Report: Week Three of Retirement (or Birds of a Feather Flock Together)

Welcome to the second installment of Angie’s Retirement Report.

Spousal Unit would tease me if I said I had goals for retirement – wasn’t the point NOT to have a To Do List?  But I think the difference is the nature of the goals.  For example, we have begun a series of road trips to catch up with ‘seasoned’ friends before we head west. 

Our visit to friends in Indiana  (Spousal Unit announced ‘it looks just like Ohio’ when he woke up from his nap in the car) took us back to memories of freshman year at Ball State University (Go Cardinals!)  My first roomie and I went in different directions after college, and yet, every time we get back together, it doesn’t matter how many years have gone by – we glide into a comfortable conversation like you slip into your favorite pair of sweats. 

Wisteria Gates

Detroit, the location of our first house, is like a phoenix rising from the ashes, and we reveled in experiencing the renaissance.  A friend who is a docent at the Detroit Institute of Arts shared his wealth of knowledge about the architecture of the building and some of its key pieces. 

Diego Rivera Mural

After an hour of talking, he was ready for a beverage and we were more than happy to oblige the resulting pub crawl down Woodward Avenue.  10 blocks and several drinks later, we tucked into fried chicken and okra at Gus’s Fried Chicken.   While there, our friends introduced us to a gentleman who is part of a business incubator in the city.  This organization offers shared office spaces and other resources that enable promising entrepreneurs to chase their dreams.  You can feel the excitement and energy!

The food extravaganza continued the next day when we met up with another couple at the Eastern Market, which hosted the All Things Detroit and Food Truck Rally.  A special event that brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs across Michigan with their unique wares, it also features a variety of food trucks to tempt you.  Breakfast burritos with chorizo, gourmet popcorn, cranberry and orange scones, lemon butter pie … we had to sample it all. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this couple invited us to this event – entrepreneurs themselves, they have built careers on finding a niche and filling it.  So inspirational!

 

Day 23 of retirement - is it any wonder that time is flying by?