Early Retirement 2012 In Review

From top left, clockwise: At our OLLI holiday party, with my two daughters after completing the Santa Barbara Wine Country half marathon, hiking with our oldest daughter this summer, our February cruise to Hawaii, the family at Mike's retirement dinner, soaking up the sun after hiking to Rosalie Lake in Mammoth.

With Mike joining me in early retirement this past May, 2012 turned out to be a great year. Our goals in dual early retirement were to crank up the intensity with which we tackled life, continue to focus on activities that would grow our bodies, minds and spirits, and spend half our time traveling.

We made tremendous progress on all fronts. We launched ourselves into several satisfying new activities - backpacking, learning to play the recorder, studying Shakespeare, and beginning bridge. We made advances in several other fairly new activities - tennis, Spanish and long distance bicycling. We ended up achieving a 45% home vacancy rate from the point Mike retired - 102 days on the road from May through December. We vow to do better in 2013!

Here are the highlights from 2012, along with links to the appropriate blog entries:

January/February

• Spend Martin Luther King weekend at Malibu RV Park with friends, and decide the time is right to upgrade to a hard sided trailer in preparation for Mike's early retirement later this year. Within a week of returning home, we order our 2417 TrailManor hard sided folding trailer.
• Explore vegetarianism and discover we quite like it. Moving away from meat results in a 16% reduction in our grocery spend, the surplus which we move over to our Travel allocation. 
• Embark on a two week cruise to Hawaii and back on Cunard's Queen Victoria. Have a wonderful time, but decide that with Mike's retirement delivering more time to explore the world slowly, perhaps cruising will stop being our get-away two week vacation of choice. For the cost of a typical two week cruise, we can spend about 60 days on the road in our RV. 

March/April

• Take delivery on our trailer, and enjoy our maiden voyage to Crystal Cove Moro State Beach. Discover there is a bit of a learning curve we will need to overcome, much to our chagrin.
• Celebrate the one year anniversary of my early retirement.
• Wagon master my first ever RV trip for my camping club at lovely Lake Casitas.

May/June

• Enjoy a very, very special weekend with my daughters, running the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon.
• Mike retires!
• We take off in our new trailer for a 10 day trip up the Central California coastline. 
• Spend Father's Day weekend with our RV in Big Bear, California, enjoying many wonderful miles of hiking, including a segment along the legendary Pacific Crest Trail.
• Fly to Lake Tahoe to experience the wedding of our youngest daughter.
• Celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary in Las Vegas seeing shows galore. (This post, by the way, due to a couple of snarky comments about our packing some good ole PB&J makings to conserve on both calories and spend, leads to a very entertaining follow up post about the value of PB&J vs. fine dining when traveling . . . )

July

• Discover there is a learning curve to being together 24/7. Spend several days discussing our feelings, after which they seem to pretty much fade out and become a non issue. Whew!
• Spend our first ever holiday weekend at home to avoid the 4th of July crowds now that we are both retired. We can now wait and head out after the holiday! 
• Depart on our longest RV trip so far - 24 days through the coastal, wine country and Sierra mountain ranges of Central California. Have a fabulous time, and return home excited to start planning for an even longer trip in the summer of 2013. (See July blog entries)

August/September

• Purchase a cargo trailer for Mike's bicycle as part of our commitment to drive less and bike more about town.
• Spend a long weekend in the Bay Area, fall in love with Mill Valley while hiking the scenic Dipsea trail. When we return we reserve an apartment in Mill Valley for a one month stay in the spring of 2013.
• Close out the summer with two back to back beach RV trips to Newport Beach and San Diego, California.
• Kick off the fall semester of OLLI at our nearby university.
• Spend a fall weekend in Yucaipa, RV'ing and enjoying apple picking season.
• Mike goes on his first ever backpacking trip, three nights in Kings Canyon National Park. He's enthusiastic enough upon his return that I commit to joining him on a one nighter, my first, in 2013.

