These are pictures taken during August 2008. It was hot - in the high 80's and dry. While we were there, Tropical Storm Fay was taking aim (and succeeding) at Florida. It was hard for us because we don't have phone service yet - we felt very isolated - but luckily Dennis bought a satellite radio. At least we were able to hear some news. It was so very dry in Virginia. They were hoping Fay would travel up there and leave some rain.

I was standing on our property - way up high at the top of the mountain looking south at our neighbor's (Ruth and Winford) property.

This is our barn.

Adventure - The Beginning

Dennis and I have been planning for our early retirement for several years and have dedicated ourselves to this goal. We should really begin to refer to our plans as our new adventure or new life. We are, at least it seems to us, young. So we will not be settling in to playing shuffleboard and trying to find the best early bird buffets.

We are going to try lots of different and new things. We are trying to experiment with many of them now in our Florida home. I have been thinking about starting this blog about our new life so that when we aren't so young - we'll be able to remember what we did and how we felt about our new life. Dennis, of course, is going into the whole adventure full force, no looking back, and with years and thousands of hours of research and reading he's done. He is prepared and ready! Me - I am ready to leave my career in 2010 and begin anew. People ask me what I'll do - I don't know. But, I am fine with that. I am ready to leave the stress and pressures of a job that has given me many rewards and happy times, but one in which I haven't been able to achieve a work-life balance. Where we are moving to is absolutely beautiful and peaceful and I am confident that I will find my way.

So - here we go with the Adventure! It's going to be a fun ride.