I have been thinking about this retirement and what I have been doing for the last 3 years and what to do next. In the last three years I have been on a few adventures.
In April 2007 I went to Germany to visit Mike & Petra and then walked a couple hundred miles across Spain. After returning I started writing a book about the adventure. I published the book earlier this year. Oh, can review it or even buy one online for less than twenty bucks.
lulu.com/metras3 . Or ask me if I still a couple copies because I think I can get it to you for about $13.99. So for $15 I could keep my newsletter running a little longer.
That’s enough advertizing for now.
I have also published 2 books with the back issues of my newsletter. The first book was all issues I could find up to 2007. And the second is 2008. I still have to put 2009 together.
You can see them out there at lulu.com/metras3 too.
In 2008 I went out to California to visit Mike and Petra while there were resting up before the started there big journey to walk east. I spent a month on the road and think I only had three things break that I had to fix so I could finish my vacation.
I don’t know why I keep calling a vacation when I am retired. May it is because retirement is an occupation. Like when I took a year off in the mid 1980’s and went to college. The Unemployment people told me it was an occupation if I want to school.
About this time last year I head to Flagstaff Arizona to have coffee with Mike and Petra. They were about a month and a half in to their walk to Jerusalem and I thought that was the right time for a coffee break.
I spent about a month them being their support team with the motor home. I traveled about 15 miles a day while they were walking east. After that I thought it was time for me to head home. I stopped and say people on my path home and was home around 3 days after I let the pilgrims.
That was funny. It took me 3 days to go from Albuquerque to home. I took them 6 month to walk. See Mike’s journal at WalkingEast.com .
I think it was July I head in the direct of Hannibal Missouri to have coffee with them again. I got as far as Pittsville Illinois and the fuel pump failed on the motor home. I spend two days at the Ford dealership getting that fixed. Later I had a rood leak. That was it for me. I decided to get rid of the motor home.
It wasn’t the cost it was just that it was breaking a lot. After have the same car for seven years without any problems I had had it with the motor home. I guess having two house payments and putting 50 gallons of gas in whine it was empty is part of that too. 
Anyway I lost interest in the motor home.
I have all the things fixed now so it should be a good buy for someone looking for a nice motor home. Yes, here is another ad! Sunny Island RV is selling it for me. Their web site is www.sunnyislandrv.com
Later in the year I installed a grid tie on my solar charges system to send my excess electric back to the power company to get credits. Well it really never gets that far because I use it before it gets to my electric meter. I think this winter I have had 1000 watts I couldn’t use because I am not using the electric mower or the trimmer.
I also setup a wind turbine. It is rated at six times the output of my solar panels. I have it temporary installed out by the pickup. It is blocked by the trees so I have to move it this spring. Where it is nod it needs to be raised about 100 feet to get enough wing to be of much use. With the trees blocking it is nothing more that something to look at to see which way the wind blows.
This spring I am going to try to install it on my antenna tower. It is open the south west where the stronger winds come from. Trees only block that spot a little.
Is I am about at the end of the page. I will save this space in case something profound happens that I need to report upon.
I think I should go for coffee now….
I’m back. I didn’t need that coffee. I did get to see Marilyn. Do you remember Marilyn? She uses to work at Vaughan’s back when Bob and Shirley use to own it. Wow, that will be three years ago in July.
Later,
Marty