Kathy’s Back is (Almost) Back!

Our seasonal doorman

We received back-to-back (pardon the pun) good news about Kathy’s back.   Last week, the surgeon talked us out of surgery in favor of steroid injections into her herniated disc.  Today, the pain doctor ruled out that procedure because she has made significant progress in mobility and decreasing pain.  From barely able to stand during our November 2 retirement party, she can now comfortably walk two miles.

While she isn’t healed enough to travel to Nicaragua, Columbia, and Panama as we had planned for November 7-December 18, things are looking possible for us to go to Tanzania in February if there is still room for us in the group.

Meanwhile, retirement has been going just fine, thank you.  We still can’t believe it is real after all the years.  It’s been a fun adjustment, and Kathy says it feels a lot like when we were newlyweds as we invent our new life together.  It’s been nice to spend more time together. The days and weeks fly by quickly, but they don’t seem rushed.  We’re both cooking and reading books more.  And sleeping in most mornings is an addicting luxury.

November 16 view from our deck

Kathy is making good progress on organizing and digitizing family photos and researching her family’s ancestry.  She’s spending more time at the Assistance League and with her 92-year old mom.   But much of her time has been focused upon healing.

I finished my thank you notes and private work memoirs.  I liberated our den from mountains of work-related files, publications, and books.  (Now I really feel retired!)  I’m spending more time practicing the drums and working out, logging over 65 bicycle miles since I retired. Got the snow tires on, and I'm looking forward to snowboarding if we every get some snow.

A spontaneous trip to a winery with
Kathy's CA Assistance League friends. 

The November 16 view on Nov 24, at night

At first, we were bummed out about cancelling our Central America trip and having to spend the dreary late autumn here.  But we’re getting into the beauty of the season, going to holiday concerts, dining with friends, and watching the river level rise.  Who knows, is binge-watching next?  We’ll no doubt get involved in more volunteer and community service opportunities.  But for now, we are just saying “no” until we get our retirement bearings.

While things aren't going well elsewhere in this country and the world, they are for us, and we're so thankful for it.  As we said in our November 7 post, we’re humbled and grateful for everything and everybody that got us to this point.  We wish you and your loved ones a happy and gratitude-filled holiday season.  

Thanksgiving fun (What Do Your Meme?)
with our nieces and nephews

Retire On!

Travel, becoming empty nesters, dealing with an aging parent, and aches and pains are all common mid-life adventures.  Most are fun; some are life-changing.  But for us so far, nothing can compare to our recent experience of retiring. 

After coaching clients to and through retirement for the past 35+ years and writing a book about it, Kathy and I woke up retired Friday morning, November 3.  We gotta say, it feels pretty damn good, and we’re not bored yet.  My office put on a fun party for us, almost as much fun as our wedding, with over 200 people attending.  They also blew us away with THIS SURPRISE VIDEO.    A big heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended.

The boring part of the video

We’re humbled and grateful for everything and everybody that got us to this point, and the reality of retirement hasn’t sunk in just yet.  This wouldn't have been possible without loyal clients, supportive allied professionals, and an amazing team.   Our gratitude is much greater than whatever success we may have had.  

The days and weeks leading up to November 3 were surreal.  When you own your own business, so much of it is intertwined within your personal lives.  It’s part of your identity. It takes a lot of unwinding.  As I cleaned out files from the company hard drive, it was both a liberating and sentimental experience.  “Hey, I won’t need this anymore.”  Or, “Ah yes, I had forgotten all about that—I wonder who else would care to see this,” and so on.  Now, my name is scraped off the door, and I'm perfectly at peace with it.  

No more me on the window by the door.  Feels great!

Fortunately, we worked part-time the past three years and did so from home.  That made the transition easier and gave us a taste of possibilities.  We didn’t dislike what we did—in fact, we rather enjoyed our work.  But we just didn’t want to be tied down by schedules and commitments.  And with my emergency stomach surgery one year ago, we realized just how short life can be.

