Comfortably Retired vs Working Man

[blackdog899]

Bill

A great Harley jam I liked in the 80's
My preference was dragging my knees on a rice burner. Clip ons, solo seats, and rearsets.

Bless you and your wife

is doc holiday the band? I never heard it. Thanks
The best ( to me ) biker song by far is Roll Me Away Bob Seger.
I wish I knew how to put video here.
rips my f ing heart out

at 48 started my knee down but on a pasta rocket ( Ducati )

 

[blackdog899]

I am 85 and have been a federal retiree for 30 years. Same wife for 64 years, we walked to kindergarten together. Two sons. Always lived beneath our means. Wife was a banker, so we tried to never borrow money. You earn interest, not pay it! All the toys were bought with cash. My dad and I built our house, the mortgage to finish it was $10K and we paid if off in 2 years. Home is WNY but we have lived in France and south Alabama. We have been very lucky!

I have few regrets; ageing is the pits, arthritis in my hands make delicate work very hard and slow and it takes days instead of hours to do things, first tool I get is a chair.. We live on the old family farm and I built a hunting shack behind our house on my 300 yard shooting range. Missed getting at least one deer 10 years ago when I had both hips done. Buck and doe this year. I use the tractor and front loader and wait for my son, our neighbor, to help. Grouse and quail hunting are things of only dreams. Still keep the 200 acres mowed and keep the roads up. Run the zero turn and 2 tractors, 50 and 70hp.

Life had been very good and owes me nothing. But I sure miss my departed friends. Have lived in our little town for 82 years, I am about the SENIOR citizen.

I’ll ride out to get a steak. Boy do I miss venison. When family was growing told wife buy no red meat from hunting season till my usual 2 deer were gone. Took great cares processing meat. Used to see people hanging deer with hides on in 50^
weather . No wonder people didn’t like it . Last buck I got was 5 or 6 years ago, invited out to friends property. No it’s no easy access to land no hunting. Now no land except state .
I can only imagine land like you have. 300 yard range damn. I m gonna set up a 33 yard . Have to install a few well placed barriers to conceal from neighbors.
When I bought house I’ve been in for 36 years I too spent below my affordability. I do regret not moving just a little farther out with a couple acres.
im 68 and have already outlived most of my few friends.
sorry Bill just rambling

 

[Dpbuckeye]

For perspective-

Although having spent my whole working life in the bicycle business, that pays little more than a poverty-level income, being a rabid shooter/hunter/competitor, at 71 I've owned the better part of a thousand airguns of all kinds; and 1/4 to 1/3 as many "real" guns. So how did I afford to own SO MANY at near poverty-level, you ask?

1) I chose to not reproduce.
2) I (consequently) was not married most of my life.
3) I managed to avoid my vices becoming addictions.
4) Correction- guns excepted.
5) I don't smoke, drink only in moderation, so also don't frequent bars and strip clubs.
6) At some point I had enough guns so when I wanted a new one I'd sell another to (at least help) fund it.
7) By buying and selling smart, to varying degrees I profited on most sales. At very least I lost very little on most sales.
8) On those, I figure I rented them.
9) Consequently, over the course of a half-century my 'collection' not only became somewhat self-perpetuating, but grew in numbers and values.
10) Now retired on 30 acres of Texas rural-heaven-on-Earth removed from large cities, I've made my home-place into an airgun competitions venue, staging monthly airgun matches.
11) The only thing I miss about cities is friends I made.
12) Now somewhat allergic to traveling more than a hundred miles from home, I've effectively IMPORTED my preferred circle of friends virtue of them traveling from all around Texas and several other states to enjoy aforementioned monthly competitions.
13) Having developed something of an allergy to people after 40+ years in cities and retail, in my somewhat reclusive retirement, monthly interactions with custom-tuned friends suit me perfectly well.
14) I do regret having had to part with many unique, truly rare, and even one-of-a-kind pieces that I'll never be able to replace.
15) But had that not been the case, my current airgun collection would number in the hundreds, rather than dozens.
16) If that sounds excessive or overly-indulgent, you're mistaken.
17) Many owners of all those bars and strip clubs I never frequented have collections of automobiles, mansions and WOMEN outnumbering my gun collection.

Check the bid amount on the supercar below (top-center, in red). Whoever ends up with that jalopy probably has more supercars in his collection than I have guns in mine.

View attachment 530646

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Oh #5, it has bitten me..... “I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted.” WC Fields..... but was still fortunate to retire early and still have $$ for springers, PCP's, & Harleys....

 

[Bandito]

Retired? Yes. Couple of non running bikes here I think 82 & 83 CB750C. THEN THE HONDA GOLDWING, 76 with the hotter cams. No farings. That may be a rat rod bike with big ammo cans for rear bags. Not sure, have to get title squared away before doing the work. Mostly I shoot and play with the airguns. At a friend's farm shoot catridge guns. 22 K hornet to 458 bores. But the great grands are a factor these days. The oldest is 7. So a new generation is beginning to come up. Be Well Brothers, Bandito.