Day 4 - Maybe it is Real

 

Day 4 - Retirement
Jupiter Beach, Florida
January 6, 2022

Retirement Day 4 started like most days--I wrote a blog, enjoyed breakfast, checked the weather back in Maryland and was happy not to be there. There is way too much snow and cold.

I am still adjusting to the idea that I don't have to go to work when my vacation is over--wait, I'm not on vacation. I am sure that the permanence of my situation will hit me when I get back to Maryland in just over a week. 

I do miss work, or at least the thought of work. I miss the people I worked with and from reading the news I have a sense of what they are dealing with. I remember that when I retired from the Air Force a couple decades ago that it took me a while to disconnect from the military, I am sure that will be the case again--but I do not want to lose touch with the friends I've made and the people I've worked with these past 20 plus years. 

The great part about yesterday was the couple afternoon hours on the beach. It was cool, only 75 degrees, I think the weather was warmer than that, but the sun shone brightly and made it feel warmer. And then there was the beach and the ocean. The surf was rough and enjoyable to watch. It was very loud, except for short moments when everything fell silent. It was my first afternoon sojourn to the beach, we have been walking the beach in the morning, but until yesterday had not actually taken chairs and a cooler of refreshments to enjoy actual "sun time" on the sand. 

Day 5 is at hand and I have a new ceiling fan to install. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Flamingos to Enjoy

  

Flamingos
Flamingo Gardens
Ft Lauderdale, FL
January 4, 2022

Question.

What is my favorite bird? 

Answer:

Flamingo! 

Spoonbill
Flamingo Gardens
Ft Lauderdale, FL
January 4, 2022

Chris and I found a small piece of paradise called Flamingo Gardens Botanical Gardens and Wildlife Sanctuary close-by in Fort Lauderdale. 

We spent a relaxing afternoon touring the gardens and enjoying the wildlife most of which roams freely around the grounds. 

The variety of waterbirds and local animals is fun to enjoy as well as seeing multiple tropical plants and trees that we might never enjoy in person. The history of the area is engaging and I found out that originally the farm was planted as an orange grove and the clementine and tangelo were both developed on-site. 

The tour of the original house constructed by the owners, which is now a museum, was very interesting and enjoyable as it is furnished in original and period furniture and accessories. It provides a snapshot of a working farmhouse of the 1930's. I was most impressed with the correspondence from President Eisenhower upon the receipt of a case of oranges for his personal use. 

And the multitude of botanical plantings on the property are not to be ignored. It is not often that I see a real coffee tree with beans and a huge grove of banana plants and I had never driven through a mango grove before. 

Flamingo
Flamingo Gardens
Ft Lauderdale, FL
January 4, 2022

But it was the birds, the huge flock of ibis and the roaming peafowl, that were the stars of the show. The display of flamingos really stole my heart and time and became the subject of a large number of images. 

As might be expected, this spot  is now on my visitor tour list. It is a long-ish drive from Jupiter, about one-hour-and-a-quarter, but definitely worth the time investment. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Coincidence? I Think Not!

Jupiter Lighthouse
Jupiter, Florida
April 2, 2018

There are some weird similarities between my northern and southern homes in terms of locations and landmarks. 

I never really thought about it until the other day when I realized that my favorite Florida landmark, which is less than a mile for my condo, the Jupiter Lighthouse was designed and constructed by one each General George G. Meade. 

In Maryland, I live close to a military installation named for the same General George G. Meade. While the installation is not as nice to look at as the Jupiter Lighthouse, it is a significant landmark in the area. 

But wait---there's more!

My Maryland home is situated between I-95 and US 1. Of course in Maryland where I live two roads are fairly close together, about 4,000 feet. My Florida home is similarly situated between I-95 and US 1, but the roads are roughly 4 miles apart. 

Still--how weird is it that I am situated between the two roads and near landmarks built or named for General George G. Meade? 

Coincidences? 

I'm not sure, but life can be a series of coincidences that turn into great outcomes. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

Bookending my First Day

 

Jupiter Lighthouse
Jupiter, Florida
January 3, 2022

Yesterday was a great day to be in Florida! It was my official first day of retirement and while the mid-Atlantic region was getting hammered by a winter storm, I was walking on an ocean beach and enjoying outside activities in shorts and a Tee-shirt. 

