Category: Retirement

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Getting Older … Happy Birthday Bro

Rick, Rob, and little girl on the front porch in Lansing heading out to school at Walnut Street Elementary.
Rob and I preparing for school “Back in the Day.” Rob was always the better student:)

Perhaps one the most significant facets of retiring to the middle of the Atlantic (all right, not exactly the middle, actually two-thirds of the way across from Lisbon and Washington DC) is not being able to see your brother, who I literally grew up with — well, grew older with; only one of us is grown up!

For nearly 7 decades, I have traded quips, insults, fisticuffs, girl friends, record albums, and drinks with my brother Rob, who turns 69 today. Nearly anyone who knows us has been subjected to years of barbs and playful, loving tales of “Mom always loved you more than me.” (BTW, it’s true, mom always loved one of us more than the other!)) At a sister’s recent surprise birthday party, when Rob and I hadn’t seen each other in more than six years, we fell into step recalling historical episodes of high school, college, Air Force and professional life. Often these memories seem ‘distorted’ with time and are not always ‘flattering’ memories!

But as we age (Rob more than I!) we have gotten more focused on each other’s great points. Rob has a heart as big as anyone I ever met. He is a force in both IT and the efficient management of IT. While earning his MBA in California he supported his wife and three children and worked full time. He is a grandfather to 11 children. Last year he moved with his wife Debbie to Oregon to take care of Debbie’s mother as she ages. He’s actively involved in helping his church support the community. Overall, he is just the kind of brother I look up to. He’s a great all-around guy.

We’re all aging; from the day we’re born we start aging. Rob is getting older. He’s getting more mellow. He has never had too many vices, but he’s getting fewer and fewer. (I’m picking up the slack on that by adding more and more vices:)) We anticipate seeing each other again this fall in Michigan, as his goddaughter gets married. I look forward to again saying hi, trading barbs with him, jumping in as a team to help with wedding tasks, family fun, and soemtimes the misery of saying goodbye yet again. Heck, I might even say something nice to him…maybe:)

So all I have to say this Groundhog day is Happy Birthday Bro. You the best!

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Yet another “Small World” story from last summer

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Sunset on the lovely island of Pico, home of the tallest mountain in Portugal
Seaside Cafe Placemat from Pico Island
Placemat from Magdelena Pico Cafe with newspaper ads including typewriters from
Grand Rapids Mich – My Hometown

My hometown (also known as “Home of Record” to the military) is Grand Rapids, Michigan. Born in Butterworth Hospital, it has grown to a major metropolis in the United States, and home for the happy growth of the Reibeling family.

As I have traveled around the globe, Grand Rapids and my alma mater, Michigan State University, ease into my life and bring back fond memories. (Memories are usually fond, I tend to blank out the bad ones:)). For instance, after a two-day motorcycle ride to Moron Spain from Germany, I sat down in the lobby waiting for a room and picked up a copy of Spartan News. I’ll never forget the warm fuzzy in that totally new environment! There have been similar instances in Africa, Central America, Australia, and Japan:)

The latest episode was this summer’s trip to nearby Pico Island, a place where you can drive for about an hour to see most of it, all centered around the highest volcano and mountain in Portugal. Fishing villages, warm and friendly people, great fish, history, and seascapes, a fantastic outdoor equipment shop called “The Sniper,” and untold festivals. One of our friends was born on the island and they were ecstatic to take us to a bayside cafe for lunch. We waited a short time for them to open (yes, dear, go shop for some clothes until the cafe opens!) and we were seated across the channel from whale watching tour boats prepping for afternoon visitors. For centuries, Pico was a major whaling port.

We ordered Vinho Tinto (c’mon, we’re in Portugal with the best red wine in Europe!) and the waiter sets the table. I look down at the placemat, an eclectic brown paper reprint of newspaper ads, and the first thing I see is an ad for Fox Typewriters on Front Street in Grand Rapids Michigan. Front Street is just a few miles from where my grandmother lived and I grew up. Home!

So I get homesick. Again. I miss the major snowstorms, the blueberry picking, the swimming in Lake Michigan. I miss Mr. Fables on Lake Michigan Drive and their Oliveburger (thanks for remembering Wendy:), A & W Root Beer floats, the public museum with the blue whale skeleton, and the woods of Blandford Nature Center and C.A. Frost Elementary School. (A good friend’s children now go there, but the palyground where I had my first romantic kiss has changed somewhat since second grade 🙂

All these thoughts and emtions flood back as I’m sitting in Madelena, Pico enjoying fresh fish and great wine with great friends. I can smile at them, recall one or two significant memories, and know that they won’t have the same feelings I am experiencing, just as I don’t truly appreciate tales of their youth on the island. (I did get to meet several relatives, warm wonderful people who shared their lives, sotries, and their aguar dente!)

