Awaiting a possible return to full time work (see previous post), I’m squeezing in some previously planned trips, although I still find it a challenge to spend the money. With Social Security now turned on, we’re back to a positive monthly cash flow. That solves a couple of psychological issues. Now if we could only see some positive, sustained upward movement in the stock market.
Last week started off with a good round of golf….right up to the 14th hole when the thunder and lightening drove us from the course (no Caddyshack moments here). Then it was off on a three hour drive through the back roads of TN to Atlanta, spent the night at my brother’s home, and caught an AM flight to Dallas where Andrew was just arriving an hour before me after a four day drive from Michigan. We caught a couple of Braves games vs. the Texas Rangers (fourth baseball road trip in three years), got to tour the new American Airlines HQ complex*, and had lunch with a former FAA coworker of mine. Thursday mid-day caught a flight back to ATL where my brother kindly fought afternoon ATL traffic to get me away from the airport and reunited with my car for the three hour return trip home. Thanks to Doug’s much-appreciated help, I was home by 8:30 PM.
Now a couple more trips- one to see my 90+ year old parents and to attend my 50th High School reunion, and another up to Newport RI to get re-acquainted with some old friends.
In between trips I’m working on a backyard landscaping project which will likely continue throughout the summer. I’m too cheap to just pay someone to do the work and the body will only allow me to do so much dirt/rock movement per day. But it’s satisfying labor and is making a great improvement to the backyard. My days of doing yardwork are numbered. Even though I see some 80+ year old neighbors push-mowing their yard, I want this body to maintain mobility and last beyond its expiration date (whatever that happens to be).
*Now why would my son and I tour the American Airlines HQ building in Dallas? Turns out he’s starting a summer-long internship there, probably the last internship of his long academic career, and very different from previous experiences. The company has some project teams in which he’ll be a member. The 90 minute tour of their new (2019) HQ building was entertaining and informative with features you hear about in the high tech Silicon Valley communities: all-glass exterior, lots of workday diversions (TV monitors, games, walking paths, etc.) from the office, lots of open space, lots of individual hideaway spaces- as long as you remain connected and available- and lots of eating options throughout the day. Since entering the workforce is right around the corner for him, this ought to be a great precursor.
So still plenty of moving parts to the daily retired life, but certainly not too a busy calendar, at least for now. For the next few posts, we’re back into retired life subjects. And in case you’re wondering, still just a trickle of visits to the blog….most of them wanting to sell me a blog service.