October/November

• Spend my 50th Birthday weekend in our RV with a return trip to Crystal Cove Moro.
• Enjoy a wild and crazy Halloween celebration weekend with our camping club at the Santa Paula KOA. 
• Travel to China with Gate 1 Travel, a unique tour group that allows guests to intermix organized and independent sightseeing. 
• Travel to Newport, Rhode Island to celebrate Thanksgiving with our just-married daughter and her spouse.

December

• Fill up our calendar with twice as many fun-filled holiday events as in years past, because we no longer need to set aside Sunday as a rest day in preparation for another stress-filled week at work.
• Perform a Christmas song with my Spanish class at our OLLI holiday concert,  killing two birds with one stone:  Singing in public, and doing it in Spanish. Both are a first!
• Spend a week in our RV at beautiful San Elijo State Beach in San Diego, just before the final Christmas countdown begins.
• Plan to end the year attending a ballroom dancing gala at our dance studio. We have so much fun dancing together now that we have a few years under our belt. 

When I look back over the year, a couple of things really stand out: First, we never stopped looking for ways to enrich our lives. Second, each new thing we committed to delivered a tremendous degree of satisfying stimulation we would likely not have achieved otherwise, and often led to other opportunities to expand our early retirement lives. And finally, by remaining so committed to engaging life, our downtime, when we experienced it, was truly enjoyable and pleasant by contrast. 

The net result of the above is that we are absolutely having the best time of our lives. Retirement today, some 20 months after I retired, and 7 months now for Mike, is continuing to evolve and get better with each passing week. We have some wonderful adventures already lined up for 2013, and we are eager to ring in the New Year and get going!

A Healing RV Trip to San Elijo State Beach

My last post went up on December 14, just before I learned about the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary. I've been heartbroken and swirling in confusion ever since. In the midst of working through my emotions, I've been moved beyond words at the outpouring of love and support for the survivors, for the families of those that didn't make it through, for the first responders, and for the residents of Newtown from people all over the United States and beyond. My vow to the victims and survivors of this tragedy is to work daily to exhibit more love and less hate, and to do whatever I can to support legislative change in our country to try and minimize the chance of something like this ever occurring again.

I haven't quite recovered my bounce since then, which is perhaps why I so thoroughly appreciated the serenity and beauty we found at San Elijo State Beach. This campground, located smack between Encinitas and Cardiff by the Sea, in N. San Diego County, contains some of the prettiest coastline we've enjoyed yet here in S. California.

The shorter, colder days of Daylight Standard time pretty much ends dry camping season for us, so between November and March we prefer to stay at campgrounds and RV parks offering electric and water hookups. San Elijo State Beach actually has a good number of hookup sites, but just a small handful of them are located along the scenic bluff, so when I saw a multi night mid-December opening at the best hookup, bluff site in the park, I grabbed it.

With the assistance of Google search, and Yelp, I came up with several days worth of hikes, walks and restaurants to enjoy and visit. A search of the weather leading up to our trip indicated rain on one day, so we planned a stay-dry driving trip into the nearby San Diego valley wine region for wine tasting. The other days promised, and delivered, sunshine, so we ditched the car, and either walked or hiked to where we wanted to go.

Our spend for this five day getaway included several noteworthy dining treats, all researched extensively on Yelp, and all outstanding in their respective classes:

• San Elijo State Park water & electric site for 4 nights/5 days: $268
• Gas: $42
• Food:  No change from what we'd spend if at home 
• Ice for our portable cooler (where we keep our produce): $2.14
• Wine tasting: $10 Bernardo Winery, $10 Orfila Winery
• Three course gourmet lunch for two at Cafe Merlot: $44
• Pineapple-Chili Margaritas, Chips, Salsa and Nachos at Las Olas: $20.25
• Breakfast for two at Pipes Cafe: $10.99
• Two delicious donuts from VG Donut & Bakery: $1.88
• Hiking through San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, scenic walk through Encinitas, sunset viewing, dolphin and surfer watching, socializing around the campfire, and Cribbage match: Free!
• TOTAL FOR FIVE DAYS/FOUR NIGHTS: $409.26

It was a wonderful, gloriously beautiful getaway, and we hope to make it an annual December get-away event. We also had the pleasure of meeting up with a wonderful couple, Terry and LuAnn, full time RV'ers that blog about their adventures at Paint Your Landscape. Check it out when you have a few minutes . . . they've led an amazing life in retirement so far!

