Another Month in the Summit: Day 1

If you saw my daily blogs from 2010 when we stayed for month in Breckenridge, Summit County, Colorado,  you know how much we love this place.  So, we decided to take the month of February trying to imagine retiring here, at 9600', where the snow is plentiful and the summers are bliss.  So, we packed up the car and Zorro and took off, leaving an 80 degree Austin winter day behind us.

Since the trial run at San Miguel de Allende didn't go so well,  we approached this do-over with some trepidation.  We found a place on VRBO (Home Away) that looked promising, but the owner had actually published very few pictures.  Yeah, its nice to see his family and his dog, but we don't want to rent his family or his dog;  just his house!  But it looked like a great deal: a 4 bedroom Victorian house in the historic district within walking distance to the Gondola, restaurants, bars, ...   You get the idea.  And we got a great rate:  His weekly rate is $3500,  and we got the whole month for $7000!  Sweet!

As we approached Breckenridge from the South, after an overnight in lovely (not) Amarillo, we saw that Winter is Coming!  They were predicting around a foot of snow that night, so we were glad we got an early start.  We found the house and started to breath a sigh of relief when we pulled up.  It LOOKED good from the outside!  Just as advertised!

So, we held our breath and walked inside,  and VIOLA!   It was just gorgeous!  We are sending the owner these pictures so he can do a better job of marketing the house...

 
 

 

The plan?  Ski.  Entertain friends and family. Drink.  Eat. Do some work (still enjoying some consulting).  Repeat until out of money...

Stay tuned!

Happy New Year! The Universe Has Spoken!

Over the last couple years,  our friends Carla and Phil Meaux introduced us to San Miguel de Allende, opening their lovely hillside vacation home to us and acting as our personal tour guides and exceptional hosts.  So, naturally, we fell in love with the place, living in their lap of exceptional luxury! And now this three week trip over the holidays was intended to validate our fantasy of retiring to this beautiful city.  After all, Conde Nast can't be all wrong!

So, for the last 6 months,  we had became pretty committed to the idea that we were going to retire to San Miguel,  as soon as we are able to sell our house in Austin.   And it has been a powerful dream. We put all the wheels in motion;  listing our house,  studying Spanish almost daily (I still suck at it), looking on-line at properties, reading a half dozen books written by Expats living in San Miguel,  and examining our finances to ensure we can afford to turn the dream into reality without putting us in the poorhouse.   In coming blog entries, I will share what we learned about this magical city and the good times we had.  But first, I want to share our discovery of something more important that will now shape our future.

We spent the first week settling in, walking and rediscovering the city.  What make this place special?  I think a big part of it is the light and the weather.  You have to see it to believe it; or at least you cannot capture it using a smartphone!  But while we love the sincere and friendly people, the fantastic churches,  the amazing history, the awesome restaurants, the somewhat raw beauty of the town, not to mention the low cost of living, we struggled to find peace in our little patch of heaven.

1. We had serious issues with our rental houses, the first of which was practically uninhabitable. It reeked of natural gas and mildew.  It was cold and dark.  It was loud,  with incessant hammering from the adjacent excavation.   
2. After the first week, I came down with a bad case of La Tourista,  and Lynne soon succumbed, rendering us unable to dine or drink in a city known as the culinary capital of Mexico. Hey, at least we can lose a few pounds, right?
3. Living in centro meant having to walk poor little Zorro 3-4 times a day on dusty, narrow sidewalks along streets full of traffic, noise, and diesel busses.  And with no grass anywhere in the city, the poor guy had to do his "bidness" on the sidewalks and streets, looking up at us afterwards as if to apologize for making a mess.  He became a very dusty puppy!
4. Then on Thursday, I awoke with intense bursitis in my heel. I could barely walk.  "But walking is what you DO in San Miguel!", I screamed at nobody in particular.   You walk everywhere, all along the cobblestone streets and alleys looking for art galleries, bars, and restaurants!  (I mentioned we couldn't eat, right?)

Ok, perhaps the Universe was trying to tell us something.  Is it possible it was screaming back, "GO HOME!"

Not being one to argue with the cosmos, we decided to cut our trip short by a few days, packed up the Audi and drove home on New Years Eve day. On the way to Austin, we had lots of time to talk, as traffic jams and my mistakes crossing the border turned the trip into a marathon. Lynne was being strong, and started  talking about other areas where we should explore for retirement options, turning our attention to the future.  New England,  the Pacific NW, the SE Coast, Asheville North Carolina,  and Knoxville Tennessee all came up as attractive options.  All are nice. But like San Miguel, none are perfect.

