WHERE I AM, THERE I AM (December 13, 2023 - January 11, 2024)

Fairfield Glade backyard deer

 

Our final three weeks at the "Glade" were spent watching a lot of basketball and football on TV as the weather turned off quite cold. My daughter's family drove down from Indiana and spent a week with us over the Christmas break. Puzzles and table games were the order of the days. They stayed through January 2, 2024 so we could all watch MICHIGAN win the National Championship! 

We left the woodlands of WYNDHAM FAIRFIELD GLADE a day early. This time we rented a car for our travel and headed via the southern route through Atlanta, Ga. in order to miss the icy Smoky Mountain roads. After spending the night outside of Atlanta we drove to South Carolina and Edisto Island and the WYNDHAM OCEAN RIDGE RESORT.                                                                                 

Blue skies greeted us as we arrived at our Bay Point unit at the resort. We have stayed in Bay Point every spring since 2017. Right now, this will be our front yard until June. We have just nicely settled in. It feels like "home". The resident dolphin have been active in the Bay and seemed glad to see us. The shore birds have flocked to welcome us back and the swaying Palm Trees waved hello.

Edisto has been a favorite since we first visited in the summer of 1985. We fell in love with the Low Country of South Carolina. We've never stayed this long....we'll see how it goes.                                                                                                         REFLECTIONS

I thought I'd reflect on the year just passed. In 2023 I pillowed my head in Florida, South Carolina, Indiana, Missouri, Alaska, and Tennessee. 51% of those nights were spent in WYNDHAM RESORTS and 49% were spent with family, friends, and as an interim pastor in Alaska. We "visited" WYNDHAM CYPRESS PLAMS (Kissimmee, Florida), WYNDHAM OCEAN RIDGE (Edisto Island, South Carolina), WYNDHAM MOUNTAIN VISTA (Branson, Missouri), and WYNDHAM FAIRFIELD GLADE (Crossville, Tennessee).

I am often asked which resort is my favorite. I don't have a good answer because they are all unique. Cypress Palms is located just off busy Highway 192 but has great pools and hot tubs. There are all kinds of eateries and stores within walking distance. Ocean Ridge, in the other hand, is located an hour from Charleston and is as remote as it gets. Yet it provides a place to enjoy the simpler things in life. There are zero hotels, motels, or high raise resorts. Ocean Ridge is it. The only national restaurant is the Subway in the gas station (several local places provide the best seafood ever. Mountain Vista is your invitation to all that is Branson. Nuff said. Fairfield Glade sits on top of the Cumberland Plateau. It is a golfer's paradise and its own post office and shopping center.

 I have awakened to grazing deer, slinking alligators, and jumping dolphins. We have been joined by family and friends. We have made new friends.

"Regrets? I've had a few. But then again too few to mention." So I'll look forward with great expectations for the year to come. I'll revel in the time with family. I'll enjoy reunions with friends. I'll kiss my wife goodnight and wake up somewhere that I'll be happy to be.

As Michigan's victorious football coach says; "Who has it better than us? NOBODY!

Edisto Island Sunset

BACK WHERE WE STARTED (November 11 - December 12, 2023)

The flights from Missouri to Tennessee went without incident and we arrived at the Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Glade. We have been visiting this resort for over 40 years. It is where we became a part of the Fairfield/Wyndham family in 1982.

Our first month was spent, for the most part, just enjoying some alone, down-time. It was good to be able to just relax with no schedule. Hiking was my primary activity. We did have visitors from Alaska stop in for lunch on their way through the state.

We did manage to eat at both the new eatery, Skillets Grill, and the Stonehenge Grill. I would recommend both. Insta Cart delivered our groceries from Food City. 

                                                 REFLECTIONS

Whoever would have thought that when we purchased a "Vacation Ownership" package at Fairfield Glade that forty years later we would be enjoying a nomadic retirement because of that decision. 

When we "signed on the dotted line" we understood that this would be an investment in our young family and not an investment to gain financially. And it certainly was. And it is.