The serene Self Realization Center's meditation gardens in Encinitas.

A Cardiff by the Sea breakfast institution.

Scenic views along the seaside pedestrian walkway.

Two unique boat houses in Encinitas!

The charming and delicious Cafe Merlot at Bernardo Winery.

Bernardo Winery's cozy tasting room.

Too good an opportunity to pass up! This was at Orfila Winery.

The gorgeous coastal view from out campsite.

Sunset viewings

Too Much December Early Retirement Fun?

Remember this post? Well, I may have gotten just a little carried away. This morning, I'm officially exhausted from a few too many days in a row of holiday fun, and I'm pretty sure my dear husband is feeling the same way. 

To a degree, this December holiday season was an experiment to see how far our new found early retirement time and energy could carry us. I really do love spending time with family and friends around the holidays, and I really do enjoy going to holiday plays and concerts. I also really delight in doing lots of holiday cooking, baking and entertaining. On paper, our December plans all looked very fun and exciting. What I failed to see, however, was how much time and energy all of these activities were going to cumulatively take. As a result, I didn't block out any days for us to simply hang around the house and recover. A big mistake I now see.

Achieving balance does seem to an ongoing challenge for me. I frequently bite of just a bit more than I can comfortably chew. None of which is likely news to my dear husband - after all, he's lived with me for over 30 years already, bless his heart.

We leave this weekend for five days of RV'ing R&R at San Elijo State Beach, and I am looking forward to this get away immensely. Our plans include lots of hiking and biking, but also time to simply enjoy reading by the bluffs overlooking the ocean, and watching classic holiday DVD's in our trailer after dark. The irony of having to go away to relax is not lost on this early retiree, however, when we return, we will hopefully do so completely renewed and restored, ready to happily throw ourselves into the remaining homestretch of this year's holiday season.

So, while I remain very, very thankful for this life we're living, I'm learning that even in early retirement there are limits. Next time around I'll work to dial things back just a bit . . . scouts honor Mike!

Mike looks merry at a recent holiday party, but I'm thinking I simply look tired!

Just For Fun on Olvera Street

Today, just for fun, we took Amtrak's Surfliner train into downtown L.A. to visit Olvera Street, a historic and popular landmark that both celebrates and commemorates Los Angeles' Mexican heritage. Olvera Street covers roughly a three block area, built around a traditional plaza, replete with shops and restaurants featuring all things Mexican. Although we were looking forward to the opportunity to practice our Spanish, the real attractions of the day were the authentic food and margaritas!

It was a gorgeous day here in California - high 70's and sunny, and we had a grand ole' time. I'll let the photos speak for our day:

Waiting to catch the Amtrak train

When we arrived at Union Station, we simply crossed the road over to picturesque Olvera Street

Colorful wares

String puppets

An old colonial door

Yummy Mexican dulces . . . should I or shouldn't I give in to temptation?

A first - Lime Cerveza Margaritas at La Golondrina restaurant. They were terrific!

Really, everyone should have "just for fun" days from time to time. Isn't that what life and early retirement are all about?

You Want Inspiration? Watch This . . .

My father, age 76, is still amazingly active (read more here). I am active, but not quite as amazingly so as my father, though I'm trying hard. My older daughter is even more amazingly active than the two of us put together. How amazing? Well, she decided to run her first marathon while in the midst of law school to relieve stress. In Vermont. In the winter. In lots of snow.

Since then she has completed seven more marathons, one ultra and several triathlons. This summer she ran the Half Dome trail in Yosemite as a training run for Mt. Whitney. She did Mt. Whitney, all 22 miles and 6,000 feet of elevation gain, in one day, at a pace considered "fast" by whoever decides these things.

She is, in short, incredibly amazingly active.

