Most of my friends are avid outdoorsmen. They prefer to be outside doing activities like hiking, surfing, horseback riding, kayaking, climbing, rollerblading, softball, tennis, pickle ball, dog walking, shuffleboard, and cornhole. Although I choose to run every day, I’m much happier being an indoorsman. I like air conditioning, television, movie theatres, streaming, wi-fi and being a couch potato. I get my share of sunshine and fresh air during my morning run and swim. Occasionally, I’ll brave the outdoors in the afternoon by sitting on a beach chair. It keeps me tan and looking like a rugged outdoorsman.
I just spent two weeks working on my tan. It was hot and often uncomfortable, made tolerable by reading books. Occasionally, I would jump in the surf but mostly I just lounged. Sunshine can be very addicting but so can a cool, dark room. I spend a total of only about one hour a day outside with the combination of a 5k run and some short dog walking stints. I’m glad to be back in my routine after being away from home so long. The next few times will be even longer.
My sleep has been disrupted the last two nights by the smoke alarms. It drives our schnauzer Tally crazy, especially after all the trouble we had a year ago with defective sensors. There is nothing worse the the sound of a smoke alarm chirping in a house with no furniture to absorb the noise. Plus, they always seem to go off in the middle of the night. Two nights ago, we got a call from my widowed neighbor about 1:30 a.m. after her alarms sounded repeatedly. Her dog was understandably upset with the high-pitched squawking. I grabbed my ladder and disconnected the power, as I had learned from my experiences after just moving in. I bought a tall step ladder just for this purpose.
After another neighbor and I got her system finally squared away yesterday morning, our alarm coincidentally went off last night at about the same damn time. Tally retreated towards the exits and I grabbed the ladder while still half asleep and mildly under the influence of a couple Cinco de Maya margaritas. This morning I replaced each of the batteries in all the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as seems to be required every year at this time. The only thing worse is being on a ladder outdoors!
The year 2021 was filled with great expectations as we made our move from the cramped Portland apartment to our new Venice, Florida home. This would entail hiring a moving company, packing up all our belongings, and making another 3,000 mile drive. We were actually concerned that the moving company might beat us to the final destination. Instead, they were delayed by nearly seven weeks, as Covid continued to affect truck driver availability. My wife also encountered another unexpected obstacle along the way when she developed a painful kidney stone issue. It required an emergency stop in Burlington, Colorado and minor surgery in Indianapolis.
Although we arrived in Florida after just a few days delay, our furniture came much later. We had fortunately had the foresight to have sent ahead our inflatable bed on one of our 2020 flights. After a few weeks of discomfort, we then went out and bought a bed that we needed for the guest room. We also borrowed from my son a table, some folding chairs, and an aquarium stand that was used for the TV. My wife and I were also quick to jump at an opportunity to go to Marco Island with some friends for a few days while we continued to wait for our furniture to arrive.
Finally, in the third week of May the long lost moving truck finally arrived. After getting our home semi-organized, we went back to Portland for the U.S. Olympic Trials, another event that had been delayed by the troublesome Covid virus. A trip to Amelia Island followed, so we could see the twin girls born to my wife’s nephew along with our very first visit to Singer Island. We returned there last week for a longer stay. In September, we also squeezed in a family excursion to Pittsburg for a ball game before our very first houseguests began to arrive. They’ve kept coming ever since between visits to the Kennedy Space Center and Disneyworld. I’m not sure how we would have worked in Spain, Tahoe, and Hawaii that were originally scheduled but cancelled. It was a busy enough year already!
As I approach post #2022 there will be no more reminiscing about years gone by. I will have to think of a new idea starter when it comes to my daily ramblings. When writing about the year 2019 yesterday, I suddenly realized what an eventful, live-changing year it was in my life. (See Post #2019) As I now look back with hindsight on last year, 2020, it began as a busy continuation of 2019, starting with dinner at Bern’s Steak House in Tampa. The two girls were married and owned homes of their own. We sent them on nice honeymoons to Hawaii, but left them on the West Coast while we looked for the right place in Florida to retire. We had made plans to get together with them all in both Tahoe and Hawaii before the year was over that never happened. We also had trips planned to St. Kitts, Bali, Egypt, Spain, and Russia, hoping to frequently escape from the cramped confines of our small apartment in Portland. We did get to Las Vegas and were on the plane to Phoenix when the sky fell in.
