OK, I’m not bringing up a retirement subject in this post, just doing a little catch up on the family plans for the future. It’s been two weeks since I last posted, not purposely meaning to skip a week. And it’s been about four weeks since the last comment, although there’ve been several blog visits. Perhaps one reason is because I’ve only mentioned the blog to ten people- going to have to spread the word a lot more effectively. Or write posts that result in more comments.
A week ago today Beth and I returned from spending a week in Tennessee, talking to our builder and others involved in the new home. We came across a good sign during the visit’s first day- in broad daylight, three deer grazing in someone’s front yard, about 100 yards from our property. On the other hand, during an earlier visit with my son, I saw a good sized water moccasin down the street by the lake, 300 yards from our property.
Everything’s fallen into place with respect to the building sequence and construction loan, and the builder will break ground this coming week. Yes, we decided to go forward with starting the retirement home which puts us on target for moving in shortly after Christmas. We’ve owned the lot for almost 13 years.
We also learned last week that I may not be able to take my current job with us to Tennessee. Despite a very encouraging conversation with leadership ten months ago about teleworking from Tennessee, it looks like that’s no longer a possibility unless I switch jobs within the FAA. The plan was to move to the new home and telework for another year in my current position, then retire in late 2022. Time to change the plan again (see post #7 in February). This opens up all sorts of employment/retirement possibilities, to include starting a straight-up retirement next January. Thoughts/comments are welcome…..
Closer to home, less than 100 yards from our Arlington apartment, the new Amazon HQ complex is steadily rising up. The first two buildings were started about 15 months ago with the clearing of some old abandoned buildings and digging 50 feet down. They are now above ground level with completion date due sometime in 2023. While it’s a lot of construction noise 10 hours a day, six days a week, it’s fascinating to look up at five cranes and down at the rebar-and-concrete facility being created. When I figure how to, I will post video sometime. In the meantime, try googling “Amazon HQ Helix Construction” to read about the cool buildings being erected.
If you have the time, take a look at some of the old posts and related comments. The comments are exactly what I was hoping to elicit- contemporaries’ experiences related to the transition into retirement. Sharing this type information is what’s going to make us smarter.
Next, back into retirement subjects!
Mike- I’ve had a couple of several month retirement breaks prior to either being redirected by Margaret or getting bored. I’m still working significant part time hours mainly due to the unique nature of my job (Veterans Nursing Homes) and not much better to do with the pandemic going on. If I were you I’d go full retirement and pick up some consulting work when it suits you.
Hey Ken, good to hear from you! I haven’t seen the latest SHIPMATE and didn’t know Vince put it in there. Must have been a slow month for ’78 news. I figured all my friends are of retirement age and we’re all looking at the same questions and decisions. I’ve picked up a number of interesting thoughts from the comments, including yours, so it’s been worth the effort. Even Vance had a couple of thought-provoking comments. Not too worried about making a lot of traffic.
I will likely retire this January and move to our retirement home we’re building in Tennessee. Was talking to Cos recently and he’s looking at retiring in August. DB retired about 1.5 years ago. There a couple of fun part time jobs out there which I may consider after a few months, as you suggested.
Stay in touch. I try to put out a new post about every weekend. Hope to run into you at the 45th, if not sooner. Mike