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 !