Been There, Done That. Let’s Do It Again!

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

I know this may seem like boasting, but Kathy & I had a very good year.  Kathy is the recordkeeper and spreadsheet queen around here, and by her count we were away from home for 125 nights during 2019.  The two questions we get asked most often by friends and neighbors are “how long are you home for?” and “where are you off to next?”  We love it!

Charlotte, NC
Harvey Firestone Park, Columbiana Ohio
Train station in Landrum, South Carolina

Yes, it has cost us some money, possibly more than our financial advisor thinks is prudent.  But I’m the financial guy and manage the flow of funds, and with the good year the markets have had I feel confident that we’ve done the right thing.  We didn’t retire to sit home and watch Jeopardy or Faux News.  We retired to spend time together and see the world.

So – no apologies.

Highlights of the past year:

  • 4 cruises for a total of 43 days
  • Added 18 new states, for a total of 32
  • Over 19,000 photos
  • Almost 20,000 car miles
Marigot, St Martin
Old Town, Fort Collins, Colorado

I admit that traveling over a third of the year might be overdoing it.  I suppose the reaction (or over-reaction) to retirement is normal and to be expected.  But having the time to do anything we want means we want to do everything!  Frankly, the biggest challenge has been keeping our weight under control because of all the eating out.  We essentially broke even for the year, which should probably be considered a win.  But we’re always looking for ways to manage that, since being able to sustain that amount of travel requires being healthy, and one of the best ways to be healthy is to maintain healthy eating and exercise routines while away from home.  We do great at home, but find old habits hard to break when we’re away.

Grenada
Clifton Hall Great House in Barbados

So, what’s in store for 2020?  We’ve got a few weeks scheduled in Florida in February, where we’re going to go “cruise ship hopping” and spend some time near the Everglades.  Sometime in April we’re going to head toward the Southwest to bag a few more states and explore Route 66.  We’ll be celebrating our 40th anniversary in October with a – what else? – cruise.  But there are a lot of empty spaces on the calendar which we’ll be filling in as we get closer.  The year is young!

Cherry Pocket Steak & Seafood Shak in Lake Wales, Florida
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

I’ve included a few of my favorite photos from 2019 in this post, and as I’ve been doing lately, I have added some more galleries to my Adobe Portfolio site.  This should cover most of the highlights from the year.  So stay tuned!  I think 2020 will turn out to be another interesting year.

Cleveland, Ohio
Bike rack shadows in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Costa Maya, Mexico
Cruz Bay in St John, USVI
Aboard Symphony of the Seas
Dale Chihuly glass ceiling in the tasting room at Maker’s Mark Distillery
Indian River Inlet Lifesaving Station Museum, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Waynesville, NC
Pool Deck on Celebrity Summit

4 thoughts on “Been There, Done That. Let’s Do It Again!”

  1. Sounds like you’re enjoying yourselves which is good to hear. You’ve doubled the number of cruises I’ve been on (in my entire life), you’re only 2 states away from beating me, you’ve taken more photos in one year than I’ve taken in the past 20 years and you’ve driven more miles than I have in the past three years. I’m starting to feel like an underachiever
    Sounds to me like you’re experts at this whole retirement gig. Good for you. All the best for 2020. I’m already looking forward to all the photos that will bring.

    1. And ultimately enjoying ourselves is what it’s all about. I think as the initial lustre wears off we’ll find ourselves scaling back a bit. We’re already looking at ways to get more “bang for our buck” in terms of the places we go and how we get there.

      We’ve come to love cruising, although it’s a completely different kind of vacation than a 6000 mile road trip. But for me I’m happy to let someone else drive for a while. And cook!

      The 19,000 photos just sort of happened, but with all that travel the camera was sure to be put into action. I’m not sure I improved my “keeper ratio” but I did come home with an awful lot of photos that I like.

      I hope all is well with you and your family down under and that you have an enjoyable summer.

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