What ever happened to "Thongs"?

My grandkids laugh at me when I call flip-flops by the correct name which is thongs.  No one ever asked me if they could change the name.  So today after 40 years of not owning a pair, I did it.  I bought a pair of flip-flops.  I have thought for 4 decades that they were a very uncomfortable shoes that kids wore because they were cheap for parents to buy every summer.

I was wrong, they are very comfortable.  They are still really cheap but so am I.

So long as I was on a roll I thought I might just enter the new millennium.  I had purchased a new flatscreen TV to replace the old TV in the motorhome, so it was time to change out the old coaxial cables to new HDMI cabling.  Now I can use my laptop and I-pod stereo system for watching Movies or TV.  Anyone need an old VHS tape player.  They might make a comeback someday.

I moved 95% of my clothes and stuff to the MH so I am now committed to the move.  Where a guys t-shirt collection is, so there is his heart. (a wise old saying)

What next?  You'll have to wait to see.

The All New,
Russ

I'm gonna lay here forever....I'm never getting out.

That's what Roseta once told me when she was in the hammock on Granquility.  She did stay there for a long time but finally got out. 

I'm sure that somehow that applies to our new retirement.  I still own that hammock and have it stored away in the basement of the motorhome.  I'll be looking for new places to hang that hammock once we hit the road.

But in our first full day of retirement we are working on getting ready to move into the motorhome.  We are still donating and selling the last few things that aren't going into storage.  When we are all done everything that we are not taking with us will fit into a 6'x10' storage locker.

Time to go sort through a few last treasures.

She did it. She retired!

It was Terri's last day working for Pierce County.  30 years is a long time, but if she added her time with San Diego County it would be 42 years.

She was working right up to the end.  While watching her do her last few emails I removed her nameplate, crossed out her title and wrote in "retired".  She didn't cry but I could tell that she was sad to be leaving, but not that sad.

We went home and started packing up to move things into the motorhome.  We are ready to become "Trailer Trash".  I am proud to say Terri is the "Queen of my Singlewide".

Alder Lake - June 2013 - with 4 grandkids

Febe & Roseta rowing in perfect unison.

Indi does all the work. Jake is along for a nice ride.

 It's a coloring contest on a rainy Sunday morning.

Who is that buried in the sand on a warm Saturday afternoon? The poor girl has no legs. If I was a better photographer you could see that she is a mermaid with fins.

It was a great 4 day weekend with the kids.

Just learning how to insert a photo.

Just another beautiful sunset in Mazatlan.  Makes ya wanna come visit?  We have an extra bedroom waiting for you.  I took this photo after a parade had finished along the Malecon.

First post in retirement

This is our first post to Russ & Terri Ranger's new travel blog. Terri retires in one day, on June 28th and we begin a new adventure.

We will be living in our Monaco motorhome during the 6 months of warm weather in the USA.  We are planning to see many of the 59 National Parks in the next several years.  We will be following the sun in our travels, therefore we will be living in our condo in Mazatlan from November thru April.

At the end of October we will store the motorhome in Tucson and drive the Honda Fit to Mazatlan so that we can have a car to travel in Mexico during the winters.

We have been working on this plan for over 5 years and now the time has come to begin our retirement plan.  How long will we live this new life of travel?  Simple, the answer is as long as we enjoy doing it.

Terri is 60 now and I turned 62 this month.  Terri is a cancer survivor and I have had open heart surgery, so it seems like it is time to hit the road.