A few weeks ago on a Sunday morning I woke DJ out of his teenage weekend slumber to drag him along to pick up some scapes. I didn't think much of it at the time, but as we headed out to the garlic farm he asked me: "What are scapes anyway?" This led to a fun discussion about how garlic grows, what scapes are, and why I was driving out to a farm to pick up three pounds of them. In the end, we had a great father/son experience, as silly as it...
We can't wait for Panama this summer. Planning is taking a good deal of time for a number of reasons though. First, Hillary and I see this as a second dry run for a minimalist, nomadic, post 2026 period in our lives. And Second DJ will be doing two weeks of camp in Panama as well so we've got to make sure he is sorted. Planning for DJ revolves around making sure he has the right amount of clothing, but not too much. The Amigos International...
During our trip to Panama this summer we have a lofty goal of climbing this long dormant volcano. Round trip from Boquete this trail is rated hard with 17.4 miles round trip and an elevation gain of 6,847 feet.Most hikers start this around 10 or 11 PM and hike overnight with the goal of seeing sunrise. After our own trial run from 5 PM to 1:30 AM we've decided we'll pass on the overnight. Instead we'll likely start hiking around 4 or 5 AM and...
This summer (2023) we are planning our next trial run in preparation for the next phase of life. We plan to radically downsize once our son heads off to college. At that point I'll retire from technology sales, we will sell, donate, or get rid of virtually everything (save a few items put into storage) and spend several years, perhaps even decades, traveling around the world. At least, that's the plan. It's an early, retirement reimagined.In...
Our plan is to retire at age 50 when DJ graduates high school. At that point we want to be unencumbered and travel the world in retirement. Specifically, we plan to slow travel from place top place, beginning in Southeast Asia. Doing so, however, requires short term rentals. Enter living in an Airbnb (or similar). So, this idea brings us to our month long "test" on Cape Cod, Massachusetts to try our hand at living in a small short-term rental....
We've always planned far in advance. We focused on getting to the comfortable retirement that modern America tells us we should want. Retire about 65ish. Enjoy the second home. Travel.
But what happens when you get the American Dream early and discover that's not what you want? That the modern American Dream is not only unsatisfying but actually makes you feel trapped.
That big house the bank tells you that you can afford (so you get it). And...