Expereinces like these are small world stories…they help me cherish the tales of old and cherish the life I’ve retired to!

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More Christmas Cheer — family dinner for Christmas!!!

Sofia baking Pecan Cupcakes in Kitchen
Holiday family dinners on the island are gigantic! Sister Lucia is in Porto with Vitor and Irene et al, Niece from Sweden is hotising Christmas Eve with Miguel and Alfredo, and Sister Phoebe and J’Luis, niece Raquel and Nuno, plus Darling Nadia and Alfredo will come for Christmas lunch. A full house to fill the home built to host all:) Sadly Bridget (Dayton Ohio) and Sabrina (Alexandria, Virginia) will enjoy the family holidays with their families, not ours. But through the magic of technology, we’ll all see each other.

More Christmas Spirit: (random memories)

Christmas Carols on YouTube — my wonderful mother loved Christmas carols, singing, cooking, and joining Aunt Polly and Grandma Crall in Michigan. Wonderful times. Mom loved Christmas … Dad, not so much. But family was always together. Since the world has changed, I haven’t seen a holiday with family since Wendy’s 70th birthday party this summer, great seeing Wendy and Bill, Rob and Debbie, Jane and John, and many children, grand children, etc. All came to Ludington see Wendy get older….not like the rest of us:)

Sofia is cooking. Did I mention that? Sofia’s often cooking, she does it very well. As does all of her family. But she boasts something none of the sisters boast…slave labor. She’s good about not letting anyone in the neighborhood hear any whips or screams, but she’s good at directing the slave (me) to wash dishes, peel carrots, chop onions and garlic, etc. But she does allow me a little wine:) And we’re joking, having fun, and she allows me my memories and shares hers.

The time zones often get us here. There are so many we want to wish a Merry Christmas to, Norm and Val, Linda and Dan, Jolie and Gino, Gig and Sally Ann, Wendy, Rob, and Janie and their wonderful families, but by the time they are all awake, Sofia is knee-deep in cooking in both ovens and Rick is beaten into submission and the second bottle of red wine. Consequently, things on the island are OBE. (Oversome By Events)! For example, the neighbor is out on his tractor on Christmas Eve spraying manure-scented fertilizer on the fields while we are listening to Johhny Mathis, Nat King Cole, and Mariah Carey. Interesting juxtapostion, to say the least. But again, I have a cold and a bottle of wine, and my instructions include work; we have a lot to do.

Christmas carols, Bob Hope Special reruns, and Facebook posts remind me of many past Chritmases, great friends and joyous times with folks who are not with us, friends alone this year, and spirits of lonliness, illness, and those who must work through difficult times and emotions. Please remember I am thinking of you, Chris, Molly, and many others. I wish I could help, but I know you have memories, painful and pleasant, and you are forced to adjust to a world different from what you expected. I, too, have had to, and I can only hope and pray for your strength.

So if I don’t get around to calling, sending, or wishing a Merry Christmas to all, please understand and have a wonderufl Holiday season. No matter what the new year brings, it will always bring thoughts of all our friends and families who we love and cherish, even though we’re not there to hug you all!

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Great Holiday Memories … before I become too old to remember :)

Santa reiding a 2003 BMW K1200LT motorcycle while he waves and smiles.
Santa’s helper on his BMW K1200 LT … just one of many many Santa memories before retiring to the island in 2016. Helping Santa has included photos with advertisers, creeping into a co-workers house just before Christmas morning, eating too many sugar cookies while daughters slept, and of course, drinking Christmas Cheer while helping assemble toys.

Since my infancy, Santa has relied on my family to help. Christmas photos from late 1950s show my siblings and I on Santa’s lap (his helper looked a lot like my dad) and over the years my early memories include making frosted cookies to leave for Santa; even visits to see Santa at the local National Guard Armory. Santa and I were tight.

Many years later, a more rotund version of me visited many Kalamazoo businesses to help advertise goods and services available in Southwestern Michigan. (Due to numerous production commitments, Santa had to suit up in August (yes, the hottest days of the year) and drive from business to business with Santa’s Helper Elf, Joe, shooting photos and running the air conditioner at max for days on end. As Santa’s helper, I have visited banks, pet stores, beauty salons, liquor stores, theaters, and more gift shops than anyone can count.

But without doubt, the best Santa memories are with young children down on their luck, down on their health, and down on life after storms, fires, and disasters. Santa’s helper has done it all, holding crying kids, coaxing kids of all ages to comfort their distraught parents remember the real reason for Christmas, encouraging parents and grandparents to appreciate the hugs from their children in shelters, and soliciting pledges from young hospital patients to spread Christmas joy to nurses’ kindness and honor their sacrifice so they will enjoy Christmas too.