The day began with a two-mile beach walk along the Atlantic Ocean. The beach was beautiful, but a storm was gathering inland which drove the sky almost black. As we neared the halfway point of the walk approaching the jetty, the Jupiter Lighthouse came into view. The black sky behind the lighthouse which was illuminated in the sunshine made a stunning image.

Jupiter Lighthouse
Jupiter Island, Jupiter, Florida
January 3, 2022

Chris made an insightful comment during the walk, she noted that "we are not on vacation, this is our life now." I have to admit, being my first real day of retirement the comment really resonated with me. 

Since the day was so nice we decided to bookend it by watching the sunset from the Intracoastal Waterway as we enjoyed Happy Hour together. As the sun set on my first day of retirement it was enjoyable to be sitting on a sandy spit of beach looking out at the lighthouse in a completely different setting. The sunset itself was not a hugely awe inspiring moment, but it was memorable and I, of course, captured it to document the ending of my first day of retirement. 

Sitting on a small beach, along the Intracoastal Waterway watching the sun set at the end of my first workday of retirement--wow, and to think, my alternative would be struggling in a major regional snowstorm. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

Monday Musings - January 3, 2022

 

1. Congratulations, the first Monday of 2022 has arrived. There are 51 Mondays remaining in the year.

Blowing Rocks
Jupiter Island, Jupiter, Florida
January 2, 2022

2. I am in Florida, not on a cruise as originally planned, but missing the first snowstorm of the season in Baltimore. What could possibly be bad about that?

3. Family Sports Weekend Results

    NFL

        Ravens (8-8) lose to Rams (12-4), 19-20

        Cowboys (11-5) lose to Cardinals (11-5), 22-25

        Washington (6-10) lose to Eagles (9-7), 16-20

        Steelers (7-7-1) play Browns (7-8) tonight

    NHL

        Penguins (18-8-5) defeat Sharks (17-15-1), 8-5

    Premier League

        Arsenal (11-2-7) lost to Manchester City (17-2-2), 1-2

4. I can hear trains from my condo. They pass multiple times per day and remind me that goods and services are still moving around the country.

5. This is the first actual workday of my retired life. While it is not exactly what I had planned, I think I am going to get used to it. 

6. It is going to be cooler here today with highs in the upper 70s. I can definitely enjoy not being farther north. 

7. Today in History. On January 3, 1990, Panama’s General Manuel Antonio Noriega, after holing up for 10 days at the Vatican embassy in Panama City, surrenders to U.S. military troops to face charges of drug trafficking. Noriega was flown to Miami the following day and crowds of citizens on the streets of Panama City rejoiced. On July 10, 1992, the former dictator was convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering and racketeering and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Omicron’s impact better measured by rising hospitalizations than cases, Fauci says - The Washington Post

Heavy snow in the D.C. area this morning, with roads turning hazardous - The Washington Post

Twitter permanently suspends Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account over covid-19 misinformation - The Washington Post

Stock Futures Rise, But Investors See Rocky Year Ahead - The Wall Street Journal

Omicron Takes Toll on Businesses, From Airports to Supermarkets - The Wall Street Journal

China and Russia Military Cooperation Raises Prospect of New Challenge to U.S. Power8 min read - The Wall Street Journal

Omicron-related disruptions cause over 4,000 flight cancellations to kick off 2022 - Reuters

South Korean crosses armed border in rare defection to North - Reuters

Daily COVID cases in Saudi Arabia above 1,000, continue to climb in UAE - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

New Year Sun

 

Hope Sound National Preserve
Hope Sound, Florida
January 1, 2022

Celebrating the New Year holiday with blue skies and sun was fabulous yesterday. I read that it was foggy and gloomy in Maryland.

It was not here. We enjoyed an idyllic start to the new year. 

Chris and I spent the day enjoying the quiet and solitude. We are getting our condo ready for full-time occupancy. There is a process in changing it over from a vacation home to a full-time residence. Little tweaks here and there. 

And so the new year begins with a lot of promise and some disappointment. Due to developing COVID issues, we are not sailing on the cruise that we had planned for so many months. It just seems the prudent thing to do. I am retired and we can reschedule for a different and better time. This will be the second major vacation canceled due to COVID. But, I firmly believe that the end is in sight for this virus.

