My First Vacation!

You know I thought retirement was going to be easy and that I'd have a lot of free time to do nothing. Guess again! Besides looking for the car and an RV I have all the HR stuff to do like setting up my retiree health benefits, making arrangements for my pension and 401k payout, and all the rest of the stuff that goes along with the golden years. I'm trying to figure how to live on my last paycheck (coming next week) and the little bit of money that I have set aside already so I don't have to touch my pension, IRA, and 401k until I turn 59 1/2 next June 22nd. I hate the thought of having to pay the 10% early withdrawal penalty on the 3 of them if I don't have to. But I'll probably end up taking a small distribution to tide me over. Needless to say I ain't getting much sleep...

I did get my FL fishing license yesterday and plan to start hitting the lake down the street early each morning. I finally have my canoe back, and the Jeep has a roof rack, so I can get it down to the water. One of my former, and I'm sure it will be again, favorite times of the day was sitting in my canoe watching the sun come up before I started hunting largemouth bass. I'm hoping to pick up on my old motto too...feared by bass, revered by fishermen, loved by women! Actually the last part sort of has me mystified. It comes in spurts and has started again. I get these complete strangers (all women) coming up and asking if they can rub my head. Maybe I'm brain dead but I don't get it. But my son Matt told me how to answer them. "And maybe I can dip my bald head in oil and rub it all over your body!"... ala George Costanza from Seinfeld. i'll have to try it next time it happens.

In one of my earlier posts I mentioned that my son Rich was trying to schedule a vacation and head north to see the fall leaves. Well after much turmoil at work he finally got his approval. So we leave next Tuesday morning (10/13) for 10 days. Since I've always wanted to see Gettysburg I figured we'd kill a few birds with one stone. My sister Eileen lives in Charlotte and we can pass right through there on our way north and see her and her family for the night by driving up I-81. That will take us through NC, WV, VA mountains; MD and into PA. After Gettysburg we can continue heading north into NY state. We should have a couple of chances to see the fall colors.

I picked up my new (well '05) Jeep Grand Cherokee today. I actually bought it yesterday but there was a problem with the driver's seat belt. So that got fixed today. I didn't get the color that I wanted but I got me a big ol' honkin' 5.7 litre Hemi engine! Plus the 4WD I was looking for as well as the large towing capacity that I need. It's red though and it was far from my 1st choice of color. But it's growing on me. All the extras make up for the color. It's got a sunroof too which will help vent my cigar smoke. I tested it out on the way home from dinner with my son Matt tonight. We went to Fishbone's thinking we'd both order the bouillabaisse but we had everything but. We found out it was happy hour and all the sushi and appetizers were 1/2 price. So 3 dozen raw oysters, 3 dozen oak grilled oysters, 4 orders of really spicy volcano roll, 2 orders of calamari, 2 tuna tacos, and more than a few shots and beers later we rolled ourselves out the door. We were celebrating matt's getting hired today as a full time chef at the Grand Floridian Hotel in Disney World and my retirement. So, needless to say, I'll be driving west and south by myself. Circumstances beyond his control forced him to call his former boss at the Kona Steakhouse at the Polynesian Hotel and ask about available positions. The guy got really excited and told Matt he was actually firing a chef that night. Thus Matt's new position.

Well it's time I laid my bald head down and get some sleep. I plan to get up at 6am and watch NASA bomb the south pole of the moon to see if they can prove that there is water in the dust.

Did you ever stop to think...?

Did you ever stop to think how much stuff you need to buy to make your life not only survivable but comfortable when you are planning to live semi-off the grid in a foreign country??? It's mind boggling! You need to think of what you will need to travel in (long trip down and short shopping trips); live in (temporarily and permanently); to survive (tools, water supply, ax, chain saw, fishing gear, etc); and to live comfortably (normal day-to-day stuff like eating, sleeping, washing, and just hanging around). I created a list quite a while ago and it keeps growing. Not that it's all expensive stuff but it's stuff that is easier to obtain here in the U.S. than in Central America. Later in this blog I'll be listing the minimum necessities for others who decide to retire and live like me. I might as well save others the stress of figuring it all out. I've been searching the web for info like that but haven't been able to find it in one place. So i'm searching on "living off the grid", "survival living", and key words like that. My son Richard gave me a couple of books on living off the grid. The books are a compilation of things people have sent in to a newsletter type publication. Some is common sense but others are pretty nifty time and/or environment savers that I'll incorporate myself. But...I never realized what it would take to retire in Belize until I sat down and started thinking about it. Now that time is getting short I have to start getting everything together. I bought a chain saw, air compressor and a 50cc scooter today at a flea market. My friend Stu saw them and called me so I met him there and started my quest to buy them. The money from selling my furniture is what I'm planning on using to equip myself. Today I spent $350 and got some very necessary items.

Finally...an empty house!

Well all the furniture is out of the house now. The last of it was picked up today. So from here on out I'm sleeping on an air mattress. I don't have a chair to sit on, a table to eat at, or a bed to sleep on. That just means that I'm getting closer to leaving here for Orlando. I have to stay until at least Friday 10/2 so that I can turn in my laptop, ID card, Corporate credit cards, etc to someone in my group before I head out. So I'm packing like a madman now and the kitchen eating area is full of packed boxes. I'm still downloading movies, audio books, and music to my almost full 1gig and 250meg HDs.

