Contrasts Can Be Useful

                                       A little unpretty here but at least we can hike.

We've escaped the Oregon snow to the land of expensive cars -- Ferrari, Porsche, 
Mercedes Bentley, Rolls Royce, a Maserati or two-- and faces, both male and female sporting "some age adjusting work," lips unnaturally plump, skin a little too taunt, almost frozen. One doctor here advertises "lip volume" treatment, the route to plump lips, I guess. I've lived blissfully unaware that I needed fuller lips. All this has made me a little nostalgic for the slightly frumpy, unadorned, less flashy midwesterners we left behind in Chicago. The California desert community is a strange contrast to Bend where we live. Bend is the 
land of go-go athletes, active folks skiing, cycling, hiking, and more. Evenings might be 
spent drinking beer, listening to music, and talking about awesome ski runs down Mt. Bachelor, all while still wearing ski caps and snow boots. By comparison, the desert 
community seems old; aged men slowly shuffling as they push a grocery cart, oxygen tank in tow, others spotted in their baggy pajama bottoms dragging an oxygen tank through a restaurant. Country Clubs, golf courses, and gated communities saturate the desert landscape. Richard thinks all the gates are to keep others out but I'm wondering if they might be designed to keep people in. Happy hour deals and "Sunset Dinners," a euphemism for early bird, abound as the older crowd streams in around 5 pm for cocktails, some swapping tales of their golf swings. 

Contrasts can prove useful reminders of what we have and what we like.

While not the most interesting locale, the California desert offers us a few days respite from Oregon's cold. We aren't alone in our quest for warmth as we've seen car license plates from Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, British Columbia, Albert, Canada. 

More snow has fallen since we left.

                                    
Just for the books, we slept in 23 new beds in 2016 (I never count a place we've already stayed before). But more dear is how many new places we had the pleasure of visiting in 2016 -- Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the Great Barrier Reef, Darwin, and Brisbane, South Africa including Cape Town, two safari camps, Johannesburg, Northern Ireland, and then Glacier National 
Park and Morgan Hill for a fun family wedding. Places we previously visited but revisited included Yellowstone National Park, London, Dublin, Sonoma, California, and San Francisco. Good-bye 2016. Now on to the challenges of 2017.

Who Needs Golf

   One of our many hikes

I've been itching to write this post. But I had to wait because I have a contract with myself --  I was required to finish writing a draft of a chapter (potential ebook about adventures in early retirement) before I could post again. Oh, you know about those contracts with oneself and their tight grip. So while I love writing and feel strongly about my topic, all manner of other distractions got in the way of finishing the draft --like having fun. Finally, I finished a good enough draft so off I go on a post.

On Retired Syd's blog Retirement a Full-Time Job (June 27) (http://retiredsyd.typepad.com/retirement_a_fulltime_job/2016/06/can-i-still-retire-if-i-hate-golf.html) Jared Scharen wrote the guest post -- "Can I Still Retire If I Hate Golf?" 
When I read the title, I thought at last, someone who speaks my language! I hate golf, too! 
As does my husband. Historically, I feared this preference placed  me in a rather sad 
minority. However, over the years I've learned I'm one of many.

But I digress. Jared is an MBA student at Northwestern who runs the website  http://www.eretirements.com which is dedicated to helping people figure out their best retirement location. Essentially, Jared's guest post suggests all kinds of activities retirees might pursue beyond the cliché golf game. Of course finding the right location is important because some retirement locations more readily lend themselves to certain activities.

While I like Jared's list of possibilities which include softball, swimming, walking, hiking, yoga, theater and the arts, and volunteering, I want to add a few more options.

During one's "Go-Go" years, the years roughly between 60 and the mid-70s when one has the most "get up and go," folks can be really active. I've posted previously about my little 
hometown and its possibilities for outside adventure. Here are a few more options for retirees beyond Jared's list. I've included activities for summer and winter.

Kayaking-- Prior to moving west, maybe we'd kayaked four times over 20 years. Now we 
own kayaks and all the "gear" and regularly head out to one of our beautiful lakes for a day of paddling. This we typically do with others, combining the activity with the social. We know folks who at the age of 70 are just taking up this sport.

    Looks fun, doesn't it?
Cycling -- Not sure how Jared left this off his list. In our little ski town, mountain biking is popular and lots of challenging and moderate trails exist. But road cycling is just as 
popular. Cycling is one of those activities that is easier on aging knees while still providing 
a good cardio workout as well as social connections. R and I just cycled our first Tour des Chutes, a local fundraising ride for cancer. While we did not break any speed or distance records, we cycled a respectable 31 miles over a somewhat hilly (it's all hilly here -- we live at 4000 elevation) course.

    Ready to cycle the Tour des Chutes

Others who rode in The Tour, were quite impressive. One, a 70 year old with spinal injuries,  road an adaptive recumbent tricycle, out cycling us by completing 50 miles. Another, an outstanding blind athlete completed 50 miles cycling on a tandem. Age, abilities or 
disabilities needn't limit choices and cycling is a sport for anyone.

Hiking -- I know Jared mentioned hiking but in the west we have real hiking. Like up 
mountains.

Pickleball
Don't laugh, there is such a game, I mean sport. Pickleball combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis and is played with a plastic ball and a light -- think 7 or 8 ounces in weight - paddle. Easier on the knees than tennis and faster moving and also a 
wonderful social outlet.

    Who could resist Pickleball with its colorful paddles and balls

Winter Pursuits
Since Bend has a ski mountain and lots of snow parks, it isn't difficult to figure out how to spend a 
winters' day. Snow shoeing, which is really just hiking in the snow, is easy and almost anyone can engage in the sport. People of all ages downhill ski and cross country ski -- the sport I'm attempting to learn. We also have a community ice skating pavilion.

Less Strenuous Activities --

Book Clubs 
I'm in a book club that meets 11 times a year to discuss a book and once in December for a party. What is great about belonging to a book club, beyond reading and using my brain, is variety.  Since members nominate book selections for the year, members are exposed to books they may not have read. In the last year and a half, I've probably read five or six books I never would have selected myself. But I grew from reading something different, foreign, uncomfortable. Pushing myself into new territory and engaging in discussions, those are the benefits of book club membership.

Games
My life isn't all sports and reading. Games are excellent ways to increase social connection and keep the brain working. Where I live, favorites are cribbage, bridge, pinochle, and MahJong -- the game I play. I did not seek out MahJong, it found me and I'm glad it did. I'm not very good at this complicated tile game but I enjoy the people I play with because we laugh.

Volunteering 
While Jared mentioned volunteering, I want to expand that notion to advocacy. My husband in retirement has rediscovered his interest in politics and has pledged "muscle" -- time, money, action -- not just rhetoric to supporting political change. This he does happily. Lots of opportunities exist for helping to move the country forward in a peaceful, caring way.

Jared's eRetirements website with its focus on helping people discover their optimal retirement location is a great service. Where one lives dictates opportunities for well earned retirement recreation and bliss.

Get out there -- without the golf clubs!



http://www.eretirements.com/