We secured a unit in, the yet to be built, Kensington Woods section. Now, all those years later, that is where we are staying. We regret nothing. Since retirement in late 2016 we have spent 232 nights here.

"Time Share" isn't for everyone. Buying a "retirement home" isn't for everyone. Living on a "cruise ship" isn't for everyone.  You know; "different strokes for different folks" and all.  For us, it works. It has provided countless days of enjoyment for our children, our grandchildren, and our friends. It has been a blessing.

Like anything you do, if you fully invest yourself in understanding how it works and are committed to make it work, there's a good chance that you CAN make it work.

Little did we imagine where that long ago decision would lead. Actually, it has led right back where it all started.

The Dicer Kids at Fairfield Glade Playground in 1982

PASS TIME OR PASTIME? (October 16-November 11, 2023)

After finishing our brief stay in Indiana, we made our way to Missouri where we were joined by six other couples for the annual "Celebration of Friends".  This group has met together in the fall for the last seven years.  We all graduated from college as friends in the 1960s.  This year we gathered at WYNDHAM MOUNTIAN VISTA RESORT in Branson.  It is always a wonderful time of simply being together.

Following that five-day event, we moved about an hour on down the road to spend a couple of weeks with my son and his family.  It was special to see how much our great granddaughter has grown.  As usual, I found my way to Wilson's Creek National Civil War Battlefield to do some photo shoots of whitetail deer.

Now it's off the WYNDHAM FAIRFIELD GLADE in Tennessee. We will be "visiting" there until the first of the year. It was there that we first joined the Fairfield/Wyndham family in 1982.  The rest is history.

                                                                 REFLECTIONS

Autumn has always been my favorite! Don't get me wrong. I like all four seasons.  It is just that there is something special about the fall. Since childhood I have enjoyed the changing of the trees from green to a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors. 

Where I grew up in Michigan, fall meant hunting. As an adult I spent happy an hour searching for pheasants or sitting quietly beside a deer trail.  The musty smell of fallen leaves always brings back memories of those times.

Now, because of my pacemaker, the only shooting I can do is with a camara! It's not quite the same but, at least it lets me pursue two hobbies at once. 

Hobbies are defined as "activities done regularly in one's leisure times for pleasure."  Once you are retired and "old", they became so much more than that. They are "activities done regularly for pleasure to keep one's mind and body active". 

Photography, for example, keeps one on the outlook for the new, the different, the interesting. It requires being active, creative, and calculating (as you figure out f-stops and stuff). Thus, the numerous photographs I publish.

Writing is, likewise, a pleasurable experience that keeps one's facilities sharp and allows for creativity to continue to be explored. Thus, this blog.

Then there's "Road to the Masters by EA Sports".  It requires dexterity, quick reactions, and a bunch of factoring as one strives to better previous scores. Thus when, after hours and hours of pleasurable activity you manage to score a 20 under par, it provides an undeniable feeling that you're still "with it".

Now, it's back to another round of golf while sitting on the couch. Life is good!

  

"ONE IS THE LONLIEST NUMBER" (September 3 - October 15, 2023)

Seward, Alaska Harbor

 In Alaska when the Fire Weed blooms at the top of the stalk it indicates that winter is just around the slippery corner.  It also indicated to us that our time in the frozen north was coming to an end.  Our last days were spent saying goodbye to all the wonderful new friends we had met and preparing for the journey back to the lower 48! When our Delta jet lifted off from the airport in Anchorage, we had spent 103 days in Alaska.

We spent the next month or so in Indiana.  We shuffled between our cabin outside of Bloomington and our daughter's home in Avon.  They were days of splitting wood, sitting by the firepit, watching our granddaughter play volleyball, and a bunch of doctor appointments.  It was a time of getting our feet on the ground and adjusting to the drastic time change.

We were able to watch several volleyball games and be there when our granddaughter's team won their sectional tournament.

Our "homestead" in Indiana

REFLECTIONS

When we are asked; "Where's home?", our reply is Indiana.  Indeed, that's where we hold our driver's license, that's where we vote, that's where we pay our property taxes, that's where our doctors are. It's "home".  However, when this year is over, we will have spent a total of 48 days in the Hoosier state and in the last 6 years of retirement we have spent only 14% our time there.  Like the old song says; we "love to go a wandering".

