WELL! I finally did the BIG ONE....

[jabird56]

So,...what did I do you ask?

Well, I'll tell ya. I just submitted my paperwork to retire, and I should be out the door by the 30th of September.

There I said it.

I'll punch out with 39 years and 4+ months of government service (combined navy/civilian service time)

[Motorhead350]

Enjoy your new life.

[L.Mark]

CONGRATS!!!! Now you have more time time spend more money.:banana::banana::banana:

[cat in the hat]

Congrats ! Do you have a retirement job lined up ?

[whitey]

Congrats ! Do you have a retirement job lined up ?

With 39 years of service, i think he'll be fine without a job, money wise and relaxation wise! Congratulations man!

[loud2004marquis]

Congratulations!

[jabird56]

Congrats ! Do you have a retirement job lined up ?

My retirement job will be to get this house sold in the Socialistic State of Maryland and move into our new house that is being built just south of Ocala, FL. Estimated turn-key is currently around the 1st of March.

The new house will be around 2400 sq ft of living space, while the garage will be around 2300 sq ft of space. The garage space includes a 45'x16' RV garage with full hook-ups. There is a Man Cave in the plans, and it just happens to be bigger than the master bedroom...go figure. Out the back will be a screened in pool.

Once we get settled, we'll start doing 1-2 months on the road with our 5th wheel.


http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=88810&highlight=camping

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86743&highlight=wheel

[Ms. Denmark]

I'm so happy for you guys! Just make sure you put your Marauder family on the calendar and get out to see us at the various regional meets. ;)

[Mr. Man]

Oh man you blew it! With 40 years the government gives you a Timex and a slap on the back.:shake:

Congratulations on the retirement and hope the move goes smoothly.:banana:

Someday Paula and I will visit Florida and we'll look you up. We'll be the NJ hillbilly lookin' folk;):lol:

[Ladyhawke]

That's awesome Jay! Congrats!

Hope Carlisle and Gettysburg camping are in your plans.

[WhatsUpDOHC]

Jealous, here.
Congrats to you. :beer::thumbup:

[jsignorelli]

Congrats. I pulled the plug on June 30th, after 44 years of teaching.

Now I can spend the day working on my cars, planning vacations with my wife (just returned from our cruise on Sunday) and visiting relatives who live some distance.

[lji372]

Congrats:beer:

[Haggis]

Congrats Jay, sounds like a great plan....and keep the spinning wheels spinning. :burnout:

[martyo]

Enjoy your new life.

I am jealous! Congrats!!!!

[HammerDown]

Congrats, Jay!!!! That's great!!!!!

You and Denise ENJOY!!!!!!

[vkirkend]

Congratulations!!!!! I'm still working on getting there.......

[Jimimac43]

Congrats, Remember, Retirement is like saying to your wife " twice as much me on half as much money.".Enjoy, Ocala is a beautiful area.

[Roadwarrior]

Congratulations on your retirement. :beer:

[Joe Walsh]

Congrats Jay!

I don't blame you for escaping from "California-Lite"....errrr......I mean the great State of Maryland.
I've lived in Maryland since 1972 and I am tired of the rat-race, traffic, high cost of living and the excessive taxes.
Marianne and I are discussing where to move after we had an awesome vacation in Wyoming and Montana.
Wow is it gorgeous out West!

*IIRC: No sales tax in Montana!

[jabird56]

Congrats Jay!

I don't blame you for escaping from "California-Lite"....errrr......I mean the great State of Maryland.
I've lived in Maryland since 1972 and I am tired of the rat-race, traffic, high cost of living and the excessive taxes.
Marianne and I are discussing where to move after we had an awesome vacation in Wyoming and Montana.
Wow is it gorgeous out West!

*IIRC: No sales tax in Montana!

Yeah, we thought about moving back out west but we looked at each other and said we don't want to shovel snow anymore. We like the beach a lot, and being about an hour from either coast in FL will be fun. We can and will visit the west on our terms now with the 5th wheel, which will be some sort of Fall rumble through the Rockies.

No income tax in FL. Property tax is lower than MD. Sales tax is 6% in the county we're moving to, same as MD. Property insurance estimate is twice that of MD,....weather rider. Since we're paying cash for the house with the new construction of a custom home, the property tax and insurance shouldn't take that much of a dent out of our annual budget.

