Wow, how time flies. My last entry was 11 years ago, so a lot has happened. It is now November 2016. I'm sure I'll overlook many things, but at least try to hit the highlights.

Life in retirement has been really good. Again, let me start with the children (Hardly children anymore). Eric had another child, a boy they named Isaac. The lived in Watertown for a number of years and then built a house in Marcellus NY. They both work at Upstate Medical, so the move was for convience mostly. Eric and Jana have recently announced that they will be divorcing. We worry about the children, but with 50% of the marriages ending in divorce, the kids won't be alone. We still maintain a cordial relationship with Jana, in large part to be able to enjoy the kids regardless of where they are.

Darren and Erica did get married at a beautiful wedding in New Jersey. They have since had two children Luke and Clara, both very bright, energetic kids. The bought a house in Clinton, NY, just down the street from where Darren grew up. Darren is still employed as a senior staff attorney at Utica National and Erica continues as a speech pathologist with the local provider. They remain the perfect couple. Darren continues his involvement with scouts and Erica is a member of the school board..

Gloria retired in January of 2006. We then spent 3 months in Arizona and three months in Florida. We liked both places, but family and friends spend Winters in Florida, so that is where we decided to spend portions of the Winter. We started off renting a place on the beach in Redington Beach which we shared with Gloria's sister and her husband for two months. We eventually rented it for three monthes and shared it for two months. In April of 2009, we decided to buy in the vacinity of Redington Shores. After a time we found a nice townhouse just off the beach in Indian Rocks Beach. We then sold the house on Welsh Bush Rd and from that point spent six months in Florida and six months at the house on White Lake. We developed some very strong friendships in Florida and we both volunteered our time to assist in the management/maintenance of the property. Gloria was on numerous committees and I was on the Board. The property is located at 541 Garland Circle in Indian Rocks Beach, Fl. Last year, we decided that we wanted to spend more time with the grandchildren in that we missed many of the school activities and performances. We also had to schedule most of our medical appointments during the six months at White Lake. This year in May, we sold the townhouse for $100,000 more than we paid for it - That surprised us.

Eric and the kids spent four months in New Zealand. Eric arranged to work as a ER doctor while he was there. The kids attended school and Gloria spent a month there babysitting. They all had a great time and broadened their horizens further than they already were.

We came back from Florida, just prior to Gloria going to New Zealand. I then flew back to Florida to close on the sale and rented a 16 ft. truck and loaded it with the things we wanted to bring north. I then drove it back to Utica and rented a storage unit to store everything until we found a house. I kept a strong lookout for a house in South Utica, which is where we wanted to be. While Gloria was in New Zealand, I found a rental and asked the realtor to inquire about selling. The owner did agree to sell, so I did a video chat (Viber) with Gloria to give her a tour of the house. She liked it so I signed a contract contingent on her approval when she returned. When she returned we did an on site visit and discussed the changes that we would make and agreed to buy the house. We closed on July 19. The house is located at 112 Patricia Ln, Utica, NY. We have since had the updates completed and have moved in. It is precisely what we were looking for at a better price than we were willing to pay. We just celebrated Thanksgiving here with family and it seems that we have finally come home. Apart from the lake, I think this will be home for as long as we're around.

We haven't abandoned Florida entirely. We are renting a single bedroom cottage on the beach just around the corner from Curlew landings South where we were. We'll spent 2-1/2 months there this year and maybe just two months in the future.

I guess that catches this journal up. Amazing how fast it all goes by. We are both still in good health and still enjoying every day. It is still a good life.

Wisdom is the ability to understand the question, not knowing the answer.