How to fill time in retirement

There are places we go to that we assume will always be there. Year after year, we find that we want to go back, and know we will get what we want just like it has always been. These places become part of our life. Typically, it is a bar or a tavern, and sometimes it is a restaurant that has always been dependable with food, service and homey environment. You start to have special occasions at the establishment, and you bring other family and friends to enjoy in that indescribable reason that brings you back. It is like a good friend that is there if you need them. After 35 years, you realize that the place is part of your life. The TV show Cheers was about such a place. There was a bar and a dining area, and people went because as the theme song say "Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name..." Last week, I went to one of my dependable places called Doubles. They opened in 1983 when I was living within walking distance in Indian Harbour Beach, and it w...

If you are looking for some traditional Hawaiian food, I would recommend you try the Shaka Dog located on Minton Road in Palm Bay. My niece Lori and her family were visiting from Virginia, so we decided to meet at the Shaka Dog at 3 PM. My cousin Patti was the first to arrive and was sitting on a bench out front of the small restaurant. It is the last place in a small strip mall. My niece Lori, who was born and raised in Hawaii, arrived a few minutes after me with her husband James, his mom Jackie, and their two kids Rowan and Morgan. OMG, never realized their names could be used for a Laugh-In show I will say this early, the place has a counter where you order and they bring out the food. I am not a big fan of this type of place but I am starting to see it more often. I guess it is good to have people pay before they see the food they will receive.  That would not be a worry here. The menu is not large but they did have one page of written specials and a whit...

In July of 1963, our family went on a camping trip through Canada. In one of the home movies, my dad filmed the date, and I have a brother Tom who remembers the trip as well. What I thought would be fun is retrace the trip by identifying the places in the videos (converted home movies). I split the trip into 8 small clips, each about one minute long. This is at the end of Clip 8 showing the trip info: This post will discuss the first three clips. I am not including the clips here but I have shared them on my FaceBook Wall. I have included some screen captures of the clips as well as screen captures from Google Earth. I know we started in Middlebury Vermont, and the whole family went including my sister Patsy (age 15), my brother John (age 12), my brother Tom (age 8), and of course me (age 5). My dad Harold was 40 and mom had just turned 35. Camping is what we did... Home Movie Clip 1 - 1963Canada01 The opening clip is of my sister Pat and I in front of our camp including...