One of the greatest traditions I have learned of here on our island is the Christmas tradition of a Cabaze (pronounced Cab-aash) of gathering food and clothing for many of the families in need here. This year, my saintly wife (she pays me to say that:)) gathered suport from many friends and relatives here and in North America to arrange a department store gift certificate for a young man who works hard while wife handles their two children with special needs. He was virtually speechless when we had coffee and presented him with the Cabaze.

Santa don’t need no BMW (wouldn’t hurt, I’ve been a good boy!) but no matter where I have been in the world during this season, I honor my family’s tradtion of helping Santa, Pere Noel, Saint Nicholas, etc.

Merry Christmas and Feliz Natal from Terceira, our little island in the Atlantic.

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Veterans Day – Interesting when you’re remembering friends, fantastic times, and miserable failures while retired in the Azores:)

November 11 is Veteran’s Day in the US (and for the hundreds of military vets here on the island) and it’s also Dia do St. Marten, each town and village has parties to celebrate the end of summer, harvest, and another reason to sing, dance and enjoy a simple life.

Veteran’s Day for me is an interesting time, a time mixed with great memories, miserable memories of comrades I used to celebrate with, and no longer can, celebratory drinks with Gin, Tequila, Win, Cognac, Bloody Marys, and bier from days long past. Fortunately, with time changes, calls to the states are later in the morning, (many drinks and memories). Calls, emails, texts, and chats help keep up with old friends and family. (For some reason, “family” seems to be aging more than “old friends?” Go figure, huh:)

Veteran’s Day for me is a time to remember new and exciting experiences around the world that made me what I am today (for good and bad) and the friends who helped me become who I am. We celebrate our successes, and re-analyze our failures!

Lunch on St. Marten’s Day is often a crowded affair, since many businesses close and many families take to the adegas, tabernas, and village and town squares. Speaker systems go up, local “Philharmonics” dressed in band uniforms and marching around the square, and kiosks or Tascas pop up in most open places. Parking becomes challenging, but nearly every enjoys walking, drinking, eating, dancing, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and reminiscing about old harvests, experiences, and friends. In the Praca Velha (Old Square) in Angra do Heroismo (Terceira’s UNESCO Site – so everything looks as it did in the 1600’s) young and old dance to songs and music that may be hundreds of years old as well. Old couples who have probably been attending St. Marten observances since they were children, often dancing on the same tile-decorated cobblestone surfaces, are smiling to each other, smiling in memories of partners and friends long-passed, and dancing alone or with others with amazing agility. Young children, family pets, and beautiful young relatives grace the square, dancing patiently with older relatives who still mouth the words while younger ones are counting steps:)

I realize new times for each of these social events are here also. Two F-35s roar off the Base 4 runway nearby. Parking is a scramble of bicycles, Teslas, tractors, and scooters, Harleys and Hondas. Other conversations around tables and on park benches surrounding the square speculate on our changing world, environment, political structure economies, and religion. I sit and take it all in (I did mention they also have wine, didn’t I?) and realize many of these people born and raised on Terceira have lived through one or two world wars; I admire them and sometimes wonder how I would fare in the trials and tribulations they survived through and still dance and sing?

Like my veteran amigos, I know I survived some trials and tribulations myself, albeit these are relative. But will I be singing and dancing a generation from now? We’ll see.

Amigos .. Happy Veteran’s Day!

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US Election Day in the Azores … a razor-thin edge:)

Finally, after many years of talk shows, speeches, ads, debates, etc., November 4th, 2024 dawns on our little place, apparently a microcosm of our United States … a pronounced line across our green, very wet fields in the distance. Sun, clouds, and eventually rain and strong winds are in the forecast.

We voted absentee by mail, and we have plans to join good friends at lunch tomorrow to discuss whatever results are in, just to help everyone here adjust to this day of reckoning which has encompassed American, Portuguese, German, Norwegian, and Mexican residents here for more than a year. To the best of our knowledge, everyone of has opinions, desired results, and mostly a firm commitment to compromise for our beloved nation.

So as the trees are now starting to whip outside the windows, rain moves across the hills and fields, and the white-capped waves in the bay, we open a bottle of Vinho Tinto and enjoy Sofia’s fantastic fresh Chicken Noodle Soup!

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Living Abroad

Snowplow and Chevy pickup in the snow
This has nothing to do with living abroad, just a great memory of good times and long hours earning the funds to retire and live abroad. Believe it or not, after plowing for several record-snowfall years, we love the Azores but do miss the snowfall….and the long hours:)

Living abroad.
Ex-patriot.
Resident alien.
Foreigner.
All terms which lead to a form of “identity Crisis.” But these are all names that my friends and family call me. (They do call me other things as well…but let’s stay on message!). As with most things I’m called (never “Late for Dinner”) I heed them very little. Except that they all add to the realization that I’m distant from my family and friends where I grew up… or as most of my family and friends readily acknowledge, where I got older; I’m still working on growing up:)

Case in point. On my periodic “welfare check” phone call to my sister, all calls went to voicemail. Naturally, the first couple of times I assumed she lost her phone again, so no big deal. After several tries, I called her husband’s cell phone to hear she was laying the in hospital. Disturbing. I talked to her. “Maybe a stroke, we’re not sure yet. I’ll call you back.”

