Waiting to retire and an update on preparing for the trip

I promise not to drone on about this too much.  According to my Anroid app. it's 1 year, 5 months and 5 days until I retire (if all goes OK).  The upcoming trip is planned to give me a taste of the free life.  I will have about 30 days to imagine that work is a distant memory.

Meanwhile we are practicing the sort of frugality that we imagine will be required for financial success during retirement.  Karen has taken over the food purchasing, shopping at all sorts of discount places such as The Dollar Store and Aldi.  It's amazing how much one can save if the mind is made up and the whimsical purchase urges are suppressed.  I'm taking some comfort in how well this has gone so far.  Indeed, Karen is nothing short of amazing in her ability to bring home supplies for less.
The reason I am commenting on living expenses during retirement is that I think the idea of practicing retirement strategies while still enjoying the safety net of gainful employment can make for a much smoother transition to the retirement lifestyle.  We plan to have it mastered by the above date.

As for trip preparation: things are going along pretty well. After hoisting the motor and placing it in the motor well it was obvious that I still have a clearance problem with the cockpit hatch.  I have already raised the mount by 1/2 inch and added 1/2 inch to the rear of the mount. Easy solution: just shim the motor mount back another one-half inch and the door will clear.  As soon as that is done--sometime next week, I will install the new Lifeline 105 amp hour batteries and try out the fit of the Honda 1000 watt generator,   In this cockpit well goes the 2.5 hp Nissan short shaft for the dingy, the Honda generator and 2 gas cans.  Hope it all fits!

I'll be ready to post the complete food supply list in about another week.  So far I have about 45 Hormel completes packed away in one locker.  They are easy fast food for the times I can't take time to cook.  I just peel them back and eat them cold. Even cold they are quite tasty.
Just over thirty days until I leave.  I'll keep you posted.