I remember how interesting it was to arrive here after more than a decade of living in the arid Middle East. The first rainy winter seemed like a blessing. I guess they still are as they provide sufficient H₂O for prolific, nearby rainforests. Over the years, we learned to cope with the dark winter deluge, if not get completely acclimatized.
Yet, as soon as it became obvious we could retire early, we knew that we'd try living the wet half of each year in different locations and climates. Jay and I will celebrate our retirement dates this month. It seems somewhat unbelievable that six years have already passed. They've been some of our best years ever.
As rain is now pelting our windows, I'm thinking back to our first retirement winter in Mexico. Although the upcoming one will be vastly different, there may be a number of similarities.
