Retirement on the Installment Plan
Life and times on and off the road.
I discovered John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series of novels at about the same time that I started working for myself at the age of 18. As a young Floridian, the boat bum’s lifestyle appealed to me and his life as a “salvage consultant” aboard his houseboat The Busted Flush was always an exciting read. He got back money, restored reputations and saved people that were lost to the vast array of con artists, politicians, developers and modern day pirates that Florida seems to attract. His fee, when he was lucky enough to collect it, was half of the recovered value.
Travis would then take a chunk of his retirement, cruising in his boat, fishing the coast and partying with his community of boat people in the Bahia Mar Marina. McGee’s philosophy of retirement on the installment plan was most appealing.
I met my wife and kindred spirit Julie (also from Florida) in Keystone, South Dakota in 1982 and worked the summer together at Randy Price’s Rushmore Gallery (photo below) in the Black Hills.
We then took it on the road with our respective crafts, I with my woodworking and Julie her candle carving. We did small town mall shows with promoter Randy (renown coin cutter and jeweler) and a host of craftspeople from around the United States.
For about five years, we worked twelve to fourteen hour days, seven days a week, from mid-April (after giving the taxman his due) until Christmas. Caravanning with our fellow gypsy artisans, we would set up in one mall on Monday then break down and pack up on Sunday, travel to the next town 200-300 miles away and do it again… for ten or so weeks.
The last month before Christmas was usually spent in our kiosks at the mall in Fremont, Hastings or Grand Island, Nebraska. Christmas day was spent with our fellow makers before we all parted, heading back to wherever we hailed from.
With Jimmy Buffet, Willie Nelson and the Grateful Dead music filling our van, we would hit the road back to Florida. Setting aside enough stake for necessary bills, living costs and business needs to get us through the next few months, we began a well deserved block of retirement.
We would usually bring in the New Year in New Orleans on our way back to Florida. Always a blast of jazz and debauchery, the Big Easy is a fabulous place to blow out your tubes before heading home to stare at the walls and regroup.
After nine months of restaurant food and laundromats, we looked forward to cooking our own meals and hanging fresh washed clothes on the line for a fresh breeze to lick them dry. Repairs and improvements to our home were also a welcome diversion.
When we got bored we would take spontaneous adventure trips to coastal beaches, the Everglades, Key West, camping and canoeing the fabulous natural springs of Florida and visiting family and friends.
These times off were also a great source of creative inspiration and sourcing. When we got a little crispy at the beach (or “bugged” out at the campground) we would inevitably venture out to the unending garage sales, auctions and art & craft fairs, soaking up new ideas for our work and searching out materials needed for future use.
We would visit real lumber yards for interesting woods that were new to me. Bulk paraffin (a byproduct of the oil industry) in 55 pound cases for Julie’s candles, could be found at small town petroleum businesses, usually with an inch or so of dust on them. They were happy to let them go.
Our home inventory grew with all the bargains found at yard sales and thrift stores. Antiques and collectibles were always a passion of ours and our home became a warehouse of collections. These acquisitions proved to be immensely important as we headed into the 1990s, though we did not foresee it at the time. They were just happy, fun diversions.
Usually, by the end of March, the road and (bank accounts) would beckon us into preparing for another trip west and north. Time to contact promoters to get their Spring show schedule and check with Randy in South Dakota on his plans for the summer. Sunshine Artist, a magazine that is still in print, was our bible in finding shows and contacts throughout the south.
Some years, we were offered opportunities to remain in Florida and set up our booths at locations fairly close to home. The 1980s were a hey-day for crafts. The demand for working artisans was great. Within an hour’s drive of home we had Disney, Cypress Gardens, Circus World and Sea World as well as peripheral entities like Florida Festival, Orlando’s Church Street Station and Old Town, in Kissimmee. They all had busy artisan programs that came and went for demonstrating craftspeople.
So, when we started putting feelers out for our upcoming work year, there were a lot of options to consider. Remember, this was all before the age of the internet and cell phones, so most contacts were by landlines (paying long-distance charges), snail mail and physical visits. Photos of our work and displays were taken with film cameras and sent out with applications. We had to obtain liability insurance for displaying our wares. Weeks went by before we heard back whether we were accepted or not. These shows were a gamble, both for us in hoping that they would draw the proper traffic, and the show promoters and malls, as we were an unknown entity in most cases.
If accepted, we would have to weigh our personal preferences against common sense before mailing out any deposit checks for booth reservations. The road life, as wearing as it can be, had a strong pull on our rambling souls. For the first seven or eight years of our life together, adventure and curiosity in seeing new areas of the country and meeting the inhabitants of those that choose to dwell there, usually won out.
By the middle of April, we would have a rough idea of where we were headed. Julie would pour cores for her candle carving. I got our homemade trailer and vehicle in road-trip shape and built new, versatile displays that could easily be set up and knocked down and would look nice in upscale malls. Done to the best of our ability, we would seal up the house, notify friends and family that we would be in touch and head down the road (again) with a fresh supply of 8-Tracks and/or cassettes to blast in our van’s speakers.
