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So, you ask, "What do early retirees do in Indiana after a hectic corporate life out East?" For one thing, Dad's gone from being a "Who's Who!" to a "Who's He?" and stopped wearing his watch. Beyond that, the question is hard to answer because it doesn't seem like we're doing anything, but we're always busy. Apparently, we've replaced a couple of big things in life (namely, trying to keep track of three boys and manage our occupations) with a bunch of little things in life. Individually, they don't seem like much, but they all add up to a full schedule and juggling a bunch of little things is as challenging as juggling a few big ones.
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When we're not out doing volunteer work of some kind, Mom works in the flower beds trying to get the flowers to bloom, the roses to grow, and the aphids to not. It seems like the promises on those pesticide boxes just don't deliver, or else we've got some mighty hearty aphids around here. Of course, all the flowers attract the bees, who keep building nest behind the shutters on the sunny side of the house, which can be annoying. Nonetheless, Mom produce pretty flowers and the bees thrive, as well.
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When Mom's not talking to the flowers, she's cleaning the house, doing the laundry, cooking meals and sewing. Among her recent projects are new curtains and decorator pillows with a matching lamp shade. While that may not seem like much, Dad's pretty impressed and he tells her they look just like "real ones" to which Mom says, "They are real ones!" ... and Dad should have known that. Anyhow, Mom does a real nice job sewing this stuff, and she's still using the same sewing machine they bought soon after she and Dad got married. So how old does it make that sewing machine? Lets just say it's about 50 years old.
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Dad always has yard work, computer work, or something to do on his special 1941 Dodge Pickup truck the boys got him started on. One of the computer efforts is making music with MIDI equipment. MIDI provides an interface of musical instruments to computers so a computer can record data about the music being played. In reverse, it can play MIDI capable devices by sending MIDI data to sound modules. One can simulate any instrument, a combo, or an entire orchesta with proper equipment. Dad's been writing music forever and making MIDI files since 1984 (with an Atari computer). He's linked MIDI files to Rogers Organs for church use, and taken portable set ups to nursing homes where he plays the piano live along with his own MIDI band (the band plays perfectly, but he makes mistakes). But since 2010, his efforts have been limited to fun at home (see Recent BIAB Arrangements).
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Another computer activity has been web sites. This is one of four that he's built and keeps running, but he's self-taught (as likely shows) and he doesn't get paid (the best things in life are free!). He just found "how to" information on the internet and started doing it. Unfortunately, the multitude of browsers and user settings makes it difficult to make things look and operate as intended. The first site was for the church, then this one, then a web site for his Bedford High School Class of '59. The last effort was Huntington Hoops, a fan site for Huntington University Men's Basketball he ran for 17 years. It's still on-line, but no longer being updated (see why).
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As for the 1941 Dodge Pickup truck: it's very special! A beautifully restored pickup truck is awesome in itself, but what makes it special is how he came to have it. It was a surprise gift in the summer of 2014 from his three sons. Two have been avid rebuilders of motor vehicles and we've always been impressed by the work they can do. Visiting one of them three years before, Dad said, "I wish I had a truck as old as I am, but I don't trust myself to go out and buy one." While he didn't know it, that got things started. Using a bunch of emails (about restored and modified trucks for sale), they figured out what he'd like to have: an historic pickup truck with up-to-date engine, brakes, steering, etc. So in 2012 they acquired an old 1941 Dodge truck for $350 and a 1999 Dodge Durango without a transmission. For the complete story, see the 1941 Dodge Pickup page. You'll be impressed with their work that put him in the driver's seat and the final result.
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