year adjusting to a much slower pace. He's not rising at 5:00 a.m. to go running, now it's 8:00 and he's had a couple cups of coffee. Many afternoons include a nap, reading novels, watching netflix, playing with the dog.
However, like most people who have worked challenging careers and suddenly find themselves free to do whatever they want to do, he's getting BORED. He wants a new challenge, something that requires him to stretch his mental muscles.
I'm with him on this. I've been waiting a long time for him to retire so we could play.
So the home at Tahoe is going on the market, and we've decided to buy a boat. (We've been highly encouraged in this endeavor, both by friends that have their boat in Anacortes, and by this beautiful blog.)
The kids are grown, educated, gone. Our responsibilities to our family are few. Maybe it's time to indulge ourselves, maybe even take some chances. We're healthy enough for one last adventure, one more roll of the dice.
We recently visited Anacortes, WA after my husband helped crew a 61 foot trawler from San Francisco to Anacortes with three other men; two of which he had worked with for over 25 years at one point in his career. All were now retired.
I drove with one of the wives to meet them, only to fall in love with this area of Washington. The San Juan Islands are a group of islands in the northwest corner of the United States. Part of the state of Washington, they lie between the United States and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They consist of about 428 islands at high tide, with ferry service to four. You could spend years and never visit all of the little inlets and coves of these islands.
The beauty of this land is infused with the smell of water. Rivers, streams, lakes and ocean. Add the gigantic forests, and you have a feast for the senses.
We're ready to meet like-minded people, talk boat-talk, teach ourselves and our grandson about navigation, piloting, engines, maintenance, fishing, and crabbing. Take some awesome hikes (at a breathable sea level), visit some quaint little towns, eat clam chowder and be grateful for every minute of it.
I'll keep you updated on our little adventure and I would love to hear about yours.
What's on your intention board?
6 comments:
My intention is just to stay healthy enough that when I finally get my 14 year old grown and gone that I'm not too decrepit to get around! I look forward to the days when my hubby and I can spend time doing something we love without the responsibility of anyone but each other. The boat idea sounds like fun!
So happy to see you blogging again...We have been building a house that we hope to have done by the end of the year...then sell it...and then take one of my little trailers and travel for a year. Maybe we will meet you in Wash...love the area too!
luksky - Once your nest is empty and your familial responsibilities are less, it opens up a whole new world! You are already taking care of yourself, so you will be ready to go have some fun when the time comes.
ain't for city gals - Thank you! It's good to be back. I love the idea of building a home and selling it and then taking it on the road for a year. You will never regret following a dream, in my opinion. They only regrets we have are those opportunities not taken. We would love to meet you in Washington. Check out the Rivited blog post when they met all the ladies with the cool vintage trailers on one of the islands!
Woohoo, welcome back to blogland. Your new adventure sounds wonderful, including moving to that part of Washington. Our transition from work to retirement was gentle; Peter worked from home and I went to part-time and we had started our "other" activities long before we retired. We have a huge volunteer commitment, the carousel we rescued 26 years ago and still operate through a nonprofit organization. We've just hired an exec. director who we believe will take over much of what we've done all these years. And we still care for our grandkids (feed 'em breakfast and drop them at school daily, plus assorted all-day stints and play dates). These two things have provided enough adventure; now we just want to wander off to a movie, or sit in the park, or work in our yard as the spirit moves us.
Nancy -It sounds like you have a full and happy retirement. Remaining active and engaged seems to be a key component to a happy retirement. We lived in Minneapolis/St Paul for a brief stint. Is the carousel at the Fair Grounds?
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