Long Awaited Update - More Life Changes

Hi Everyone,

Our last post was on April 27, and we know many of you have been wondering about us, if we are okay, and if we were ever going to post again. Well, I'm writing this rather long post to answer a bunch of those questions.

You may recall that we wrote on April 4 a post called "World Changes Drastically In A Month" in which we outlined some of the changes we were going through and what our daily lives in The Villages looked like at that time. We set forth a possible plan going forward. Well there have been many, many more changes since then - most of them good, but not what we expected.

Let's see. Where to start. 

As I mentioned in that prior post, Linda expanded her business - Your 2nd Pair Of Hands.

 

 

Since she couldn't go help people in their homes due to the pandemic and the related social distancing and numerous risk factors for many here in The Villages, she started offering weeding and shrub trimming services. She could do that outside, she likes to pull weeds (while most people hate it), many have determined that spraying weeds comes with health risks, and there is a huge demand for someone reliable, conscientious, and meticulous. In fact, in a very short period of time, she was starting to turn down jobs. All her customers love her, and the referrals were coming in like crazy.

And the combination of working hard out in the heat and continuing our Keto lifestyle has led to her losing more weight and feeling as healthy as she has in years.

 

 

She's even skinnier than that photo now. In the 16 months we've been on Keto, she's lost 60 pounds, with half of that being in the last six months. I've been holding steady after losing 25 - 30 pounds, but recently weighed in under 155. For the first time since I was a teenager, I'm in the "normal" range of the height/weight charts and Body Mass Index (BMI).

 

 

We both had physicals last week and were given clean bills of health. Based on the established risk factors that doctors use these days, Linda has only a 1.8% risk of heart disease or stroke in the next ten years, and my risk is only 6.7%. My lab work was the best I can remember, and although I stopped taking a statin back in March, my cholesterol is down even on our high-fat Keto lifestyle. The new nutritional science is working for us.

Yes, from the photo above, you can see the pickleball courts are open. I believe they opened the last week of May with some limits on how many people can be on the courts. But there are over 200 pickleball courts in The Villages, so there is always some place to play, especially in the summer. I'm playing 6 or 7 days a week, and sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. I've also been playing in a few small, local tournaments, and doing fairly well.

All outdoor courts and pools opened about the same time (golf never closed). Pretty much anything outdoors is okay (except they still haven't resumed the nightly music at the three town squares). Many restaurants are open with takeout options, outside dining, and inside dining with strict spacing and occupancy guidelines. However, indoor activities and meetings in the recreation centers are still on hold. Considering the number of people with multiple risk factors here in The Villages, our numbers of cases and mortality rates have been quite low. We've done a pretty good job of balancing caution with opening services here in "the bubble".

 

Now, during the time in March, April, and May when the pickleball courts and pretty much everything else was on lockdown, I decided to study for a Florida real estate license. You have to take a 63-hour pre-licensing course and pass a pre-licensing exam before you can take actual state licensing exam. So, while I was confined to the house (except for golf and morning runs), I took an online course and completed the pre-requisites. It was a bit easier for me since I was a real estate attorney, and about a third of the material was on real estate law; however, with that said, you have to have some pretty good mental capacity to understand and retain all the information.

Unfortunately, the state exam had to be taken in person, and many of the exam sites were closed due to Covid-19. Getting a spot anywhere in Florida was tough, and I wasn't finding openings until December 2019 all the way to April 2021. But with diligence, I finally ended up getting a seat on June 20 in Ormond Beach about an hour and a half away. Getting checked in for the exam was more thorough than going through security for a flight. I had to wear a mask and they even had me take it off and show them the underside, plus I had to put all belongings in a locker. They are really serious about making sure people don't cheat - I suppose that's a good thing. 

As it turned out the exam itself was far easier than the pre-exam and sample tests I had taken, so I finished quickly and they told me I passed on the spot. Being the competitive soul I am, I was a little incredulous they wouldn't give me my actual score. Apparently, revealing scores gives the higher scorers a competitive advantage when signing with a broker .... and we can't have that. Sheesh.

