Ten good years

[Bobbie54]

Almost 13 years for me for half-retirement and almost 9 for full retirement. Still haven't done all that much travel for various reasons, but lots of camping, and lots of other things I wouldn't do if I were still working.

[escape artist]

Hi: All... I retired just before Christmas of 2013. The only thing that's missing is all the time I saved!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[emers382]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: All... I retired just before Christmas of 2013. The only thing that's missing is all the time I saved!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

So Alf, just like Mike last year, you and I both will be celebrating ten years retired, and for us ten years living in Emerson, with thoughts of moving to Thunder Bay.

However now our second son and family there are moving to Prince Rupert. If they decide to settle out there for good and with our daughter and family moving to CA in two years when our son-in-law retires from the army we are now looking at perhaps moving to Vancouver Island. Who would have thought that in our mid-seventies we'd be looking at moving to the west coast. With a temperature here this morning of -21C the island sounds like the place to be.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by emers382

So Alf, just like Mike last year, you and I both will be celebrating ten years retired, and for us ten years living in Emerson, with thoughts of moving to Thunder Bay.

However now our second son and family there are moving to Prince Rupert. If they decide to settle out there for good and with our daughter and family moving to CA in two years when our son-in-law retires from the army we are now looking at perhaps moving to Vancouver Island. Who would have thought that in our mid-seventies we'd be looking at moving to the west coast. With a temperature here this morning of -21C the island sounds like the place to be.

Hi: emers382... That means you'd be on the "Left coast"!!! The only place I don't want to retire to is a "Dead end"!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Alf
I live on a dead end road. Enter the late night TV Special pitch man “But wait there’s more.”
Owing to some of the ….Ahem..”adventures” I’ve had in my life I learned early on to always have at least two ways to use “an in and an out” so the lane at the back of our property gives me a way out to the gravel if “ things get real”. It’s all part of situational awareness that I live by every day. When someone asks me if I’m still living at the same address, I always say “Yup, and I’m gonna die there. Just not tomorrow.” That comment usually gets a look.

https://www.google.com/search?q=geor...e-gws-wiz-serp

Put her all on one roll….8-10 the hard way.
Iowa Dave

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by emers382

Who would have thought that in our mid-seventies we'd be looking at moving to the west coast. With a temperature here this morning of -21C the island sounds like the place to be.

You wouldn't be the first by a long shot. A huge percentage of the population in the Qualicum area moved there later in life and because of the weather.

Unfortunately the real estate prices also reflect that.

Ron

[emers382]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

You wouldn't be the first by a long shot. A huge percentage of the population in the Qualicum area moved there later in life and because of the weather.

Unfortunately the real estate prices also reflect that.

Ron

Yes I know real estate is not inexpensive there, however at this point we'd be looking to be in a rental apartment for a couple of reasons, traveling much of the year and not worrying about grass, snow, the house itself, and also not having much coming out of the sale of our place here.

We were thinking further up island say Campbell River where I have a cousin. If son and family fall in love with Prince Rupert then it's only a 17 hour ferry ride there from Port Hardy, and going to CA we'd go to Victoria and catch the Black Ball to Port Angeles and on down the coast. Also Comox has lots of flights to Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

Our daughter in law applied for a few jobs in BC including Qualicum but accepted the offer to Prince Rupert. As a nurse she gets a pretty good northern incentive to go there.

[Mike G]

I've filed to start my SS in July which is a bit early (I'll still be 20 months from FRA). I plan to continue working part time (self employment so I set the schedule). I figured out that the break-even point on SS is about age 79 or 80 assuming one does not keep working, however by continuing to earn some income I will move that break-even further back by several years. Collecting now on what I've paid in over the years will allow me to bank/invest the money I earn.


I already have a camping trip lined up for April, and another in June. The 19's in the driveway, so now I can get serious about my leisure! Hope I can keep Escaping for 20 years or more!

[h2owmn]

I'm coming up on 12 years retired in June. It has gone incredibly fast. I bought a tiny Aframe in 2007 and vowed to camp once a month until retirement....I kept to that. After retirement it's less regularly scheduled, but I do get out a lot. My 2018 17A is a palace to me...I still wake up feeling like a queen every morning I'm in it. I've camped with all of my grands (4 girls, 7-17)) in various configurations, and my son and family now have the larger A frame I had when I bought the Escape. Planning my second coast to coast trip in the fall. Life is good. Camping life is the best.

[John in Santa Cruz]

My department at $job of the prior 20 years was folded and our positions, as the brits say, were made redundant. I was given 6 months warning and a very healthy retirement bonus of 40 weeks of salary. I looked at my 401K and other IRA retirement money, and turned to my wife and said, looks like I'm retired, we have plenty in the bank to live comfortably to the end of our lives, you have additional retirement funds, and besides, who's going to hire a 63 year old burned out ex-hippie engineer?

that was about 5 years ago, I haven't looked back.

