It’s been a while. I hope you all are well.

It’s been a stressful couple of years for us. Started with me finding out I’m basically diabetic, completely changed my lifestyle, lost 60 pounds and ended with me sitting on the couch for the last 6 weeks with a broken foot. I won’t complain too loud as I know some have had a lot rougher go of it that I have.

I thought of y’all a couple days ago and all the boating knowledge I’ve soaked up over the years. Thought I’d poke my head in and say howdy.

T.

Sorry to hear about the health issues. Good for you on the weight loss sure that is going to help with the other issues.

Hopefully things will get better.

Howdy

Sorry to hear about the diabetes.

We had Two (2) weddings this past year (2021) (got them both married off ) and I sold my boat (Formula 330) and bought a new(er) boat (2016 Cruisers Yacht 338).

We managed to stay healthy, but I've seemed to have gained the 'COVID 25' (lbs.) during the pandemic. . . 2022 will be the year of the diet for me.

My FIL had a turn for the worse and spent several weeks in the hospital. Now he is wheel-chair bound and we were playing 'home-health-aid' for a while until we got some visiting nurse care lined up.

We are looking forward to doing a whole bunch of nothing in 2022, except maybe a trip or 2 to visit family.

Sorry to hear about the diabetes. I have type 2 and have to take a couple of pills a day (Metformin), I have lost 35lbs and it seems to be getting better. Blood sugar is way down from where it was.
2021 was a tough year for me, Prostate Cancer and removal. So far so good and a thyroid 10x the size it should be. Ripped that out too. It is a [censored] getting old. At least we are separated from everyone during this Covid thing. We live out in the country now on the lake so it is easy for us to stay away.

The Cat in Hat On Aging

I cannot see,
I cannot pee
I cannot chew,
I cannot screw
Oh my God, What can I do?
My memory shrinks
My hearing stinks
No sense of smell
I look like hell
My mood is bad - Can you tell?
My bodies drooping
Have trouble pooping
The Golden Years
Have Come At Last
The Golden Years
Can Kiss My [censored]

Mark:
Sorry to hear about your health issues. I wish you well.

Doing relatively well here. I went into the pandemic trying to lose 20 lbs as the Dr. had advised that my blood sugar had been rising over recent years. Our "shelter in place" routine involved a significant increase in alcohol consumption and a significant decrease in giving a <bleep> about anything. As a result, we both gained about 20 lbs. and my Dr told me I was now pre-diabetic. BLEEP!. We started giving a <bleep>, stopped drinking, and started losing weight. We have both lost the covid 20 and then some, and I am no longer pre-diabetic. Still not at my target weight, but I am losing about 1 lb. per week and hope to be shopping for new clothes by spring time.

Here's to a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2022!

I’m doing great… I’m retired. Hiding in my man cave with covid. Yep, a bar is there so alcohol consumption is higher. I guess I fit the statistics I hear on news. Winter blues is hitting me. Will be in Florida for the month of Feb… practicing to be a snowbird. Sugar level is ok.

Waterwing sorry to hear about the covid - it is everywhere right now. At least is sounds like you have a good set up to ride it out.

Similar to Wing. Retired, man cave and bar in basement is my hangout during winter. No covid thankfully. Florida for Feb. For us as well. Still boating and camping in the summer.

Clarification , I don’t have covid, just hiding from it. I’m fully vaxed. I sneezed the other day… was that covid? Haha.

WW - While driving over "beer can bridge" on Rt 12 the other day, I thought I saw a small fly bridge boat stuck in the ice in Nippersink Lake. I was driving so I only got a glance, so wondering if I saw this correctly. Have you seen this or heard about this?

All of you retired guys make it hard on us still working stiffs.

Dock, no I didn’t see it. But when I check on the lake house I will look for it.

Making our way through here. I'm not terribly social, except for a small set of good friends, so pandemic has not cramped my style that much. It has interfered with some vacation plans and some larger family get togethers though. Amazingly my oldest is graduating college in the spring, middle is a college sophomore and youngest a H.S. junior so not far from being empty nesters. Planning for that to coincide somewhat closely with full or at a minimum partial retirement. It would be nice if the pandemic would blow over by then so that we can travel freely at that point.

Summers have been pretty warm here lately and I don't really enjoy going out on the lake on the hottest days anymore....I actually prefer cloudy cooler days now as I have reached the age where I mostly hide from the sun vs seek it out! We've been looking into a NC mountain condo to escape to in the summer....like all real estate though the good ones disappear almost as fast as they go on the market. Have also kicked around the idea of switching over to a tritoon...easier boarding for the dog, parents, and eventually us and friends....but my son likes wakeboarding so probably still putting that off for a while.

My health is hanging in there...some stuff here and there but nothing too major so far...at least that I know about! Enough changes though that I'm thinking more about cutting back on work and traveling while I can still enjoy it. BTW, anyone heard from GFC lately? I don't think he's posted since last September...always enjoyed reading about his trips/adventures...hope he's doing okay. You out there GFC?

Wing & Captain - Where in FL are you guys headed? The Admiral and I are headed down to FL (Naples) as well. Perhaps we could have a BABC get together if we are all in the same area?

Will anyone else be in FL in Feb?

Dock, I’ll be at siesta keys beach

We will be in Bonita Springs in late March

I have been retired two years now and don't regret it one bit. Should have retired earlier.
We moved to TN on the lake and so boating is still a huge thing during summer. Winter is time to work around the property, clearing logs out of the creek and chopping it into firewood for the next winter.
When we want warm weather we head on down to our place in Mexico for a few weeks.. We feel safe from Covid as we eat outdoors and know where to go and places to avoid. Very quiet and peaceful.
Momma has been getting on me lately for buying too much wine, just trying to stock the cellar is all.

GFC and I traded emails a month ago and also while I had prostate cancer.

Geeze Mark, Love how you just slipped that last part in there like no big deal.
I'm sure you're getting the therapeutics you need and you'll be just fine, but you're gonna have to post your avatar picture of you without hair.
Hoping more wine is going into the wine cellar, than is coming out... until you host a BABC get together at your lake property.

A year ago we lost both Vick's parents within 9 days- old age, not covid... We're right between those 9 days right now, so the wife's been a bit blue. And also last year almost to the day, I had a severe allergic reaction, to what nobody could figure out, had head to toe hives, and OMG the itching... About the same time a small wrist-mount blood pressure tester the wife bought showed up, and on my first try my pressure read 320 over 190 something. I thought that sounded kinda high, so I found my mom's old Walgreens BP tester, and it showed 270's over 160's. So I finally went to our doctor... his nurse about had a cow when she got a 240's over 150's reading. Doc put me on some Linsopril and something 'hard' to drastically cut the pressure. Also had some spots on my face that turned out to be pre-cancerous whatever, 3 freezes seems to have fixed those. Also ran blood tests, my A1C was a bit high so I too got the Metforman, 2 a day. I'm also on the lowest 2-per-day dose of Linsonpril A year later my A1C is in the 6's, I've lost 12 pounds, my BP a couple days ago was 115 over 85, basically the 'picture of health. Never felt so shi#y in my life, no joke... My work still keeps me busy 10 days week, never have free time do to squat. Own 4 boats and 2 motorcycles and none of them have moved for at least 3 years, frustrating as hell. The SkipperLiner has been 'close to done' for a long time, REALLY hoping to finish it up this year. At the VERY least we need to take the freakin' Regal for a ride!

All in all though, life's been pretty good. But like Joe Walsh sez, 'I can't complain but sometimes I still do'