It's been almost a decade since my mother passed away from ovarian cancer. A decade since my dad lost his life partner. My mother was the social one in their relationship. She's the one who planned family outings/activities. She did a great job keeping us in touch with family and friends. When she died, there was MASSIVE void in our lives...especially my Dad's life. My mother did all the cooking, cleaning, organizing...so my Dad had to figure out how to be independent after she was gone.
A few years ago, my Dad discovered an overseas travel group and signed up for his first solo trip. The trips are usually three to four weeks long...and they're made up of mostly seniors. He met new people from all over the U-S and the world. He has continued to take trips with the travel group, year after year. In the past five years, he has been to over a dozen countries and multiple continents. He has done scuba diving, white water rafting and zip lining in exotic locations.
My Dad finally retired this January. At 77-years old, he's currently on this latest adventure. For the next few weeks, he'll be visiting cities in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. He's been checking in with us every couple of days with a call...and he's also been sharing pics. My sister and I always get a kick out of seeing how much fun he's having.
For example...here are a few pics he sent us while he's in Brazil...