Just recently she informed Mike and I that she has selected her next challenge: the multi-country, eight day, 200 mile Transalpine-Run in Europe. How grueling is this race? Just watch the short video below:

What does this all have to do with my early retirement? Well, simply put, I want to continue to experience the endorphin high the runners in this video clearly have going on, for as long as I possibly can. Meaning I've finally gotten off my laurels and selected my next running event - The Mount Diablo Trails Challenge on April 20.

This one's for you dear daughter. Thank you for reminding me that life is meant to be lived to the fullest extent possible.

It's Never Too Late To Try Something New

I have a girlfriend that recently went on a diet and lost 30 pounds. She then went on a tear to resurrect many of the sports she used to enjoy prior to falling into a bit of a mid-life slump - golf, tennis and bicycling among them. She next decided to add running to her list of activities. Running was a new activity, and she wasn't sure how it was all going to work out, but she kept plugging away until she got to three miles. At which point she stalled. 

And that's where I came in. As soon as I realized she had hit a road block, I convinced her to meet at my favorite running spot for a five mile run to a lake and back along scenic trails. She wasn't sure she could make the leap to five miles, but I assured her that based on her cumulative weekly mileage she could (the rule of thumb is that you can safely increase your longest run by 10% of your total weekly mileage). Bless her heart, she agreed, and we met this morning under misty skies for our first run together.

And off she goes!

She managed to complete four of the five miles before resorting to walking. Expecting her to be disappointed, I was thrilled when she told me she didn't care that she hadn't hit her goal, she still felt absolutely great about breaking through the four mile barrier. And, even better, she agreed to meet me again in a week to give running five miles another try.

What makes this story a little unique is that my girlfriend is 60, reminding me once again that it's never, ever to late to try something new. Sometimes trying new things will work out, sometimes they won't, but it really doesn't matter because its the journeying that matters, not the final destination.

Kicking Off the Holidays Early Retirement Style

One of the things I was most looking forward to in our dual early retirement was filling up our entire holiday calendar with fun and festive things to do. Prior to Mike joining me in retirement this past May, Fridays were iffy because of exhaustion and commute times, and I had to block off Sundays as rest and recovery days in preparation for another challenging week at work. But not any more! 

Between Thanksgiving and New Years, I've purchased half price tickets to see A Christmas Carol, The Winter Wonderettes (a funny and charming quartet of gals that sing songs from the late 50's and early 60's) and a combined Sunday brunch & musical performance show called A Song For Christmas. I've also purchased a couple of discounted dining deals, my favorite being a half price deal for four to a popular, normally very expensive, fondue restaurant called Simply Fondue.

We also have lots of fun, free things to do here in Southern California this month. Among my favorites are a visit to Rogers Gardens in Newport Beach to see dozens of beautifully decorated Christmas trees, going to one of the many holiday light boat parades around us, and enjoying a walk through a nearby neighborhood that puts up an absolutely amazing holiday light display.

We'll be attending and giving a whole lot more parties than usual, because we have a whole lot more time and energy with which to do both. I'm holding a cookie exchange party, plus a dessert and holiday light walk party here, and looking forward to attending parties being hosted by our running club, hiking club, book club, high tea club and OLLI. (The best way to stay socially engaged at the holidays would certainly appear to be by joining a club!)

I've got lots of baking, cooking, decorating and piano playing on my December agenda too. Mike and I are working on Christmas music duets to wow our family with on Christmas morning, and it's turning out to be a whole lot of fun for us both.

We'll be stealing away in our RV for a five day trip to San Elijo State Beach, which I'm looking forward to tremendously. Our trailer has been tucked away in our garage since mid-October, which is about two months too long for me!

We'll wrap up the holidays attending a New Years Eve party at our ballroom dance studio, always a fun event.

The one thing we won't be doing this season is heading out to the mall to go gift shopping. I loathe going into shopping malls in general, and most particularly in December. Instead, I'll be doing the bulk of my shopping online from the warmth and comfort of my home office.

And finally, I'm committed to keeping up my daily exercise routine in order to end the month either at or below my current weight, something I haven't managed to do in past years, so wish me luck!