Sunrise Tours

Looking for a fun, easy way to travel and meet new people?   

 

Want to travel but don't have a companion?                  

 

Love to travel but hate to plan the trip?

 

         Then check out Sunrise Tours.   After 17 years in the travel business and hundreds of tours, they know how to successfully organize and run a trip whether in the U.S. or around the world.  While Sunrise Tours is headquartered in St. Louis, they can easily assist you with any of your travel needs.

 

Check out their exciting travel adventures at:  http://www.travelsunrise.com/tours/destinations

APPLE Help

If you are a computer savy Boomer and love APPLE products, don't forget the free help they offer for the first year. It's so easy to use.
Just go to www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/
and in the upper right hand corner is the "make a reservation button". Click on that and follow the simple steps.

Today was my third visit and I've always found the associates to very helpful and pleasant. I had issues trying to understand the BLOGGER App. I got them all resolved and this is
my first BLOG using it.

From a McMansion to 2B/2B

For Sale: 2B/2B Villa - 
No Basement 

Most Boomers looking for a new home would ignore that ad even though they want to downsize.  It just makes sense for them to move to a much smaller home because they no longer need that McMansion that they raised their kids in especially with increasing utility costs and rapidly shrinking pension benefits. Really, they should just move to that 2 bedroom/2 bathroom (2B/2B) villa just like the one I tried to sell last summer,  but some just can't get rid of their stuff.  

I got so tired of showing my home to potential buyers and then having them ask "But, honey, where's the basement?"    

 

To which I'd reply "no basement"; then I'd get that very perplexed, shocked look with the same comment:   "Well, were do you put all your stuff?"   

 

I really wanted to shout back "Just how much "stuff" do we really need at this age?"

 

Don't get me wrong, I have some valuables that I just can't part with, like the dishes that I bought in Italy.  They are so precious to me because my late friend John and I spent hours going through the pottery factory near Abano, Italy searching for the perfect pieces among the pile of seconds.   I could never part with them!

 

But if you've reached that point in your life where your tired of spending all your time and money on a big house and are ready to downsize,then consider:

.....Gifting precious possessions -- give grandma's china to your daughter now.

.....Keep part of it -  reduce your favorite china to 6 place settings rather than 12.

.....BUT always Respect your spouse  --  don't throw away something your spouse loves and hope that he or she won't notice.

 

 .....and for a good laugh about the misplaced importance we all put on "stuff", check out the George Carlin's humorous take on how we so ridiculously revere our stuff, while dissing other's stuff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac       

 

My BID!

I took my first overseas adventure trip in 1970 when my friend, Ruth, and I did Europe on $5 a day.  We visited 14 cities in 28 days!!

It was such a life-changing event for me that over the past 42 years I have spent thousands on travel and in 1988 even moved to Germany so I could more easily travel and ski throughout Europe.  Ruth moved to England and lived there for 10 years near London.

I've never regretted one dime that I've spent on travel and just cannot understand the mindset of people who feel travel is a waste of time and money.  I've been to 43 states and 23 countries, but there are still places I've not seen, so long before the movie the "Bucket List", I had created my own BID (before I die) travel list.  #1 on the list was Egypt, which I visited in 2008 and then Alaska.
But it just seemed that my dream trip to Alaska to see the whales and glaciers was just like an elusive butterfly and that every time I planned a trip something happened.

Well, my 2012 Alaskan Adventure seemed doomed too!  I had planned a two week land/cruise tour starting in late May and wouldn't you know it, I was diagnosed in late March with a blood clot meaning no air travel for at least 2 months, cutting it too close for comfort.

 But I diligently took all my meds, rested a lot and luckily, I had a team of pro-active, life-affirming doctors who allowed me to go!   Soon I'll BLOG about my exciting Alaskan adventure.

What about you -- what's on your dream trip list?

Surely, you have wanderlust in your heart for a far-away, exciting place.   Well, I challenge you to begin planning for it NOW!  Take action and make that dream trip just as soon as possible, because as that old cliche' goes "Tomorrow is promised to no one" and that's especially true for us Boomers!

p.s. -- there's always a way to make it happen!  In 1970, I funded my European trip with the insurance money I received when my car was stolen.  When I got back, I still didn't have a car, but I didn't care because I  had memories that have lasted a lifetime and fueled my wanderlust for decades!

Fun Freebie

Because most of us Boomers are on fixed retirement incomes, seems like we're always looking for free food and entertainment.   Are you?   Then why not try an Art Walk or First Fridays?

Not only is it FREE admission, but most galleries also have free appetizers and wine.   Plus it gives you a first hand opportunity to view new art works and often meet the artist. 

The easiest way to find info in your area is to go to your local Events Calendar (on the Internet) or check the entertainment section in your daily paper.  

For Boulder/Denver locals, check out the free Art Show tonight at the Earthwood Gallery, Boulder. 
http://www.earthwoodartisans.com/EarthwoodGalleryBoulderH.htm
or The Santa Fe Art District near Downtown Denver which has a long history of artist's studios.  The area is booming now with over 60 artists working in the Art District.   It's a fun, funky area to visit.
http://www.artdistrictonsantafe.com/events
Above art:  "Romantic Umbrellas by Yelena Sidorova

A Simple Request

Let's help make a WISH come true for a Boomer.  