[Iowa Dave]

Lots of us have been fired, quit with no prospects, had the company we worked for close up
All those little bumps in the road happen. I’ve never lived in fear of not having a job and never had a problem getting a new one. I’m done now, on cruise control at about 45 miles an hour.
Had a great day today. Saw a muskrat, road killed mink, bufflehead, turkey vulture, mated pair of Cooper’s hawks, some Hutches geese, and about 500 migrating white pelicans. How can you beat that?
Iowa Dave
Pelicans

[MrLynn]

Can't beat that. Had to look up 'bufflehead'; have never seen them.

Pelicans migrate through Iowa? I didn't know they migrate at all. Learn something new every day!

[Iowa Dave]

Those male bufflehead have a very nice paint job on them. Looks like the floor out of a 1950s diner where the girls in poodle skirts hung out. (My fantasy)
White Pelicans have become regular visitors through Iowa in the past 25 years or so. The reservoirs and some rivers have significant populations of gizzard shad. The shad often have winter kill die off and as the ice goes out and wind comes up the floating shad are blown into shallow water especially coves. The opportunistic pelicans and the always hungry catfish think they are at a Pizza Ranch Buffet ( popular spot in Iowa for presidential candidates too) and go on a feeding frenzy that would make your grandma proud at her Christmas dinner.
That’s what’s happening right now. Everything must live in harmony if the species is to survive and prosper. Have a great day
Iowa Dave

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Those male bufflehead have a very nice paint job on them. Looks like the floor out of a 1950s diner where the girls in poodle skirts hung out. (My fantasy)
White Pelicans have become regular visitors through Iowa in the past 25 years or so. The reservoirs and some rivers have significant populations of gizzard shad. The shad often have winter kill die off and as the ice goes out and wind comes up the floating shad are blown into shallow water especially coves. The opportunistic pelicans and the always hungry catfish think they are at a Pizza Ranch Buffet ( popular spot in Iowa for presidential candidates too) and go on a feeding frenzy that would make your grandma proud at her Christmas dinner.
That’s what’s happening right now. Everything must live in harmony if the species is to survive and prosper. Have a great day
Iowa Dave

Hi: Iowa Dave... Don't forget KFC. They always set a precedent as a popular spot!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[heavyD]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

... besides, who's going to hire a 63 year old burned out ex-hippie engineer?

Best line of the week!
I wanted to retire this year (will be 60) but remembered what a financial derelict I was early on in work life. Retirement + much more camper time will have to wait a few more years.

[h2owmn]

Heading out today camping in my favorite bird spot for five nights. This time of year there are still those overwintering birds. Geese (well, they never leave), bufflehead, golden eye, mergansers, cormorants. Once I saw a wood duck...so beautiful. There's a regular green heron there as well. And there are otters.

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Alf
My son is a fair guitar musician. A few years back he wrote a little song about the gluttony that occurs at the Pizza Ranch buffet. Apparently it touched the presidential promoters heart string…no make that stomach and complete intestinal tract. Because it became a betting game with me and the rest of family.
The tv announcement tease would be “another presidential hopeful visits Iowa tomorrow”
Instantly the first one to hear and process that breaks into the first opening couplet of the Pizza Ranch ballad and a new verse is written to include the hopeful candidate in song. Rhyming is a way of life with some of us.
Here’s an old one:
Do not pass
On a slope
Unless you have
A periscope
Burma Shave
Iowa Dave

[Chasing Trials]

Originally Posted by JumpinJoe

You can always make more money, but you can't make more time!

Yes. I guess I somewhat retired in 2011. Was self-employed Handy WOMAN(and still to this day "get lost in my "work"). Retirement was designing & taking my time, hand building my 4th & last house. I had worked before to carry my biggest vice. Raising & training horses(sold each at 10K a piece, so it did kinda help pay for it's self). But one of those things you can't NOT wait until your retire 60/70s to safely do.

Then went to "the dogs". So came up with tieing travel with Trialing dogs around the country. Found Escapes with wood interiors that I could tear apart & rebuild.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Chasing Trials

Yes. I guess I somewhat retired in 2011. Was self-employed Handy WOMAN(and still to this day "get lost in my "work"). Retirement was designing & taking my time, hand building my 4th & last house. I had worked before to carry my biggest vice. Raising & training horses(sold each at 10K a piece, so it did kinda help pay for it's self). But one of those things you can't NOT wait until your retire 60/70s to safely do.

Then went to "the dogs". So came up with tieing travel with Trialing dogs around the country. Found Escapes with wood interiors that I could tear apart & rebuild.

Hi: Chasing Trials... Sounds to me like you put "The cart before the horse"!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: Chasing Trials... Sounds to me like you put "The cart before the horse"!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Nope, clearly she owned the horses before she bought the Escape "cart"! Although I can't speak to any horse trailers she may or may not have owned...