It wasn't long afterwards that I was notified I was licensed and could print my license online. Then it was a matter of choosing a broker. I was inundated with recruiting emails and phone calls immediately.

I considered just being a "referral" agent, where I could earn a portion of commissions just for referring people to other agents across the world. I may still go that route at some point. But, ultimately, I placed my license with eXp Realty, a non-traditional, cloud-based brokerage.

 

 

Everything is online - meetings, training, administration, etc. They have well over 30,000 agents and they claim to be the future of what real estate companies will look like going forward (they like the NetFlix vs Blockbuster comparison). There are a few other things than make this company different and attractive to me, such as the commission "splits", the ability to use a part of commissions to invest in the publicly traded company, and the ability to earn residual income from the commissions of any agents I bring into the company (although recruiting is hard, and I'm going to be focused more on sales).

But one of the big things is that I want to only deal with homes in The Villages, and I have a mentor that also exclusively works in The Villages, and her experience is invaluable. The Villages is different in many ways, and my goal is to help explain those differences and show all The Villages has to offer in detail. My website SHPayne.com is a work in progress, but I'll get there.

 

 

I've been doing a LOT of training, and I've worked a few days of open houses for my mentor. But like RV-Dreams.com, I'm not rushing things, plus I want to concentrate on only a few clients at a time so I can give them my best. And, of course, I have to balance my sports with work. Just like the business aspects of RV-Dreams and traveling, the key is balance.

 

On the RV front, I've been taking our Winnebago Aspect out of storage once a month and driving it about 30 miles and exercising the engine, the drivetrain, the generator, the air conditioner, and the rest of the moveable parts. Other than that, it has been sitting.

However, Linda's sister Karen and her husband, Jay, borrowed it for a long weekend in June. After a night of instruction in a campground nearby, they took it up to Crooked River State Park in Georgia the day of my real estate license exam.

 

 

Who knew at that time that lives would change again shortly thereafter.

A month after that trip, Linda & Karen were supposed to be taking a sisters' RV trip to The Biltmore, Gettysburg, the Flight 93 Memorial, Niagara Falls, and more. Unfortunately, it didn't look like that trip was going to happen, and they had already had to cancel a portion of it due to the pandemic. Well, they did have to cancel, but it was because Karen's world fell apart about a week before the trip, not because of Covid.

I won't go into the private details, but she went from a nice weekend in the RV to irretrievable marital issues in a month. Also, as a 61 year old first grade teacher with school about to start, she wasn't keen on returning to the classroom under Covid conditions. With turmoil in her life, she drove down from Jacksonville to stay with us for a little while and get some counseling and support.

We helped with legal and financial issues, and she decided that she was going through with the divorce, she was going to retire from teaching effective immediately, she was going to move to The Villages near her sister and mom, and she was going to start a new chapter in her life. That's a lot to deal with all at once.

In order, to get her through until her teacher's pension kicks in and she became eligible for Social Security in January, she started working with Linda, and Linda, now with help, was able to take on customers she had been turning down.

For the first month, Karen lived in our RV at the Sunkissed Village RV Resort, a brand new RV park not far from us. But after that month, rates went up, and we decided it was more convenient and cost effective for everyone if she just stayed with us until things settle down and she can purchase a house of her own. Plus, now I can be her real estate agent - it may be my first sale.

Given the traumatic month and a half for her, Karen is actually doing pretty well and doing her best to continue to look ahead although bureaucracy is not allowing her to get things done as fast as she would like. 

Here is a photo of Linda and Karen heading out for their morning of work.

 

 

They are often on the job by 7:00 a.m. to avoid the stifling heat and humidity (it's been hotter than usual this summer). Sometimes they do two or three jobs a day, but they really like the days when they are done by noon, and then they take the golf cart and spend the afternoon at the neighborhood pool.

They've been working six days a week and cash flow is good, but this past weekend, they drove down to Bradenton and had a girls' weekend with our friend Therese. Here's a photo of Linda and Karen enjoying some outdoor dining.

