Because the folks next door have to pass through my space to get to theirs (until their door is fixed in the next few days) I've been reminded again how much I value my solitude. When I am alone, I want to be alone, and not subject to random intrusions. It's part of being a good neighbor, and they do invite me to their outrageous parties, so I will put up with it this time.

That link on "solitude" refers you to my other blog - the one on retirement planning, the non-financial aspects. I'd talked too much about it here, so I broke it out as a separate topic. Feel free to ignore it as well. I guess the next topic I should consider breaking out is "books." I'm currently making a list of stinkers. (Love that archaic word. Someone used it in an otherwise bad novel and I've picked it up.)

Trouble is, if I move major topics out of here and only talk about naked chix and erotic photography, then I'll find I don't have all that much to say anymore.

This is Cynnamon inspecting a bound Angela. That was a hot photoshoot. Jeez, I can't believe they allowed me in the same room with them. Those girls will be coming down to San Diego in late July for more photography with me and others in the area. You can not believe how much fun I've had photographing and playing with these girls.

The New York Times just published a list of books that writers are reading this summer. I think writers read for the same reasons other people do and in fact started writing because they enjoyed reading. Anyway I've printed the list out and will be stocking up on yet more books in the near future. Reading is one of my greatest pleasures.

I can see myself retired, appearing daily at a local cafe and settling into a comfortable chair with good light, paying the chair's rent by buying coffee once in awhile, and spending every day there with my short stack of current reading. It would have to be the sort of place that accepts eccentrics, which means it will not be a chain retail coffee store. And it will have to have been designed by someone who didn't pick the furniture to encourage quick customer turn-around.

I know this conflicts completely with the Airstream Trailer version of retirement that was yesterday's daydream, but I don't have to actually pick one thing yet. Or ever.

These girls are, of course, Cynn (on top) and Angela. A digital snapshot with Cynn's camera. In Newfoundland last March.

A photographer friend and I had breakfast this morning at Java Jones, downtown. He's becoming more and more of a nomad, living out of his VW camper and traveling around the U.S. He just got back from the jazz festival in New Orleans. As one of my options after I retire is to do about that sort of thing we talked about the options and I mentioned the Airstream trailers. He seemed enthusiastic about them, no doubt because they have bathrooms, where his camper doesn't. He also raved on about quality, etc. In any case, it's nice to talk to someone who doesn't think I'm crazy for considering this as a reasonable thing to do.

Of course I now have to also consider a VW camper as an option, with occasional motel visits interspersed to do laundry and shower.

Let's see...these ladies are Trish and Mariah.

So I've spent time looking at St. Paul, Minnesota lately. For retirement. I don't know why I overlooked it before, but my guess is they are used to being overlooked. Lots of great condo-ized old buildings, lots of wonderful old houses. Prices are reasonable - not Duluth cheap, but not San Diego expensive either. A friend told me that St. Paul probably is more my style than Minneapolis, and from what I've learned surfing, she's probably right.

So now I've gone from Amarillo, Texas, to Duluth to St. Paul as the probably location of the next phase of my life. Or I could just stay here in my warehouse (un-condo-ized). But the critical date keeps getting closer every day and I'm looking forward to it.

Cynnamon and Angela, fooling around in Newfoundland in March.

Today I've been giving a lot of thought to the studio I would build if, once I retire, everything comes together perfectly. It would be a daylight studio, depending on regulation of north window light for as much of the work as possible. The north window and any others would be regulated by opaque curtains allowing the use of light modifiers for fill or other lighting effects. The studio itself would be about 20x30 feet, with a 14-foot ceiling. I'd like a light hardwood floor and plenty of electrical outlets and a rollabout camera stand for the 8x10 view camera I imagine myself using for most work (though 4x5 reducing backs could also be handy). Backgrounds would be exclusively 140-inch paper.

Behind the primary shooting position would be a door to the fully-equipped darkroom where I can develop and print to 20x24 inches or larger. It would be completely temperature controlled with air filtration and music. Included somewhere would be the wardrobe/changing/makeup room and a nicely furnished bathroom kept spotlessly clean by someone other than me. With a hot tub for those after-shoot joint therapy sessions.

Windows would be double-paned to keep out Minnesota winters and there would be central heating with humidity control to prevent those nasty rock-solid boogers that dry heat creates. (Note - my spell-checker doesn't recognize "boogers" and wants to substitute "bookers." Maybe it has a point.)

This is Candy all trussed up. It may look so über-creative to have her all slanty like that, but with the lens on the camera and the distance to the subject, it was the only way I could get her in full length and have me in the picture as well.

I ran into my old boss while out walking yesterday. He's looking healthy and happy after retiring last year, as he planned it well by starting some volunteer work and getting involved progressivly. We, of course, talked about retirement.

There are only three things that concern me: Health care, what to do with my time, and money. Health care and money are going to be fine. But what to do with my time is serious. Some have suggested that I expand the photography involvement, but I am happy with the current density - about one photoshoot a month. Maybe another genre and re-establishment of my darkroom would bring the interest back. Other things that are attractive are motorcycle and other travel, volunteer work (I've even thought about the Peace Corps, but was told along time back that because of some of the work I did in the military I won't be allowed in), interesting employment doing things I've never done before and other hobbies including woodworking.

But I have almost six years to consider these things and about four to start implementing some of them, so I'm not going to get too concerned right now.

Angela probably doesn't much like this picture because it shows a poochy little belly, but I think it's cute.

No more politics for two years. That's good news. That will be two years closer to retirement for me. And that seems to be how I gauge everything these days. I buy a car and make sure it'll be paid off before that magic date. I'm out walking (fast and far - I'm a former Marine after all) so if I'm going to have a heart attack, it will happen while I'm employed and insured. I'm cleaning up random debt so it won't burden me once I pack up and leave San Diego.

This is a funny time of life for me. I've gone through the phases of kidness, college, military, industry, marriage, raising kids, divorce, more industry and am looking toward something that's unknown and a little scary. Never in my life have I had unlimited free time AND adequate money at the same time. And there's no way I can fill the time with photography or motorcycles or reading or all of the things I do now all put together. So I'll have to find something else to do.

That sort of brings things down to a job, volunteer work or a very time-consuming hobby. The benefits of a job include forced interaction with human beings. That's actually a good thing. The benefits of volunteering include the same thing along with a feeling of contributing. I've done that for years, but frankly didn't much enjoy it. Extending my photography back into some serious darkroom work really gets me excited.

As I've mentioned before, my darkroom disappeared in a lease dispute, so I don't have one now. I do have all the stuff, but it's packed and stored. And while it's a shame to keep all the negatives packed up for the next six years, that might be what I do. The next place must have space and plumbing for a serious darkroom where I'll want to spend time working with light and paper and silver and fixer. Air conditioning and heating and dust filtration and music. And a refrigerator with the light bulb removed.

And I'd love to be able to make huge silver prints, too. 20x24 and larger. And permanently set up my framing tools in a shop close by so I could frame the prints and hang them in my voluminous gallery.

OK, it sorta drifts into fantasy at some point, but right now it's a nice fantasy.

Lapis, photographed doing herself in my hotel room in Chicago last summer. She came prepared and was completely successful.