She is definitely getting up in the years, unlike me. (See above, not grown up yet). So I worry. But then I also recollect lately a lot about when we were young. To this very day, I remember driving to visit Grandma Crall et al, my most secure place was napping with my head on my big sister’s lap. No matter where I have been in the world, with guns and bombs going off around me, laying in a hospital after being slashed by a knife, injured when roping from a helicopter, no matter….safest place was in that old Oldsmobile with my head in her lap. And now she’s having strokes? What up with that. She’s getting older!

So as an “ex-pat” i check my communication options. Am I too hard to get a hold of? (Yes, Vince, I know it’s not good grammar:)) For both business and convenience, I maintain a US telephone number (I recommend Ring Central, not cheap, but very very effective!) so everyone can dial me like I was in the states. I maintain it on a VPN (expressVPN) to keep things direct, secure, and give me control of when and where I can communicate for business and pleasure. So, In My Humble Opinion, it’s not an obstacle about global communication.

Lack of notification for an illness (serious or not) may be just a function of the old adage “Out of Sight, Out of Mind.” Admittedly, whenever I’ve been involved in some injury or illness emergency, notification was for immediate proximity, then later worry about distant family notifications and such. So I understand

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Summer 2024 in (and out) of the Azores

Windmills, whaling museums, amazing scenery, new family and more freinds…a long weekend visit to Pico and Horta Islands was amazing. Great times, amazing scenery, Portugal’s tallest mountain (and inactive volcano) and some fantastic aguardente…and Obrigado for driving, Rui:)
Family from Virginia, Michigan, and Terceira all gathered for a wonderful luncheon, just one of many this summer. A good time was had by all, and , of course, too much food was had by all:)

Long time sice I wrote here, mostly because:
a) a computer crash during a massive electrical storm fried my MAC computers, and
b) No time and too many things happening…I always heard retirement was supposed to be relaxing. Not this summer. From a visit to Michigan and Virginia, several visits to hosptals and doctors (all better now) and great times with old friends. Then some time showing folks from Florida, Texas, and California around here. (Sorry Jane and John, wish the weather would have cooperated better, but you did miss last night’s 55-knot wind storm).

Rough summer for tecnhology here also. Electric storms crashed the UPS I had all my MAC computers plugged into. My Favorite Cannon DSLR lost some controls, my printer died, and it took nearly three months to get a new MAC Studio in, and I’m still trying to get it integrated into the network. Even Alexa seems to be “Having a little trouble.” But life goes on.

Interspersed with visitors, beach time, and bullfights, we spent hours with friends swimming, watching movies, playing games, and of course, eating lots and drinking more…it was a great summer.

Now we’re getting braced for another winter here, marked by high winds, rain storms, massive ocean waves, and of course, chilly (read 45 degrees Farhenheit) on a cool night. Laying in firewood, cleaning the wood stove, and noting the neighborhood cats’ fur growing longer. Since weather patterns around the world are so unpredictable, we’re not sure what to expect, but then again, who cares. We’re buttoned up in a wonderful place with great family and friends, games, great wine, and a fire in the stove.

We’ll keep you posted:)

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Angra do Heroismo hosts GLEX again …enlightening!

Fabien Cousteau, a famous aquanaut and ocean conservatonist, came to Terceira for this years Global Exploration Summit to discuss his role in conceptualizing, designing, and funding a major underwater research facility similar to the International Space Station, only under our seas to learn more about the environment which encompasses seven-tenths of our planet’s surface.

June was a busy month for some of us Terseira retirees. Also extremely enlightening!

After our trip back to the states to visit family, friends, medical checkups, and, of course, the zillions of obligatory shopping adventures, we came back to Terciera. We flew through JFK instead of our usual Boston-Terceira flight (probably not our brightest adventure, appreciably more challenges going through New York instead of Boston:)) we flew in on the same plane with Lisa, a colleague I was stationed with in San Antonio and hadn’t seen in nearly 35 years. Lisa stayed with us a few days, visited Sao Miguel, and returned for some great times. I always try to maintain perspective while sitting in airports awaiting flights to Terceira; more courageous generatons spent months aboard sailing ships with great uncertainty while crossing the same ocean we’re concerned about after a one-hour plane delay:)

Just days after our return to the island with Lisa, we joined friends Molly and Jerry attending GLEX, the Explorers Club summit at Angra do Heroismo’s world-class Cutural Center for several days of presentations and networking about humanity’s future on planet Earth. Fabien Cousteau, Beatriz Flamini, and NASA Astronauts Nicole Mann and Mike Massimino, just to name a few of the dozens of contemporary leaders pushing boundaries in everything from fashion to sports to insect research.

