What I’m Excited About

This weekly update is very late, so in addition to sharing the goings on from last week, I’m also going to share a few things that lately have me excited for the future.

Retirement and Living Abroad

✈️ Last weekend, we traveled to San Antonio to attend a two-day conference on the subject of living abroad. We learned about visas, residency, health insurance, and even paths to citizenship in other countries. We heard from numerous people who have done what all of us attendees hope to do—or are at least contemplating. It wasn’t quite overwhelming, but it was a lot to think about and Marlene and I are discussing our options. Of course, a lot depends upon her job situation and how long she chooses to keep working.

⏱️ Speaking of retirement, I’m at roughly the one-year mark before I punch that timeclock for the last time. Since making the decision and setting a target date, it’s like a weight has been lifted. My entire outlook on work has changed. I go to the office (yes, the actual office) with a smile on my face.

🇲🇽 As part of our research and planning for the possibility of living abroad, I’ll soon be traveling to Mexico to do some fact-finding. It all came together unexpectedly, which adds to the excitement!

🇪🇸 After a lot of hemming and hawing, and after studying several different languages over the years (and mastering none) I’ve recommitted myself to learning Spanish. I think it’ll be the most versatile for me, and will helpful to know if I pivot to another Romance language.

🇵🇹 We are also tentatively planning a visit to Lisbon later this year. Portugal has been on our list for a while, so that’s also very exciting!

Ham Radio

🎙️ Since attending Hamvention a couple weeks ago (and as always happens when I go there) my enthusism for the hobby has been reinvigorated. I’ve accumulated a few projects to restore some old equipment and I’ve reorganized my shack too.

📻 I recently had the unenviable task of dispatching all my dad’s gear. He had a nearly complete Drake 7 line, as well as some vintage Heathkit pieces. The silver lining is that a longtime friend (and one of my dad’s ham radio mentees) accepted the challenge of restoring all of it and giving it a good home. He plans to reproduce my dad’s shack as faithfully as he can—he even took the desk and shelves and everything! He’s already started and has sent me some pics, which I hope to share online soon.

🏕️ As I look to the future, and how living with less will impact how I engage with ham radio, I’m thinking a lot about portable operation. There are some really great opportunities to operate in parks and while hiking and I think these will be a way to keep things fresh by taking the hobby in a new direction.

🎵 My Morse Code skills have gotten a little rusty over the years, so I’ve been practicing using Morse Walker and the ARRL Code Practice. Gonna need that for portable operation!

📨 I’m still working on scanning my dad’s vast QSL card collection. There’s still a lot of work to do, not the least of which is figuring out how to display it online. (I’m thinking about learning 11ty or Hugo for this project.)

Marlene always asks me if I’m afraid I’ll be bored in retirement. My answer is always the same. “Of course not!” I tell her, because I have a stack of hobbies—ham radio, photography, blogging, biking, hiking—and projects to last me for years!

I hope your plans are coming together too. Cheers!