Cost of living calculators on average are showing us where it would take $100,000 to live on where we're at in MD, we'll be able to live on $68100 in the Ocala area of FL. I'm using the $100K figure just as an example.

A cousin of mine is visiting us as he migrates to Dover AFB, having just left an air base in Montana. He made comments about the perpetual wind out there in Montana. We had perpetual wind in Nebraska while we lived there also, not to mention the -50 windchill at times in the winter.

Good luck with your retirement decisions.

[Mr. Man]

Congrats Jay!

I don't blame you for escaping from "California-Lite"....errrr......I mean the great State of Maryland.
I've lived in Maryland since 1972 and I am tired of the rat-race, traffic, high cost of living and the excessive taxes.
Marianne and I are discussing where to move after we had an awesome vacation in Wyoming and Montana.
Wow is it gorgeous out West!

*IIRC: No sales tax in Montana!Hi Joe Walsh :wave: Just wanted to drop a thought on you about Wyoming and Montana. While I never lived in Montana I did live in Wyoming for a 1 1/2yrs and I wanted to pass along my thoughts on living there. While the scenery is hard to beat it also is very different than MD as is the weather. Wyoming has 2 seasons Springer and Cold. Spring and Fall are short, Winter is long and the Summer while mild is shorter than the East. Oddly the thing that bothered me most was the constant sunshine, over 300 days of it. Sounds great but when your from an area that has weather having little change can grind on your nerves. Humidity is low which is great but can lead to stupidity. I used to see people walking around in t-shirts in 40* weather....it's still 40* out there dude.:shake: Long story short if you decide to give it a try I would suggest renting for a while befere committing. Just my 2 cents. Hey to Marianne. :)

[Joe Walsh]

Hi Joe Walsh :wave: Just wanted to drop a thought on you about Wyoming and Montana. While I never lived in Montana I did live in Wyoming for a 1 1/2yrs and I wanted to pass along my thoughts on living there. While the scenery is hard to beat it also is very different than MD as is the weather. Wyoming has 2 seasons Springer and Cold. Spring and Fall are short, Winter is long and the Summer while mild is shorter than the East. Oddly the thing that bothered me most was the constant sunshine, over 300 days of it. Sounds great but when your from an area that has weather having little change can grind on your nerves. Humidity is low which is great but can lead to stupidity. I used to see people walking around in t-shirts in 40* weather....it's still 40* out there dude.:shake: Long story short if you decide to give it a try I would suggest renting for a while befere committing. Just my 2 cents. Hey to Marianne. :)


Oh, this isn't anything we are going to do on the spur-of-the-moment.
I understand what you are saying.
I couldn't live in San Diego because it is almost always 75 and sunny.
We like the change of seasons, and I don't mind cold and I like snow....(Marianne has a different opinion on cold and snow!)
Just trying to get out of this California-like State of Maryland.
Probably end up in Southern Pa. or WV panhandle.

I'm not sure low humidity equates to low brain power......
I see plenty of numb nuts (literally) walking around in flip flops and shorts when we get snow storms here in Maryland.....:shake:

BTW: Where did you live in Wyoming?

[Ms. Denmark]

________________

[Mr. Man]

Oh, this isn't anything we are going to do on the spur-of-the-moment.
I understand what you are saying.
I couldn't live in San Diego because it is almost always 75 and sunny.
We like the change of seasons, and I don't mind cold and I like snow....(Marianne has a different opinion on cold and snow!)
Just trying to get out of this California-like State of Maryland.
Probably end up in Southern Pa. or WV panhandle.

I'm not sure low humidity equates to low brain power......
I see plenty of numb nuts (literally) walking around in flip flops and shorts when we get snow storms here in Maryland.....:shake:

BTW: Where did you live in Wyoming?
I was in Laramie.

When the humidity is very low, much much lower than we experience in the East moisture evaporates very quickly. It is the moisture on our skin that makes us feel the temperture. When it is dry out we feel warmer or perhaps more comfortable than the temperture actually reads. I also experienced nose bleeds in the mornings because of the dryness. I had to sit up very slowly or it was blood city. A shower usually remedied the situation. I guess the inner nose lining dried out overnight. High altitude takes getting some time to get used too. Laramie was 7200 feet. We should have had an awesome football team but alas we sucked. :bigcry:

If you like outdoor hobbies there are lots of places to go. BLM owns a lot of land in Wyoming. Lots of good hunting and fishing and there are many different landscapes to chose from. NorthcentralEast is grasslands, Southeast is rough terrain and the West is of course the Rockies. MX missile sites are all over the place. :lol:

It's a very diverse State and is very into self-sufficency. I liked it there a lot but for me it was more of a place to visit for a while then go home.
It's just a very different place to be than Maryland that's why I suggested renting before committment, like sex before marriage :D

[teamrope]

Congrats Jay! 39+ years is long enough. Enjoy the new digs in FLA.