We’ve been in a euphoric state of mind since the party, but it has been overshadowed by our disappointment that we had to cancel our November 7-December 18 Nicaragua-Colombia-Panama trip and our February Tanzania trip.  Kathy’s back has gotten worse since our return from Morocco.  Some days she can walk a mile, some days barely a city block.  The MRI indicates that surgery will be needed.  We’ll know for sure on the 27^th.

The good news is that we now have this big whiteboard of possibilities before us for the next four months and the chance to learn what retirement is like when we’re not traveling.  (Leave it to me to find a pony in a roomful of manure!).  Meanwhile, we’re still in a peaceful state of mind and savoring each other and each moment of it.

What will I miss? 

Our fun-loving and amazing team.  We will greatly miss them!

Our clients, some of whom are so fun and delightful, that I just couldn't believe I got paid to work with them. I hope I can remain in touch with them.  I've had the privilege of knowing some wonderful human beings over the years.  I'll certainly miss the team and former colleagues and the excitement and belly laughs we had every day.  However, with the office just three blocks from our condo, I'll stop by often.  They're good friends and like family to Kathy and me.  

What are our plans?

Our motto has been:  "Always make your future greater than your past."  We intend to keep living up to it in this next life adventure.  We are committed to keeping Salem as our home base.  We have too many friends here (many of them are clients) to just uproot ourselves.  We have big overseas travel plans (some of which are postponed), and we're going to continue our community involvement. I'm looking forward to mid-week activities, such as snowboarding, taking long bike rides, and snagging a campsite on the Metolius River, as well as daily things like more practice time on my drum set, reading, writing, and longer workouts.  Above all, we're both looking forward to a slower pace and spontaneity in our travels and daily routines.

One of many fun
client gifts!

Retire on!

Morocco in Photos

As our Morocco trip fades into the background as a happy memory as one of the very best countries we have ever visited, we thought it would be a good idea to post some edited photos before we get totally consumed by our next big thing(s).  The link here is only 15% of all the photos we took, and only about 30% of those that we edited and saved.  

What remains are our better shots that still manage to hold a narrative of our trip together.  We started in Casablanca; explored the northern area of Chefchaouen and Tangier; the central area of Fez, the southern area of the Sahara Desert, then Marrakech, and back to Casablanca.
So, sit back in front of your desktop or tablet and click here to see them.  What strikes us the most about them is how different the colors of the Sahara Desert changed during the day and with the angle of the shot.

Worth the trip!

Shanti, Alan, Ron, Kathy

After Morocco, we spent a few days in Paris with Shanti and Alan from London.  However, I was really sick from a stomach bug I picked up our last two days in Morocco, so it was hard to be surrounded by all  the Parisian food and the beauty of Paris without my usual appetite and enthusiasm.  It was, however, a not-so-fun way to lose five pounds!  Kathy and I climbed the 243 steps to the top of the Arc De Triomphe and caught the lighting of the Eiffel Tower at sunset.  Worth the effort!  Here's a short clip of this inspiring moment:   https://youtu.be/MU8xkjAjk3s

Long before we left for Morocco, Kathy had been organizing a unique Airstream rally, called 'Airstreams on Main Street.'  The purpose was to bring some economic activity to the charming but struggling town of Independence, OR.  We lined Main Street with 18 Airstreams and hosted a public open house for tours. It was a huge success and a lot of fun!  Some restaurants ran out of food and the town wants to do it again next year.

Here's a very good article published in the Statesman Journal just before the rally.  It now doubt, had a big role in drawing the crowds to the event.

