Snow is in our forecast. At one time I laughed a lusty guffaw and plowed right through the accumulating white powder. There was a time that my buddy, Steve, and I attempted to reach our destination of cleaning the business offices off Ziegler Coal Company that was located on the far side of Johnston City…22 miles from our home. We found that we could not see the road… and so Steve stuck his head out of the passenger window and attempted to keep our vehicle out of the ditch. We did not succeed. It was a blizzard. We have a trip to Florida planned and want to avoid snow and ice…both getting to the airport and in Florida. Now for the first time in our lives, we have two four-wheel-drive vehicles, Subaru Foresters, and they are more equipped to take the rough weather than at any time in our lives…but the driver is out of the spirit of snow adventure.

Miramar Beach, Florida is a wonderful destination. We have enjoyed numerous visits with Ron and Ira Kaye over the years. They are such wonderful hosts and make us feel so welcome. I am mesmerized by the Ocean. I literally can look at it for hours on end. Each opportunity to visit with our family is precious. When I leave the lovely setting…I keep it in my heart. I love the geographical area that I live in…but Miramar Beach is so different than where MJ and I live…it is continually new to me at each visit.

I often recharge and plan anew when I am at Miramar Beach. The atmosphere is conducive to a pleasant reflection. I also plan for new adventures when I am there. Everything seems possible when you are directly in front of the Ocean… I am now working on my 12th year of retirement and our visits to Miramar Beach and time with Ira Kaye and Ron…have been integral to my retirement enjoyment.

We lost our 16-year-old Boston Terrier, Brody, a year ago today. He was a vital member of our family…and we miss him every day… I can still see him prancing down the long hallway of Aaron’s apartment building in 2015. He went with us to see his favorite human when he lived in Fishers, Indiana. He would stop directly in front of Aaron’s apartment door. When we took him outside to do his business…there was a dog park where he showed… He strutted in front of the other dogs…especially the females…and he cut quite a little figure…