What is wrong with middle aged people?

[MossRoad]

Last time i parked out in the country to see a meteorite shower, a state trooper stopped and told me to move along...

Last time we parked out in the country to see meteor shower, we heard voices in the cornfield and got the he** out of there! :laughing:

 

[deserteagle71]

Look at it this way... since you and I were born, the U.S. population has doubled and the number of cars on the road has doubled.

We used to drive around drinking beer and visiting gravity hill, roller coaster road, a haunted house, etc... all local folklore places, etc... and never see another car. Park out on a country road, listening to the radio laying on the hood of the car watching the stars and never see another car for hours.

Now it's very rare to NOT see a car around here, even on the most deserted road in the county. Can't go longer than about 10-15 minutes.

There's still areas of this country where you can get away from all that traffic and congestion! I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania. People everywhere, no public land, open land, anywhere. My first duty station after getting drafted was NAAS Fallon, Nevada - and soon I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. So after I got home from Vietnam, back to Nevada I came and I've been here ever since. Where I live, if I drive straight south it will be 102.5 miles before I come to the first pavement. I take care of an old cabin down in that direction that is almost exactly 100 miles from my house. Most days I can drive down there and then drive back and never see another vehicle or another person.

A lot of people I've talked to are terrified by such open, empty spaces. Me, I glory in it.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

That痴 cool that you visited your kids. I知 28 and offer all the time for my grandparents to stay a week in my house, I have spare bedrooms they would stay in. They are getting older and live about an hour one way, they are all retired.

I visit for all the holidays with them and they always complain they don稚 see me or my siblings enough and I need to come visit them more lol. They also want darn near a 7-14 days in advance notice, I simply can稚 give that. I wish they would just come visit and stay a week or something in my house. My dad lives 2 miles down the road, one sister lives 30 mins away and the other sister rents a room out in my lower level, so they can see all the family if they spent a week up here. Heck I don稚 care, they can spend a few weeks and explore the near by city.

Why they won稚, idk. Maybe someone on here can shine some light on the subject.

My house is clean, I知 kinda a more of a minimalist than a hoarder so I don稚 have junk everywhere. The house is neat, clean and organized.

My grandpa has cancer, he has maybe a year. I even thought about selling my house and quitting my job of 6 years to take a year off or something to spend time with the grandparents. I feel like I知 gonna regret not doing it. My grandma on the other side is 93 and still lives at her home, she has only a few good years left also. But they all live so far away.

Maybe I can shed some light here. I'm past 80; Sharn Jean is close. We have lived in this house for over 40 years. Neither of us sleep as well as we used to; bowel and bladder habits are about what can be expected; I know where the Tums, Ibprophen, heart and BP medicine is, where all the lightswitches, toe bumpers and clean underwear are; how to watch TV with out disturbing her, etc. In other words, we are pretty much in control of our lives at home and comfy in our own home. To pick up and spend a night away from home takes some planning, and you lose a lot of control of your life and your conveniences. If I want a beer at midnight, I know where it is...same for the Preparation H.

I suggest that your grand parents may need a lot of time to prepare for your visit...at least mentally...if you are staying with them. You might try telling them that you would like to come, really miss them and want to visit, but would stay somewhere else...with friends, relatives, or in a motel that is close. Maybe offer to take them out to eat, and/or come over to visit, but they wouldn't have to bother with preparing you a bed, bathroom, meals, etc. It's worth a shot.

 

[bunyip]

My first year in college the campus police had a car on Friday and Saturday nights dedicated to stopping intoxicated drivers and giving them a ride home. The first weekend of my second year a student with a carful of other drunks crossed the centerline, killing both drivers. Things changed a lot that year.

Our yacht club used to rent out the hall for functions until about 10 years ago for the same reason, they now refuse to rent it out for 18th and 21st birthdays, it is a quiet area, good roads, no lighting and some big trees that destroy cars, young drinkers think they are invincible and lose to the trees on a bend, legal drinking age and driving age is 18.
For the first 4 years of a drivers licence you are not allowed to drink and will cost you your licence if found with any trace of alcohol and a substantial fine but it doesn't seem to deter some, there is also a passenger limit after dark curfew such are the efforts of police to curb alcohol related road deaths.

 

[KubotainNH]

I worked in Massachusetts for 26 years, if you drove in that rat race for 26 years you wouldn稚 want get inside a car again if you didn稚 have to.. 2 hours to get 45 miles to work and 2 hours back, four hours a day driving, great money but I couldn稚 wait to get out of there..

I live on a MA border town. I could make more money if I god a job in Boston but that commute is not worth the extra dough. I instead stay in the state and drive about 20 mins on side roads, no highways. I'm happy with the setup.

Seems to be a decent amount of folks in my age range in this thread (51).

 

[MossRoad]

I lost my 30 year job last year. Got a job farther away. The commute is much longer.

It used to be 7 minutes, now it's 11! :laughing:

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
Maybe you could shorten the trip if you took the Suburban instead of the PowerTrac!

 

[MossRoad]

^^^^
Maybe you could shorten the trip if you took the Suburban instead of the PowerTrac!

I always take the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle.

 

[Jstpssng]

I've only had the occasion a couple of times, but leaving the house on the ATV or snowsled to get to work is rather fun.

 

[PILOON]

Well guys I'll be 80 next month and can commiserate with much of what you say.
The elder parents thing, LEO 'confrontations, LOL' , cars children etc.

We have 2 offspring and 'knock wood' both are doing just fine, both nicely successful professionals.
Daughter has also raised 2 girls with those good values, we are blessed.

As to LEO's, just 2 weeks ago I had a rare 'these days' occurrence, I was really short on gas so I kind of 'booted it', shifted to neutral in order to coast down a long steep hill hoping to make the next crest.

From behind a tree popped a LEO holding a radar gun, naturally he flagged me.
Right there in middle of the road I cut my engine as he came to the window demanding (here they don't ask, just demand)* my documents.
I pled my case showing him my gas gauge along with the flashing 'low gas' warning.
He asked me if I knew the speed limit to which I said yes. (there also was a plastic manikin nailed onto the yellow center line showing speed limit)

Well he simply told me to have a nice day and not to speed again.
And oh, he clocked me at 80 in a 50 zone!

I bought a lottery ticket that day! (wrong one)
I did thank him for returning my respect for LEO's, he smiled!

I have twice had LEOs come to my car door with drawn sidearms, real scary!

Once was because there was snow covering my plates ,I had rolled down the window but VERY slowly had driven to a safe off road location (with my flashers on). He did not like that! Guess I should have stayed right there in the middle of the road!

Another time (3 AM) 2 LEOs , one per side, claiming I was speeding (not so, well + 5-6 mph) on deserted speedway.
My car was supposedly similar to a 'hit and run' vehicle 30 miles across the city.(and 2 bridges across the St Lawrence)
And those guns were pointed at me! They claimed I was doing 30 over the limit!
I fought it in court and won, well almost Judge asked me what was my actual speed and I replied maybe 99, maybe 102 (100 posted limit) but your honor, if I keep my nose in the dash I can't see the road hazards.
He said 'pick a number' so not wanting to look stupid I said 101!
Guilty!
To the clerk He asked 'What is the minimal fine? $25.00 says the clerk after which the judge asks me if I wish to make deferred payements.
The whole thing was a result to the fact that since I had pled 'not guilty' by mail they had neglected to forward the revised court date and consequently been declared guilty in my absence with a HUGE subsequent fine (like over $800.)

Yep, I've has some ups and downs.