Main Street, Independence, OR

Our trailer "Jackson" in the foreground

We're on the big countdown to our retirement on November 2.  Our original plans were to kick off our Central America trip with a kayaking and hiking trip in Puerto Rico with the Sierra Club.  But for obvious reasons, that trip had to be cancelled.  So now we are targeting a later departure in early November to Nicaragua for Spanish immersion classes, then traveling around with Nati Zavala, a special person in our lives for the past 22 years.  He's now a Peace Corps volunteer there.  Then to Columbia for a few days before wrapping everything up with a one-day cruise of the Panama Canal in Mid-December.  At least that was the plan as of a few hours ago.  Kathy's back is really bothering her ever since we got home, so our departure may be delayed until we can get a good diagnosis and she starts to feel better.  Oh well, schedule flexibility is one of the perks of being retired!

Our blog followers are welcome, 
but please RSVP.

A Fond Fairwell, Morocco!

“Why would you want to go to Morocco,” some friends asked us last April when we booked this trip.  Our answer then was “It’s on our bucket list.”  Our answer now is, “Why not?” There are few, if any downsides, and many towering upsides.

The spectacular Bahai Palace
In Marrakesh 

Just having experienced a very full three weeks in several regions, we leave with fond memories of memorable experiences, sites, sounds, smells, flavors, and fun.  Most of all, we enjoyed the people—the friendly Moroccans, our amazing guides, our safe bus and van drivers, and our fun traveling companions.

Ouarzazate
Since our last post about the Sahara Desert, we had two nights in Ouarzazate, a beautiful city built by the French as a garrison outpost in the vast Sahara region.  Many famous movies have been filmed in the area such as Lawrence of Arabia, parts of Game of Thrones, the Man Who Would Be King, and some more recent action films like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and more.  We ate in a Greek restaurant opened in 1928, decorated with autographed photos of famous celebrities.  Our hotel had numerous movie props (like chariots) throughout the grounds.

Game of. Thrones fans--recognize this gate?

The next day we experienced a day in the life of Moroccan villagers, visiting with them in their homes and in the fields.  It’s a hard life, but they seem to be getting by.  Afterward we visited a newly formed women’s co-op called Imik Simik (bit by bit), empowering women with their own incomes and education.  They taught us how to make couscous from scratch and fed us lunch.  Later the women in our group had their hands decorated with henna.

Showing off their artwork

Two bright women and one bored child!

The Atlas Mountains
We’ve mentioned them before, some over 13,000 feet.  They feed the aquifers and help irrigate he valleys and quench the thirst of the cities.  We crossed them via a 7,000 foot pass in a very tortuous but scenic road into the bustling metropolis and historic city of Marrakesh.  All we can say about the ride is “Wow!”

Near the top of the pass over the Atlas Mountains (note the road below)

Marrakesh 
This was a nice place to end.  By then we were used to the heat, noise, hustle, and bustle of Moroccan inner cities (medinas).  It's quite the energetic city, with lots of narrow alley bazaars, botanic gardens, palaces, mosques, and affluent neighborhoods. It even has City Bikes for rent for those who are suicidal.  It comes even more alive at night. Anything goes from burkas to short-shorts to sleeveless tops.  We stayed in a fabulous 400-year old mansion (riad) that was converted into a hotel.  With three-foot thick walls and everything directed to the inner open-air courtyard, it was a peaceful refuge.  The inside of the 800-year old Bahia Palace was a site to behold, as were the bustling crowded markets.

A bedroom in the Bahai Palace

An Unexpected Highlight
Camping in the Sahara was the highlight of the trip, until our four-hour bus ride from Marrakesh to Casablanca.  Our guide, Nory, practically had us in tears as he described his desperate attempt to immigrate to Italy via Tunisia in 2002.  His Moroccan family in the Atlas Mountains had fallen upon hard times and he wanted to support them.  He and his friends were robbed in Tunis.  The boat, designed for 50, was crammed with 200.  Awash in vomit near the engine, he thought it was the end when it took on water.  The Tunisian navy rescued, robbed them of everything, and imprisoned in filthy sweltering cells for eight days, barely feeding them.  They were finally released at gunpoint on the Lybian border and trekked for several days to get to civilization, where a fellow Moroccan helped them out.

