Road in Retirement

One More Summer Challenge The highway in front of us oscillated from barely visible to “almost speed limit quality” and the misty fog required the thud-thud-thud of the windshield wiper as we headed west. I had one more segment of my summer road in retirement with Parkinson’s Disease to accomplish with a new command from God to "get in the boat." I was going fishing. It was actually working out beautifully. We rose at 4:30 am, grabbed a Starbucks for Chris and hit the road to the lake by 6 am. The thick misty fog cleared by the time we met our friend Rancher Ed and our fishing guide at, of all places, Ed’s Bait Shop in Devils Lake, North Dakota. God was shining on us, because a week ago this would have been a rainy, freezing cold venture, requiring snowmobile suits. Today, God had plans for me to catch fish, it was much warmer, and I was in the mood to face what seemed impossible a few weeks earlier. I’m Going Fishing He had witnessed blood and gore, and the man he respected ...

Pretty Full Dance Card My last couple of blogs tracked my summer odyssey to Asheville, North Carolina but that’s not the only dance on my 2025 summer card. I was able to ride shotgun on several auto travel trips as well: to see family in Wisconsin, hang out with close friends in Duluth, and socialize with four other couples (our 20-year bike group) in Perham (Minnesota). But summer is waning, and my travel escapades will undoubtedly be limited for a while . . . maybe a fishing outing yet. Something Different this Summer The last two summers it seems were spent recovering from a botched deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery intended to help my progressing Parkinson’s Disease. This summer has been different. I have basically the same ailments as the last two years, but my spirit has more defiance against life’s ills, and my soul more courage to fight back against my plight. Chris has been saying these words a lot this summer, “Really? You want to go and do that?” And my answer has been, “...