buckle-up

The day has almost arrived. Very soon, we will take up occupancy in our Florida home, a process that from the first thoughts to completion has happened in less than a year. When we drove down to Panama City, Florida, from Longmont, Colorado, as the 2024 July Fourth weekend came to an end, little did we know that with just a little bit of shaking, a building lot in an area we liked, became available. Folks we know watch the HGTV show, 100 days, and for Margo and me, from the day we watched the first survey of our lot to when construction ended was just on120 days. Yes, we have had to be patient while other homes were completed as the developer releases finished homes in batches to minimize (as much as possible) the impact of further development along the street. However, this post is not about our future home. You will just have to wait to the next post when we can provide further insights into how our desires mapped to a finished product. Entering the home will be giving us a blank c...

Margo and I like to celebrate milestones, even as the numbers keep on getting bigger. January is always momentous as it is the time when we celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries. However, when it comes to March it kicks off the start of almost two months of celebration as the rest of the family catches up. It is my sister Judy who is the outlier, celebrating her birthday in February but we love her all the same. Alright, yes, this post is more than just celebrating anniversaries and birthdays as it is about the “one more house” we have always thought we just had to build. We did not know how and where or indeed, when, but creating a new home is so much fun! It truly flexes what little braincells we have left. As we come to terms with our new home town, we have come to understand that there are many miles to cover and where, at times, it seems we have crossed a state line at some point. Anyone who looks at a map of Florida will soon realize that up in the panhandle, not only...

Thunderous explosions awoke us early in the morning as a fast-moving storm descended on us. Shortly after the first clap of thunder, alarms started blaring on our phones. A tornado was imminent in our area so I quickly arose, grabbed my wallet, keys, watch and headed to my phone. And no, I don’t sleep with my phone handily within reach in our bedroom. As I looked outside at the predawn gloom, the skies looked wicked and it was hard to ignore that perhaps something terrible would unfold right in front of our eyes. It lasted the better part of an hour. Distant rumblings continue as the storm headed further east. Fortunately, the rains have begun to ease and for Margo and me, that’s quite a relief. Hard to believe that after breaking ground October 21, with not quite four months behind us, our new Florida home is having landscaping done – our home is now locked awaiting appliances. Hopefully, this storms appearance doesn’t play havoc with our builders’ schedule. Our final walk through i...

With my back to our suite and my eyes locked on far away sights, it was once again time to go down to the sea in ship s. The title of a movie made ages ago, but I have to admit my thoughts were more about the lines from the poem by John Masefield: “ I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky. ” What has become an all too familiar tradition of Margo and I, as the days pass by and the times together over Thanksgiving and Christmas are but a distant memory, we seem to be always drawn to the ocean and to a cruise out on its waters. As you read this post, we are anchored within the coral reefs surrounding Belize, having pulled into Colon, Limon and Roatan. As for the photo above, you may come across it in other posts and commentaries but it does capture the essence of why we sail. Our means of transportation across the Caribbean this time has been the Viking Mars. A formula ocean going Viking vessel following exactly the same lines as other Viking Ocean going ships, it b...

  Prospects are looking good that this will be the last time we celebrate the annual foodfest that comes with the back-to-back holidays that start with Thanksgiving and continue on through Christmas and the New Year. Considered a marathon by many, punctuated by a few short-lived sprints, it’s a period that includes time set aside for family, friends, business colleagues and yes, ourselves. Finding time to hit the pause button and catch up over shared experiences, Margo and I found respite in the few moments we were able to set aside for ourselves. It may be the first and the last season we are spending in our rental cottage while our new home is being constructed and amongst our own self-inflicted craziness watching a house grow, it was such a treat to have our family drop by for a week.  Daughter Anna, her husband Erich, and the grandkids Ella, Evan and Aiden, all took time away from the chilly weather of Colorado to spend a week with Mom and me. The weather was distinctl...