Ed & Kate Update - June 1, 2015

I (Ed) have passed 100 days of retirement. And what have I been doing?  It feels like GOOFING OFF!  I sleep in, make lattes; read on my iPad. I've joined the gym at UC Berkeley, and I'm taking yoga classes with coeds less than half my age. Talk about motivation!  (And I threw my back once already, overdoing it.)

We finally did wills and estate plan, and we are getting projects done around the house. We started new car shopping. (Our favorite so far:  Subaru Outback for the big road trips we think we'll be taking.)  I'm cooking more. We started making our own sauerkraut. 

I'm busy most of the time, reading more, going to concerts, and doing other things I never seemed to have time for.  But I still have the occasional nagging feeling I'm not "accomplishing" much.  Still I love it!  Kate hasn't killed me yet. In fact, she commented on how much she is liking how it's going. We do try to give each other space around the house.  

Some people ask me, "How often do you think about work?"  Answer:  almost never.  I miss the people, but rarely think about the work itself.    

We recently wrapped up a 10-day "vacation" at our friend's cabin near Lake Tahoe.  We did some great hikes, including one at 8000+ feet where we got snowed and thundered upon.  I got in a couple of bike rides.  We did an overnight visit to the cultural hotspot of Reno.  And we saw a bear play tetherball.  (Proof here at this Youtube video.) (And if you like that, watch the 2-second lizard pushup.)  

Coming up:  I am off to Seattle this week to see my family and friends. Mom is talking about "downsizing" at the house where they have lived since I was a 1-year-old.  Kate is preparing for a trip to Tucson to see her Dad and provide his wife some relief.  Further out, we are still figuring out bigger travel plans. Possibly New Zealand this fall, and potentially Vietnam with a stopover in Cambodia to see my nephew who is teaching English there in early 2016. 

Have a great summer everyone!  The adventure continues.

(You can click on any picture to get a bigger view.) 

Selfie on a Hike, Sierra Buttes

On the way to Sierra Buttes, looking out over 3 lakes.

End of the Sierra Buttes hike, after getting snowed and thundered on (in  May!)
Next time at 8500 feet, I'll wear more than a hoodie!

Lake Tahoe Panorama 

National Bowling Stadium, Reno, NV

Sleeping Fox at the Animal Ark, North of Reno 

Jack Rabbit outside Reno

March 2015 - Roadtrip Report

Hi, it's been over 6 weeks since I retired from Chevron.  (I'm calling it "re-fire.")  Here's an update on us if you are interested.

Ed's Early Observations:  1) I have to try hard to remember what day of the week it is.  (Oh, poor thing.)  2) I like sleeping in!  3) I miss the people from work, but I can honestly say I spend very little time thinking about my old job.  4) The daily structure that comes from having a job has some appeal. I'm adjusting now to having all of this unstructured time. What's funny is I now have a much longer list of things I feel I want to do, and I'm having trouble seeing how I'll find the time to do them!  Not complaining!  Just part of the transition.  

Roadtrip Report

Since retiring, the biggest thing we did was a southwest road trip. Kate was doing some family care duty in Tucson.  We met up in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day weekend for the big international Rugby Sevens tournament that we like so much.  She flew up from Tucson.  I drove down, stopping in lovely Bakersfield.  I had a fun evening listening to music at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace.  In Vegas, we had a great time with Kate's nephew (especially at the "pinball museum").  But man, I can only take Vegas for a few days!  It's too much.  Kate flew back to Tucson after the weekend.  I hit the road... stopping at the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona, the Painted Desert, and the Petrified Forest, then driving down to Tucson.  Lots of hiking.  Got unbelievably lucky on the weather. 

After about a week in Tucson, we hit the road again....  (Not before a very fun outing at the annual Tucson rodeo!)  First stop was Yuma, AZ, where (as Kate observed) we felt we were the youngest people by 20 years.  It's a big spot for retirees/snowbirds, and those seeking cheap medical care south of the border. 

This contrasted with our stop in L.A. We stayed in Hollywood, where we felt we were we 20 years older than everyone else.  What really cracked us up was the club that was around the corner from our hotel.  On the first morning, at around 8 am, I walk by and hear music and the hum of people chattering inside.  At first, I thought, hmmm, maybe it's just some kind of breakfast thing.  But the same thing happened the next day.  I finally asked the parking lot attendant.  He explained that "clubbers stay out until 2:00 a.m., then they go to a nearby place that's open 'til 6.  When that closes, then they come here."  (Seriously!  You gotta be kidding?!) If you're asking... no we didn't go check out the club.  We're too old.

In between, we spent time in the southern California desert: Anza Borrego and Joshua Tree parks.  Both were gorgeous. The highlight of L.A. was visiting the Getty Museum.  Kate, who previously professed "I never want to go LA" says she would go back now.  After that, we headed north.  We saw whales in Santa Barbara.  Did wine tasting in the Santa Ynez valley and around Paso Robles.  Wildlife spotting:  Mule deer, desert chipmunks, mountain goats, lizards, hawks, seals, sea lions, gray whales, L.A. hipsters....  Lots of fun throughout. We had added 3000+ miles to the odometer by the end.  

We hope everyone's doing well!  Take care.  And stay tuned.  The adventure continues....

Ed & Kate 

You can click a picture to make it bigger or go to a slide show view (but will lose the picture captions)

Cadillac Elvis gave Buck Owens (note mounted rifles, and handguns for door handles)

Why I love... and hate... Las Vegas

A "line out" (throw in) at the rugby tournament.  South Africa Springboks in green.

Kate sporting her South Africa flag... not making friends as she's later jumping up and down while they beat the U.S. team - including being on the big (TV) screen in the stadium a couple of times.

Cattle roping at the Tucson Rodeo

Kate is more worried about the welfare of the calves

Garden at the Getty Museum, LA

I stayed at one of the last remaining "Wigwam" hotels.  Holbrook, AZ

Trail sign - Grand Canyon

Attempted Selfie - Grand Canyon

At 29 Palms, CA.  It's near Joshua Tree... and a marine base

Selfie at Joshua Tree

Artistry in Anza Borrego

Seal (Sea Lion?) in Malibu

2014 Holiday Letter

Clicking on the pages below should open up a larger version.

You can also download a higher-resolution PDF version by clicking the link here.

2013 Holiday Letter

Clicking on the page below should open up a larger version for you. 

A higher resolution PDF version is also downloadable from Dropbox by clicking this link here.