Bob Luce with his Citabria, which he bought in early November, 2004.
He wrote, in mid-November:
It's an 02 Explorer model, has about 66 hours on her (still smells new), and is a sweet flier. She'll reside in a hangar at Princeton Airport, where the dealer is, through the winter. I'll fly her often, though, as I get an insurance-mandated 10 hours of dual instruction and 10 hours of solo before I can carry anyone. A tail dragger causes insurers to narrow their eyes and increase their rates.
Bob wrote in March of '05:
I've missed few, maybe no, high school class reunions. We were a close class, with many friends from those years still very much a part of my life. In fact, three of us, including Lew Parker of Midd '59 fame, are gearing up to do some fancy singing at our high school 50th.
I've retired from my management consulting career, had a soft landing from it provided by doing college teaching as an adjunct instructor. The adjunct work will continue for a while longer--it's still fun but sometimes gets trying. I'm also serving on the School of Management dean's advisory board at the college--Marist, in Poughkeepsie, NY--an interesting role.
I became a licensed pilot in 2003 and bought a small airplane in fall, 2004. This will provide lots of challenges for a time. When you're over 40 you have to pass a flight physical every two years, so if anything goes wrong the FAA knows and can act on it quickly. I'll squeeze the fun out of it that I can for as long as I can and/or as long as the airplane and I stay in one piece.
I'm also in a partnership that owns a 30-foot sailboat. We use it on Long Island Sound, in Maine, and wherever else my partner and I decide to take her. Our local yacht club is a good base for my seagoing adventures.
Moving right along, I sing in a local choral group that does three concerts a year plus a summer "Pops" concert. We go abroad every other summer on choral tours. It was France in 2000, Italy in 2002, England in 2004, and will be Austria in 2006.
Bea and I have grandchildren in Philadelphia and Johannesburg. The South African clan gets visited once a year and comes here when possible. Our small condo on the Gulf in Fort Myers, FL, will increasingly serve as a grandchild trap and as a refuge from CT winters.
I also do some cycling, some cross-country and downhill skiing, and a bit of writing. It's good to be active, recognizing that the greatest blessing of all is to have the health to enjoy this fun stuff. The clock is, after all, ticking.