Author Archives: Sparky
Yes, I am still alive
Thanks for asking. I have not posted to my blog since July 26 – 6 weeks! But I have been busy. VERY busy. Mostly with work and our rental property, but also with planning our future. Just to catch you up on our plans: we are heading to Florida for the winter. We will be … Continue reading
Our new Heartland BigHorn 3875FB
Yes, we traded in Patience – our Open Range 399BHS – in favor of a brand spanking new Heartland Big Horn 3875FB. We plan to travel for at least 3 more years and, with the sale of the house, felt justified in upgrading to a unit that better fit our current needs. We don’t have a separate … Continue reading
The end of our Patience
We loved our Open Range fifth wheel, a.k.a. “Patience.” But some of the reasons that made it right for us – the bunkhouse to house the grandchildren being at the top of that list – are no longer relevant. And it was relatively dark and had a number of maintenance issues – most notably the … Continue reading
A lifetime on a laptop
For those (few) readers who have noticed that I haven’t blogged lately, the reason is this: my laptop died. Yes, the Dell T5510 in which I had just invested about $100 to replace the screen and power cord decided that it was time to give up the semiconductor ghost. I used it in the morning, … Continue reading
Practically homeless
We sold our house in Medford MA on Friday. Jett shed a tear as she locked the door for the last time. My eyes remained dry, but even I had to acknowledge the significance of the event: for the first time since 1978, I do not own a residence. We are now back in our … Continue reading
Carnival Breeze – Days 7, 8 and 9 – At sea and in the Everglades
We like ports of call, too, and shore excursions, but one the the best things about cruising is sailing along on the sunny open ocean, with nothing to do. Having two long, lazy days at sea to end this cruise – with beautiful sunsets – was just fine with us. The final days of a … Continue reading
Carnival Breeze – Day 6 – Aruba
Aruba was the one destination on the itinerary that we had visited before. We are probably in the minority as we are not enchanted by the island. We found it windy, bustling, overbuilt and visually uninteresting – it is basically a sandbar with big hotels. The beaches, while very nice, are not noticeably better than … Continue reading
Carnival Breeze – Day 5 – Curacao
Curacao was another first-time visit for us. It was an unusual docking as we were ashore late – departure was 10pm. That gave us a rare view of our cruise ship at night. I had seen the photos of the colorful buildings along the harbor in Curacao and seeing them in person didn’t disappoint. But … Continue reading
Carnival Breeze – Day 4 – La Romana
We finally got to dock at a Caribbean island on Day 4 of our cruise. And it was one of the places we have never been: the Dominican Republic. Specifically, La Romana, a port on the southeast corner of the island and the third-largest city in the DR. We had been told not to expect … Continue reading
Early retirement in name only
I was laid off on September 2. It is now September 20. So I have had 18 days to settle in to the “do nothing” lifestyle. Except that, so far, retirement has been more demanding than work. Every day has been busy from dawn to dusk. Much of my time has been devoted to transitional … Continue reading »