Wandering has some upsides.  It's awesome to be able to travel and see so many beautiful pieces of planet earth. It's wonderful to meet so many new folks along the way.  It's amazing to not be "tied down" to things.  One of the biggest things is that this lifestyle stretches us to deal with so many new and different things.  It keeps us growing and going.

At this stage of our earthly journey, it is important to continue to look toward the future and to be challenged to conquer new obstacles along the way.  It keeps us focused on life and living.

Yet, wandering has some downsides!  The biggest downside may be that, when you spend so much time traveling, you sacrifice "community".  We love our friends.  We love our family.  The problem is that we are limited in the amount of time that we can connect with them. Therefore, we try to make every moment with them count. 

It also means that, when we wander, there is a great deal of alone time.  My wife deals with that much better than I do.  For me, it is difficult to not have a consistent group of people that I can be with on a daily basis.  

I know that the "facebook fantasy" is real and that if you read people's posts you would think that they have a perfect life.  I guess that I just want you to know that, for us, there are certainly times when we wish we could be with family or friends and we just can't. It hurts.

Having said all that; we still feel so blessed to be able to do what we do.  Just know that there are times when, as Three Dog Night sang, "One is the lonliest number that you'll ever do. Two can be as bad as one, it's the lonliest number since the number one."

Alaska Wanderings (July 27-September 2, 2023)

Living life on the edge in Girdwood, Alaska

Every summer that we visit Alaska this blog devotes an issue to some photos to hopefully show the readers the beauty and ruggedness of our 50th state.  This will be that issue.

During the past five weeks we have seen the church, where I have been serving as interim pastor, interview and extend a "call" to a parsonage family from North Dakota.  They have accepted and will arrive soon.  Our last day in Seward will be September 17 and the next blog you read will have been penned in Indiana.  It has been a joy to pastor these fine people.

Also, during this time frame, we experienced a visit from our oldest son and his wife.  They flew into

the Last Great Frontier to join us in a jaunt of about 1,400 miles across the massive state.  Stops were made in several places including; Talkeetna, Palmer, Wasilla, Seward, Homer, Ninilchik, Whittier, Anchorage, Soldotna, Kenai, and Girdwood.  They were exciting and wonderful days of, once again, exploring this great state.

Many of the following photographs are from those days.  Others are from our time in Seward since the last blog was published on July 26th.
 

                                                      

  REFLECTIONS OF THE JOURNEY

For whatever reason, I couldn't get the caption feature to work correctly.  So here is a list of where the following photographs were taken.

1. Seward, Alaska (Harbor)

2. Seward, Alaska (Resurrection Bay)

4. Bear Creek, Alaska (Exit Glacier National Park)

5. Seward, Alaska (Resurrection Bay)

6. Hatcher Pass, Alaska (Little Susitna River)

7. Girdwood, Alaska (Alyeska Resort)

8. Girdwood, Alaska (Alyeska Resort)

9. Ninilchik, Alaska (Russian Orthodox Church)

10. Blackstone Glacier, Alaska

11. Whittier, Alaska (Downtown Black Bear)

12. Kenai Peninsula, Alaska (Aleutian Island Sunset)

Trust you'll enjoy the photos. Why not pick your favorite and leave a comment below.

Harbor in Seward, Alaska

Resurrection Bay Silver Salmon

Resurrection Bay, Alaska

CROPPING VS. SEEING THE WHOLE PICTURE (June 27 - July 26, 2023)

Lowell Creek Falls

     After recovering from a light case of Covid we settled into our time in Seward, Alaska.  Seward is a town at the end of the road.  Called the "Gateway to Alaska" it has been an important location throughout the history of the state. From the early settlers to the prospectors during the gold rush, to the building of the Alaskan Railroad it has played a vital role. Today it is the heart of a bustling seaport and tourist trade. 

