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Retired and Happy in The 90's |
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What a difference in our lives once we had retired! That first trip to Florida, we had rented a 2 bedroom house in Hollywood, just outside Fort Lauderdale as we were only staying for 6 weeks.
But that trip was just the first of five annual escapes from the cold snowy Canadian weather. We would leave around the first week in November and return by the end of April. We had rented a one bedroom apartment right in Fort Lauderdale and furnished it with all new furniture. It meant paying rent year round, but it was still cheaper than paying high-seasonal rates in other accomodation.
As you will notice in the pictures of that time, my asthma had acted up and I was on heavy doses of prednisone causing a great deal of face and body swelling. That, on top of already having a weight problem did little for me healthwise nor my appearance. You will also note, that Holly was never very far away from us no matter where we went. |
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Our new Florida Apartment |
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Our Closest Friends, Pierre and Brian visit from Toronto |
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Holly saying 'Hello" to the waiter at 'The Bus Stop"
one of the many Gay bars in Fort Lauderdale |
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Myself, Brian and Ron on the Patio |
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At our favoriteGay Bar
'Bill's Filling Station' |
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Meanwhile our summers were spent at our home on the lake. Talk about having the best of both worlds. Our time there was spent with gardening, boating, fishing and entertaining friends and relatives who all loved to come up to escape the city. |
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Pierre |
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Bill |
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Ron on the right with the Gang from The Bay where he used to work |
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Celebrating Ron's 60th birthday
with friends from Ontario |
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Meanwhile, our six month escapes from our cold winters had to come to an end. The exchange rate on the Canadian dollar had dropped so low, that we just couldn't afford it any more. We decided to try to stick it our at our dream home on the lake, but after one winter, we knew we had to make a move. Our friends could not come to visit as often. With Ron's bad back and my arthritis, we could no longer crawl under the house when the water lines froze etc. We were 30 miles from our doctor and the hospital, and that was making us nervous. So we sold the house in May '99 and bought our new home in the city of Peterborough, Ontario. |
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Our New Home |
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Of course, the 90's were not all fun and games. Ron lost his Dad, Noel, in Dec '90. I had to say farewell to my dear Mom in Oct '93 and my Dad on Christmas Eve '95. In Nov 93, my first lover, Don, passed away just a few days before his 40th birthday from liver and kidney failure from excessive drinking. As you have probably noticed by the pictures, although Don had gone on to other things, we were still close and his death was like losing a very important part of my life.
Believe me - It Hurt! |
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HOME |
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On to The New Millenium |
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The Last picture I have of my Parents |
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HOME |
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