Part-time Retirement

Yogi, over at Yogi's Den, asked me to give an update on this part time retirement thing that I am doing right now.  So here goes.  A year ago I stepped down as department director took a different role in the firm and went into semi-retirement.  My goal was to do that for no more than two years and then fully retire.  That means that this is my last year of work.  Currently, I work three days a week (Monday-Wednesday) and check my e-mails etc., from home, for an hour or so on Thursday and Friday.  There are three or four times a year when I travel to events that make it necessary for me to put in 45-55 hours in a week, but those are planned events and I can schedule for them.

So...what am I doing with my free time.  Well, when the weather is good, I will usually spend Thursday mornings on the lake fishing.  That will probably continue into full retirement.  I bought  a new boat a couple of years ago and I love spending the mornings on the lake.  Even if the fish aren't biting, I like being alone on the water and I live in a part of the country that has some beautiful scenery to enjoy and to photograph.

Thursday is also errand day.  I try to schedule any doctor, dental, auto service, or other appointments on Thursday afternoons.  If there are none on my schedule, then Thursday afternoon is typically taken up with yard work, weather permitting.

My wife currently works four days a week, so Friday is usually the day that we do something together, even if it is house work in preparation for the week-end.  Friday may find us at the grocery store.  If nothing big is planned, Friday may find us at a local flea market, or we may plan a long week-end in Tulsa, Branson, or other location...even Vegas.  Although I think we've been to Vegas enough times that we're through going there for awhile. 

Saturday usually finds us at one of the Grandcrew's events.  There is little league baseball, soccer, dance competitions, piano recitals, and track meets, although the track meets are usually during the week.  And that brings us to my other hobby (passion)...photography.

I have always had a casual love affair with photography.  I have just never pursued it very seriously.  I've always had a decent camera, but I've never taken the time to learn how to use all of the features and controls.  That is changing as we speak.  Last year I joined a local photo club.  It's been fun.  We had a competition and exhibit of our work in November.  I had several entries.

 This photo did not place in it's category.

This photo received and honorable mention in it's category.

This photo placed 1st in it's category

In addition to joining the club, I have subscribed to Kelby Training.  There are a myriad of online classes, taught by world famous photographers, and you have 24 hour access.  Certainly, a lot of the training is over my head and uses equipment that I will never have, but there are hints, tips, and tricks in these classes that make it worth the investment.  I also watch Kelby TV online on a pretty regular basis.  It is free and there is a lot of good information available there as well.  If the weather is bad and I can't go fishing on Thursdays, you will probably find me in front of my computer watching one of these two websites.  After retirement, I may try to enroll in a workshop of some sort.  I would really like to go to PhotoShop World trade show in Orlando.  After retirement, I believe I will have more time to pursue the post processing side of photography.  I am still very much a novice when it comes to using PhotoShop Elements.  Again, I have a decent piece of software, I've just never taken the time to seriously learn all of its features.  I see this as the hobby that will be with me long after I am no longer able to climb in and out of a bass boat.
Finally, I spend a couple of hours a week working on this blog.  Again, I don't take it too seriously.  Some days I will schedule posts for the entire week, Other days I just let it slip.  I don't think that will change much.  I do plan to get my Christmas Music Marathon more organized next year.  I want to tell a story with it instead of just posting random videos each day.  That is the one area of my blog that I am committed to.  It is work to come up with a new post each day for a month.  Those of you who post daily have my admiration and respect.
Well that's the update. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to my last day in the office because I want to spend my retirement enjoying my family and my hobbies.  In my case, my hobbies can be enjoyed by my family.  It's the best of both worlds.