Then it hit us both.  We don't have to find perfection. We just need a nice place to live,  in a nice part of the country with good people, food, and...   Wait a minute!

NONE of these places are nicer than Austin!  Its one of America's most fabulous cities, especially if you can get out of town during Cedar Fever Season, and escape the heat in the Summer.  We can do that!  Skiing in the winter, scuba in the summer. Colorado any time we want!  Our goal was right in front of us all the time.  We can stay in Austin!  We can find a small place near town, like South Congress or S. Lamar,  fix it up, and stay here!  And we can visit San Miguel any time we want; it's only a 2 hour flight from Houston!

So, this is not about deciding we don't love San Miguel. Its about accepting that we don't have to live there to enjoy it, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. I was afraid we would feel sad if we decided not to move to San Miguel, but we don't.   We feel relief and contentment.

Now, on to that American steak Lynne bought in the new HEB store and a great bottle of California Cab to celebrate.  Happy New Year!!

2 weeks in, and we love San Miguel, but ...

... not as much as we had hoped, to be honest.   We encountered some issues that made our 1st two weeks a test of patience, perseverance, and intestinal fortitude (well, intestinal microbial defense, to be more precise) that I will spare you.  But the experience also taught us that we would be wise to take this one step at a time, and to resist the temptation to impulsively dive into the deep end of the financial obligation pool.

So, we have concluded that retirement to San Miguel is not in our immediate future. We just aren't ready to live here full time with the traffic, noise, and poverty.  Make no mistake, there is a tremendous attraction this lovely city hat pulls thousands of US immigrants, and hundreds of thousands of tourists,  to its cobblestone streets, colonial churches, cafes, alleys, bistros, and roughly one bazillion art galleries.  So, I'm sure we will be back, perhaps for 3 months at a time in order to get more time as a local, instead of a tourist, take Spanish lessons,  and to decide whether this place is right for us.  

As background, San Miguel is a lovely colonial town,  about a 3 hour drive NW of Mexico City, in the high arid mountains of Central Mexico. At 6200', the air is dry and clear, with springlike weather the year round. Think of Sante Fe without the extreme heat or snow.  And a LOT less expensive.  My research indicates that the Cost of Living is about 50% less than Austin. The city is a Unesco World Heritage Site,  and has been named by Conde Nast as the best cities in the world. The city has been a center for culture for centuries, as it was the crossroads of commerce between the nearby silver mines, where 30% of the worlds silver was produced, and the ports where the silver was exported to Spain. Google it, and you will immediately see its beauty, typified by the ever-present Parochia, the rich parochial church that got a disneyesque facelift in 1880).

This is our third trip.  Our first trip was sort of, "well that was cool".  Our second trip was "wow.  we could live here for 1/2 what we would pay in the USA and enjoy the expat lifestyle!".  Hence our third trip is "What would it to be like to live here?"   In short, that's where I failed.  I booked a couple of houses to rent that were reasonably priced,  which is hard to do since the town probably reaches its occupancy limit at Christmas-New Years,  and of course, we have Zorro, so that severely limited our choices.  But the houses were nothing like the homes we saw with our realtor,  so they didn't come close to approximating the life style we would enjoy as residents.  Very limited views, smaller spaces, crowded downtown environment, etc.   So the experiment was flawed. Thats my story.  And I'm sticking to it!.

Tomorrow, I will share what has transpired,   and what we learned.  Then I will talk about the good, bad and ugly of San Miguel de Allende.  But if you don't come back, remember this if you come to San Miguel:  DON'T EAT THE SALAD!

(sorry for the lack of Photo's,  Technical Difficulties!)

... on the road again, can't wait to get back on the ... well, you get the idea...

I can NOT believe it has been 5 full years since I grabbed a keyboard and just wrote about what the heck I'm up to.  Perhaps it just hasn't been worth writing about?  Or am I reduced to Facebook "likes" and "Check-ins"?   Or perhaps its just that my activities for the last 5 years have all been about life transitions I wasn't fully comfortable about talking about it in detail?

