We’re still learning what it’s like to have two places — one in Minnesota and one in Florida. It’s funny how different the same place can feel depending on why we’re here and how long we stay. Sometimes a trip to Florida feels like a vacation. We don’t really settle into a routine — we just enjoy the sunshine, check out favorite restaurants, and maybe … Continue reading Two Places, Two Speeds …
My Grandparents (on my Mom’s side of our family) lived most of their lives in Racine, Wisconsin. My Mom was born Racine, married my Dad there, and I was born there with my 3 brothers. Racine is a great little city on Lake Michigan, but unfortunately, like a lot of blue-collar Midwestern cities, it has struggled as a small city since the 1960s. It has … Continue reading Rising Tide Regions
Audiobooks are apparently having a big surge in popularity. Ten years ago, only 15% of Americans had listened to an audiobook, but now it’s over 50%. Revenue for audiobooks has exploded over +300% over the same period, driven by new streaming options. I’m a bit late to the trend. I’ve written before about my (mostly failed) strategies to overcome my ADHD and read more books … Continue reading Dropping Into Audiobooks
July is the month of the Summer movie blockbuster and we’re off to our third movie premiere weekend in the last month. I went to the F1 Movie in June on opening weekend, saw Superman two weeks ago, and are now going to the Fantastic Four. Still, like most Americans, we are no where near the number of movie theater visits we were making before … Continue reading Movie Theaters Return?
I’m down in steamy Florida right now, spending the weekend at our vacation place down here. Like most newer developments in Florida, there are a fair number of golf carts on the road, but I don’t think we’re going to invest in one. First, our town of Celebration isn’t really a “retirement village”. There are a decent number of retirees, but the demographics of … Continue reading Golf Carting Around …
We’re a couple weeks into Glorious Summer and I’m already feeling worn out! It’s been a busy week with friends, family, lunches, sports, and other activities. It’s Friday morning and I just told my wife that I’m taking the day off. Before we get into the business of the weekend (with very nice looking weather), it’s time to take a break! I used to keep … Continue reading Need My Day Off …
We got up early yesterday morning to take our son to the airport. He and his girlfriend were leaving for a fun trip to Japan. Getting up early, is usually no fun for me, but this time my wife and I are benefiting from the jet lag resulting from our trip to Europe last week. I usually get up a little after 8 AM, but … Continue reading Jet Lag Sunrise
My buddy Russ told me that once we bought a place in Florida, we’ll be buying “two of everything”. I thought we could get by with having our Florida vacation place be a little spartan, but it’s not turning out that way. Just one year in, we’ve gotten to the point where I could pretty much go back-and-forth to our home in Minnesota without … Continue reading Two Of Everything
We have had quite a few visitors to our vacation place in Celebration FL over the last few weeks. Everyone is interested in the unique “Town that Disney Built”. I’ve found that people from different parts of Florida like to compare what their towns & clubhouses have to keep retirees busy & entertained. On the ‘highly desired’ list are pools / water parks, golf … Continue reading Unique Activities in Retirement
This weekend, we watched a HBO Music Box documentary about the “Yacht Rock” music phenomenon. It was interesting to see how some young folks “uncovered” the previously unreported late 70s/early 80s Los Angeles music scene and connections between Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins, Toto, and Christopher Cross. The next morning, I commented that the Yacht Rock era “was almost 45 years ago!” … Continue reading Retired Yacht Rocker Cliches
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