Anyone know where I can get a reasonably priced portable windmill that will power a fridge the A/C, and other electrical things? Not sure how many continuous amps I'll need though until I buy the RV. I want to cut costs as much as I can and being able to use the free wind in Belize will do that plus give me the electric that I need to be comfortable.

I stopped in a new pizza joint today, called ZPizza, after picking up my 6 shot Starbucks espresso with whipped cream. Met the owner, a nice guy from Sweden and we were talking about my upcoming adventure. He has a friend that lived in Costa Rica for 6 months and LOVED it. One more vote for somewhere other than Belize. So needless to say, I'll be checking out Costa Rica and Panama before I plant my garden...

Anyway...back to the pizza. Being born and raised in Chicago and living in NJ for 12 years I know good pizza. You can argue about which place has better if you want but I like them both because they are so different. Well ZPizza is a winner in Alpharetta. Too bad I found it with so little time left here. I got the 18' American with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes and onions. Man is it good!

Right after I stuffed in 2 pieces into me I got an invite from a friend and co-worker (Catherine Stultz and her husband, who is just home from Iraq) to come over for dinner. Breaded Talapia with all the trimmings. You know me and seafood (not the joke about the seafood diet). I never pass up a free meal, especially seafood! So it looks like there will be plenty of one of my favorite breakfast treats tomorrow...cold pizza! YUM!!!

Well not to bore you all anymore. I'll be back later as things progress.

Success!

I sold all the necessary furniture today! All that's left is 1 TV, a futon, and 1 small dresser. I can take them to Orlando when I go and sell them from there... Some of it won't be picked up for a week but that's no problem. They all gave me a large cash deposit. What a load off my my mind! Now all I have to do is pack the stuff that I'm keeping, or taking with me, and get ready to leave GA.

Another win!

I sold the bedroom set and 1 TV today. All I have left of import is the living room furniture, fridge, the washer & dryer, and 1 TV and I'll be able to leave GA! I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! Now it's time to see if I can get a loan for a pick up truck and an RV and start looking for them.

My retirement luncheon went very well last Wednesday. We went to the Olive Garden and pigged out. We all had a great time. It was strange being the center of attention, mostly because I don't like being the center of attention, but also because I was the one retiring. I've been to plenty of other retirement functions but never my own...

Antsy to be on my way back to Orlando

I'm really antsy to be getting back to Orlando to make my final purchases and preparations to head west and south to start my new life. One thing that's put a wrinkle into moving so far away is that my daughter Nicole and I have resolved our differences cause by my marrying Maggie and are now back together. I grieved over losing contact with Nicole for those years. She had a daughter about 2 years ago (MY GRANDBABY!!!) whom I'm getting to finally know. So how do you move so far away when you have a munchkin in your life??? Well I guess I'll have to get up to Orlando more often than I thought and, who knows, maybe they'll make trips down to see me.

I'm getting good responses to my furniture sale. Hopefully it will all be gone by next Monday. I'm putting an ad in the Atlanta paper this week announcing an estate sale instead of just putting it on Craig's List. I do have people coming this week to look at the remaining stuff so maybe it won't be necessary... But I have to cover all my bases. The extra $$$ in my pocket will be a great help in buying the last of my necessaries for the move.

I'm really looking forward to heading west and south. I'm still tossed over whether to buy a pick up/suv and a dragger camper or an RV and drag a pick up/suv. While I still have time to mull it over I need to make the decision by the time I do get back to FL. I want to be on the road before the end of October. I'm really looking forward to visiting family and friends in TX and AZ! Watch for me to pull up in front of your houses!

Today is my retirement luncheon in Atlanta. Who would have ever think that I'd be retiring??? In my early working years I planned to retire at 55. Well, we all know what happens to most dreams like that. But at least it's only 4 years late and not 10 like most people. Having a younger brother die unexpectedly sure puts your like in perspective. You realize that you never know what's going to happen tomorrow so you may as well enjoy your life today. So that's one of the reasons that I finally made the decision to do it. I figure that I've worked long enough and deserve to relax and have some peace in my life. I won't be stagnant though. I plan to bring my tools with me and volunteer with some of the church groups that come down to build/repair schools, churches, clinics, etc. But, if I'm enjoying what I'm doing at the moment, or have other plans, I can tell them no not this time. Plus I'll be taking trips all over Central America and also camping in the Belize rain forest and mountains. My tent, a fishing pole, a couple of books, and a handful of cigars will always be packed and ready! Remember too that my welcome mat will always be out so come down and visit any time!

Getting rid of Alpharetta 2

Well I got all the furniture on Craig's list today and have gotten a few emails concerning things for sale. Hopefully the townhouse will begin emptying. Packing is going well and there is much less than I thought that has to be done. Hopefully the final 2 weeks of holiday will be just spent resting. I'm still waiting to hear from Rich to see if he got the time off so we can go camping the last week of my time off. I'm really looking forward to that and I'll be very disappointed if he can't come up. But if the weather continues like it has for the past couple of days camping is a moot point. I think I saw the ark float by yesterday...