I am back!!!!!!

by Irwin Lengel
(Lakeland, FL)

Where have we been?

Time to fess up – as can be seen by the lack of activity, I have been remiss in my duties of keeping up with my blog time.

It is amazing how, now that we are retired, our schedules seem to be fuller than what they were when we were working. We recently returned from a trip to CA and NV to both visit our son and his family and also have a little R&R time to ourselves in Laughlin, NV.

The first portion of the trip was to see and visit with our son who lives in southern CA or as they would put it, in the “high desert”.

Now that we are retired, we try to see each of our sons twice a year (the other son lives in NE Connecticut). Since our daughter lives within 30 minutes of us in FL, we see her when both our schedules allow us to. It was a good trip in that the weather held up and while there were a few days that were rather windy, for the most part, the overall trip was just great.

As a matter of fact, due to our son and family being more health-conscious than what we have been, my wife and I actually lost some weight during this recent trip.

Since they were in the midst of planning for the graduation of our granddaughter, we decided to break up our visit by taking a short side trip to Laughlin, NV. For more information on this fun little town – go to www.visitlaughlin.com.

One of several hotels that are found in this quaint little town is the Colorado Belle. It was here where we stayed during our short visit to this great little resort town located in the at the CA/NV/AZ border.

Colorado Belle is a 600-foot long replica of a 19th century Mississippi paddlewheel riverboat located at the center of casino row. The "Belle" is home to Laughlin's the Boiler Room, an award-winning Micro-Brewery and restaurant, the ACCESS Players Club-the most innovative and rewarding club on the river, three great restaurants, free live entertainment, a fitness room, gift shops and spa and salon.

While here we took several walks, enjoyed a soft ice cream cone as a means of beating the heat, and were even able to do some line dancing.

Enroute back from Laughlin to Phelan, CA, we stopped at a diner we visited on an earlier trip primarily for the nostalgic memories the diner provides. The name of the diner is Peggy Sue’s Diner and here is the website for those of you interested in learning more about it.
www.peggysuesdiner.com.

Once back in Phelan, CA, in addition to locating a line dance class we could attend while there, we assisted our son and his wife with the upcoming graduation and after-graduation party. We were very proud of our granddaughter (see picture ) not only due to her graduating with honors but also for the speech she gave at the graduation ceremony. We are very fortunate to have children and grandchildren that continue to make us proud of them in all they do.

Overall, with the exception of the bumpy flight back from Salt Lake City (our route took us from Ontario, CA to Salt Lake City to Orlando, FL) the trip was very fulfilling. Now, we are taking a breather doing household chores and what have you in anticipation of our next escapade which will be a Disney adventure to celebrate the same granddaughter’s birthday later this month.

Allow me to end this entry with the following comments. We have two of several inscriptions hanging on the walls in our house.

One reads as follows:
Cherish yesterday, Dream tomorrow, Live today.

The other reads:
Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

Remember if you are retired and not having fun, perhaps you need to rethink your priorities. Retirement is and can be one of the most fulfilling times of your lives.

A thought to remember at times like these is this: As long as we rest on the security of our certainty, nothing new will come to us.

SIGN UP: Retirement Insider