Our Fourth Quarter

Like the exciting fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVIII our personal quarter is turning out to be one of the best.  We are enjoying a new active lifestyle and it is great being closer to the children and grandchildren.  Like Super Bowl overtime, we don’t know just how long this game will last but  Monty and I are ready to make the best of this quarter.  Maybe like the Super Bowl the commercial breaks will make the game seem to go on forever. 

Like a long RV tailgate party, while driving the motorhome we never had an accident and were never called for pass interference.  But we recognized the need to change our game plan.  The motorhome has moved on to a good home with a younger couple and the tow car found a new home with a beginning driver.    

Life will become a different adventure for us now. In many ways this new experience is just as exciting as the first cross country trip.  We are a little older and maybe a bit slower but we still have gas in the tank and are ready for some new adventures.  

It is time to take a look at the bucket list and think of all the things we wanted to do when we had more time, or more money.  Like most people we spent a lot of time planning our  retirement and have lived carefully wondering how long the money will last.  Planning would be easier if we had a ‘expiration date’ stamped on our rump. We are ready to stop worrying so much about what we should or shouldn’t do and enjoy this last quarter to the fullest. I think it’s time to order Kendall Jackson Chardonnay instead of house wine.  We’re counting on our wisdom and experience to make this march down the field a successful one.  

If you consider the average life expectancy in America for people born in the early 40’s is 79 we are already in overtime. But we haven’t heard the two minute warning yet so we are moving on with confidence.

We have no idea what the next few years will look like but we are open to all the possibilities.  The first thing we did was schedule a tour of Alaska.  I know a cruise to Alaska is what most people do but we wanted to see more of the interior.  This trip includes  lunch with a musher and his dogs who have participated in the Iditarod. There is no mention of actually eating kibble in the kennel, thank goodness.  A ride in a domed rail car to Denali National Park for an overnight stay.  A water excursion to see the glaciers and something about a ride in a jet boat.  We’ve ridden in the front seats on a jet boat in Oregon and that was a wet  and wild experience.  There are no extra points for getting soaking wet in Alaska so hopefully we can find a dry spot in the middle of the huddle.   

I really wanted to go and see the bears up close and personal but neither one of us were too crazy about the idea of flying in a small plane to get to the bears lunch spot. No reason to tempt fate. Monty figured if we’d seen one bear in the wild we’ve pretty much covered bears.  Luckily we’ve seen five or six bears in our outback years  so I guess that takes care of the da’ bears.  

Now polar bears, that is another story, maybe a trip to Churchill, Canada to ride out and see polar bears is in our future.   

Now that could be a touchdown!