One has to marvel at how our lives have changed, are changing, and undoubtedly will continue to change. Confusing, challenging, and downright scary sometimes, but I have often maintained that we each adapt and overcome through the strengths of our friends and family. Seeing family and friends, then being exposed to the GLEX subjects, I must be right!

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Celebrating Immigration The Terceira Way

Sofia's family at her sister's celebration for her birthday in Angra do Heroishmo.
Back home with our Azorean family, Mena invited us to join her XX aniversario dinner at the new Quinto do Azores restaraunt at Angra’s bay. Near perfect summer, surprise party and family fun with my sister in Michigan and then a birthday dinner for Sofia’s sister when we got home to the island:)

Tradtionally, most of our freinds on the island who were not born here take some time every summer or every other summer to return to their birth country to have fun with family and friends of days past. So this summer we took a break from beach time, bullfights, and festivals, to visit friends and family in Michigan, Virginia, DC, and Maryland. A tight, well-planned schedule led to some stressful, but totally enjoyable celebrations.

Especially since we moved back to the island, we have compartmentalized “family” with different periods in our history. Thirty-two years of marriage very happy marriage have given us a very generous history of different families: Our siblings and their extended families, our daughters and their wonderful families (Aidan, Summer, Gerry and Darcy, etc.), our Gazette family (Linda and Dan, Norm and Val, Rene and Mary), our BSEE family (Vince and Heide, Gino, Jolie and Veronica), old neighbors (Brett and Christine, Jim and Claudette, Rosa and Craig, etc.), our Falls Church family (Deb and Tessa) and many more too numerous to mention. I won’t even name the doctors and nurses, lab and radiology techs, etc.

Personally I’m convinced as we get along in the years, memories and mistakes in our history “change,” erode, become more brilliant, etc. But these trips back and forth to the island amplify the great friends and family we have made throughout our history. These trips home, I appreciate, are hectic, expensive, and sometimes challenging. But these visits, whether an hour, a day, or a week, makes us appreciate the people who make us what we are today.

And very few things compare to that feeling of getting home to your own bed, back to the beaches and bullfights, and our family and freinds on Terceira!

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Summer Travels; great visits and just not enough time:)

We pin the first worldwide pin on the Azores for the House of Flavors in Ludington, Michigan after some great ice cream and fabulous service!

Visiting family and friends back in Michigan for the first time in six years, we had a wonderful visit; my older sister’s 70th birthday surprise party. She was surprised, and we had a great time in Ludington on Lake Michigan. The beach was beautiful sand, the SS Badger ferry appeared from a fog bank, and Lake Michigan was not as cold as the Atlantic by our house in Terceira:)

We stopped by many old friends, had some great dinners and drinks, and regretfully, didn’t have time to visit many old friends. We did see whitetail deer, sand dunes, go for a couple of boat rides on “the big lake” and saw all my brothers and sisters, which was great. (Yes, I did notice they are aging…but not me!!!:) They are still wonderful, somewhat quirky, and we love all of them!

This trip was highlighted by meeting new family as well, future inlaws, wedding dress shopping, and… oh yes, drinking Michigan Cherry-flavored coffee and testing pies and cookies. I had my first experience with American Spoon Bloody Marys made with horseradish vodka. Yum!

As always, we miss home life on the island, regret not having enough time to visit so many great friends and family, and spending more time with others. But that is one price we pay for our life as ex-pats on Terceira. Make the best of whatever you’re living, and enjoy it all.

We do!

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Rain and wind outside…inside dinner with great friends by a warm fire:)

Denis (left) and Lenka joined us for dinner amidst seasonal downpours and wind storms. Filet do Abrotea and many other “nummies” capped of an evening of fun and learning for all of us before Denis and Lenka return to Prague for more oral exams at medical school — we know they will do great! (photo by Denis)

This summer we added another wonderful couple to our list of fantastic friends, and when they returned for another study internship at the hospital in Angra do Heroismo, they made time for a nice dinner at Casa da Sonho.

Lenka Duranikova and her finace, Denis Dinga, have attended several medical school study opportunities from their program in Prague. Friendly, naturally curious, warm residents of the Czech Republic, they enjoy visiting the island, where we are honored to rank among their many friends here. Teresa Hill introduced us one day at a festival in Biscoitos, while my cousin Mike and Cindy were visiting. We’ve had fun ever since:)

The Azores is referred to by many as the “Gateway to Europe” and because it is also a growing tourist destination, every festival, bullfight, concert, and day at the beach offers us opportunities to meet folks from many other locations. Without doubt, this is one of the things we love and cherish most…meeting new folks and getting to know them and their culture.

