Traveling solo has been around for years. Many articles and books have been written about it. Tour companies cater to the solo traveler. Senior solo travel expert Janice Waugh of Solo Traveler World “…estimates that probably 75 percent of solo-traveling seniors opt for a tour, but there are certainly some who choose to explore completely independently. ‘I think that as long as you’re fit and healthy and adventurous, then it works well,’ Waugh says. ‘Those who go independently, it’s very interesting to see the response of the world to them. It’s very welcoming.'”*
Cyndy Miller-Hughes and Van-Geaux
Cyndy Miller-Hughes, a friend and former colleague of mine, retired in 2018 after 32 years as an educator. She has been traveling independently since. I met up with her recently to examine her “new” way of traveling solo in Van-Geaux.
Sherry: What were you most looking forward to in retirement?
Cyndy: Travel
Sherry: I understand you purchased a small van for traveling. Why this particular van?
Cyndy: It is just the right size, drives like a car, and has everything I need.
Sherry: Did you have it customized?
Cyndy: It was built out by Cascade Campers in Nevada City, California.
Sherry: Does it have a name?
Cyndy: Van-Geaux…I went to grad school at LSU…Geaux Tigers!
As the former spouse of an IBM employee for 21 years, my family experienced six corporate moves. The joke among us was that IBM didn’t stand for International Business Machines, but instead it stood for I’ve Been Moved. I recently moved again. This time I chose to move to be closer to my grandchildren, reduce expenses and to leave a toxic neighborhood.
I have three grandbabies, ages almost 9, 7 and 5. They are growing up so fast. Before Covid-19, they were active in soccer, basketball, dance, piano, volleyball, and t-ball. I drove 30 minutes one way to watch them perform for about 45 minutes and loved every minute of it. Now, I’m just five minutes away when sports start again. Being close to family helps me out too if I need help. No need to consider travel time when planning our outings.
By moving from one county to another and buying a smaller home, my property taxes have decreased. Next year, instead of paying $2,422 in Larimer County, I’ll be paying $1,770 in Weld County, saving me $652. However, I believe Weld County is behind in updating property values so taxes will surely rise in the future. In addition, I moved to a property without an Homeowners Association (HOA) so I will save $544 a year in dues. While these amounts are not large, every little bit helps when health care and other expenses keep rising while my salary as a substitute teacher stays the same.
Some of you may remember I lived in an older (age of homes and residents) and a somewhat toxic neighborhood with a self-managed HOA. I referred to it as a Harassing, Overbearing Authority. The neighbors, with a few exceptions, were busy bodies. They made comments either to my face, through email, or by leaving a note on my door about everything. From what plants are you planting to how often do I walk my dog. One woman even asked me how I was able to afford my home on my own. They were always in my business and the HOA, in my opinion, was mismanaged.
This past January I had had enough when HOA dues were raised again to cover management errors. I tolerated this unpleasant situation for over seven years. I even joined the board as president for 2-1/2 years to try to make a difference.
Even though I spent a lot of time and money on my house to make it a home, I put it on the market and moved in September. After living in Loveland, CO for 24 years, I now live in peace and enjoy the community where I worked as a teacher for 14 years.
So yes, I’ve been moved many times but this time I chose to move. It wasn’t easy, in fact it was overwhelming and very stressful at times, probably why most retirees stay in their homes. I am happy and relieved to have left a toxic situation and begin a new chapter with my family nearby.
If you’ve made a similar move recently, please share your experience in the comment section below.
It’s been awhile since I have written a cabin update on my mountain property. The reason is heartbreaking really. A year ago my son-in-law and I removed the tongue and groove pine and the rodent infested insulation from the cabin’s interior. We stripped it down to the studs. I signed a contract with a structural engineer to begin work on improving the cabin and adding a septic system. I also got a bid on refurbishing the original 1938 stone fireplace. Everything was working according to plan until I received an email from my ex-husband.
