Ropeshaft

15 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

I sent some packages via UPS ground on Monday and they were received on Tuesday at 6pm.

I ordered printer cartridges to be shipped by USPS and it took 12 days from their shipping date.

My son always orders Junior's Cheesecakes shipped to us for Christmas.  They left New York frozen and arrived here in SW Florida still frozen.  Glad they came via UPS and not USPS 🙂.

That is huge news.  Makes you wonder why you only hear about it on a forum.

Thank you for posting.  Yes, I love being a Florida resident.  I do have the lifetime state park pass and the added veterans percentage to my homestead exemption.

20 hours ago, orca said:

My onan genset started to surge under load so i added a can of Seafoam fuel treatment.  It took only about 15 min to notice it working and within a half hour it was running smoothly.  I now add it to my motorcycles before storage as well.

Same here.  I have a car and a Harley in Wisconsin and a car and a Harley in Florida.  All are in storage at the right time of year and all get a storage treatment of Seafoam.  It is great stuff.  Speaking of the right time of year, rain/snow in the Wisconsin forecast for this coming Monday.  We fly to Florida on Sunday 🙂.

23 hours ago, ToddF said:

Everyone pray that Ropeshaft doesn't have to see any of that white stuff before they leave for Florida on Oct 18th. 🤣

I love camping in Wisconsin!! Discovered Door County this year and look forward to many happy returns there. Thousand Trails has a good Park, Tranquil Timbers, near Sturgeon Bay that I can stay in for "free". 

I appreciate your prayers Todd.  But I can handle a little bit of the white stuff if necessary.  We do fly back to Wisconsin for the holidays to see the kids and grandkids.  Glad you discovered Door County.  That's where we will be next week.  Peninsula State Park is our favorite.  Been going there since I was a little boy and while facilities have improved over the years, the uncluttered openness remains the same.  We have our favorite sites where if I tried to hit the RV in the next site with a baseball I would really have to wind up to do so.

47 right now in Wisconsin.  We will tough it out until October 18th when we fly back to Florida for 7 months.  Fall is normally a great time to be in Wisconsin.  Looking forward to our annual fall camping trip next week with the forecast indicating highs in the low 70s and mostly sunny skies.

Reminds me of the time back in 1985 when we took our 4 boys on a 3-week trip west in a rented class C.  We climbed Pike's Peak with the RV since we had no other vehicle.  My boys still talk about that.  

15 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Hey Rich,  why winter in the cold?  Won’t you do the same in each area, staying physically distant, wearing a mask, thorough hand washing, etc?  

That was my thought too.  We are in Wisconsin mid-May to mid-October and in Florida mid-October to mid-May.  We will definitely go back to Florida in the fall.  I feel we can take every precaution in Florida that we are taking in Wisconsin.

22 hours ago, noteven said:

Wind in the face machines are very personal. Avoid making a decision on stories from four score year ago and what someone else says is perfect for them. Hop on and ride a few.

If you choose a 3 wheeler remember you are choosing to give up one of a motorcycle’s main features: The Zoom Factor - a 2 wheeler zooms around corners by leaning over so you have g force only down through the backside and feet not the sideways carsick style.... you have no sensation that you are going to fall out the door.

I agree with what you said about taking advantage of the availability of test rides and deciding for yourself.  And you're right about the zoom factor.  My Wisconsin Harley is a Trike and my Florida Harley is a 2-wheeler.  I love riding them both for different reasons but they are my reasons and they are right for me.

19 hours ago, Rich&Sylvia said:

As for the RMD - I'm in a somewhat unique situation - and will not take the RMD this year on the chance that the market will ratchet up a little more.
 

I am in a somewhat unique situation too.  At 72 I am still working full time at a job that is very fulfilling for me.  The interesting thing I learned a few years ago is that if all of your pre-tax holdings (IRA, 401k, etc.) are in a 401k with the company you work full time for, you don't have to start RMDs until you leave the company.  A couple years before turning age 70 I had pre-tax holdings in a few different areas and moved them all to my current employer's 401k.  I don't need the additional income so I'm in no hurry to start RMDs.

Awesome website.  Very informative.  Thank you Kirk.

13 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

One concern I have is what to do if a hurricane decides to move through.  We are trying to find alternate sites to move to, depending on the storm path.

 

That is a valid concern.  We are FL residents and live here mid-October to mid-May.  We head back to Wisconsin mid-May to mid-October.  We love both places during the times of the year we are there for many reasons.  Avoiding hurricane season in FL is one of those reasons. 

If anything, this topic should prove that one size does not fit all.  I am 70 and still working at a job that is way more fun than work.  There is that old saying “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I didn’t start collecting Social Security until 70 because I didn’t need it and still don’t need it but there is no reason not to collect now.  Actually, my Social Security will continue to grow since my 35-year Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) is growing.  What I’m doing works perfectly well for me but I would never suggest that anyone else should do the same.  As long as you are happy with your decisions, you’ve won.

14 hours ago, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

By the time people reach 62+ years their circumstances vary wildly.  There simply is no one size fits all.   There are elderly parents, disabled children, past health issues, financial windfalls and disasters and a thousand other situations that impact one's retirement decision.  That doesn't take into account one's current work situation - some people love their jobs and are having the time of their life going to work every day.  Others are just barely hanging on trying to get to exits.

If you narrow the discussion down to just one specific aspect of retirement - like which will get the biggest monthly check or will result in the biggest pile of money at the end of life - it gets a bit easier but even then different people have different life situations.

So, ultimately, we have to each do what we think is best for us at the time.  For me to tell others they need to do what I did is foolish on my part and, if they copy what I did it would be foolish on theirs.

Your post "nailed" it in my mind Scott.  One size does not fit all.  I'm retired military and 70 years old so health care isn't the issue it is for some.  I waited until 70 to collect social security but I did collect spousal benefits at 66 which reduced the break even calculation.  But the real key is I have one of those jobs that is way more fun than work.  It's not that I don't do other fun things like ride motorcycles, fly airplanes, winter in FL etc.  But I have no intention of giving up my job any time soon.  I just ran a 10k this past weekend so I consider myself relatively fit and healthy.   I realize I could be dead tomorrow but that doesn't change my thinking and it's a true statement for all of us.  I'm happy for the other posters who have no regrets about their retirement decision.  It's your life but as Scott stated, "no one size fits all." 

In some places, parks are starting to ban dogs. Everyone must do there absolute best to have a quiet, well-behaved dog.

Wow, that is interesting. I know most parks have rules regarding pets but I have never come across one with an outright ban on dogs. With the percentage of the RV crowd that travels with dogs, that would seem to me like a poor business decision. Maybe I'm wrong.