Nory Al Mazdi, our guide

He said it’s no wonder the Arab Spring started in Tunisia, as the government then was very repressive, unlike in Morocco then and especially now.  We’re glad he survived because he enriched our lives beyond measure, and those of everyone he encounters.  There are hundreds of thousands of desperate and talented people just like Nory who risk everything for a better life.

Glad We Went!
Glad we went, but looking forward to getting home.  As we said before, it’s modern, relatively clean, friendly, scenic, and historic.  We don’t think we’ve been anywhere that had such distinctive and consistent architecture throughout.  We felt very safe, even walking the narrow streets at night.                      

Our only regret is that we didn’t bone up on our bad French before we left, but that wouldn't have helped us in the hinterlands.  We feel comfortable traveling independently in many parts of the world, but due to the language, culture, and logistics, Morocco is perhaps best experienced through a guide that can get you into the back door (and the nomad tents) of distant regions.

In a small part of the huge Marrakesh markets 

Our farewell dinner in a former riad

The Vast and Spectacular Sahara

Experiencing the Sahara desert, especially camping in it for two nights, was never on our bucket list. It should have been. It was part of our tripBut package with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) and we thought, "Oh, that's a nice touristy thing to include in the itinerary."  So far, it has been the highlight of our two weeks in Morocco.

The Sahara is vast, and we only saw a tiny fraction of it.  While it is a relatively small part of Morocco, it extends across much of Northern Africa.  It is the dominant geographic reality of Algeria, Western Sahara, Saudia Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, and other countries.

It's also not all sand.  Much of it in Morocco is dark-colored, pebble-to-fist-sized sedimentary rocks.  It is a fossil hunter’s paradise in some places like the photo below.

While it may seem like it, the Moroccan Sahara is not all bone dry.  Oases and date palms pop up every now and then, and in some areas the water table is only 6-10 feet down.  The aquifers are fed by snows from the high Atlas Mountains, some of which are over 13,000 feet high.

Unfortunately, the Sahara is spreading to the north and south, and droughts are affecting the aquifers. We visited a former nomad who used to run his goats and sheep in grasslands.  (The continuing Morocco conflict with Algeria forced him to abandon is wandering between Morocco and Algeria.). It's now mostly that pebble-strewn land with grasses here and there.

The nomad's daughter with her baby,
about 3 miles from our camp in the dunes

We also visited with a date grower.  He and his father started their orchard in 1985 in lush grasslands.  It is now covered by1-8 feet of sand.  Fortunately, he still has a good well.

It took a full day to get from Fes to Erfound, a small trading village that is the gateway to the Sahara Desert.  We crossed a 6,000 foot pass through cypress forests, stopped at an alpine-like town, visited with a nomad sheppard on a high plateau, and spontaneously pulled over to experience bustling weekly market in the middle of nowhere

The next day we piled into Land Cruisers and rode through about six miles of rock and sand dunes to our well-appointed and secluded camp.  We had running water, toilets, and solar generated electricity.  The food, prepared by hotel staff from Erfound who commuted each day, was very good.  We rode camels, hiked, and visited nomads in the early morning or late afternoons,  then spent the hot afternoons enjoying extended conversations under the tarp with the other 12 in our group.

It was HOT, especially in the tents. The only way to keep cool was to douse our clothing with water frequently.  At night, we could only get to sleep under wet sarongs or sheets and stay asleep by getting them wet again. Fine dust covered everything.

But the views were magnificent, especially as the sunlight changed and as the full moon came out and later the stars.  But for a few flies now and then, the silence was deafening.

Enroute to Quarzazate

It took nearly a full day of driving through expansive vistas and adobe red villages to reach Ouarzazate, the site of many famous movies. (If it had a desert, North African, or Egyptian scene in it, it was probably shot here.  More, perhaps, in a future blog).  What a culture shock, especially the lush hotel grounds and the infinity swimming pool!  We may have finally gotten the last grains of sand our of our belongings, but not our fond Sahara memories.

