Year Nine of Retirement
Year nine of retirement in 2025 was another good one, but it has become clearly evident that we are getting older. My husband had a second knee replacement and I had my first Mohs procedure for skin cancer. Despite some challenges, we still managed to have some really good times.
Time at Home
We did not do our typical winter trip to a warmer climate. Our trip last year included some pretty cold weather, so we decided to enjoy our home instead. We also had a big summer cruise planned, so time at home seemed a good idea.
January brought a nice accumulation of snow. It was lovely, but it did not last long.
In February, we visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham. The museum highlights the city’s past and the part that it played in the Civil Rights Movement. I was familiar with a lot of the information in the museum because I grew up in the city, but I did learn a few things. It is definitely worth visiting.
There are three covered bridges in nearby Blount County and we visited them all on one warm and sunny April day. Lunch at Charlie Bs topped off the excursion.
Another activity when we are at home is ballroom dancing with our Vikings Dance Club. In October, our club’s dance theme was Happy Days. While at home, we managed to also attend two or three other dances. It is always fun hanging out with this group.
The most important time we spend is with family. All three of our children were together at our house in July. Sadly, one son-in-law couldn’t make it. It was wonderful seeing them all together. We saw grandchildren and great grandchildren individually, but not at the same time.
A Knee Replacement
I have always said that I did not want to spend retirement sitting on the porch, but it can be wonderful in short stretches if the weather is nice. However, we spent a lot of time on the porch and at home this year.
My husband’s knee became very painful and, consequently, his second knee replacement was done in early June. It went well overall, but as anyone who has had it done will tell you, it was no walk in the park. The entire summer was spent rehabbing it and going to physical therapy. We also had to cancel our cruise. I am very happy to say that overall he had a great outcome and now is in much less pain and is able to be much more mobile.
Road Trip to Mississippi
A short trip to Mississippi occurred in February too, and because it was very cold, we did not take our camper. We stayed at a hotel in Jackson for a couple of nights with our pup.
The State Capitol
State Capitol buildings are an interest of ours and we have visited many of them. So, we took a tour and learned a lot about the building and how the state conducts its business. Above all, it is a gorgeous building inside and out.
Vicksburg National Military Park
We took a day trip to nearby Vicksburg to check out the military park. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but bitterly cold. I learned so much about that portion of the Civil War.
Big Trip of Year Nine of Retirement
Right before my husband’s knee surgery, we flew to California for a few days. The trip included three cities to visit two presidential libraries and one National Park. Because we were there in late May and early June, the weather was incredible for the entire eight days. See my post, California and Stops in Four Citiesfor additional details and photos.
The Reagan Library in Simi Valley
We flew into Burbank, rented a car, and drove to Simi Valley for our first stop. Two nights there allowed us to check out the area and to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Semi Valley is beautiful and the library is on an incredible piece of property, high on a hill overlooking a picturesque valley.
Ronald Reagan led an extraordinary life and I learned a lot about him. The library was impressive, but the tour of an actual Air Force One was the most memorable part.
The Nixon Library in Yorba Linda
Yorba Linda was another really nice city and the Nixon library was very interesting and unique. The centerpiece is a beautiful rose garden with an elegant fountain. The property is a venue for weddings and such. There was a wedding taking place while we were there.
The library is on the actual property that the Nixons lived when Richard was a boy. The house is one that his father built. Additionally, Richard and Pat Nixon are buried on the property.
Joshua Tree National Park
The third stop on our trip was Twentynine Palms, California. An entrance to the Joshua National Park is nearby. The area is in the Mojave desert and the air was super dry.
The desert has its own brand of desolate beauty. The distinctive-looking Joshua trees were interspersed throughout the park. There is a high part in the park where you can see for miles and miles and right below lies the San Andreas’s fault. It was incredibly beautiful!
Though it was a desert, there were many interesting plants there and rock formations.
The area is classified as dark sky site, meaning they’re very few lights. We went back into the park to watch the sunset and to see what we could see in the dark sky. It was fun until a very large coyote walked up, just a few feet from where we were. We hightailed it back into the truck.
Retirement Year Nine Camping
Despite the knee issues, we managed to do a good bit of camping, most of it with our Southeastern camping group. Our first trip in March identified that my husband had a serious problem with his knee as he was very challenged to do even a small amount of walking.
By September, he was doing much better and we were ready to try camping again. He had to really limit his walking, but he did a great job.
We also did a solo trip in September to Gulf State Park. I think the walking he did on these camping trips helped to get his legs stronger and to make his knee more mobile.
While at Gulf State Park, we visited Spanish Fort, which is in the Mobile area. We have lived in Alabama all our lives, but neither of us had ever been there. It was a good day trip.
We were back with our group in November at Skidaway Island. We did more hiking and went on a birding walk with some friends, which was very interesting. My husband was able to do much more walking.
Our last camping trip of the year was in December at Cypress Glen with our Camping group. It was another fun trip and for the first time in the wild, we saw an armadillo. He didn’t seem to mind me taking his picture.
Year Nine of Retirement in Conclusion
So, retirement year nine was a mixture of challenges with the knee and just getting older in general for both of us. But, it was a great year because we didn’t have any major issues and had a lot of opportunities to see our family and friends. We also had some fun traveling! Looking forward to year ten!
