Homeless, Happy and Hyped

 

Well folks, if my marriage survived the past month, I guess it is destined to last the rest of my days.  Yes, if my wife Joan did not divorce me after selling her Melbourne Beach home of the past 23 years right out from under her I would guess I’m pretty much safe in the “I-think-I’ll-find-a-new-husband-to-replace-this-idiot category”. 

We moved into our seaside home on December 31, 1989.  The 2,400 sq. ft. house was in a great location, only 3 blocks from the beach and two from the river.  We loved the sleepy laid-back atmosphere in the one square mile town known as Melbourne Beach. While the house was in a great location it was, using a technical term, a piece of crap.  We immediately set to work gutting the 5 bedroom 3 bath home.    And guys when I say gut I mean exactly what the dictionary describes - verb (used with object)  “to destroy the interior of”. 

We tore out the bathrooms, kitchen, knocked down walls, ripped up the carpet and tile, yanked out the windows, doors, and roof.  We even removed every blade of grass off the lot.  The renovation cost was near the purchase price but in 3 months we had turned a beachfront house into a home.  A home that saw 22 separate Christmas trees light the front window.  A home constantly rattled by the aftershock of dozens of shuttle launches.  A home that successfully weathered hurricanes, gales and welcomed and watched grow four wonderful grandbabies.  In the backyard we left three faithful family dogs buried near the trees wing.    From our front porch we have watched the neighbors bring home new born babies, seen them learn the walk, graduate college, get married and have babies of their own. 

As we built our nationwide stock brokerage firm in the 90s, we hosted a Thursday – Saturday training class for the new financial advisors who joined our firm each month, usually 20 to 30 per class.   Every one of them and their families would come to our home for dinner around the pool on Friday night.  After we took the company public, each year the Melbourne Beach Police would cordoned off our block for a little lunch where we severed 500 to 1,000 of our shareholder after our annual meeting.  Virtually every elected official in our part of the state has attended one or more of these shareholder lunches.    Joan and I estimate that we have fed well over 5,000 at that beachfront home. 

Summit Shareholders Meeting 2000 - As CEO I was a bit more clean-cut

 

 

We fed several hundered each year after our Annual Shareholders Meeting in our back yard, thank to Joan and her staff

 

Every politician in our part of the state made our Shareholder meeting and therefore our back yard an annual scheduled stop – here Governor Jeb Bush and soon to be President of the Florida Senate Mike Haridopolos takes time to work the crowd

 

 Now we have begun a new chapter in our lives.  As we begin the hand-n-hand walk through our 60s we are focused on making our life more simple and enjoying the days ahead. 
The one thing that hosting our class website has done for me is to make me appreciate how fragile live really is.  Every time I receive notice of another classmate’s illness or see another join the “In Memory” section of the site, I again am forced to reexamine my life.  Am I doing what I want to do?  Am I making a difference in the lives of others?  Am I providing for my family?  What if this is my last year?  Would I be proud of that “last year” of would I have regrets?  Am I going to leave my family and yes my world a bit better because I was her?  That is at least in part why we have made what some I know will consider a “radical” move.  But for Joan and I it is really just another chapter is the long and twisted novel known as our lives. 

For us, this new chapter began with us selling and giving away about half the “stuff” we have accumulated over the past three plus decades of marriage.  Boy can we collect some junk.  One entire bedroom was dedicated to photos.  You remember those don’t you?  They pre-dated digital photos, iPhones and iPads and were developed at the drug store on photo paper.  When you consider that I have drug my loving wife and when possible one or more grandkids all over the world snapping photo as fast as the shutter would allow, that equates to boxes and boxes and more boxes of photos and mementos.  Weeding through those was by far the hardest task.  But with the help to the U-Haul storage facility we have now made that transition.

Moving Day, August 27th 2013 - Goodbye old friend, you served us well

On Tuesday the 27^th of August with our motor coach loaded to the gills, Joan and I along with our three year old beagle; Baby Boomer, put Melbourne Beach in our rearview mirror feeling a mixture of melancholy, sadness and the excitement that only comes with beginning a new adventure.  Yes we are “off to see the wizard – together”.

For the next few months we will call Gulf Shores Alabama, another quaint beachfront community nestled on the Redneck Riviera our home.  We will be exploring the area from Louisiana to Tennessee to Georgia.  If you live in that area, watch out we may just show up on your doorstep like our own version of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation looking like Clark and Ellen Griswold’s crazy cousin the homeless nomad Eddie (Randy Quaid).  So if you peak out of your front window to see a 40 ft. motor coach dragging a car, pulling to your curb, you may be well advised to turn off the lights and be real quite.  Remember we will eventually need water and fuel and therefore will move on.  The bad news is we are self-contained for about a week.   

If you would like to follow our new adventure you may join our blog; Richard & Joan’s On The Road Travel Log  http://richardandjoan.blogspot.com/  Be sure to register if you want to be notified of updates and while there check out the Blog Archives.


Now before you start feeling too sorry for poor Joan who now must be being forced to clean our cloths by pounding them with rocks in a nearby stream let me assure you that she is not truly homeless; or at least not long-term.  While our downsizing has been in a slow death spiral for almost 25 year, we still have options.  At one time we had 156 rental houses and today are down to only 4.  Joan has her eye on one in the beachside village of Indialantic, which abuts Melbourne Beach.  Half the size of our recently sold Melbourne Beach home and a couple of bedrooms and baths short she seems to have laid claim as to that for nesting purposes once the renter’s lease has expired.   But until then we will be sharing 300 sq. ft. with Boomer – you guys pray for us. 

OK, so now you know what we are up to.  I sent the photo at the top of this Rambling to my buddy of almost 50 years, Kris Metzger.  When she replied, I believe her comment when learning of our home sell followed by our version of running away with the circus, was something like, “You two are crazy but look blissful – so I guess I’ll just wish you both Happy Trails.” 

We hope you will wish us the same.  And I know I am going to regret this this next request, but I’d like you to share your thoughts on this blog.  Go ahead we are a big boy and girl, and can take it...we think.  Tell us what you think or our little adventure.  How do you feel about change in your life; both wanted and unwanted change.  What are your hopes and dreams for your future? 

So until next time, as we say in the motor coach world - Keep Rolling!
Keepin’ the Spirit Alive
Richard Parker