I will have to admit my life has been something of an adventure. I've never been content to settle in one place for very long, chasing that dream over the next hill has been something of a career for me.
Born in the wilds of Northern Minnesota, my childhood was an adventure as well. Hunting and trapping for food and money. Having always had the urge to see more, I left school and joined the Army. The next six years took me to Europe (Germany) back to the U.S. (Georgia) and then to the steaming jungles of Viet Nam. Good times and some very bad times, but all an adventure.
Getting discharged in 1965 (December) I hitch hiked from California to Northern Minnesota, after a few adventures there I left again for Califronia. Living in Downey, Long Beach, Westchester, Bell and many other places in the Golden State I ended up in Huntington Beach.
One day I came home from work and told my wife number 3, the first two didn't have that sense of adventure, we're going to Australia. To say this was a shock to her is an understatement. After some discussion (read argument) we headed to Australia and lived in Sydney for a couple of years. My job took be all over Asia and the South Pacific, which was great for me, new countries, new people, new cultures, I was in Heaven.
After a couple of years in Australia I was transferred back to the U.S. and we ended up in Dallas Texas. After a year there I was ready for another move, so it was back to California for a couple of years.
The next conversation regarding an adventure went something like this...Hi honey, we going to Samoa. WHAT!!! yup were moving to Samoa, you'll love it. Like hell I will!! Cutting to the chase it was off to Samoa for a year and then onto Micronesia (Guam)..Finally ending up back in California, where my job took to all over the world. I counted up the number of countries that we had lived in or done business it. 67 was the total.
Finally I reached retirement age and decided that was it for me. We were living in Huntington Beach at the time and I decided that let's make one last move to Nevada to escape the taxes and congestion in California. Off we went to Henderson NV where we have been for the last seven years.
Well you know what happens next, I'm bored, time for another adventure, but where to this time. As I have moved on in years I was missing living in the country, thinking about when I was a kid.
The next conversation with my wife went something like this...Honey, lets sell the house and move...WHAT! sell the house in the worse Real Estate market in history. This was our retirement home, the last home and we were going to stay here. I might add that her voice was reaching a fever pitch. Being very calm I explained to her that I had the wander lust again and needed a new adventure. She explained to me that I was 70 years old, pushing 71 and life was not to be another adventure. It was time to settle down and enjoy life. To me settling down was not something that I see as good. The old saying ''Don't look over your shoulder, something may be catching up''...is my motto.
We put the house up for sale in the worse Real Estate market in history. Nevada is especially bad, most homes sold here are either short sales or foreclosures, but for some reason (The Creator was looking down on us) A couple from Hawaii saw the home, and made a cash offer on it. Escrow will close on February 8th, so on February 9th we will be homeless. Another adventure coming our way.
My wife is getting into the move now as I have promised her this is the last adventure. I'll be to old to do this again. The look that she gave me told me that she didn't believe me.
So is this the last adventure or another stop on the road of life.