 Oh, we've been busy alright!  Let's see, in the last 5 years I (we) have

• Left IBM in 2010
• Started Calxeda, best job I ever had
• Watched Calxeda implode from lack of ... well,  thats another story
• Watched Kristin graduate from CSU,  first as an undergrad then as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (SO very proud!)
• Watched my Dad pass away unexpectedly from MRSA after 6 weeks in the ICU
• Did some consulting
• Did some diving (ok, a lot of diving) https://www.youtube.com/user/kfreund42
• Did some skiing
• Did some soul searching (still looking)
• Joined AMD
• Left AMD
• and stayed together with Lynne through it all (or, more accurately, she stayed with me?)

And now...   We are off to seek our future,  or  perhaps "create it" is more accurate!  Tomorrow we head for San Miguel de Allende for the Holidays.  We will use this time to explore, improve our Spanish,  eat (duh!), and try to envision what it could be like to retire in this lovely town high in the Mexican desert mountains, surrounded by culture and history and, yes, 10,000 other expatriates trying to do the same thing!

 Vamos a San Miguel! Hasta luego!

A new year, and new wanderings

I just finished my 3rd month of working in Little Green,  post Big Blue,  and I am still having a great time.  Much more importantly,  I feel I am starting to make a difference.   Calxeda is a small company with big dreams,  and it took a while for me to fully understand and appreciate the creativity and daring our company's founders and engineers possess.  These guys are really good,  but none of us are as powerful as the vision we share of changing the world of servers to be more 10 times more "green" than anything out there today.  More on what that means in a future posting!

For now,  I just wanted to reflect on the importance of the rare art of listening.  Like many other smart-asses, I often act like I know everything.  Especially when I have to fake it.  Coming into this job,  however,  the only thing I knew was:   I didn't know squat.  In the past,  I was the teacher, the leader, helping my teams win by sharing what I knew and had mastered (in my own mind, anyway!).   Now, I was surrounded by people who would forget more about this space (energy efficient computing design) than I would ever learn.  So I listened,  and asked a lot of questions.   Only then could I begin to add my modest contribution and help build the next step in the staircase.    The same is true in so many aspects of our lives, from my fledging yoga practice to just being a better Dad or Husband.  And it is such a great part of the journey!

Speaking of Journey's,  we return next week to BreckenFridge Co for a few days of skiing.  The forecast is for more snow and single digit temps.  BRRR!   Just for a week this time;  not the life-changing month in the summit we enjoyed last January.  (http://amonthinthesummit.blogspot.com) but it will be great to be back in the town and on the mountain I wish I could call home (part time, of course!).

Stay tuned for PIX!

Then, its off to meet more customers in Seattle, then in the Bay Area.   Where I plan to do a lot of listening!

Ciao for now!

Karl

Twas the night before Christmas, as written by a lawyer

I got this from an industry colleague (Nathan Brookwoood) and thought others might enjoy it!

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
in Legalese (Author unknown)

Whereas, on or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a certain improved piece of real property (hereinafter "the house") a general lack of stirring by all creatures therein, including, but not limited to, a mouse.

A variety of foot apparel, e.g., stocking, socks, etc., had been affixed by and around the chimney in said House in the hope and/or belief that St. Nick a/k/a/ St. Nicholas a/k/a/ Santa Claus (hereinafter "Claus") would arrive at some time thereafter. The minor residents, i.e. the children, of the aforementioned House were located in their individual beds and were engaged in nocturnal hallucinations, i.e. dreams, wherein visions of confectionery treats, including, but not limited to, candies, nuts and/or sugar plums, did dance, cavort and otherwise appear in said dreams.

Whereupon the party of the first part (sometimes hereinafter referred to as ("I"), being the joint-owner in fee simple of the House with the party of the second part (hereinafter "Mamma"), and said Mamma had retired for a sustained period of sleep. (At such time, the parties were clad in various forms of headgear, e.g., kerchief and cap.

Suddenly, and without prior notice or warning, there did occur upon the unimproved real property adjacent and appurtenant to said House, i.e., the lawn, a certain disruption of unknown nature, cause and/or circumstance. The party of the first part did immediately rush to a window in the House to investigate the cause of such disturbance.

At that time, the party of the first part did observe, with some degree of wonder and/or disbelief, a miniature sleigh (hereinafter "the Vehicle") being pulled and/or drawn very rapidly through the air by approximately eight (8) reindeer. The driver of the Vehicle appeared to be, and in fact was, the previously referenced Claus.

Said Claus was providing specific direction, instruction and guidance to the approximately eight (8) reindeer and specifically identified the animal co-conspirators by name: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen (hereinafter "the Deer"). (Upon information and belief, it is further asserted that an additional co- conspirator named "Rudolph" may have been involved.)