 

 

And the weekend before, Karen's son, Joe, flew into Orlando from Los Angeles, and we picked him up at the airport and went to dinner at The Edison in Disney Springs.

 

 

We had never been to Disney Springs, but from what we've been told, the crowds were small and it was odd to see everyone with a mask outdoors. They were serious about their mask requirements, and after our dinner on the deck where we were the only diners, we donned our masks again as we walked around.

So, the ladies have gotten a little time off, but their schedule is full and, once again, Linda is at the point of having to turn down customers. They do such a great job, and word gets around fast.

And through the weeding business, Karen has picked up a couple of pet-sitting and house-sitting jobs. She's going to be just fine. The Villages is great place for service-providing entrepreneurs that are willing to work hard and provide great service at reasonable rates.

 

Along with setting up my real estate website, going through mandatory training for both my broker company and the local board of Realtors, holding some open houses, and assisting Karen, I've expanded my involvement in sports - as if daily pickleball mixed in with a little golf wasn't enough.

The Villages has the largest softball program in the world. We have 14 fields, multiple divisions based on skill level, neighborhood divisions for fun, and over 3,000 registered players (including regulars and subs). You have to go through three days of evaluations, and then you are assigned to divisions based on skill level to make sure you have fun and don't get injured.

Though I hadn't played in 20 years, enough came back to me and I'm young enough and fast enough to have showed some potential. So, they gave me the chance to play in either Division 1 (the top division) or Division 2. Being competitive and liking a challenge, I chose Division 1.

I've been going to open batting practice at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning to make sure I don't embarrass myself, and we had a couple of practices last week. Also, a group of pickleballers put together a Labor Day softball game that I participated in - I need all the practice I can get.

 

 

In the photo below, I'm playing shortstop in this social game.

 

 

I've always played middle infield, but those spots on my new Division 1 team are filled, so they want me to play third base. Yikes. There are some seriously powerful guys using "hot" senior bats and they hit it really hard. Under advisement from the veterans, I bought a face mask and shin guards.

Well, I played my first game at third on Wednesday, and did okay. I've been heeding the warnings that all rookies get hurt in their first season, so I've been making sure I'm good and stretched and warmed up. Still, sure enough, I pulled a quadricep while rounding the bases. Sheesh. But at least we won, and the pull isn't too bad, and it should heal relatively quickly.

I was able to play on Friday, but I needed a pinch runner just to be sure I didn't make things worse. They also used me as a back-up pitcher when our starter began walking people (yeah, let the new guy pitch in his second game). But because pitching is dangerous in this league, we pitch and then have to get behind a screen as soon as we release the ball. After three decent innings, the umpire sent me back to third base because I wasn't getting behind the screen every time as required. I was relieved to go back to third, and our pitcher came back in and started throwing strikes and we ended up winning that game as well. Whew.

Good thing I have next week off for our Fall Educational Rally to give my leg a rest.

 

In addition to pickleball, golf, and softball, I joined two bowling leagues. Linda & I are bowling with RV-Dreams friends and fellow Villagers, Tom & Marci, on Monday nights, and I'm also in a competitive men's league on Thursday nights where just about everyone averages 190 and above. We bought all new equipment since we haven't done any league bowling since were were in college in the 80s. Wow, have things changed and gotten way more expensive.

I'm averaging around 180 so far (not bad for three weeks in), but I've a had a 200 game each week, and I've had two games in the 220s. Here's proof of one of them.

 

 

The number in red is with handicap, but my 222 in on the second line in yellow. So, I'm starting to get back to my form of old, but many of the guys in this league are way better than I'll ever be. There was a 279 (11 out of 12 strikes) last week and a 288 (first 10 strikes in a row) on the lanes next to us this week.

The Villages is loaded with very good bowlers including a few pros, and I've never seen leagues anywhere with women bowlers as good as I've seen here. Oh yeah, one of the best bowlers ever, Hall of Famer, Walter Ray Williams, Jr., also bowls here when he's not traveling.