All our travel plans changed in an instant with the onset of Covid. Spring Training was cancelled, even the NCAA Tournament. We were grounded in Portland for months but in the midst of Covid cautiously got on a Orlando bound plane in June and rented a car to tour potential Florida homesites. By the end of the journey we had put money down on the lot that with some adjustments would eventually become our new home. After the flight home, a month later we drove the Solara to Glacier National Park, meeting friends for Walla Walla wine tasting on the way there. The Canadian border was closed so we had to alter our plans to stay at the Prince Albert Hotel – no thanks again to Covid.
In August, we got in the Lexus and drove the 3,000 miles to Florida, stopping in San Francisco, Desert Springs, Tucson, Marfa, Austin, and Lake City along the way. We then started the building process in Venice before leaving the car at my son’s house and flying back to Portland. This completed the first leg of our permanent move that would happen in early 2021. It was another eventful year without a single trip to Back Home to Indiana for once. I reflect back to what I’ll probably always call the year of the virus where Hindsight is 20/20.
The year 2019 was a life-changing year for our family. We brought in the new year at Holdfast with a fabulous meal. My wife was still working but we still managed a week in Arizona, a weekend trip to Seattle for some IU baseball, a week in Thailand, a quick business venture to Chicago, Maui with the Auto Dealers, Walla-Walla for wine tasting, a few days at Canada’s Butchart Gardens with the pups, a long weekend in Steamboat during the summer, two trips to San Francisco for my wife’s youngest daughter’s wedding, a second wedding in Portland for my wife’s oldest daughter, the sale of our house and subsequent move to an apartment, a visit with the grandkids in Florida, and what was to be my wife’s final business excursion to New York. Whew! By the end of the year, my wife had lost her mother, and we we were both retired, driving through Florida to look for a new home.
None of us knew at that time that Covid was lurking around the corner. Fortunately, my wife’s mother never had to deal with the additional isolation it would have brought to her life. Sadly, she never got to see her granddaughters walk down the aisle. So, two weddings, a funeral, my wife’s unexpected retirement, and the sale of our Portland house were the most memorable events of 2019. There were also 24-Marriott stays of various lengths that were scattered around these life-changing memories.
In 2020, we would not go back to Indiana for the first time in our lives. There were no more visits to Rochester where my wife’s mother lived, no travel to Elkhart where I grew up, or holiday get-togethers in Indianapolis with my wife’s sister. Our immediate family was now spread from coast-to-coast: Portland, San Francisco, and Florida. We had to decide where to eventually settle down.
It’s trash day with no bin to take to the curb. It takes me back to the Portland apartment and dumping it down the shoot. Next Monday we’ll be back to the routine with the Dog Park, Trash, and Movie back in the picture. Today, we’re headed to the beach, a short walk from the pool, to claim our overpriced beach chairs for the day. No scrambling for a precious spot by the pools that all seem to be claimed by 9 a.m. Tomorrow will be our last full day of vacation before we head home on Wednesday to reclaim our dog.
Surprisingly, we didn’t get out to see much of the sights around Singer Island. We fully expected a rain day to visit the Flagler Museum and other nearby historical landmarks. Although rain was in the forecast, it never really disrupted our day and we only went out to eat three times, including the resort tiki bar for lunch. My wife has been very good at preparing meals in our kitchen, saving lots of money compared to our usual vacations. I was reluctant to use the word “vacation” in these days of retirement, but these two weeks have been different. We did need a break from the routine outside of house guests. Getting our home put together this past year has been both stressful and expensive. We were glad to get away from everything but Tally. The main distinction is that we don’t have to go back to the office!
It will be good to see my son and grandkids again, get back to my running routine through the neighborhood, and reacquaint ourselves with the neighbors. I’ve also missed a few episodes of Winning Time and Curse of Oak Island. We did get to watch Billions and Ozark when we weren’t reading by the pool or mesmerized by watching the Atlantic Ocean waves crash against the beach from our patio. The Gulf Coast is much more peaceful and the water much warmer. However, it’s always fun to get a taste of the tropical winds and massive waves on this – the other side of Florida.