The party of the first part witnessed Claus, the Vehicle and the Deer intentionally and willfully trespass upon the roofs of several residences located adjacent to and in the vicinity of the House, and noted that the Vehicle was heavily laden with packages, toys and other items of unknown origin or nature. Suddenly, without prior invitation or permission, either express or implied, the Vehicle arrived at the House, and Claus entered said House via the chimney.

Said Claus was clad in a red fur suit, which was partially covered with residue from the chimney, and he carried a large sack containing a portion of the aforementioned packages, toys, and other unknown items. He was smoking what appeared to be tobacco in a small pipe in blatant violation of local ordinances and health regulations.

Claus did not speak, but immediately began to fill the stocking of the minor children, which hung adjacent to the chimney, with toys and other small gifts. (Said items constituting transfers to minors of present property under 26 U.S.C. 2503(c)).

Upon completion of such task, Claus touched the side of his nose and flew, rose and/or ascended up the chimney of the House to the roof here the Vehicle and Deer waited and/or served as "lookouts." Claus immediately departed for an unknown destination.

However, prior to the departure of the Vehicle, Deer and Claus from said House, the party of the first part did hear Claus state and/or exclaim: "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" Or words to that effect.x

Beyond thankful; I am in awe.

Ok, so this year has been a wild ride indeed. And it has been a year to be thankful for, like none other in my 55 years of life on this planet. Since now is that time of year where we all give thanks, and I am sitting by the pool with a glass of wine on a breezy 78 degree evening before Thanksgiving, revelling in the beauty of a fine Texas autumn, here i go....

It started by spending a whole month in Breckenridge, Co., which perhaps, looking back now, formed the catalyst for learning a new and enlightened perspective on life. Sometimes I go back and peek at my blog (http://amonthinthesummit.blogspot.com)and put myself back in that mindset, feeling free and very very happy to be alive. Remembering the deep contentment I felt every day, just being in the mountains and loving the atmosphere, in every sense of the word.  I am thankful for every minute of this experience, and being able to enjoy the experience with our family and friends.

Then it was back to the "real world", but with a new sense of self; not taking myself or my job too seriously, just doing the very best I could every day. And our loving daughter Kristin graduated Cum Laude from Colorado State University, where she continues to prepare herself for a career in Veterinarian Medicine.  To celebrate,  we travelled through Tuscany,  enjoying the amazing food, countryside, art, and history.

Throughout the year,  Lynne continued to develop her yoga practice, becoming stronger every day, physically and spiritually. And our relationship grew daily along with her practice, and I followed as best I could. Yoga has opened our eyes to an entirely new frontier of physical and spiritual growth.  I am thankful for my loving family,  and our teachers in life.

Back At work at IBM, it was time to deliver a huge and challenging product launch, and by all objective and subjective measures it was a great success. I travelled the world telling our story. I met some very interesting people, and visited cool places like Wimbledon (the women's semi-finals), the Porsche Museum, Chamonix,  and the testing labs of a famous Formula One design team in Switzerland.  I am thankful for all the great people I worked with and 10 good years at IBM.

In August,  we joined friends for a wonderful yoga retreat on the coast of Maine,  a great mix of food, yoga, and the beautiful coastline and fishing villages.

But back in Texas, my mom's health was failing, where my dear sister Jaqui was taking loving care of our Nanna. The end came quickly, while Lynne and I were with our friends in Maine. Of all the things for which I give thanks this season, I am most thankful for my mom, for all she taught me, and for who she helped me become. I am a product of her dreams, not just her DNA. And I give thanks for Jaqui, whose love for our Nanna approached biblical Job-like proportions.  Today,  on this day of thanks,  we will scatter her ashes on Lake Conroe,  and stand in awe the memories of her strength and love.

Now, that would be enough for any decent blog, but my year of change and growth still had some Twists and turns in store. I got a call from a dear friend and ex-boss, Per Larsen. Per introduced me to SmoothStone, a startup in austin developing low energy ARM based server chips. Now I make a lot less money, but have an immensely satisfying and fun job creating a new company from scratch. The sky is the limit. And the journey is the reward. And it is just beginning.

So, Happy Thanksgiving to All my friends and family. I love you all, and only hope that you rejoice in Thanks Giving for all the blessings life has bestowed on you this year!

I am beyond being merely thankful for all be blessings I enjoyed this year. I am in awe of the power of love, and the strength of the bonds and connections we create and nurture in this life.

Namaste.