Spring In My Step

March 20, '26...Last dream of the morning in which an old friend exclaims, "Chuck, you are so lucky to still have spring in your step." Yes, I am so thankful to have good legs, good lungs and spring in my step. We walk the Labrador every morning, at least one mile and often three or four miles. We prefer off-pavement explorations. Nori, the dog, appreciates a cold plunge along the route...a creek, a river or a lake. She usually finds a perfect stick and carries it for most of the hike. We have learned the value of hiking poles on trails so, the three of us are similarly armed. Hiking is our favorite family activity, no matter the weather or terrain we can always find an invigorating route. So thankful to be living 'on the edge of civilization' here in Plumas County, California.

I Needed A Handle

Forty-five years ago I completed my Masters degree which focused on education/psychology and counseling...a Special Education M,A. I landed back on Earth by submitting to five years of factory/assembly line work at the newly birthed Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California. We then moved up four thousand feet in elevation so that my wife could continue her career working for the Department of Agriculture in Chester, California. I functioned as a 'utility infielder' for Plumas County School District and in my spare time I built the 'cabin-in-the-woods' that we have lived in ever since. After thirteen years of blissful co-existance, my wife and I decided to take a chance on pregnancy. Our son was a "handful" and required an amazing amount of attention and loving care. We were up for the task. Four years into fatherhood I realized our son would be interacting with hundreds of judgemental little beings and their parents for the next dozen years. They would want to know...what do your parents do? His mother worked for the Forest Service but his Dad...part-time a little bit of everything. I needed a 'handle'. I expressed this to my longtime friend Judd Hanna and he bluntly said, "Chuckie, what would you rather be doing?"... I want to start a bicycle shop.

Retirement...Six Months Later

Many of my advisors, old codgers who wandered into Bodfish Bicycles and Quiet Mountain Sports during our last year of operation, warned, "Retirement, don't do it. It's really over-rated." Well, I did it and I find it quite pleasant. yes, the honey-do list is longer and there is less time to 'space-out' when you are supervised from home. I can now work on a backlog of tasks that have accumulated over the last thirty-one years. I bought a stack of trim boards from Home Depot so that I can finish trimming out the house that I started constructing thirty-five years ago. Painting projects seem possible now. Walking and bicycling destinations from a list that's been brewing in my personal 'GPS brain' are now beyond the fermination stage. We are out doing it. There were many hours of 'spinning my wheels' during the off-seasons at the bicycle store over these last thirty years. I really do feel more efficient now that I'm retired. More reading, more riding and more time with wife and dog.