Well, gang. I didn't get elected to the condo board. But... while at a rally of my local Good Sam's RV club, I did get railroaded into accepting the job of President. I didn't even have to file a one page resume before the election. The average age of the club hovers somewhere above the retirement age even though some members still earn a paycheck now and then. We meet once a month (except during the summer) at various camp sites around Florida. Sight see, games, crafts, eat, and raise money for various charities.

These clubs are all over the place in the world of the retired RV'er. Sometimes we gather together in large "Samborees" (in the case of the Good Sam's) or Regional or National Rally's in the case of competing umbrella clubs. There could upwards of 5,000 or 6,000 RV rigs gathered in one place. It is a hoot.

There are a lot of us in Florida

There a lot of us in Florida. Old folks, I mean. Retired folks. My wife and I live in a high rise condo that has been all but empty ever since we bought our place in May. The snow birds are coming home to roost in December. We are going to a "social" tomorrow evening here in the building. Late afternoon would be more accurate - 5:00 pm for dinner in the social room. I'll try to remember the names but that is really Ina's job. My job is to smile and to be nice. We all sort of look alike - old, I mean.

I don't really feel old. At least not all the time. I walk about three miles a day and lift a weight or two to keep the muscles toned up and the belly a little less round. In fact, I usually feel pretty good. I am blessed with good health for my age and mileage. I hope it holds up.

There is a political .... season going on here in the condo just now. Three seats for the board of directors are at stake. Seven people (including me) are in the running. I got roped in by my sweet wife who said we should certainly offer to serve. The "we" became "me" when it came to volunteering. I was of the (mistaken as it turns out) opinion that it was hard to get people to offer themselves for consideration for a seat on the board. Seven souls seeking three seats is quite a horse race.

The only politicking you are evidently allowed to do is to submit a single 8 1/2 x 11 inch typewritten page listing your qualifications. - - - Then the whispering campaign begins. One talks to the ladies in the work out room or in the elevator or in the garage. There are two camps - those "for" the current President and those "against" the President. The current president of the association is running for a second term as are two others currently on the board. The "against" crowd evidently has fielded three opponents. I am an outlier. I stumbled into this mess because my sweet wife thought we should volunteer. I am pretty sure that I am not going to get one of the three seats because I am an unknown quantity. I just hope I don't get caught in the crossfire.

I am up early this morning. Sound sleep seems harder and harder to obtain as I grow older. I try to do the things that would ensure a good nights rest. For example, I generally go to bed at a reasonable hour. I exercise during the day I no longer eat late at night and I take a non-prescription sleep aid about an hour before retiring. But.. here I am sitting in front of my computer since 4 am.

I usually have to get up at least twice during the night to ah.. visit the facilities. Also usually I can stumble back to bed still groggy from the sleep aid and go back to sleep. But, when I get something on my mind ..... no chance. Tonight, I guess the subject is the condo.

I have signed a contract to buy a condo at Daytona Beach Shores. I gyrate towards Daytona, I think because of the memories of a youth spending summer vacations there with my family. There were no high rise condos there in the 1940's. There were houses scattered along A1A and along Ocean Drive that were rented to the tourists. The summer tourists were generally working class people from the southern part of the US. The houses were generally owned by much wealthier people from the North who spent the winter months there and rented the places out for the summer. Both came to the beach for the same reason - to escape the bad weather - the bitter cold of the north east and the unbearable heat of the southern summer. There was not much air conditioning in those years.

Back to the condo. Three bedrooms, north east corner of the 14th floor. Stunning views of the coastline from north to south. And, thanks to the big wrap-around balcony, very good views of the river (which is part of the great inter-coastal waterway of our eastern coast) to the north west. I am looking forward to long morning walks on the beach - good for controlling my blood sugar as well as for soothing my soul. If it were not for taxes, I would be a happy man.

My Generation and the Computer

I admit it. I am fascinated by the computer. I am not proficient, only fascinated. My wife says that I am obsessed, but I am not. I know that I am not because I do not play endless games of things like "Farm-ville", and other such stuff that clogs my news feed on Facebook. I either ignore them or click "hide" and never see the application again. Pretty smug, huh. Well, I do play "Hearts", and "Spider Solitaire" but I justify that by telling myself it is only to gain dexterity with the mouse. Anyway, I digress.

I have found that not many men of my generation (I am 73 as I write this) are computer literate. Not a whole lot of women either - but more of them than the men folk. The excuse I hear most often goes something like this: "I had to use a computer every day when I worked and I promised myself that when I retired, I would never touch one again" or.. "Well, I never needed to use one before and I am not starting now".

A lot of my men friends let their wives handle the computer chores. I think sometimes it is because their "current" wives are quite a bit younger than they are. That generation gap is enough to break through the computer barrier. Also, the women folk truly want to stay connected to their progeny more so than the men. The only way you can do that nowadays is to send e-mail or text or use one or more of the social networks that are available.

Anyway, this my first attempt at a musing. Nothing really profound here. Maybe next time.