When folks at Blue Skies of Texas meet for happy hour at Cochran’s Bistro, there’s usually some friendly competition around who can tell the most impressive stories. That’s because so many residents of our dynamic senior living community in San Antonio can claim accomplishments like serving our country, enriching their communities, and traveling to every corner of the globe.
Larry and Jimmy are two adventurous seniors with a lifetime of tales to share. Larry spent more than two decades as a merchant marine, while Jimmy, who claims to have jet fuel in her veins, found her passion as a flight attendant. And while this extraordinary couple technically moved to Blue Skies in 2022, they didn’t actually sleep in their well-appointed independent living apartment until after they returned from a nine-month journey around the world.
Changing Plans and a Smooth Move to Blue Skies of Texas Senior Living Community
After retirement, Larry and Jimmy made their “home” in a 45-foot sailboat before heading to dry land in Houston. When the time came to find a retirement community, Blue Skies of Texas checked all the boxes. “Blue Skies was highly rated by Newsweek, offered the best value, and truly felt like a place where service was second to none,” Larry says.
Moving to a retirement community is a big undertaking under normal circumstances, but Jimmy and Larry faced one unexpected challenge. “Thanks to COVID-19, we ended up with nearly nine months’ worth of postponed travel arrangements and it was time to ‘use them or lose them,’” Larry explains. “We couldn’t ask the neighbors to water our plants for months on end, so we decided to sell our home, put all of our stuff into storage and move into Blue Skies after we returned.”
But Larry and Jimmy were in for a pleasant surprise. The Blue Skies relocation team informed them that one of our community’s spacious two-bedroom independent living apartments had just opened up. That meant the couple’s new home, together with their belongings, would be waiting for them when they were finished touring the globe.
“They were so accommodating,” Jimmy says. “As a former flight attendant, I appreciated having a place to land before we took off.”
Retirement Travel Means Embracing Flexibility
A quick look at Larry and Jimmy’s itinerary confirms that they’re a perfect match for our community of adventurous seniors. Their round-the-world odyssey took them to five separate continents, including Antarctica. And like many Blue Skies residents, they try to be travelers, not just tourists.
“When we visited Africa, we didn’t want to simply watch lions and giraffes for a couple of days,” Larry explains. “So we spent a month on the continent, visiting native villages and getting a sense of the real Africa.”
“Later, we rented a flat in Bath, England, for several weeks because the best way to learn about a country is to live there,” Jimmy adds. “Plus, it was easy to jump in the car for a day trip to places like Oxford, Cambridge, Salisbury and Stonehenge.”
As you might guess, a trip of this magnitude came with a few surprises, and one of the most memorable took place at the Buenos Aires airport. Jimmy and Larry had just returned from a weekend excursion at Iguazu Falls, when fate almost made them miss their cruise ship.
“Normally, it’s about 30 minutes from the airport to the Port of Buenos Aires, but Argentina had just won the FIFA World Cup and there were about five million cheering fans between us and our ship,” Larry laughs. “Even worse, the whole city shut down in celebration.”
“We were literally the last people to board that ship,” Jimmy adds. “They were about to pull up the gangway when we ran aboard.”
Expanding Their Horizons Doesn’t Always Require a Boarding Pass
Now that Larry and Jimmy have settled in at Blue Skies retirement community in San Antonio, they’re filling their days with good friends and engaging activities with their fellow seniors. Larry, an avid reader, started a monthly book club, and both he and Jimmy have discovered they have lots in common with the neighbors they greet on the elevators each day.
“We also have a fairly large apartment, which comes with an obligation to throw a party or two,” Larry says. “So a few months after we moved in, we hosted a Christmas open house that drew more than 50 people. Everybody had a blast, even if a few folks had a hard time finding a seat.”
Jimmy adds: “It’s like a cruise ship on land because I can attend yoga and tai chi classes and choose from a ton of activities, but I never feel like I’m rushing to get somewhere,” Jimmy says. “And thanks to the transportation services here, we’ve seen more concerts—and attended more ball games—than we did when we lived in Houston.”
While the pair love waking up in their roomy independent living apartment, they still spend lots of time researching senior-friendly world travel destinations. So you probably won’t be surprised to learn that Larry and Jimmy are planning to get their passports stamped again soon. “Next year, we’re going to Ireland and Turkey with some friends we met at Blue Skies,” Larry says. “It’s great that we can just ‘lock and leave’ without worrying about our home while we’re away.”
And if the time should come when they have to seek excitement closer to home, Larry and Jimmy aren’t worried. “We’re establishing a life at Blue Skies, so if something happens to one of us, we won’t need to move. We’re in good hands right here,” Jimmy says. “It’s such a gift—not just for us, but for our kids as well.”
What Will Your Retirement Adventure Be?
Whether you find fulfillment in travel, sports, volunteerism or any other worthwhile pursuit, you’ll fit right in at Blue Skies of Texas senior living community in San Antonio. All it takes is a zest for life and a passion for getting the most out of every day.
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