Sunny Days: Transitioning from Looping to Squatting

We are in Dunedin, Florida--Marker 1 Marina until Feb. 10th. The is the first phase of squatting. This has been a special place for us since Katie was in St. Petersburg for college. It is a charming small town and has 44 miles of a flat bike/walking trail called the Pinellas Trail from Tarpon Springs to St. Pete. This weekend was the Art Festival in Downtown Dunedin --they closed all the streets and we rode our bikes into town. It was terrific.

Vivian’s advice on retirement—let it come to you. Same advice I would give someone starting the Loop—let the trip come to you. It is easier when you have destinations before you and you have weather, waves and other forces of nature dictating the pace but the fact of the matter is that you can usually just stay put and you will always have the next port you want to get to waiting for you. This squatting retirement is a little different in that you must be self-motivated and set some goals for each day. Right now I alternate b/t thanking my lucky stars and keeping up with Fitz. Terry has joined a gym and so far enjoys going there in the mornings. This is not my usual thing but I could get to the point where riding my bike into Dunedin or up to Tarpon Springs would be good. The weather is nice and we are located such that we can walk or ride to a lot of places. The Loopers are all starting to head from here southward--it is getting a little chilly and they have places to go and people to see. We say good-bye to them rather wistfully--they are in for a great adventure.