Carey Mitchell

I finally retired at 70 (read, traded for a cheaper model), and started a little consulting company the next day. After college, majors in chemistry and business, and a few years with uncle sam's army, I worked in the carpet and flooring manufacturing industry for 45 years in technical management functions.

Ten years into retirement, I'm finally getting the hang of it. Not having to be at work earlier than everyone else; no coat and tie; no watch; no pen in my pocket. Jeans or shorts every day ! A beer while working. No meetings to rush to, go only to those I like. No racing to the airport. Spend time only with people I like. Lean back and close my eyes anytime. Only answer calls from friends. Only take on projects I think are interesting, or ordered by the lady upstairs............ But I still miss the people I worked with all those years, many already passed away. One piece of my business is a small federal contract where I audit laboratories, 2-3 times per year; this keeps my hands in the industry. I also do some expert witness work. I still get together with a dozen high school buddies for lunch most months - 65 years and we're still tight.

My time now is divided between woodworking, my little consulting business, volunteer work, fly fishing and the grandchildren, who we don't see much since they grew up. A Trout Unlimited member for over 40 years. Last year, I joined with a group, VeteransFlyfishing.org, that offers a free day of flyfishing on trophy managed water, to any veteran. We furnish all equipment, tutorials, a free lunch and a personal certified guide for each vet; I am one of the certified guides. I haven't seen anyone leave without a smile yet, and I have seen tears of happiness more than once.

Five years ago. we moved from Dalton, GA to a new house in a retirement community (AKA; the Wrinkle Ranch), in Canton, Ga. I now have a full basement which houses the new shop; plus a large bedroom, a 24x34 "something" room, which contains my desk, a large entertainment center with a TV (which I don't watch), large bookcase with about 450 books, couch, daybed for the grandson, and my recliner - I can spend the entire day down here and out of the way of the lady upstairs. And a patio outside the door, where I sit and read in the evenings with something from the little frige. The shop is much larger than its predecessor. This time a 9 foot ceiling! Unlike the previous shop, I have heat and AC, plus a bathroom. And a utility sink in the shop to support the coffee pot! And a small refrigerator.

I'm doing more with hand tools and using antiques as much as possible. Some inherited from my great grandfather. I do some repairs on the antiques in a historic site which dates to 1804. My goals are to push my abilities as far as possible, learning all the time. My current interest is 18th century furniture.