The holiday season

Well, after returning from MO for Thanksgiving, it has been the usual holiday rush to get a tree, decorate, and do that holiday shopping. Oh, and of course, hit several holiday parties. With a few holiday happy hours behind me, this is an event-filled weekend. Parties on Friday & Saturday night, and then one this Sunday afternoon will leave me glad for the new week to start so I can rest! This week also includes some final planning for my traditional Christmas Eve Open house, and then friends arrive from KC to enjoy holiday weather in AZ! Party pics will intertwine this blog as they happen - Happy Holidays everyone!

Las Vegas races

I finally got to the NASCAR truck race I had planned on going to some 2 years ago, but was delayed due to the motorcycle accident. This year LVMS had reconnected the truck race with the IndyCar series as I had seen in 2005. A great weekend overall, with the weather being sunny but almost too hot, and a surprise as some friends were traveling through and attending the race as well. This made for a good time except for the tragedy that ended the race weekend. 12 laps into the IndyCar race, a huge wreck took out 15 cars and sadly ended the life of one of the drivers - Dan Wheldon. The rest of the race was cancelled, and it is a solemn reminder how tenuous the grasp we have on life can be.

I returned home and searched through my memorabilia to find I had a ball cap which had been signed by Dan Wheldon in 2005, the year he won the championship. That means all the more to me in light of the tragedy that occurred.

the end of an era

Well, I did it. I retired. There, just saying it gives it a little more credence. After 28+ years of being an air traffic controller, I made the choice to retire effective July 2. Not that it was easy to do, as you always wonder if you should stay longer, put away more money into the 401K, etc. But after much thinking, looking at finances, and talking to MANY people that have preceded me in this decision, I made the jump. It still has not really set in, as mentally it just seems like I am still on vacation, but I know this will pass. Folks from work threw me (and my friend Mike, who retired the same day) a grand party last Friday night. I was flattered so many people came to wish me well. Plus, they had chipped in for a present, and along with the usual plaques, gave me a new iPad - WOW! That will come in very handy with the next career in car sales, as I need to have something to look up information on while at the auctions.

It was a great career that I literally stumbled into, and for that I thank my friend Dave McNay, as he first talked to me about it. Odd how choices you make can lead you down new paths, and I am glad I had the ambition to make that choice and see where it led me. It was a great path, with many personal and professional achievements, and more importantly, allowed me to meet a great number of people who I came to like and respect. Now for chapter #2 in life - off into the wild blue yonder, as they say !

Estes Park

This year my timeshare came back around for use, so I once again vacated the heat of AZ for the cool mountain country of Colorado. I fell in love with Estes Park the last time I was there, so a return trip was in order, and it did not disappoint. This time, as I had to travel solo, I decided to do a lot of hiking, and intersperse it with a few car trip. The weather was mostly beautiful, with only the normal afternoon showers, and great temps. Shocking as it was, the mountains were still covered with snow from the record-breaking winter they had in CO. Even the locals told us we were seeing quite an aberration as we hiked to low mountain lakes and had to traverse snow banks to reach them. As I was up there for Independence day, I was treated to a great fireworks show over Lake Estes. All in all, a super vacation, and a great way to escape the heat !

June trip

After getting the house painted, it was time for a little RnR back in MO. I flew into KC on Wednesday afternoon to catch some incredibly nice June weather for most of the week I was there. I started off the trip there by meeting friends Roger & Eileen to watch the Royals and Diamondbacks play an inter league game, and what a great time! Thanks to you guys for grabbing us some great seats! It was a perfect night to sit outside and watch baseball, and the game did not disappoint, with the D-Backs holding off the Royals in the bottom of the 9th to win 3-2. After that, I headed to spend some time with my Mom, and help her get some things done around the house.

Thursday night I zipped down to the lake to finally get in a little boat time this season. Though it rained several times that weekend, it did not really impede my fun on the boat. Sunday was perfect, with the weather being warm, inviting me to run down the lake to a great lakeside bar - Coconuts - and hang in their pool for a while. Then it was time to put the boat away and head back to help Mom a little more, as she is putting the place up for sale.