It read, “I am retiring in January. 40 years. Per previous communications, I will be filing to terminate maintenance. I am traveling for the next week. If we can not come to an agreement, I anticipate we will file for maintenance termination in September with a January effective date.”
It could not have been worse timing. I made an appointment with an attorney to discuss options. His advice was to put off improvements until I knew what my income was going to be and whether I would be able to keep the property. So, I cancelled the contract with the structural engineer and put the fireplace work on hold. I was heartbroken. My childhood dream was possibly going to be taken from me. A dream possibly unfilled. I waited to be served court papers.
This is a question I think about from time to time. I have one married daughter. Her mother-in-law (mom of three) and I are both divorced, so we will be aging alone in our homes. Our siblings do not live in our state. Health care and financial support are already issues for both of us. When I read the following article I couldn’t help but think of those of us who are solo seniors…
As Baby Boomers Move Into Old Age, Who Will Care For Us?
by Jody Gastfriend, Forbes.com
August 10, 2018
“My high school buddies and I recently got together and reminisced about old times. “Can you believe we’re 60?” we howled. “That used to seem really old!” Many of us are still caring for parents who have crossed the 90-year-old threshold. As we joked about our aging bodies—the creaky knees and achy joints—we mused about another topic too. Who will care for us as we grow old? Will our adult children with their busy lives assume the role of caregiver? And will the childless among us rely on nieces, nephews, friends or neighbors to step in?
When it comes to the growing demand for caregiving, the numbers just don’t add up. The United States, like many industrialized countries, is looking down the barrel of a looming care gap. As my fellow Baby Boomers move headlong into old age — we are now retiring at a rate of about 10,000 per day — there may not be enough caregivers to go around. The potential pool of family caregivers, whose stories I tell in my book, My Parent’s Keeper, will not sustain the growing demand for care. An estimated 117 million Americans will need assistance of some kind by 2020, yet the number of unpaid caregivers is expected to reach only 45 million. The caregiver support ratio, the number of potential family caregivers relative to the number of older Americans, is projected to decline sharply by mid-century.
What does Old Crow, I.D. Harper, Waterfill and Frazier, Bellows, Old Taylor, Yellowstone, Old Forester and Old Grand-Dad have in common? They are all Kentucky straight bourbon whiskeys. They were also evidently favorites of a former owner of my 1938 cabin. Especially Old Crow.
My son-in-law and I recovered 26 intact but empty whiskey bottles from under the cabin in May. Several others were broken. We knew they were there but couldn’t reach them until we demolished the addition’s flooring. While finding old whiskey bottles is pretty cool, these were even more special.
Old Grand-Dad Bottle, Photo by slc
These vintage bottles were made with the words, “FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR RE-USE OF THIS BOTTLE” embossed in the glass. According to Whiskeyid.com, “Following prohibition, from 1935-1964 th(is) text was required by the government.” The labels say they were “BOTTLED IN BOND Under U.S. Government Supervision.” The bottles are from the 1950’s and early 60’s. The oldest is from 1954.
Some labels read, “This bottle has been filled and stamped under the provisions of Section 2903-9. inclusive Internal Revenue Code. Any person who shall reuse the stamp affixed to this bottle or remove the contents of this bottle without so destroying the stamp affixed thereto as to prevent reuse or who shall sell this bottle, or reuse it for distilled spirits will be liable to the penalties prescribed by law.” Others read, “…provisions of Sections 5008 and 5243 Internal Revenue Code. …without so breaking the stamp.” Again, according to Whiskeyid.com, prior to August 1959 the bottles would have the Sections 5008 and 5243 labels. Interestingly, I was born in August of 1959.
I plan to display a few of these vintage whiskey bottles once I restore the cabin. The rest I will sell. Anyone collect vintage bottles or want one or more for your “man cave?” Afterall, the former cabin owner kept them in his man cave under the cabin for us to find 60 years later.