During these days, there were a few lean times that we took up a “real” jobs as a cooks, laborers, retail sales clerks or signmakers to get by, but we always worked for ourselves and learned, regardless of who cut the paychecks. These were usually for only a few months. There must be a certain amount of stress applied to cause improvement and I always came back better for it.
For us, the 1990s saw a decline in the demand for crafts and more requirements and regulations to be held in account to. Costs of doing shows increased dramatically. As the millennium wound to a close, the interest in antiques and collectibles rose. Time to don our antique dealer hats and stay at home for a while. This still allowed us to continue our semi-retirement façade and we embraced it with the collections we had been growing, replacing them with other collections.
Travis McGee faced a lot more dangerous elements in between his retirement installments, but we had our share of quirky artist friends, sticky situations, mysteries and crazy characters come and go during our travels. These experiences have shaped us into who we are now.
Our mini-retirements were fruitful, restful and memorable. Now that we are close to a more socially acceptable age for retirement, I see no reason to change anything, except the traveling bit. With internet and communications being what they are, we have had a successful time selling worldwide right from our meager home office and shed just 17 steps away, and still taking micro-vacations as they present themselves. I will continue to use my sharp implements until they take them away.
Our Top 8 Retirement Installments
During our years of doing shows, dealing with the public 12+/7 for 8 or 9 months per year tended to make us yearn for quiet, out of the way places to replenish batteries and reset our brains.
Central Florida has been a world destination for vacationers for well over 75 years. Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Legoland, etc. are all within an hour’s drive from our home. They draw millions every week to their attractions and we are glad to have them keep our taxes low, although their regional driving practices lend to chaos when combined on our roads.
When we needed a mini-vacay, we sought out dwindling natural and historical attractions that made our chosen home state desirable in the first place. Camping, canoeing, beaching and visiting with friends are our priority.
In my opinion, a mug of hot coffee and a donut on the deck of a houseboat at sunrise on the St. Johns river is preferable to jostling for parking in “Goofy 24”. Whether we had time for a full week, a few days or just a day trip, here are some of our favorite picks…
Nancy’s Beach Properties - Nancy Spencer ran a residential property management office on A1A at the north end of Florida’s Treasure Coast in Floridana Beach & Melbourne Shores. She had a couple dozen beach houses that she rented out for the owners. Her weekly rates were extremely reasonable. The houses were clean, well equipped and away from the public beach crowd. With awesome ocean views and private boardwalks through the sea oats leading to stairs to the beach, the Atlantic was ours. The loggerhead and green turtles nested there, beginning in April. Once they dig their nests and start laying eggs they are oblivious of our presence. Stroking their shells leave glowing trails of phosphorus. If we were fortunate enough to take a week in the fall, the hatchlings emerge by the hundreds and head for the water with the Sargasso Sea as their destination. Reading books, playing games, surf casting and fresh seafood were our prime concerns.
Venice, Florida - Traditional winter home of Ringling Brothers Circus, our longtime friends Frances Smith (artist) and her husband Stanley Merrill (all around mensch) always had a place for us to crash whenever we could manage a few days with them. The Venice area offers fabulous artists galleries, gorgeous beaches, extraordinary food and endless shopping. Hunting shark’s teeth, garage saling and pinochle were our main activities.
Wekiva Springs - Just north of Orlando you will find this beautiful spring fed river. Perfect for a refreshing day trip (especially in the hot Florida summer) or a few days of camping. The crystal clear water remains a constant 72 degrees year round. Gators and snakes are rare as they prefer warmer and slower waters. There are canoe and kayak rentals that will take you back to your car at the end of the 4+ mile run. It is a blast and not busy during weekdays. Bring a waterproof camera and a baggie for your smokes.
Key West - A bustling but laid back party town with a lot of history. Snorkeling, fishing and site-seeing. Camping was reasonably priced, but mosquito repellant is mandatory. They come in clouds at sunset.
Chokoloskee - Below Naples, where the Everglades meet the Gulf of Mexico lies Chokoloskee, a quiet fishing village that resists chain stores and fast food joints. Great kayaking among the manatees, through the mangrove mazes that border Ten Thousand Islands. Massive quantities of birds to spot and fishing is primo!
Rainbow Springs - For nature at its best. First magnitude spring with amazingly clear water. When you gaze into the water it appears only 3 or 4 feet deep, yet can be easily 40 feet. It has a State park campground and abounds with wildlife. In the early 1900s, enterprising entrepreneurs raised tropical fish here. Many escaped and became wild, and BIG. Snorkeling here is amazing!
Saint Augustine - The oldest city in the continental United States. Lots of exploring, beaching and shopping opportunities. The motel rates were then reasonable.
Houseboat on the St. Johns River - (Favorite) Although the cost of renting a houseboat has gone up over 400% since we last did it in 1992, the experience has lasted over 30 years in our memories. The boats are fully loaded. We only brought our own personal supplies and cruised for a week. As we explored the river at our own pace we swam with manatees at Blue Springs, saw bobcats, colonies of exotic and indigenous birds and thousands of (you guessed it) alligators, with their glowy red eyes at night.
If you are enjoying what you see… I like it hot and black. 😉
Please join me every Monday for a new “17 Step Commute” blog and Friday for the week’s “News & Sneak Peeks”. Subscribe for FREE to get it sent directly to your inbox.