EASING INTO RETIREMENT

Well, I've now officially completed two weeks of retirement, but I don't think things have appreciably slowed down. It's true what they say. Once you've retired, you wonder how you ever got anything done while you were still in the ranks of those trotting off to work five days a week. Me, I have a few little side jobs that I'm in the process of finishing off, so those are keeping me busy at the computer at least part of each day. The rest of each day is spent doing something with dogs—be it walks, swims, classes, trials, whatever. And then there's just the on-going task of really starting to get to all those home-and-yard jobs that have been piling up over the years since I moved into this house. Yep...I'm gonna be busy!

On the first Saturday after I retired, my co-workers threw a very nice retirement party for me. It was hosted by my old friends Ron and Christine Hamilton, at their house up on Bear Mountain. Thank goodness the weather gods were on our side: no snow or other nasty bits of weather to hamper everyone's journeys up and down the mountain. My friends Frank, Gaileen and Carolyn did a wonderful job of organizing the event, and I think everyone had a pretty good time. Martha and Joe came along to help me celebrate. Below are some pix from the evening's festivities.

Frank presents me with a wonderful framed panel of pictures of all the parks I worked at.

Frank spills the beans about what it was like working with me.

Steve does the "official" stuff, presenting me with my public service certificate.

I cut into a huge retirement cake, at least half of which ended up making a trip to the office the following Monday to feed the huddled masses still slogging away working for the government.