 

So, now I've got pickleball almost every day (I'm addicted and it's what really keeps me in shape), softball two days a week, bowling two nights a week, and golf whenever someone calls me for a game (and I don't have something else going on). And I'm also the pickleball coordinator for the South of Sixty group, which is a group for Villagers under the age of 60. We have courts reserved for a couple hours every Saturday afternoon.

We're also members of the Born In The 60s group, so we're getting to meet lots of others our age .... when we have time to go to the various events.

 

Oh, and Linda has been auditioning for a lead role in a Villages production of Mamma Mia early next year. Covid has made scheduling auditions difficult, but she's done a couple call-backs, and she's waiting for the next one to be scheduled. She's excited to get back on stage, so we're hoping that happens.

 

And with all of that, we've been working on our 2020 RV-Dreams Fall Educational Rally. We had to cancel the Spring Rally in April, and we quickly scheduled a Fall Rally although that wasn't part of the plan for 2020 at the beginning of the year. And with Covid cases spiking in July in Tennessee, our September Fall Rally was once again in jeopardy. Several people just didn't want to take the risk and canceled. Tennessee recommended implementing mandatory masks indoors where social distancing isn't possible. And those in charge in Sevier County did in fact implement such a policy.

Still, we had about 40 people signed up, and at the end of August, we made the final decision to go through with it. Most of this post has been written while making the 600 mile trip from The Villages, Florida through Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to The Ridge Outdoor Resort.

U.S. 441 passes within 2.5 miles of our house in The Villages and goes all the way to Sevierville, so that's the route we chose. We made an overnight stop in Dublin, Georgia (about half way) where we learned that the Walmart there doesn't allow overnight RV parking. So, we called Honeysuckle Farm (about five miles away) and spoke with Michael, the owner. Though he didn't have any spaces available in his small, 14-site park, he allowed us to stay overnight without hook-ups next to his pond.

 

 

It was hot, but we got a decent night's sleep, and got up early to complete the second half of our trip. To stay on U.S. 441, we would have to drive through Cherokee, NC and proceed for 30-something miles through the middle of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's a somewhat narrow, two-lane road with lots of curves including some hairpin turns. It's a long climb up on the North Carolina side and a long descent on the Tennessee side after cresting the top at the state border. In all our years of RVing, we wouldn't take our 40-foot fifth wheel on that section of road, but we decided to give it a go in the 30-foot Class C motorhome to cut off about 30 miles but very little time.

With a stop for gas, it took us seven hours to travel today's 300 miles, and we pulled into The Ridge around 2:30. We drove to our pull-through site - Site 66 - where we unhitched the Jeep, hooked up utilities, and got all set up. Before we could get out and explore the park, which we hadn't yet visited, it rained.

I'll get out and take photos of the park tomorrow, and we'll do a new entry about the Fall Rally.

 

As for future events, we are speaking at the Myrtle Beach RV Show scheduled for October 9 - 11. And we are supposed to speak at the LaCrosse, WI and Duluth, MN sport shows in February if they happen. But Linda may be rehearsing for Mamma Mia in February, so she may not be able to go.

Also, we have our 2021 RV-Dreams Spring Educational Rally scheduled for April 26 - May 2, 2021 at The Ridge Outdoor Resort in Sevierville, Tennessee. The big news is that will be our LAST educational rally. That's right. If you've been meaning to attend an educational rally, next Spring will be your last chance. We'll open up registration after the Fall Rally, sometime before the end of this month.

It is our intent to have future Reunion Rallies and maybe some smaller gatherings in the future, but there will be no more RV-Dreams Educational Rallies after next April.

 

So, that's a summary of what's been happening with us. Sorry for the long delay since the last post, but we haven't had much to talk about related to RVing and this is an RV-related journal. However, we've gotten numerous emails asking about us and telling us they missed the updates. So, while we won't be posting like we did when we were on the road full-time, we'll try to post more frequently to just to check in.

 

As always, thank you for your love and support all these years!

 

Howard & Linda