Dragonfly - Sometimes a cell phone is the only camera you need.






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Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise - Alberta Canada

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Trip of a lifetime for an event of a lifetime. One of the many places I have always wanted to visit is Lake Louise in Alberta Canada. Ever since the very first time I heard of it I wanted to go. It was always on the radar but for "next year". When my daughter announced her wedding was to take place at this magical place, I realized I didn't even have an up-to-date passport. I quickly reapplied and got it a few weeks before the trip. Flying across half the world away from South Florida, I arrived at the hotel I was staying (not this one unfortunately) in total darkness. It was not until the early morning, right after breakfast I was greeted with this view. Even though it was only October, there was a light snowfall. That did not stop me from a 2 mile walk right up to the glacier at the far side of the lake. I could not have imagined a more perfect wedding setting. If you look close you can even see the occasional snowflake in this photo. I have never in my ...
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Retired at 55 - 10 weeks in - Never been happier

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Retired at 55 - My Experiment in Early Retirement

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Five weeks into retirement and I've finally slowed down enough to do the thing I promised myself I would do day one. Sort through my box of memories. I can not tell you how many times I was asked how long it will take to be bored in retirement. Multiple times by a few friends and family. My close friends never asked. They already knew the answer. Maybe some perspective is in order. I first conceived of the notion of retiring at 55 when I was 25. My boss at the time told me exactly how to accomplish this goal and it made perfect sense. He died of cancer and never really got to live the dream he helped me visualize. My first hard look at the fragility of life.    I had some annual financial goals in mind to make this happen. Ok - I had an entire spreadsheet of annual goals for 30 years into the future. I did not make a lot of money but I was a great saver, investor, and stock market wizard. By the time I was 30 I had $300,000 in the bank. By the time I was 40 I had nex...
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