     This past month has been a mix of ministry and exploration. The weather could have been better. Long-time residents say it has been the coolest start to summer that they have ever seen.  Temperatures have hovered in the high 50's and low 60's with about double the average rainfall.     

     In spite of sickness and less than ideal weather our Seward experience has been amazing. The church here is earnestly looking for a new pastor and have welcomed us into their fellowship during the interim.  This group of "locals" have been instrumental in helping us learn about their community.

                                                               REFLECTIONS

Resurrection Bay Sunrise

     I took this picture of the sunrise over Resurrection Bay while sitting at the desk in our apartment.  The screen in the window gave it the look of an oil painting.  Sometimes things aren't always what they seem to be. As a matter of fact, before "cropping", this photo would have included a gravel parking lot and a storage rental facility.  

     Is the picture above accurate? Yes! Is it complete? No!  I have altered it make it more acceptable to those who view it.  Who wants to look at parking lots and metal buildings when there are majestic mountains and a brilliant sunrise to be seen. 

     I've come to the conclusion that that is how I choose to look at life. I'd rather "crop" the unpleasant and discordant out of the picture of my life and focus on the pleasant and harmonious. Oh, I see the whole picture, but I'd prefer to zoom in on the aspects that will bring joy and peace to my being. It's the "think on these things" aspect of the Bible ("If there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - think on those things")     

     Whether it's people or places, I choose to look for the beauty and crop the unpleasant from my view. Call me an optimist and proclaim that I see the world through "rose colored glasses" and I will say that you are exactly right.  It works for me.

 

     

     

WAITING FOR THE NEXT PITCH (May 27-June 26, 2023)

Seward, Alaska

 

We caught the early flight from Indianapolis to Minneapolis and on to Anchorage, Alaska.  It was about lunch time in the "Final Frontier" so we convinced our driver, Danny, to stop at the world-renowned Burger Man (Artic Roadrunner).  Then, with our hunger satisfied, we began our two-and-a-half-hour drive to Seward!  Danny, a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Seward, filled us in with some of the blanks on the church as we drove by mountains, streams, rivers, lakes, forests, and meadows.  

It was good to be back in what has become our summer state!  In recent years I have served as interim pastor for churches in Soldotna, Eagle River, Juneau, and now, Seward.  This is not something we planned but something we have fully enjoyed.

We arrived in Seward in midafternoon and immediately were impressed with this port city on Resurrection Bay.  We were shown our upstairs, three-bedroom residence and spent the next several hours unpacking and moving in for what could be a four month stay.  After a long day of traveling and a four-hour time change, we were ready to call it a day at 7 p.m. Alaska time.  The problem was that in Alaska in June the sun doesn't set until after 11 p.m and it never "really" gets dark.

In the ensuing days we have met so many wonderful people and taken some time for exploration in our new environment.  Church service went well, a work and witness team from Georgia did their thing, and then it happened.

                                                           

End of Nash Road

                                          REFLECTIONS

The work and witness group headed back to "the outside" and within hours our small congregation found itself immersed in Covid!  That's right C O V I D!  Hadn't heard of a case in months and now half the church, including me, were fighting the virus!

Instead of watching Sea Lions frolic, I am watching reruns of "Foods That Made America Great".  It's one of my favorite programs but, not quite what I was expecting to be doing in Alaska. Instead of relaxing on a rustic bench, breathing in fresh mountain air, beside a tree lined and mountain framed trail, I am sitting on a leaned-back recliner, trying to take a deep breath without coughing.

Life has a way of throwing us change ups when we are expecting fast balls.  The secret is to remember it's a long at bat with several more pitches to come.  There is no need to panic and even should we strike out it's no big deal.  Professional baseball players become All-Stars by batting .300.  That means that 7 out of 10 at bats are failures.  With that in mind, I am going to stand back (well actually lay back) and wait for the next pitch.

I figured it out.  I am going to be here for about 100 days, so if 30 of those days are exceptional it will be an All Star kind of experience.  On top of that, I have an awesome manager and a great team (church) on my side.  We got this!

Exit Glacier Trail