Wish of a Lifetime is a program for senior citizens similar to the Make a Wish Program for kids.   Their mission is to inspire an entire generation and to create a cultural shift on how we view aging. They believe that growing older doesn't mean you have to stop dreaming and living a life of purpose.

By granting lifelong wishes to seniors who have overcome tremendous challenges in their own lives, the foundation is able to spread its inspirational stories of hope.
Wish of a Lifetime needs your help to fulfill the wish of a 70 year old who is in the end stages of COPD.   Tom Burgett has been fascinated by the vast diversity of cultures throughout our World.   Unfortunately, Tom’s ability to travel has become unfeasible given his current medical condition.

Whether your home or on vacation, why not take just a few minutes and brighten Tom's day with a postcard highlighting the culture, landscape or people of our world.  Send to:
 

 Wish of a Lifetime  
Attn: Tom Burgett
1821 Blake St. Suite 200
Denver, CO 80202

SO FAR:   785 Postcards from 65 countries and 47 states



Do you know a senior citizen with a special wish or need? If so, please contact WISH OF A LIFETIME program at:  http://seniorwish.org/

 

An Invitation

Don't you just love getting invited to a party or being asked to join a group of like-minded friends in a new adventure?  

     Normally, I do but this is one invitation I wasn't quite ready to get......one dictated solely by my age.   And it made me feel so old, because since I've hit that magic number -- 64.5 years of age --
I've been invited by the Federal Government to begin the MEDICARE application process.  

And what a process!!    Let's face it -- the Government sends out your notice 6 months in advance, because it takes that long just to review the complicated maze of paperwork. 

Parts A, B, C or D --- what do I really need? 
It's like trying to figure out a jigsaw puzzle with my eyes closed!   And I even have an advantage over other Boomers because as a retired Federal employee, I'm used to the terminology and their long-winded way of explaining a simple procedure.  Still I get a headache just reading through the Government brochures and the numerous private supplemental policy offerings I've been receiving daily in the mail.
One thing I know for sure - though it's expensive, I'm keeping my Anthem-Blue Cross Federal Plan as my supplemental coverage as many of the nationally offerred plans just don't cover enough.

And please be wary of those "FREE" supplemental plans.   That's right - FREE -  no monthly charge, but just how good could that be?     NOT MUCH!!
        I found this out the hard way recently when my 87-year old mother was hospitalized.   She'd been bragging for years about the free supplemental plan she had.   Well, I never could get her to change plans and her recent hospital stay cost her over $2,000 when it probably would have cost her ZERO had she been paying for a better supplemental plan.

If you're on MEDICARE and have any tips to effortlessly get through the process, please share them.

Some helpful websites: 
Medicare:   http://www.medicare.gov/
AARP:  http://www.aarphealthcare.com/understanding-health-products/medicare-supplement.html

Great Retirement, Great Sex!

Do I dare mention "sex" in the same sentence with retirement as it seems the younger generation think of us as shriveled up and half dead? 

 

Several studies have shown that instead of enjoying a blissful sex life in retirement, many Boomers find that stopping work is a depressing and demoralizing experience, resulting in a loss of confidence in both social situations and the bedroom.

 

But Mr. Gould busts right through many of the myths surrounding older-age sex and tackles the delicate issues of body image, sexual dysfunction, and overcoming the embarrassment of re-entering the dating field.    I especially liked Chapter 5, "The Magic Three", referring to your physical health, your mindset, and your sex life. 

 

Great Retirement, Great Sex  will take you through the pleasures and pitfalls of life after work, showing you how to plot a more satisfying, joyful course for retirement.   Check out his BLOG at: http://greatretirementgreatsex.blogspot.com/ 

 

For more info:   http://www.amazon.com/Great-Retirement-Sex-retire-Volume/dp/0985333006

 

At the End of your Rope

then tie a knot and hang on! 

Dear Readers --- I'm back! 
I last wrote in March on "Who's your Support Team?" and how ironic as exactly 2 weeks later I was thrown into the hospital with heart trouble, resulting in a transradial angiogram.

I am not qualified to offer medical advice, so I'm speaking strictly from my, the patient's, perspective........BUT please get a second opinion for any major medical procedure or surgery.   I was in a very vulnerable state in the hospital and allowed the doctor and nurses to convince me that the 'wrist' angiogram was much safer than the 'femoral' approach and that I needed it immediately.

At first, everything seemed OK especially since I was thrilled to find out I have clean arteries, but within a few days I had a total blockage of the radial artery resulting in a massive blood clot in my right arm.   I was immediately rehospitalized facing a possible heart attack and the loss of the use of my right hand.    I was a basket case!    I just didn't know how I could handle all this having just had knee surgery 2 months before.  Then, when released I had medical treatments I wasn't sure I could endure, but thank God I'm back and feeling about 95% well. 

So, if you're currently facing a medical crisis, I just want to encourage you, that when you're at the 'end of your rope', to keep pushing on.    It's never easy to find that inner strength or ask for help, but know who you can rely on and ask for their help; then use whatever techniques you need to reduce your stress (I listen to Yanni and watch funny movies); and realize that you can survive this period!