Passing the time...

It was a gorgeous sunset Sunday evening. Arlene and I had gone out for a bite to eat. It was a nice if a bit cool, early evening. We took a little walk at local wooded area, next to the central school for the city. Though this is less than a mile from where I live I had never explored the area. You end up walking by the river, (The Mystic River though there is nothing mystical about it. It's name is based on an old Indian word.) with an occasional peak at the water through the vegetation. It was actually a very nice spot that I drive by and around every day. I wish I had my camera with me. To that end I suggested we sit on Arlene's porch, which is on the 3rd floor, and view the sunset while sipping on some wine. Well the sunset was spectacular except there was no way to see the horizon. There were houses and trees blocking out most of the horizon. Still it was quite colorful and I think I got some good shots and clips. Unfortunately I went home (conveniently next door) leaving my camera on her dinning room table.

I am still in the middle of adjusting to my new semi retired lifestyle. I still work on a part time basis but it certainly is quite different than working full time. After working full time for the last 45 years (Yikes!) I have to admit to myself that, that part of my life is over. Apart from the obvious aging aspect, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It seems that the biggest adjustment is what to do with all this new free time. If I was rich I know I would do some traveling and not just in the U.S. Well I'm not rich but that doesn't mean I can't travel in a more local area. Having a car makes it possible to reach just about any where in New England within a day. It's what made the discovery of Martha's Vineyard in 2010 special to Arlene and me. But there other places. Western Ma. is all rural, save for a few sizable cities. It's a different world from where I live an yet I can be there in about an hour. 3 hours to cross the entire state. We'd like to go back to Mt. Greylock. It's more like a big hill than mountain. It's what's left of an old mountain range. Still it's about 3400' above sea level and has gorgeous views, especially in the fall. Then there are the other states.

It's all a matter of adapting to a new routine and I am grateful to be able to do this at my age. In two weeks we will be back on the island for a week. I can only hope the trip will be as quick as it was the last time. We left here at 6 a.m. and were at the pier in about an hour. We were to take a later ferry but there were so few people and cars at that time that they let us go on the earlier ferry. 45 minutes later we were on the island. All in about two hours. You have to enjoy the small victories in life.

Two weeks from today we will again be on the island. This is the latest in the year we have been there. There will be little or no crowds. We plan to take a sunset cruise on a sailboat. It will be chillier than usual but that's ok.  As long as the weather stays reasonable, it will be a refreshing change from the crowds, traffic and construction that seems to be going on all around.

Alright I'm outta gas and
I'm outta here.