The new year dawned bright and exciting. We had a great day. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

Happy New Year 2022

Jupiter Beach
Jupiter, Florida
December 31, 2021

I have to get used to writing 2022. I remember it took me almost until May last year to finally get comfortable with the date change.

Happy New Year.

I snapped the image used for the greeting while accomplishing a beach walk on Jupiter Island yesterday. The palm tree just stood there calling out to me surrounded by the blue sky. It was the beginning of quite a day in Florida and even as write this I am still a few hours short of exceeding my previous 38-hour abbreviated Florida trip, but remaining hopeful and having no plans for a sudden departure.

US 1
Tequesta, Florida
December 31, 2021

It was a different scene that we found last evening along US 1 in Tequesta as we were watching people set off fireworks to ring in the New Year. We walked, under the cover of darkness, from our condo to the US 1 to watch the fireworks that we could  barely see rising over the building in front of us and spied the forest of light wrapped palm trees along the road side. I have to admit, nothing says Christmas to me more that palm trees with their trunks wrapped in lights!

And now 2022 is underway, I wonder if this is the year we will finally beat COVID? WE can hope. It would be nice to be able to go play es again without showing proof of vaccination or worrying about contracting the virus. I can almost remember life during 2019, BC (before COVID).

One day at a time I guess.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Florida

Headlong Journey

 

Palm Tree in the Morning Light
Tequesta, Florida
December 31, 2021

Yesterday began as unnumbered days before had begun: I woke up, wrote my blog, went to work and that is where it all changed. When I departed my place of employment for the past decades, I was no longer employed anymore; I had been promoted to a new status: retired.

The good-byes were hard and at times awkward, but sincere. I felt kind of like I did when my family dropped me off at college and we said our good-byes and they drove away. I will miss everyone and the relationships that have developed as we worked together. I do not want to lose touch, but I know that life gets in the way of good intentions too many times.

It was very weird driving away from the facility for the very last time, but I had so much to do to be on an evening flight to my Florida home that it kept me fairly occupied for the afternoon.

Note to self--no more late flights. We were delayed over an hour taking off because of baggage handling. Baltimore remains the worst airport that I traverse for baggage. I cannot fully understand how other airports can get bags off aircraft efficiently, but Baltimore cannot seem to manage the effort. 

It was exciting when the Lyft dropped us off in front of our condo and we walked through the door. I was home, again and beginning a new chapter of my life. 

I think I will go walk on the beach.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

It has Arrived

The last work day of the year has arrived! Tomorrow is a Holiday Observed, because New Year's Day is a Saturday, and is technically not a work day. 

I have been anxiously anticipating today with excitement, but now with some trepidation, as it the day is my last workday as I head off into retirement and away from the daily grind.

Being unemployed, or in my case retired, is a strange and very different concept for me. I have been fortunate to have been actively employed my entire adult life with the exception of Columbus Day weekend 1998. I had left my contractor job the Friday prior and did not start my government job until the Tuesday after the holiday. So I was unemployed for a weekend and a holiday. That is until Saturday, January 1st, when I will be officially retired at the stroke of midnight concurrent with the start of the new year. 

The off ramp, therefore, is in sight and the new highway is just ahead. Today is, hopefully, my last in a series of lasts and tomorrow begins my first in a series of new firsts and adventures.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sliding through the last Week

Amazingly, Hump Day has arrived for both the last week of the year and the last week of my full-time employment. 

I am so busy getting ready for the end of the year and the beginning of the new year that I almost did not notice that Hump Day had arrived. 

It is amazing that, as my headlong rush towards retirement continues, the days do not seem to be getting longer, but rather each day is racing past so quickly that I barely can keep up. There is so much to do and the world keeps turning with new excitement at every turn. 

I had begun counting down the hours, but gave up because the hours were spinning past too fast. 

The year is coming to a conclusion. The book of 2021 will soon be complete and it will be another in a long series of years that I have enjoyed. I am staring the COVID monster straight in the eye preparing to go on a cruise with parts of my family. Other parts of the family are slogging through the COVID wastelands of Disney trying to enjoy total escapism while keeping a wary eye on infection rates. 

And so the year draws to a close. Hour by hour. 

Hold fast to the memories before they slip away and are too soon gone. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD