During my enforced convalescence here, I've recently focused on the long-term hunting and fishing options in Michigan's Upper-Peninsula. Two towns have drawn my attention, Marquette and Escanaba.
I've idly looked for years for a place that has both wingshooting and fly fishing for trout (alng with decent healthcare and cultural options) and sadly, none of the now-obvious destinations are attractive to me at this point. It strikes me the "U.P." might offer some options that I hadn't considered. Colorado is still working actively to drive me away (fishing and hunting options here are dwindling IMHO, and my politics are all-wrong for continued life here going forward). Anyway, it helps to look-forward to whatever the next adventure might be (and my bride is a cold-weather girl, so no Florida for us).
Depending on the outcome of this next election, all of this may be moot, but it is good to look forward to our "retirement" years. Right off the top of my list of concerns are the winters up there. Colorado has spoiled us with mild winters for 20-plus years now and I wouldn't expect such a break on the south shore of Lake Superior. The politics of Michigan are also mildly concerning, I'm hearing that the "U.P." is quite conservative but... doesn't Detroit really control things up there? We already have our place in Minnesota, which is fine as it is, but there are no trout there and I miss using my bamboo rods for such things.
Lloyd, For me the U.P. has offered some great hunting for me, The areas near Escanaba, Ralph, Channing have been very good. The U.P. is a totally different world! Best of luck in your search. Karl
Karl: It was your mention of SE michigan in your signature section of your other posts that prompted this post. YouTube is full of 20-somethings touring the UP with their RVs and their trailbikes, hitting all the trendy brewpubs and the lakeshore State Parks It'd be nice to get a more balenced perspective about enduring those winters and fitting in with the local culture.
It is my understanding that the southern UP is very different from the northern half (that there is a snowbelt near to Lake Superior). Is the shoreline of Lake Michigan all that different from the northern side?
Lloyd, I've done some hunting in Michigan with Clapperzapper (Greg). He might chime in with some great suggestions, as he has covered the state extensively. Karl
I have hunted N Wisc and N Mich and the UP. All great country, for grouse and woodcock and fishing. I live in S Mich now and wrestle with where to be in the future. We have kids in Chic or nearby and neither my wife or I like the heat so we won't be going way S. I think most of Mich is conservative except Detroit-Ann Arbor and East, but unfortunately they rule. Recent decisions by Gov Witmer that don't bode well, leave Nat Gas by 2035, I believe she supports Red Flag and if someone breaks in and steals your firearm (if it wasn't secured in a safe) you are responsible. Although she is a former educator, in the future if a child can not read by the end of third grade they will not be held back but the parents will be notified. An example of her fiscal wisdom was funding a meditation center for a school staff in Novi.
Lloyd, You have both opportunities here in Minnesota, but, you might as well not-there is outstanding fly fishing in the southeast corner of Minnesota, to go along with the great hunting in the northwest corner.
Can’t be but 12-14 hours from one corner to the other. A Bell Jet Ranger would help greatly, I imagine.
Had the drift less area in Wisconsin, the forests of SE Minnesota and the northeastern corner of Iowa been properly managed by the DNR of each state, there would be spectacular grouse hunting to go along with the fly fishing.
They weren’t. There isn’t. Unless you like turkeys.
I can say in the U.P. you will be in familiar territory, but, the fishing is unknown to me. At one time, there were enough Grayling to name the town of Grayling, but, for one reason or another that isn’t the case anymore.
I am right there with you, trying to find a non hell hole where college professors aren’t calling for the violent decolonization of non indigenous people, but, we haven’t settled on anything just yet.
The difference between the fantasy, and the reality, of moving to rural Michigan upper Peninsula is real, and expensive.
Look at where the snowbelt bands are which will tell you where the 10 feet of snow ends up, and look at where the hospitals are. You aren’t young, you were going to need quality healthcare, and being 50 miles away from a decent hospital it’s not a great way to live a long time.
You don’t have to actually live in da UP eh…. that’s why we built the $100M bridge in 1957. It’s one of the few things we got right.
I live in Alpena. This whole side of the state is cedar swamp. The property values skyrocket west of I-75, so I live in the low rent district.
I can walk to a good hospital. They have a helicopter available for stuff they can’t handle. It’s part of the UM health system. Seriously good.
Many excellent shooting venues in northern Michigan. I belong to 6 clubs within 2 hours drive. 2 in town here.
Sure, we have stoogery in local government, and the taxes are forever increasing. Our state government is sliding toward communism, but by the time that takes full effect, we will both be long gone.
From here the UP is an easy day trip. I had a grouse crash into my garage window a couple years ago, so they are here too.
Come visit the area before you decide. I’m reasonably happy, been a transplant from Oakland County for 18 years. This is better than a big city and still has everything within striking distance.
Doesn't the Drifltess region extend into southern MN? Good stream fishing for trout in the Driftless Lloyd. Good luck on finding a place that suits you.
I just got back from northern Michigan, where I grew up. I have been a fishing guide here and there (not that I was particularly good at it). I went to Michigan Tech and knew the UP pretty well. Before the Goby's and Zebra mussels screwed everything up, smelt dipping was one of my favorite outdoor things. Blackened Great Lakes Whitefish is possibly my favorite food.
As much as it seems to suck now, the hunting is still way, way, oh so much, infinitely, better, here. The only big game animal I saw last week was a semi-hibernating bear. Fishing is a tie. Politics is a tie. Northen MI and the UP are blood red but the trolls control everything.
Others may have seen it, a little news fun fact blurb. MI is one of a small few number of states with a shortage of uhaul trailers……seems there are more folks leaving, on one way trips. Lol.
Makes sense, if you're trying to get started into the world. I'm not. I'd be bringing a pile of guns and flyrods and looking for something much different. I'm not calling it a "last stand" but the right place could become that.
Michigan’s UP doesn’t have the big trout water like the western rivers. For the purposes of liquidity, since I don’t recall ever having read a post of yours concerning dogs or wives, I would recommend a condo with a nice view in one of the harbortown’s. And then when you decide to move back to wherever your kids are at, you’ll have no problem selling out.
CZ: I hadn't considered a condo, but I suppose that could be an option as well. And as far as "big trout water" goes, the known destinations out here are now largely overrun. It breaks my heart, and it isn't just me aging out.
I've got the wife, the child, and even the dog but most of the places I've haunted over the years didn't have many condos. That'll teach me to think a little bigger, won't it? The liquidity argument is a good one, but I'm not sure how the shooting and hunting lifestyle will fit in with the condo "crowd" (where does one hang his deer or clean his birds & fish?).
I'm looking at surgery next week that could determine how I recreate going forward, and I think I've come to grips with the fact that my days afield are now numbered (after you've planted enough people, you start to get a clue). I confess that I am selfish in that I haven't really considered the liquidity component for any of my possessions. I will start thinking more about that factor now too.
The biggest challenge to the condo-idea is my need for privacy and peace and quiet. I suppose even that is obtainable (for the right price?). I've been blessed in this life (& in so many ways) but I'm not sure I've been blessed quite that much.
I fully understand where you're coming from & can relate in many ways. Being as we're in the same age group & live in the same state, I've thought about making a move myself. Every conversation I have with myself comes full circle to the age-old question -- Is the grass truly greener on the other side of the fence?
There are a few basic facts which come into play when considering a major move.
1. No matter where you go--you'll always be considered an outsider pilgrim/immigrant. Here in Colorado, we know all about this in spades as you well know. If you don't have friends or close family where you move, life can be lonely & miserable. You can only fish & hunt so much & the other 99.9% of your time will be spent living your daily life.
2. This is the big one!! You're married and keeping your wife happy is what makes your life comfortable. I'm sure you've had conversations with her about moving, but have you actually listened to her? Before you contemplate making a move to someplace you think will make you happy, you better have a bunch of long serious talks with her about it & truly listen to her, she might go along on the surface, but deep down she might be hating the idea of moving to the boonies in a colder environment compared to where you've lived the last twenty years. Bottom line is: Happy Wife-Happy life!
3. If you're moving because of politics. Forget It!! Politics are everywhere & can change on a dime. There's no hiding from the results of any given election and always remember the populace centers in the big cities have the votes & control the election outcomes.
4. You control your own happiness--it might be wise to make the best of where you're at now and just travel to the places you think of as nirvana. Before you make an expensive anxiety filled move, rent a place where you're contemplating moving to for a few months & see if it really is the nirvana you dreamed of! You might be surprised at the results of that test drive.
Dogon: All good and practical considerations, thankyou! You've hit just about every point that I've been pondering. And you're sadly right: politics won't matter much after this next election. It will define so-much of our lives going forward.
My wife is actually driving this to a large degree (& much to my surprise). Part of that is her trying to understand how life will look in retirement (she's 7-years younger & pretty "type A" but... she's burning-out badly these days) and I'm discovering that, gasp(!)...women & aging are very different than men & aging (perhaps we have less to lose?). She has complained for years that I was "stuck in the past" (& that's simply because I had it so damn-good then) so perhaps this is her way of getting me to look forward a little? I now have friends and family in Florida and frankly...I'm sensing the wisdom of wintering in warmer climes, but she recoils at that thought. To her, Florida is (evidently) an endless strip-mall hell, full of brainless idiots and doddering old fools. She is a northern girl and she claims to love all the seasons (well, she'll be shoveling the driveway mostly by herself this winter, so we'll see how that goes).
Whatever we do, it will be after much prudent consideration. Colorado has become home to her in so-many ways (we've been in this house since 1991). Uprooting here will be near impossible at this point, but I'm playing along and we'll see how it all develops. She is arguably responsible for all the good things in my life (the best $5 I ever spent was for a marriage licence). She kept me alive through my 15-year Lyme's adventure and she's given me a fine son. Her happiness IS paramount to me (and also because I'm not entirely stupid).
1. No matter where you go--you'll always be considered an outsider pilgrim/immigrant. Here in Colorado, we know all about this in spades as you well know. If you don't have friends or close family where you move, life can be lonely & miserable. You can only fish & hunt so much & the other 99.9% of your time will be spent living your daily life.
Not necessarily accurate unless you are one unpleasant SOB.
The very fact that you fish and hunt means that you will be welcomed with open arms at 99% of the 'Sportsmen's' clubs you will visit. Clubs are always looking for new members and it's easy to make new and lasting friends.
What better way to get to know a new area? I did just that here when I moved.
I've found this to be near universal... I was only unwelcome at one skeet club downstate due to my casual attire and lack of an imported car.
It seems you ruled it out, but why not stay based out of familiar grounds in CO, and find a little hide away, modern amenity cabin in WY. Maybe, a fiveish hour drive completely changes the surroundings, or small carrier flights. Even a shortish move to Ft. Collins cuts out that Denver area traffic snarl, but makes it easy to visit. Trout flyfishing can probably be found anywhere, but it doesn't hurt to have high peak snow melt, feeding crystal clear streams. Get better sooner rather than later!
craigd: I haven't ruled it out entirely, but as a product of the eastern deciduous forests myself (NW Pennsylvania) I do have an affinity for that type of biomass. I'm also haunted by the memory of how nice things still were out here even 10-years ago now(!). It's hard for me to go fish a stream (take the time, burn the gas) that once was beautiful and productive but now is crowded, trashed (not too-strong a word here), and essentially devoid of fish. I painfully understand why royalty in Europe (and/or the wealthy here) needed to make their best hunting and fishing spots private, because the hoi-polloi tend to destroy any such resource by abusive overuse. As a card-carrying member of said hoi-polloi, this bothers me to no-end, but...I have no other real solutions. Trout streams are a very delicate resource that doesn't much tolerate overuse and moreover... crowding is anathema to an old flyfisherman such as myself, as I fish to get away from it all (humanity, crowding, noise, etc.). As with most of the classic male pursuits (hunting, golf, gambling, drinking, etc.) fishing is an escape mechanism and there is no escaping from the crowds here in Colorado anymore. At least not on the Front Range. I also realize that this problem is endemic in the streams of the east and west coasts as well, thus my interests in "flyover country".
I hear you, we have family in the Denver and Springs area. One of the relatives by marriage, is probably one of those faces n the crowd. Did I mention I can’t stand the Denver area traffic, lol.
craigd: I haven't ruled it out entirely, but as a product of the eastern deciduous forests myself (NW Pennsylvania) I do have an affinity for that type of biomass. I'm also haunted by the memory of how nice things still were out here even 10-years ago now(!). It's hard for me to go fish a stream (take the time, burn the gas) that once was beautiful and productive but now is crowded, trashed (not too-strong a word here), and essentially devoid of fish. I painfully understand why royalty in Europe (and/or the wealthy here) needed to make their best hunting and fishing spots private, because the hoi-polloi tend to destroy any such resource by abusive overuse. As a card-carrying member of said hoi-polloi, this bothers me to no-end, but...I have no other real solutions. Trout streams are a very delicate resource that doesn't much tolerate overuse and moreover... crowding is anathema to an old flyfisherman such as myself, as I fish to get away from it all (humanity, crowding, noise, etc.). As with most of the classic male pursuits (hunting, golf, gambling, drinking, etc.) fishing is an escape mechanism and there is no escaping from the crowds here in Colorado anymore. At least not on the Front Range. I also realize that this problem is endemic in the streams of the east and west coasts as well, thus my interests in "flyover country".
I'll attempt to size this up for both of us. "They paved over paradise and made it a parking lot"
Everything you've said is correct for what has happened to my beloved home state. You should see it from my perspective. I'm fourth generation here with roots dating back to at least 1880. In my lifetime I can remember when it was a big deal when the population hit one million & we thought it was getting crowded then. Now the population is over five million with most of this living on the front range from the springs to Ft. Collins with a major portion of this population hitting the super slab to the west slope outdoor playground every weekend, along with all of the tourists and the ultra-rich second homeowners with their McMansions ruining vistas & locking off access to vast tracks of land including public land & streams. The state has changed in so many ways that I don't even recognize the neighborhood I grew-up in or many of the places I frequented in the mountains with my outdoor pursuits. I'm a lifelong hunter, fisherman and have wrangled elk camp's and guided white water rafting all over the state in my younger days. Now, I have a sense of sorrow very time I go to the mountains and see what we've done to this magnificent place.
In short--I feel your pain--including what has happened to the state politically "I absolutely hate that aspect of all this" The bottom line is the pilgrimage of immigrants from other states as changed the landscape & politics here over the past three decades and there's no turning that clock back. I fully know the urge to move, but the question is "Where too"?
Here's a quote from a good friend who moved back to Kansas when he retired. " I came to Colorado in the sixties because of what it was---I'm now leaving because of what it's became" This pretty well sizes it up!
It would be very hard to be a native Coloradan and watch this state change. I was working for the USGS in Wyoming in 1982 when I came to Colorado for the very first tme and it looked like heaven to me then (I was living in Rock Springs in those days).
We may never fully leave now, but I'll be recreating elsewhere as much as possible from here on out. It is indeed a damn shame.
A good/sad documentary about this is “Rocky Mountain Heist”.
Originally Posted by Lloyd3
I was working for the USGS in Wyoming in 1982 when I came to Colorado for the very first tme and it looked like heaven to me then (I was living in Rock Springs in those days).
As a former Wyoming resident as well, there are a lot of places that look heavenly compared to Rock Springs. 😉
So how about RUSSIA Lloyd3? Mostly white people except for a few million pesky Mongols, Grouse hunting in the northern climes, Taimen fishing in the far east of the country.. And anyone who exposes liberal values that you despise, are locked up for long prison sentences! and Putin just made it easier to become a citizen. What’s not to like?
Hunting and fishing all the time is exhausting. Moving to a new town, no friends, no family, no connection, only works for the gregarious. I fail to see the appeal to so many, and just write it off as wishful thinking. Few actually do it. You can’t live the life of a 35-year-old with a 65-year-old body.
I am reminded of the story of a relatively young military retiree, who exhaustively searched the country for the best bird hunting, because that was his passion, and upon discharge he moved his wife and kids to a rural community in southern Idaho.
For all kinds of reasons, that didn’t last long. It’s gotta work for everyone.
I don’t even know how you would go about finding a doctor that took Medicare in some of the northern Michigan communities when GPs are in such short supply in the rural communities.
Hunting and fishing all the time is exhausting. Moving to a new town, no friends, no family, no connection, only works for the gregarious. I fail to see the appeal to so many, and just write it off as wishful thinking. Few actually do it. You can’t live the life of a 35-year-old with a 65-year-old body...
Oh, I don't know. I was up on our new property meeting with contractors to begin from scratch again, building house, barn, shop, and pastures.
Nirvana? I know exactly what you guys are talking about!! There's nothing like the feeling of reeling in a monster like this bad boy that I drug out of the water last year!!
I moved to a smallish town with my wife so far it's great bought a little property the only problem is how many people are moving here now I love the isolation no neighbors to have to make small talk with.my idea of heaven
A good/sad documentary about this is “Rocky Mountain Heist”.
Originally Posted by Lloyd3
I was working for the USGS in Wyoming in 1982 when I came to Colorado for the very first tme and it looked like heaven to me then (I was living in Rock Springs in those days).
As a former Wyoming resident as well, there are a lot of places that look heavenly compared to Rock Springs. 😉
You said a mouthful there, it's especially true during the winter. I don't want or mean to offend anyone from Wyoming, but an old adage comes to mind. " The best thing coming out of Rock Springs is I-80"!
So how about RUSSIA Lloyd3? Mostly white people except for a few million pesky Mongols, Grouse hunting in the northern climes, Taimen fishing in the far east of the country.. And anyone who exposes liberal values that you despise, are locked up for long prison sentences! and Putin just made it easier to become a citizen. What’s not to like?
Wow, it looks like some serious disdain for Conservative values is rearing its' ugly head there!
Actually RUSSIA appears to have a lot more in common with Liberal Left Democrats. They persecute their political enemies, as Democrats have with Trump. Their News Media consists of propaganda. They love censorship. The results of their elections cannot be trusted. They control the masses with brain-washing and Socialism. And they don't want any average citizens to own guns. The major differences are that RUSSIA actually protects its' border, and RUSSIA doesn't willfully expose their children to sexual deviant men who dress in women's clothing.
So I don't think Lloyd will want anything to do with RUSSIA, or any woke DEMOCRAT hell hole either.
A recent review of the fishing we have here in Colorado anymore...
As far as Wyoming goes, it's still a special place to me. I almost had the shortest marriage on record when my then "new" bride got a good look at Rock Springs (when I was trying to get my old job back there with the Feds after my 2nd degree). There are some spectacularly beautiful places there, but...lots of it isn't.
Enjoyed the CO video Lloyd. Backing up a bit, one of the reasons I mentioned WY, is because it kinda looks like your nirvana pictures, lol. At least it's not as difficult to line up pictures, that cut out the strip mall, and land yachts. I think Mr. Flyguy is just a little bored, his favorite stream is iced over.
A recent review of the fishing we have here in Colorado anymore...
As far as Wyoming goes, it's still a special place to me. I almost had the shortest marriage on record when my then "new" bride got a good look at Rock Springs (when I was trying to get my old job back there with the Feds after my 2nd degree). There are some spectacularly beautiful places there, but...lots of it isn't.
This video is hilarious in a Babylon Bee sort of way--Reality based satire.
Mc--Just a slight correction. The best way out of Colorado isn't I-70 that would be I-25 or I-76, they are the two highways leading to the great bird hunting destinations in Montana & the Dakota's.
Just for the record. I love Wyoming & sharpened my fishing skills there in my youth around the Saratoga area and the Miracle mile back when it truly was a miraculous place back in the sixties & seventies. I pick on places like Rock Springs but in my heart, I don't have anything against it. I just don't want to live there, but then I don't want to live here on the front range anymore either, in some ways Rock Springs does have an advantage over the front range in that it's in a red state and is really close to some great fishing and hunting without the huge crowds coming off the front range going west every day.
LOL, that video...Froze my butt off ice fishing on Sunday and all I caught was some strange hybrid carp. That guy omitted the moist shameful part: the condition of the South Platte through Denver. Everything downstream of Littleton is an open sewer and the banks are homeless encampments. What a waste of a resource. It could be nice for various forms of river recreation but no, they let it be a sewer. Disgraceful. Somehow still, there are a lot of fish in it, of various species. All the shopping carts and tires make some good cover. But you'll probably get some 3rd world parasite or disease from fecal exposure.
Well...I survived yet another hospital adventure and am now back home, drinking coffee. I guess there is no such thing as "minor surgery" these days as I was stripped down to nothing (in a surprisingly cold operating theater), wired for sound, equipted with a port (for shots and IV) and drugged to the "n-th" degree. Not sure if they shoved titanium or stainless into me but the "block" they injected behind my knee that was supposed to make this a more painless process didn't last very long and it's sure starting to feel unpleasant. Took my first big pain pill just now so " go drugs go"!
Yeah, the South Platte in Denver is a sorry mess. The homeless encampments blanket it in trash and tents. A sad and desperate place anymore.
Lloyd, Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Been there and done that! Be sure to stay ahead of the pain with the meds, ask me how I know! The withdraw effects will be better if you reduce the pain pills by breaking them in half, and reducing the amount per day when the pain starts to subside. It helps also to look forward to next years season at your hunting heaven. Karl
Glad to hear the surgery went well, Lloyd. When the pain lessens to the point that you can get by with over the counter pain meds give "combo NSAIDS" a try. My GP advised me years ago that one ibuprofen and one acetaminophen, or a naproxen sodium will work far better than two of any one of those. You can basically choose which two-way combo you want, according to your needs.
Praying for you to have a swift and sure recovery.
Glad you have the surgery out of the way. My experience with the post-surgery opioid based pain meds is the associated constipation can almost be as bad as the pain from the surgery. It's one of those cases where being a regular guy is awesome & way underrated!
Good luck with the recovery, springs a coming & something to look forward to.
Lloyd, glad to hear your surgery went well. I can vouch for Stan’s combo approach. Better in every way to the “oxy” road IMHO (why people pay crazy money on the street for those pills I’ll never understand.) Remembering you daily during these recovery weeks. Looking at the weather, it’s a good thing you can’t get outside for awhile. 🥶
Thanks Guys! It's a prune world here for sure. The wife has been feeding them to me ever since this all started. So-far, so-good. And...the NSAID combination seems to be the answer here as well. There is evidently a 3rd generation of NSAIDs (Celebrex?) that pairs well with Tylenol and the Oxy, and a revolving combination of those three seems to be helping me stay ahead of things.
Just had a good nights sleep and now some coffee, coffee-cake and prunes await! Parker Adventist rocks, btw, just as Fall Creek Fan advised. Things are looking up here.
Glad to hear the surgery went well, Lloyd. When the pain lessens to the point that you can get by with over the counter pain meds give "combo NSAIDS" a try. My GP advised me years ago that one ibuprofen and one acetaminophen, or a naproxen sodium will work far better than two of any one of those. You can basically choose which two-way combo you want, according to your needs.
Praying for you to have a swift and sure recovery.
That is a good cocktail, Stan. But I take a lot more than that. My urologist told me, when I was having pain from a small kidney stone, that I could take 2 ibuprofen every four hours, 3 every 6 hours, or 4 every 8 hours. I take 4 with two Tylenol when I'm hurting anywhere. Therapeutic dose and all. I would never know it if I took just one of each. JR
Parker Adventist rocks, btw, just as Fall Creek Fan advised. Things are looking up here.
We don’t father daughters in our family. You have to go back to the great great grandfather for the last girl. When our daughter-in-law’s routine delivery suddenly became everything but, a very emotional image was seared into my being. It’s of a nurse racing a bed down the hall with a lady OB-GYN up in the bed shouting orders and desperately fighting for a child’s life. In the next moment the whole maternity floor is in motion and other nurses and doctors are running. Because of God’s grace and the incredible and decisive skill of the medical staff at your hometown hospital, I have a sweet little blond headed granddaughter.
Parker Adventist rocks, btw, just as Fall Creek Fan advised. Things are looking up here.
We don’t father daughters in our family. You have to go back to the great great grandfather for the last girl. When our daughter-in-law’s routine delivery suddenly became everything but, a very emotional image was seared into my being. It’s of a nurse racing a bed down the hall with a lady OB-GYN up in the bed shouting orders and desperately fighting for a child’s life. In the next moment the whole maternity floor is in motion and other nurses and doctors are running. Because of God’s grace and the incredible and decisive skill of the medical staff at your hometown hospital, I have a sweet little blond headed granddaughter.
That is my story too, Randy, except for the scare at birth. My aunt was the last girl child born into my family line in 97 years. We had to marry them into the Hillis family until our granddaughter was born in July of 2018. She is now 5 years old and the most precious thing in our lives. Best part is that she only lives 8 miles away. What a blessing!
More than you know, Stan. Our granddaughter is 6 and lives a few minutes away. I totally relate to the “blessing” part. I see her several days a week.
Plus, my aunt is 97 and still doing pretty well even though she’s in a nursing home. Is she ever grateful that she lived to see another girl. I’m also a very proud Dad because every year our son and wife take a weeks’ vacation to take that little gal (and her two brothers) to visit her out of state.
Our two boys kept up the family tradition and we have four grandsons but a little granddaughter is, well, as you said, “precious.”
Now, as for you, Lloyd, we haven’t really forgotten you or your quest for nirvana (and we assumed you were referring to the popular conception of nirvana and not the Buddhist one.) This little OT side conversation plus the voices of both wisdom and experience that have weighed in here are actually all together pointing you to the right state to choose. And you’ve probably already figured it out. It’s not a state - it’s a state of mind.
As you recuperate and contemplate, you may find that you’ve already arrived.
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