In the year 2017, I was fully retired but my younger wife was still working. I had the advantage of accompanying her on many business trips primarily to LA, Seattle, Chicago, and NY while enjoying the free accommodations provided by her company. While she was out making calls, I would go for a run, visit a museum, have lunch with a friend, or go to a ballpark or historical landmark. As of three years ago, we both were retired and then Covid struck so this kind of business travel would have likely been limited to Zoom conferences. The two-week getaway that we’re currently taking, is probably the longest either of us have been away from home at any time in our lives. We will do the same thing in August, September, and December if all goes as planned. In retrospect, we were essentially homeless during the long drive from Portland to Florida when we settled into our new place a year ago.
Tally was with us on that long drive, but will be left behind several more time during the rest of our travels this year. It’s not our choice but dogs are simply not welcome! This is also the longest stretch we’ve ever been away from her, so I hope she recognizes us when we pick her up at Schnauzerville next week. I’m sure she’d be disappointed if she knew that the next two trips will be close to a month in length each, followed by two weeks in Hawaii. She’ll be left behind, but hopefully her schnauzer buddies will keep her happy. I’m grateful that all this travel has prevented my wife from getting another puppy, something she’s had her eye on for some time now. We had to pass on the three recent litters that produced eighteen tiny, black bundles of fur. Her favorite was the one with a small patch of white.
Next year, will be equally “busy” with travel to Phoenix, Tucson, Egypt, Tahoe, and the East coast to Maine. Maybe we can put off the extra pup for another year, but when travel time has run its course, then puppy time will take its place. Perhaps, no lengthy trips will take place in our distant future with more time to enjoy our resort community. Plus, money will certainly be a factor. We’ve spent a lot of our once aggressive travel budget on projects at home. Tally is probably happy that trips that we once had planned to Bali, St. Kitts, Russia, and China may never take place. Tahoe, Kauai, and Egypt adventures have been rescheduled. Puppies and Travels -who knows what will happen?
I started this blog in 2016 in anticipation of retirement at the end of the year. It was part of my plan to keep busy, hoping that my daily writing efforts would lead somewhere. Now, after 2,016 attempts, it’s still a quest as part of my daily routine, but has yet to amount to anything but a tool to keep me entertained. Today, my effort will be cut short by the resort’s cleaning service for fresh sheets, towels, dusting, vacuuming, and mopping that used to be a daily task pre-Covid. They agreed to come in after our first week here at Singer Island. Plus, we have a house guest for the night.
We’ll grill steaks on the outdoor grills after a day in the sun – not much different than being at home. I’ll continue my reading the book, Once We Were Brothers, while the girls catch-up on their long-term friendship. I did get my full 5k in this morning, but will be at under 85 miles for the month after several 1.1 mile setbacks due to time restraints and dizziness. Normally, I’m well over 90 miles each month, exceeding 1,000 miles a year. I never really thought of this as a milestone until a close friend joined a 1,000 mile walking club. My next goal will come in September, five months from now, when I surpass 5,000 consecutive days as part of “The Streak.”
Another day has gone by in a flash, as boats pass in the distance from our balcony view. My skin is now as brown as it was when we returned from Thailand a few years ago. I did have a head start this time due to living in Florida rather than Portland, where the sun only came in short breaks. Four more days of sun worshipping before we return home for even more sun. We’re Lovin’ It!
Over the past few days here on Singer Island, I’ve continued to log our Marriott and Marriott Vacation Club journeys over the past twenty-three years. I’ve consulted reservation histories, personal notes, poems, and my daily journal for clues as to Marriott owned hotel/resorts stays all these years. An Excel sheet now lists them by date and occasion. We even collected more reward points by sitting in on a sales presentation this morning, electing to not invest any additional dollars in this program going forward.
The “early” meeting disrupted my routine of running and writing, as has been the case with our first week here. Once again, I only managed the minimum mile for the third time this week and missed another blog entry. I guess there actually is such thing as a vacation in retirement, especially if you define it as a complete modification of daily habits – like Thursday’s change in our normal sunbathing schedule to accommodate the weather forecast. Routine-less days make the hands on the clock even harder to track.