Our guide, Nory, who has made this trip extra special

Drinking from a Firehose in the Middle of the Desert

Entrance to our riad in Fes

Blogging is relatively easy for me when  we have a lot of down time; the post is mostly about one or two topics, or describing a day or two.  It's especially easy when I can use a robust lap top computer with strong internet instead of an iPad tablet.  So, how to distill the last jam-packed six days, hundreds of photos, and countless topics on a tablet into a single post?  I really can't, as we have been trying to drink from a firehouse of Moroccan experiences, sights, sounds, flavors, history lessons, and interactions.   Maybe when we get home I can fill in the gaps and go into detail with some carefully curated photos.  Meanwhile, for those who have encouraged me to write more (and those of you who who haven't), here are a few drops from that hose. And by the way, its not all desert here.  We've rode through miles of orchards, olive groves, irrigated farms, and forests.

Rabat
Our pre-trip group of 6 merged with 8 travelers in Rabat, the capital city on the Atlantic Ocean.    It was the second day of the El IAd, and the streets were basically deserted.  We toured one of the king's several palace grounds, several ruins, walked the promonade at sunset, and had an amazing meal in a spectacular former mansion hidden in a narrow alley.  Rabat isn't the typical capital city of  a developing nation--it's clean, modern, and mellow.  Drivers actually stop at stop signs and they rarely honk their horns.
(Below mascot at ceramic tile cooperative, followed by Rabat monuments)

Fes
Inland about two hours from Rabat, but still in the north, Fes was founded in the 800's between the Rif and Atlas Mountains.  It had a sewer system from the beginning.  We stayed in a riad (a large home with a central courtyard) that was built 400 years ago in the part of the city that was established in the 1200's.   It was actually three raids combined and modernized, and it is spectacular.  (Trip advisor says it's only $108 per night, but it feels like $1,008.).  It's a 1/4 mile walk through alleyways to get there.

We spent a day with a guide exploring the inner city, a laybrinth of alleys, shops, factories, and homes accessible only by foot or donkey.  With 64 miles of alleys, it is the largest non-motorized urban area in the world.  We walked only 5 of those miles.  We visited a Jewish temple, a tanning factory, and a beautiful 800-year old Madrasa.            

Below:  Tannery in Fes

Below:  Madrasa photos

The Madrasa (an Islamic school teaching all subjects to students of all faiths) was the most interesting.  So much of our modern academic system and terminology is based upon them, such as words like endowment, chair, scholarship, etc.

Below:  scene from inside the old medina

While here, we divided into small groups to have dinners with local families.  Our gracious hosts lived in an apartment in the newer French section and they were so eager learn about us, to candidly answer all of our questions and treat us to some tasty Moroccan lamb tangine.

Volubilis and Meknes tours
Volubilis is an amazing set of well-preserved Roman ruins encompassing 100 acres and 1.6 miles of walls.  Founded in the 1st Century, it has mosaic tiles in the floors of some homes, a sewer system,  and more.  Much of it was either destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake or looted for sultan palaces, but so much still remains intact.

Seventeenth Century Meknes is the onetime home of the Moroccan sultanate.  It boasts the largest city gate in the world and a 25-mile perimeter wall. The old city has a massive structure that housed 12,000 horses and a granary that could hold several years' worth of wheat.

Below: stables & Grainger of Meknes

We concluded our three-night stay in fascinating Fes with an informal dinner on the rooftop, watching the sunset and the full moon rise in the 100 degree heat.  Today (Thursday) we head toward the Saharan Desert, with a lunch stop at a ski resort high in the Atlas Mountains.  We've been to a lot of interesting places over our 40 years of marriage, but Morocco has to be one of the most interesting, and unique.  It's relatively clean,moderately priced, and the people are friendly.  All-in-all, it's been a most pleasant surprise!

Your happy traveler and frustrated blogger,
Ron