A wonderful dinner last night also reinforced my mantra, “Even challenging weather brings something to enjoy.” Our future doctors may not get back to the island soon, but we may get the chance to visit tehm, and we’ll stay in touch!

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Good times they are a-coming:)

Man and woman sandals relaxing on rock wall overlooking the ocean at Porto Martins last summer.
Any day now…we’re hoping to have the weather break and enjoy spring break on Terceira. No cops, very few naked bodies, never enough drinking, and pure relaxation!!!

The weather has been interresting around the world this winter, adn we’ve watched it very closely. During breakfast most days we watch variously weather in French, German, English, and Portuguese. We also look out our windows, a mountain top on one side, an ocean on the other. It’s always good to see what the experts expect, good to know how to plan our day, and always with the knowledge that what we’re seeing at breakfast probably will not hold throughout the day throughout the island:)

But astrological spring is coming quickly, and we’re getting ready. The tradition in my youth in the midwest was “spring cleaning” when you KNEW you were going to be called on to help clean those hard to reach places, under the dryer, the garage, etc. “Spring Cleaning” when you’ve married an Azorean means you do just about the same things you do every week…except you do it again every week, spring or not! Until the beach weather arrives in a month or so, in which case we can relax and only clean and cook half days, and then lay on the beach for a few hours.

Of course summer brings visitors, cookouts, picnics, camping, travel, suntans, and more yard and garden work. But most agree that’s when Terceira is inviting, relaxing, and beautiful. So when you come visit, don’t be too critical if the housekeeping isn’t as perfect as our normal spring cleaning, just check out our blood pressure and our tans:)

See you this summer!

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Another two-edged sword…any news from friends around the world is great…even two months late!

Christmas Card from a very dear friend in the states….it arrived on my birthday in early February. Mail from the U.S. is about two months for an air mail letter (Par Avion) with plenty of stamps…but they still take two months. Packages… we don’t even think about, some never make it! One time we got a new sewing machine from Italy in three days:)

My birthday is in early February, and on my birthday, my darling wife suggested she see if there were any birthday cards in the mailbox; we hadn’t heard the CTT Delivery man’s scooter stop, so I was skeptical. Mail for us is very rare. So she went out and I heard her laughing histerically from the mailbox.

Nearly two months late, we got a Christmas Card from a wonderful friend who still remembers some great times together while I was in the Air Force. Marleen worked with me and became a great friend in Arkansas, and we’ve stayed in touch over the years, even when she moved to her home in the Netherlands for a time. She is so wonderful! So I was very pleased to get her card and a photo newsletter summarizing her year. It’s been years since we’ve seen her, but we still fondly remember each other. Things like this make me feel really “warm and fuzzy!”

But that brings up one of the critiical questions friends from around the globe ask me about our decision to retire to the Portuguese Azores. Many things defy understanding, explanation, or indeed, reason here. Why it takes nearly two months for an Air Mail letter to arrrive from the states? Isn’t the Portuguese system Socialist? Is the island of Terceira run by their own version of a mafia? All possible considerations. In defferenece to family and freinds, I refrain from commenting.

Some things I don’t try to explain, I just accept; much to my wonderful bride’s joy. Her culture is different. Portugal, until 1978, was ruled by a dictator named Antonio de Oliveira Salazar. That’s less than one generation ago, many remember “the old days” which were vastly different from my experieinces growing up in the US and eventually becoming part of the federal government. I can’t relate to the stories my wife and her family tell about growing up in schools and local governments controlled by a dictator. So I try to not judge how this culture reacts to government decisions, procedures, and such things. Like many ex-pats, I sometimes have to bite my tongue and not compare my adopted residence to cultures I’ve lived in around the world. Sometimes, I bite my tongue till it hurts:)

So you have to balance the warmth of neighbors supporting us, accepting us into their families, beautiful scenery, great wine, good prices, etc., and try to decide when some things should be accepted, some suggestion might help, or just bite your tongue.

Then again, every now and again, you get a wonderful surprise letter or card from a dear friend!

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Winter weather, honesty, and memories of great summer fun

Sofia in a tower at one of the many castles in Sintra, Portugal in Summer 2023
Remembering warm and sunny days with Rosa and Craig in Sintra, Portugal. Just an hour out of Lisbon, we took the train up, had some great tours, walked a lot, and got home in time for a great Italian meal. Seems like there is not really an end to the neat places to visit in Portugal.

So it’s January in Terceira. Clouds hiding the tops of mountains around us. Fog and rain hiding the bay, the beaches, the ocean, and the cows, we see from our warm, wind-battered casa. Walks are curtailed, trees bend constantly, and the neighborhood smells of the wood burning in our stove. We watch more news on TV, old movies and new, and of course nibble on local cheese, bread, sweets, and coffee or tea. Of course we watch with jealousy the newscasts from the states of snow storms, violent winds, and rain throughout the states.

