As the days grow shorter, our neighborhood is starting to light up at night with Halloween decorations. I usually set up a few things about a week or 10 days before Halloween night. My “decorations” are limited to some orange lights, flicker bulbs in our outdoor fixtures, and a few Halloween blow-molds like the ones above. I have these exact three. Each are about 3-feet … Continue reading Surprising Halloween Collectibles
I’ve always subscribed to the Thoreau quote: “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” Autumn is perhaps the season with the fullest potential “bucket list” of activities, since the weather is still nice, nature is taking a dramatic turn, and people fall wistfully back into so many family … Continue reading Autumn Bucket List
As summer winds down, I’m also winding down two activities that have partly consumed my attentions for the last 3 months. On Tuesday, I collected my 75-mile State Park Hiking Club patch, and today I’m closing out my 25-beer Pub Pass. Both have kept me pretty busy this summer. I hiked loops in about 6 state parks this summer and pedaled about 250+ miles to … Continue reading What’s Are You Collecting This Year?
Last weekend I was on a strange quest to capture a great photo of this new Viking River Cruise ship that docked in Minnesota for the first time. It’s a new 350 passenger vessel that will sail between St. Paul and New Orleans, giving folks a taste of life on the Mighty Mississippi. Why did I care? I’m not sure, but I will tell you … Continue reading The Great Chase
Yesterday would have been my 33rd Anniversary of working, if I hadn’t pulled the plug on MegaCorp 6 years ago. I first worked downtown Minneapolis for The Pillsbury Company. Monday, August 14, 1989 is an important date that I will always remember. Today, August 15th, my son is having a milestone date, too. He’s starting a new job with the second-largest company in the world, … Continue reading First Day at GigaCorp
My friend and neighbor, Jeff, has organized a great activity as he transitioned from the world of work to retirement. He has become a garage brewmaster and hosts backyard monthly ‘tap release events’. Brewing beer and getting people together fit perfectly with his background as a chemical engineer & MegaCorp operations executive. About a dozen guys got together a couple weeks ago for his latest … Continue reading Monthly Tap Release Parties
I often describe my FIRE vocation as “professional goof-off,” but this week I might have outdone myself. I enjoyed a few days on an all-expenses-paid luxury award trip as an unlikely inductee into the White Castle Hall of Fame. Wait, what? There’s a Hall of Fame for that hamburger place that looks like a roadside castle? The one that’s open ‘way past midnight’ and makes … Continue reading A Quirky Award
Summer hit as suddenly as lightning last week in Minnesota. After one of the coldest April’s in the last 50 years (daily highs mostly in the 30s), the temperature hit 88-degrees yesterday when I wrote this. With the nice weather came all of our favorite summer activities: biking, tennis, league softball, and … Pickleball. Surely you’ve heard of the phenomenon of Pickleball, haven’t you? It’s … Continue reading In A Pickle …
My son and I tuned into the Supreme Court confirmation hearings this week. We debated some of the issues that were brought up, but don’t worry, I won’t get into politics here. Instead, I wanted to comment on how surprised I was that Kentanji Brown Jackson was born in 1970. That makes her YOUNGER than me by a full 4 years! After that shock hit … Continue reading My Time Running The World …
I like this giant sundial that anchors a downtown shopping & entertainment plaza in St. Petersburg, Florida – “The Sunshine City”. Around the base are the words, “Use well these few but ever fleeting hours” which strikes me as pretty good advice, and maybe a good personal motto. Recently, someone asked about ‘personal mottos’ in a forum post online and these were the ones that … Continue reading What Is Your Personal Motto?
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