Retirement Adventures

Larry retired June 1, 2008 after a 32 ½ year career as an Air Traffic Controller (ATC).  But he kept on working for ten more years as a consultant and then the head of the Air Traffic division at a college.

I, the partner and better half (that’s why my name is first in the domain name) of said Larry and the blogger of this site, retired October 1st the following year after 27.5 years of pushing tin. 

We had one teenager at home who went to Argentina on an exchange program.  So, I joined Larry teaching at the college.  Our commute was 50 minutes and I complained about the drive.  In addition, I did not want to listen to Larry’s Spanish tapes.  I tell friends that I was fired by Larry, but actually, he suggested I do something else with my time.

That something else was create art.  Check out my art page rebeccaannphoenix.com

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“I’ll re-retire when I’m sixty,” Larry said.

Sixty came and went and he was still working.

While removing vinyl siding, his ladder collapsed and Larry went face first into a bucket of rebar.  Twelve hours later as the surgeon sewed up the lachrymal gland (inner tear duct) of his left eye, Dr. Andrew said, “Quarter inch more and I’d be removing your eye.”

I couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie, so on the drive home I asked, “What are you not seeing that you almost lost your eye?”

“I need to retire,” he answered.

And that was the beginning of the next chapter of our lives.

* * * 

Because most of our trips revolved around work or visiting adult children, it took a complete change of mindset to make plans for us and only us.

During the 2019-2020 winter we traveled across northern and central Mexico in an old Subaru and two dogs. 

“Hey, for my sixty-fifth birthday next year, I want to ride my bicycle across the U.S. and I want you to be my support.”  Larry announced after we got home.

Please note, Larry cooks, cleans, and repairs stuff.  He takes care of the yard, garden, fruit trees and bees.  He has remodeled our home inside and out.  And he’s the primary dog parent.  When he asked that I support his bike ride I said NO.

My adult children shamed me into helping.  That’s when this blog was birthed under the original domain name cyclingfromatob.com.

Hope you envy, no no, I mean enjoy the photos and stories.

By Rebecca Phoenix

October 3, 2024