A tranquil new year also allows us to reasses some things which we normally don’t take time to think about. From the blogging perspective, one or two readers point out that my blog mentions many of the great elements of retiring into the Portuguese Azores, but seems to rarely highlight some of the singificant challenges. So I’m going to work on that in the next year…there are some down sides to coming here from the United States, and “fair and balanced reporting” should mention them as well. So I’m turning over that new leaf.

Arguably the best part of the “nasty weather” which I love here is that we get plenty of time to review the year; the great trips to Romania, Lisbon, Sao Miguel, and the fantastic friends we’ve made, visited, reunited with, and discussed plans for further meetings and adventures. Sorting photos, sending them, smiling, and reminiscing make for enjoyable evenings as the rain and winds pound. Good times abound!

In all fairness, each trip or visit also had some “challenging” aspects, and remembering those also bring smiles. For example, the trip to Lisbon and Sintra with Craig and Rosa was fun and educational…but mainland Portugal set records for hot days and nights. So as we smile about the castles and palaces like the photo above, we also appreciate the winds, rain, and clouds in Terceira in January:)

So we recall them as we’re scheduling our next year’s travels!

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Christmas / Natal Peace

Cup of tea and homade cake; gifts for Christmas at Casa da Sonho

This year Christmas was slightly more challenging for us, our first Christmas away from our youngest daughter and, sadly, yet another away from our distant eldest daughter. So with Christmas carols playing, many family dinners, lunches, and several coffees and drinking with our close ex-pat friends, we celebrated quietly.

We retirees in the middle of the Atlantic often celebrate with a very short Christmas list…we largely have amassed just about everything we need to enjoy life here. Friends dropped off team, chocolates from Belgium, and of course, no holiday is complete without massive baking undertakings in the kitchen.

Friends and family around the world, through holiday communications, ask what we’re doing for the holidays. Simple:

  • We have traded crowds and mall shopping-madness for peace and simplicity. No major crowds (except the grocery store).
  • While we miss family and friends of the last 30 years in the U.S., we celebrate the love and company of family here, with friends from Sweden, Norway, mainland, the nearby island of Sao Miguel, and the U.S. who now live or visit here. (I learned decades ago while living around the globe to enjoy every minute with friends and family, enjoy memories, communicate often, and be thankful for said friends and family). I know there is never enough time together, so cherish what you have and be thankful for it.
  • We take the excuse to increase our process to check in on more distant family, freinds who have good news and sad, and to “touch base” with old and new relationships.

So if you wonder what retired holiday life is like on Terceira, it is exactly what you would expect. Some frustrations, some challenges, but mostly peace and tranquility. We watch the world news with some trepidation and some joy … while the world seems to have significant challenges from mankind, our little piece of the world is largely quiet, with Christmas lights, Christmas carols, coffee, tea, and holiday spirit(s).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year wherever you are. Enjoy!

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Winterizing on Terceira – no antifreeze check or jumper cables!

Insert Foggy Wind-blown rainy photo here!

No photos lately, mostly just fog, clouds, rain, high winds (23-40 knots) and visiblity barely 30 meters (a hundred yards) from the house:)

So as winter weather sets in, I’ve returned to my youth. Very Very young. Brothers and sisters and I watched the Ed Sullivan Show every Sunday on an old Black and White Zenith with two knobs and rabbit-ears antenna covered with tin foil! Now, I’m clustered into our comfortable place on Terceira (which I could not have found on a globe then!) and watching a Carol Burnett-hosted tribute to Ed. This leads me to smiles, sing-alongs, cringes about black and white TV, and fond memories of my very young family life in Ada, Michigan. Also leads to missing my dear brother and sisters:)

Remembering the Ed Sullivan Show does indeed seem like a simpler time, which kind of equates to some solationism on Terceira. the warden and I choose to watch news, debate many questions (I love my wife dearly, but she’s often wrong:)) and we can just turn off news from Europe, the US, Israel, Gaza, Germany, France, and tune in to YouTube memories. The memories, peace, and tranquility don’t last forever (neither of us are isolationists) but it does lead to fond memories, hours in front of the wood fire, and pleasant stories of our different youths.

So life here isn’t all bad, thanks to YouTube, Ed Sullivan, and many many others. We’re getting ready for winter:)

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Excitment on the Island….not often, but when we have it, it’s big!!!

Breakfast recently looking out over our normally tranquil view of Praia Bay…billowing smoke plume reminiscent of a bomb attack on a neighborhood in some parts of the world I’ve lived in…but not!

Several weeks ago, before we started traveling to different islands for fun, we sat down to breakfast. Usual procedures, good morning kiss, feed the doggone cats, Sao Miguel cheese, toast, jam, and coffee. Then we turn on YouTube for last evening’s news. We listen to the US newscast, discuss the world’s situation, solve the problems of the world, and look out over our peaceful view of Praia Bay and the nearby Marina.