[MyTMerc]

Congratulations Jay! I smell a CAM/Sunshine meet! Oh and most importantly.. Thank you for your service.

[jabird56]

Congrats Jay! 39+ years is long enough. Enjoy the new digs in FLA.

Thanks B.J.


Oh man you blew it! With 40 years the government gives you a Timex and a slap on the back.:shake:


Thanks Eric. I won't miss the the watch; however, they did dangle a retirement bonus in front of me if I would agree to go by the end of September. ENOUGH SAID.


Congrats. I pulled the plug on June 30th, after 44 years of teaching.

Now I can spend the day working on my cars, planning vacations with my wife (just returned from our cruise on Sunday) and visiting relatives who live some distance.

Thanks, we're scheduled for a Christmas week cruise to the Western Caribbean.


Congratulations Jay! I smell a CAM/Sunshine meet! Oh and most importantly.. Thank you for your service.

Thanks Shaun, it's been quit a ride over the years. And it's been time to go since one of the systems I helped to develop and field has been in the Smithsonian for almost ten years now.

[sailsmen]

Congratulations! I am glad your dream has come true!

I would not last 6 months mentally or financially.

[jabird56]

Come Tuesday; October 1st, EVERYDAY WILL BE SATURDAY
Florida House Update:

Our lot was cleared 2 weeks ago
We got the Building Permit from the county this past week.
The builder should break ground this week for the footers and foundation.


Our retired calendar has filled up through December already

We'll be heading out on a couple of camping trips in October
Then in November we'll be

Spending a week down at the Outer Banks
Heading to Denver for a week of partying and a wedding
Then spending a week with Family the week of Thanksgiving


In December, we'll be doing:

A week in a timeshare in Orlando
A Christmas week cruise to the western Caribbean
Then do another week in Orlando New Years week



When will I find time to chill out? Oh my....

[WhatsUpDOHC]

You'll need to go back to work to recover from retirement.

[jgc61sr2002]

Congrats Enjoy you retirement.:D

[1Marauder]

Big time congratulations AND you Marauder looks fabulous.

Can I come live in your garage?

[Ninoblack1]

congrats and thanks for your service ill be stuck in md for years to come lol

[Haggis]

Come Tuesday; October 1st, EVERYDAY WILL BE SATURDAY
Florida House Update:

Our lot was cleared 2 weeks ago
We got the Building Permit from the county this past week.
The builder should break ground this week for the footers and foundation.


Our retired calendar has filled up through December already

We'll be heading out on a couple of camping trips in October
Then in November we'll be

Spending a week down at the Outer Banks
Heading to Denver for a week of partying and a wedding
Then spending a week with Family the week of Thanksgiving


In December, we'll be doing:

A week in a timeshare in Orlando
A Christmas week cruise to the western Caribbean
Then do another week in Orlando New Years week



When will I find time to chill out? Oh my....

Lucky Bastard!!!!!

[HammerDown]

Come Tuesday; October 1st, EVERYDAY WILL BE SATURDAY
Florida House Update:
Our lot was cleared 2 weeks ago
We got the Building Permit from the county this past week.
The builder should break ground this week for the footers and foundation.

Our retired calendar has filled up through December already
We'll be heading out on a couple of camping trips in October
Then in November we'll be
Spending a week down at the Outer Banks
Heading to Denver for a week of partying and a wedding
Then spending a week with Family the week of Thanksgiving

In December, we'll be doing:
A week in a timeshare in Orlando
A Christmas week cruise to the western Caribbean
Then do another week in Orlando New Years week


When will I find time to chill out? Oh my....


I'm JEALOUS!!!!!!!!!! What Haggis said!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, but happy for ya!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy every day!!!!!!!

[jabird56]

as of right now,....

every day is SATURDAY!

[rayjay]

Congrats! I pulled the plug three years ago and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. Enjoy your much deserved retirement.