June ended with a big bang for me personally, as I decided to close the door on my 28 year career with the FAA and retire! I will start the next chapter of life by heading to Colorado for a week, then come back and delve into my next passion - automobiles - by getting my dealer's license, and seeing what opportunity that opens to me. While it is a little scary to leave my job, I think this will be a grand entrance into the next phase of my life !

house upgrades

This week was spent doing a couple of big upgrades to the house, namely repainting and some additions to the landscaping. Although the landscape stuff was fairly minor, I am happy with how it turned out. The big project was to repaint the interior of the house, as this had not been done since new. I decided to add some rich color as the white walls had become boring to me. It amazed me the crew of 3 people were able to get the house done with 2 11-hour days. Here are the before and after pictures.

the month of May

Well the month started off easy enough, and I took a week off work to go back to Missouri and help Mom with some things around her place that needed to be done, plus play chauffeur to her doctor's appointments. It was a nice week there, except for the more-than-needed rain that permeated the week. Still, it was great to be able to be there for Mother's Day and her birthday before I headed back to Phoenix.

Then, just over a week later, Jim, Jule, and Grace came to Phoenix to pay a visit, as Julie had a conference here. We had a nice weekend that included a off-road tour of the desert in a Hummer, and then a relaxing Sunday night at a free concert in the local park. As they left on Wednesday, I decided to relax during the rest of my vacation week - I did not even go back to the Ozarks like I have for the past 14 years! It was nice to stay home and rest, though, and I enjoyed another Sunday night concert in the park with friends.

Verde Canyon railroad

Caryl had found some discount tickets to ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad, a restored train that runs up in northern Arizona along an old mining track. Yesterday turned out to be the perfect day to go up there and use these tickets, as the weather was sunny, mild, and VERY spring-like!

We stopped in the historic part of Cottonwood for lunch at the Village Tavern, and then headed over to the train depot. I had been on this before, albeit 10 years ago, but Caryl had never done this, so it was a treat for both of us. We spend 4 hours (2 up,2 back) enjoying some fantastic AZ scenery (plus a glimpse of an eagle in it's nest). After that, it was back into town for a glass of wine at a great little place, and then head back to Phoenix.

ready, set, go !!

I spent yesterday afternoon doing a little kart racing with my buddy Brian, and bounced a couple of ideas off of him, as he voluntarily left a comfortable state job to open his own company several years ago. It was a fun time, as usual, and he gave me some good info regarding stepping out on my own to that 'next phase of life as I like to call it. It seems all is a go to submit my retirement paperwork when I get to work on Monday ?!?!?!

Then Caryl and I met a friend up at a local shopping center amphitheater to listen to some live music to cap off the evening. The weather was perfect! A good night to sit outside, sip some wine, and listen to music. We have to take advantage of that while we can, as summer is coming!

An eventful week!

Well I am now back home and settled into a normal mode. The past week and a half were dizzying fun, but tiring! I spent the weekend of April 15-17 over in Long Beach to see the LB Grand Prix with friends Stuart & Lisa. This was my 6th time to see the race and it never disappoints. As I may skip next year, it was good to get back, and the weather was perfect for racing! Also got to run into my friend Mike and his son who were seeing the event for the very first time.

Then it was back home to regroup ( and repack) and head off to Vegas for a couple of days. A newer hotel called The Cosmopolitan had sent an offer for a 2-night stay during the week, so I took them up on it. Couple with the fact that friends Dave & Mona had just wed, and arrived for their honeymoon, it was a perfect excuse to go play! The property did not disappoint, and besides a little extra sunburn to show off, was a grand time. Congrats to you, Dave & Mona, and see you at the lake this summer!

Scottsdale Art Festival

It's the time of year again for all the art festivals to be in town, and the downtown Scottsdale Art Fair is one of the best. I spent 2 afternoons here this year - one with a group of friends, and then Sunday with Caryl, as she could not make it yesterday. Both days were fantastic weather, and some great art to boot (plus it did not help there was beer & wine tasting aplenty!). AS the weather warms, these festivals will yield to the summer temps, but always are fun to see what the minds of talented people can come up with.

A great loss

January ended with a call announcing the untimely death of my stepfather, Bob Jefcoat. As he was recovering form November open heart surgery, all thought this was to allow him and my Mom several more years together to see and do some more things as health would allow. Unfortunately, the fates were against him and he died suddenly at home Friday, January 28. It was with a heavy heart I made the trip back to bury him and spend time grieving with the family. He was a great man, with a big heart, and he will be sorely missed.