“Holy Smokes, darling. Look at this!”

About a mile in the distance, smoke rose over the Marina, blue lights and red lights flashed, and a plume of smoke drifted at least a kilometer toward the airbase and airport. The ever-present Steiner binoculars I’ve had for years came up immediately, and we determined it was a boat aflame. Naturally, like most of the folks around the bay, we jumped into the car and drove across town to the marina (about one mile), where we saw several U.S. A.F. and Bombeiros do Praia trucks putting out the flames on a huge cabin cruiser (I would estimate about 70-foot) that had been tied up for many many many years.The rumors were that it had been siezed by the Portuguese government for taxes, drugs, who knows, etc.

It now sat in the shallow marina, still tied to the dock, mostly submerged and covered in foam, ashes; basically a sunken wreck. Rumors abound. Not sure what “really” happened because part of the Portuguese culture seems to be not explaining everything.

Keep in mind that Terceira is an island of serenity, tranquility, peacefulness, and basic pleasantness. This appeals to many American and Canadian ex-pats. I, for one, have many family members in the US who are amazed that I have adapted to this serenity. But every now and again, we have excitement!!! Of course, after our cursory investigation, it was time to go home, wash dishes, and make lunch:)

Still wondering, of course, if, after all these years, the boat had insurance:)

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Adding a Change of Scenery with Old Friends Always Helps

Moorish Castle atop a hill in Sintra, Portugal.
View of the Moorish Castle in Sintra, about 45 minutes north of Lisbon by train. After the Moors were defeated, Sintra became popular with castles and quintas for royalty and nobility in Portugal. The castle remains to remind the Portuguese of what the Moors added and the many years of battles to make the Portuguese a unified nation.

Sometimes we get a little bored with the same old “drudgery” of beaches, swimming, festivals, dinners with neighbors, etc. That’s when it’s really awesome when old friends from Michigan stop in for a visit. We love showing off Lisboa (never a bad day in Lisbon) and then relaxing in our little corner of paradise.

We met at the airport in Lisboa, stayed at a friend’s place, and spent a week sightseeing, including a great day trip to Sintra, visiting several castles and the famous Quinta da Regaleira with it’s gardens and amazing circular staircase hundreds of feet underground, built to initiate candidates into the Masons. In spite of soaring temperatures, a wonderful trip with many other sights for future visits!

After a week of heat, adventures, and stops around Lisbon, we all returned to our Casa da Sonho, dodged raindrops, and visited sights, gardens, beaches, volcanoes and trails, and restaraunts we frequent here. Heavy rains dampened the grass, turned everything green but did not “harsh” our reunion. We had several sunny hours to visit the caves and volcanic crater ridges. All around a great time before we hugged goodbye; as we parted we thought of their return to Michigan in mid-October; fall colors, crisp temperatures, cider and donuts, and preparing for snowfall.

Never certain when we’ll return to Michigan for a visit, but so wonderful to have freinds come over and experinece our life here!

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Big day at a Little Church … a tight community in Porto Martins, Portugal

Catholic Church in our village, Porto Martins
Mass welcoming a new priest to Porto Martins

The ‘hood grew last week in Porto Martins as our neighbor’s newborn, Amelia, was baptized and a new priest arrived to shepard the Porto Martins Catholics.

Nearly eveyone agrees life on Terceira is tranquil, relaxed, and friendly. When asked why we retired here, the first answer is usually “to be near Sofia’s family” or “because the people here are so great.” The tale of how we found an overgrown plot of land across from her sister’s new house, turned it into a wonderful home with a great view of the ocean, and grew to love our new neighbors is a major success story. We look out the window, watch news of the world, and hug each other!

How do we guage acceptance and freindliness? This year one neighbor invited us to his Esprit do Santos celebration, a week of friends, feast, drink, and meeting his friends and family. This past week, another neighbor invited us to his daughter’s baptism, a celebration and feast for the first of many sacrements for this darling little infant. Also noteworthy was this gathering at our little (tightly-packed) church built in 1901 was the arrival of a new priest, a man stretched with sheparding over Praia Da Vitoria and several other churches besides Porto Martin.

Many who know me know I’m not Catholic, not practicing very much, etc. (One friend, a pastor in Michigan, always quips “the church wasn’t hit by lightning when you walked in?”) So I maintain it’s not the practice of faith as much as the tremendous community feeling here. As neighbors drive by, they wave, invite us to family events, and ask how we’re doing. To a guy who lived in apartments where we never saw our neighbors, that feeling is very inspiring. Kind of refreshes our view of humanity.

Not a big deal in the balance of the world today, but reinforces our continual happiness of retiring into a little Portuguese village!