As 2017 ends and 2018 begins, it is a time of personal reflection. I began 2017 feeling quite bored in my retirement life, even though I was writing this blog and learning about search engine optimization, as well as substituting part-time. Then, I read Ernie J. Zelinski’s book, The Joy of Not Working.
I especially enjoyed the chapter titled Somebody is Boring Me; I Think It Is Me. I got to work on “abolishing my boredom.” Zelinski wrote, “By undertaking difficult and uncomfortable activities, we experience satisfaction and accomplishment in our lives. This means being truly alive, with little or no room for boredom.” That chapter changed my retirement life.
In March of 2017, the homeowners’ association (HOA) where I live held its annual meeting. I attended and volunteered to serve on the board of directors for three years, a “difficult and uncomfortable activity.” At our first board meeting in April, I was elected president of the HOA, another “difficult and uncomfortable activity.” After basically “righting the ship,” the new HOA board is now preparing for the 2018 annual meeting.
In July, I read in the local newspaper that the school district was looking to add new members to its master planning committee. It was a three-year commitment. As a long time education advocate, I filled out the online application and sent it. I was accepted as a member despite the fact I told them I was a fiscal conservative. We meet the first Monday of every month during the school year and discuss topics such as boundary changes, school closures, etc. The politics are “difficult and uncomfortable activities” but I feel I bring a new perspective to the table since I voted against the last bond election which was defeated.
In August, I saw a real estate posting on realtor.com for a 1938 cabin on .78 acres for sale in Glen Haven, a small town about 15 minutes outside Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. I had looked for a fixer upper project or a cabin get-away for several years. This cabin needed a bunch of work and was listed for $98,900. I offered $85,000 and got it. My son-in-law, Dave, and I took on the “difficult and uncomfortable activity” of demolishing the mold- and rodent-infested cabin addition by hand this fall. Now, the original cabin is buttoned up for the winter and it is, more importantly, dry and rodent free. We plan to begin rebuilding next summer.
Zelinski said, “Only by doing the difficult and uncomfortable can you make your life more interesting and fulfilling.” I have taken on “difficult and uncomfortable activities” this past year and in doing so I have felt more alive and less bored. I am more happy and content than I have in a long time.
I am glad I read Zelinski’s book and followed his advice. I am also glad you follow this blog and I hope you consider taking on “difficult and uncomfortable activities” in 2018 and change your retirement life.
WISHING YOU HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
October 2nd was the beginning of week four cabin renovation, but also the first day of Highway 34’s restricted usage due to the 2013 flood reconstruction project. During the week, I worked on projects closer to home and substituted on Thursday and Friday at a middle school.
On Saturday, October 7th, it was forecast to be a balmy 70+ degrees so I headed up the cabin around noon, outside the new normal morning canyon access hours of 6:00-8:30 a.m. Leaving at noon meant I had to go an extra 25 miles along the detour through the cities of Longmont and Lyons. Little did I know, “leaf peepers” were also headed up to Estes Park on the same route.
Fox Creek, Photo by slc
Normally, when I drive directly from my home to the cabin on Highway 34, it takes me about 40 minutes to turn onto Memory Lane. On October 7th, it took 105 minutes (1-3/4 hours). I tried to enjoy the fall orange and gold scenery. The mountains had received a fresh dusting of snow. I was not going to get stressed out by the huge delay due to the crowded detour.
Once at the cabin, I worked for about 2-1/2 hours on more repointing of the old stone foundation, picking up and disposing of tar paper, siding, and lumber into the rented dumpster, loading miscellaneous metal into my car’s trunk for recycling, and spraying a bleach/water mixture on the original cabin’s tongue and groove moldy pine ceiling. Not glamorous work but I relished every moment in the warm gentle breeze, utter silence and the picturesque forest. I didn’t want to leave. It was so peaceful.
slc
Following the pilot car on my way home down the “normal” Highway 34 route (I was within the evening access hours of 4:00-8:00 p.m.), I discovered how truly peaceful and content I feel for the first time in my retirement.
In Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
