I retired (aka: lost my job) a few years back, and have been trying to enjoy a better lifestyle…. If I even know what that is? Now the time has come for Art to do the same. As much as we both want this, there are a lot of unknowns, making it both scary and exciting. When I think about retirement, I envision 70 year old cronies hanging outside a Florida apartment playing shuffleboard. I realize that retirement is different these days with many retiring early when they can still do more than watch TV and play shuffleboard. This thread is about the transition to retirement.
Mountain Bike Nats:
Yes, they were a few months back, but worth mentioning. It may not seem like a big deal because it was my fourth national title, but with each one I have felt more accomplished and challenged. This year I raced a stronger and larger field than ever before. The lead racer put over a minute on me on the opening climb. While some racers were nervous about the technical aspects of the course, I was very comfortable and relaxed and able to gain back that deficit on the back end of the course. The heckle pit was awesome and helped to seal my win. On a year where I had many distractions, I was pleased to be able to rise to the occasion for just one more victory. Thanks to all those that were out there cheering for me!
The Winter Plan:
A few weeks back Art and I got a fixer-upper house in Arizona. I currently live in NJ, just one mile from where I was born, so this is a pretty big step in little pixy world. We are not moving to Az full time, but plan to spend winters renovating this house on the edge of the Coronado National Forest. … Yes, we can ride from the house to the trails, which was one of the reasons for choosing this house. The property is really special, with great views and a naturalized yard of cacti, agave, aloe, cholla, one saguaro, ocotillo, hummingbirds and a tarantula.
The house needs some big work: new electrical, new kitchen, new windows, and heat and A/C. It’s a really nice house but has been through a foreclosure and a half and while it may have been loved, it never got brought up to code. This will be a new experience because house construction in Az is quite different than NJ. Just like the Alamo in “Peewee’s Great Adventure”, there are no basements in Az.
Our 9 days out in AZ for the closing were mostly hot, but the evenings were cool. I sweated more than I ever remembered and only rode 4 times, all before 8:00 am. We also had our first “Oh no, why did we buy this house” moment when we were denied power and forced to call a licensed electrician, only to find that the previous owners had been stealing all their power. … Crazy! We were able to get that fixed enough to not be stealing and get our power back, but we will need to have an electrician come back and get things up to code. We have many plans for the house in the works right now, but still plan to do some cross racing.
Once back from Az, I managed one day of racing at Nittanny Cross. Considering that I put zero into my prep for my cross season, I would say that I did fine in my race. I lined up by chance behind someone who botched their start, putting me in the back of the class. It took the whole first lap to pass ladies and get myself to third. I just could not bridge up any farther. I held my spot in 3rd and was very pleased to be able to do that. It was also great to once again be a part of the cross vibe. It’s always a fun time and usually not too taxing because of the short race. It’s like 25% race and 75% social/fun. One reason why I still come back for more cross each year.
Mountain Bike Nats:
Yes, they were a few months back, but worth mentioning. It may not seem like a big deal because it was my fourth national title, but with each one I have felt more accomplished and challenged. This year I raced a stronger and larger field than ever before. The lead racer put over a minute on me on the opening climb. While some racers were nervous about the technical aspects of the course, I was very comfortable and relaxed and able to gain back that deficit on the back end of the course. The heckle pit was awesome and helped to seal my win. On a year where I had many distractions, I was pleased to be able to rise to the occasion for just one more victory. Thanks to all those that were out there cheering for me!
The Winter Plan:
A few weeks back Art and I got a fixer-upper house in Arizona. I currently live in NJ, just one mile from where I was born, so this is a pretty big step in little pixy world. We are not moving to Az full time, but plan to spend winters renovating this house on the edge of the Coronado National Forest. … Yes, we can ride from the house to the trails, which was one of the reasons for choosing this house. The property is really special, with great views and a naturalized yard of cacti, agave, aloe, cholla, one saguaro, ocotillo, hummingbirds and a tarantula.
The house needs some big work: new electrical, new kitchen, new windows, and heat and A/C. It’s a really nice house but has been through a foreclosure and a half and while it may have been loved, it never got brought up to code. This will be a new experience because house construction in Az is quite different than NJ. Just like the Alamo in “Peewee’s Great Adventure”, there are no basements in Az.
Our 9 days out in AZ for the closing were mostly hot, but the evenings were cool. I sweated more than I ever remembered and only rode 4 times, all before 8:00 am. We also had our first “Oh no, why did we buy this house” moment when we were denied power and forced to call a licensed electrician, only to find that the previous owners had been stealing all their power. … Crazy! We were able to get that fixed enough to not be stealing and get our power back, but we will need to have an electrician come back and get things up to code. We have many plans for the house in the works right now, but still plan to do some cross racing.
Once back from Az, I managed one day of racing at Nittanny Cross. Considering that I put zero into my prep for my cross season, I would say that I did fine in my race. I lined up by chance behind someone who botched their start, putting me in the back of the class. It took the whole first lap to pass ladies and get myself to third. I just could not bridge up any farther. I held my spot in 3rd and was very pleased to be able to do that. It was also great to once again be a part of the cross vibe. It’s always a fun time and usually not too taxing because of the short race. It’s like 25% race and 75% social/fun. One reason why I still come back for more cross each year.