Yesterday, we went to the grocery store for the second time since our arrival, in anticipation of company this weekend. We also have free Showtime, so we’re catching up on the Billions series. Rain is once again in the forecast but it’s surprisingly sunny by the pool as I write these words. No, wait now it’s suddenly cloudy! A storm sent us packing early yesterday, but stopped just before we walked down the block for ice cream – just another twist in the normal routine.
The dizziness has passed, but I still have a sinus headache. I was able to return to running a full 5k this morning although my pace was awkward and sluggish. Nonetheless, consecutive day #4,868 is now behind me and another sunny afternoon ahead. We’ll be back in our expensive beach chairs in a few hours once I catch up on my writing. Yesterday, I was distracted on the computer with a silly project, listing all my stays at Marriott properties over the last twenty-two year. This includes Vacation Club, Ritz Carlton, Marriott, JW Marriott, Spring Hill Suites, Towne Place, Westin, Fairfield, Courtyard, Sheraton, and Residence Inn overnights. We honestly haven’t paid directly for a room at any of these brands in at least the last fifteen years. Some were corporate reimbursements but most were based on points collected from credit card purchases and membership in the Marriott Vacation Club. Of course, I pay a small related mortgage and maintenance fees, but it’s much more practical than a second home. Plus, it’s not a fixed location.
I have accounted for over 200 stays all over the world so far with some as much as 14-days long. When all is said and done, I will have spent more than a year of my life in Marriott rooms from Hawaii to Bangkok. It’s rewarding to look back on all of our travel adventures. It really started back in 2005 when I took the TV General Manager’s job in Decatur, Illinois. The first few months of living there was at a Fairfield Inn where I began to accumulate points, and corporate meetings around the country allowed me to stay at pricier Marriott hotels for even greater points. Next, I got a Marriott Credit Card where purchases also earned points. Ultimately, we joined the Marriott Vacation Club about 5 years ago. The main benefit is consistency in our lodging as we travel. No surprises and first class accommodations! Points, Points, Points.
My wife claims that I love my Marriott points more than I love her, but the truth is she never complains about where we stay. There are no more “Third Room” hassles that used to plague our adventures. (See Post #503). She’s usually content under the care of Mother Marriott and has collected thousands of points on her own through her own business travels. We’re in mutual agreement on something for once! There are of course other expenses involved in travel like the beach chairs that we rent. The fact is that they cost more per day than Fairfield rooms we used to rent twenty years ago. However, we charged it on the credit card, so we’ll also get some points.
Yesterday, we lunched with our Ft, Wayne friends that we affectionately call “Neighbors,” even though we’ve technically never been. I once lived within running distance of their house but since then have settled in Indianapolis, Zionsville, Decatur, IL., Austin, TX., Portland, OR., and now Venice, FL. In this case, they were being snowbirds in Sebastian, FL. while we were staying at a Marriott condo on Singer Island. We got together near the half-way point, Jensen Beach at Conchy Joe’s, a restaurant/bar on the Intracoastal Waterway. I picked the spot randomly on the map, knowing little about the destination. It was quite eclectic with a thatched roof, open air seating, and giant overhead fans. We hogged a table for several hours playing catch-up and then moved to the parking lot for another hour or two. Back in the day, we used to joke about being “Garage People,” since at most parties we always seemed to hang out in the garage. Most likely, it was where our hosts preferred us to be with a house full of people. A couple of chairs in the dirt parking lot was our comfort zone, as we continued to share memories.
We had planned to go to a movie on the way back but we ended up staying too long and headed straight “home.” My wife also wanted to stop for fresh seafood at an off-road stand. We loaded up the Yeti cooler and were on our way when I had a sudden dizzy spell behind the wheel. It came and went, so I sought a place to park and recover. I’m still not sure of the cause but it gave me a slight headache, an uneasy feeling, and made me even more unsteady on my feet. When we got back to the condo, I gingerly sat on the couch to watch the final episode of Inventing Anna and the movie Project Adam. When I woke up this morning, I still did not feel well and shortened my run to a mile.
I had forgotten part of my medication, so this might have been part of the problem. I also both ran and walked on the beach the last few days, so dehydration may have been an issue. The last time this happened was several years ago when I got dizzy during my morning run and ended up in the Emergency Room (See Post #808). They could not determine the cause for this disturbing episode either. I’ll take it easy today, as is typically the norm in retirement, and hopefully I won’t continue to feel dizzy.
