During the 1970s and 1980s, Colleen and I had a great time traveling, camping, fishing, boating, family picnics, fish frys, and parties. Our children, Sue and Dennis, both lived in Dubuque with their families. This gave Colleen and I plenty of opportunities to see them and our five grandsons.

The 1990s brought gambling to Iowa. In 1992, my brother-in-law and I decided to become investors in the gambling boat that was coming to Dubuque. We both enjoyed gambling and thought it would be a wonderful investment opportunity. This venture was very shaky for awhile. It wasn't until 1994 that the boat we invested in finally arrived to the Dubuque Ice Harbor. It was a small boat, but we were now in business! We named the boat the "Diamond Jo." We operated this boat for approximately two years before selling it to other investors. At that time we decided to go deeper into debt and purchased a much larger gambling boat which we also named "Diamond Jo." The new floating casino was a great addition to the Dubuque community and turned out to be a fantastic investment.

During these golden years, all has not been so wonderful. I've lost some of my loved ones including my brother Donald, my mother Bena, and my good friend and brother-in-law Chuck. In July of 2004, I lost the love of my life, my wife Colleen, to Alzheimer disease.

Although there has been some sadness during these retirement years, I still have a lot of fun, plenty of friends, and see my family frequently. My son-in-law and I are both Masons and members of Warren Lodge Number 4 in Potosi, Wisconsin, where we have both served as Worshipful Master.

I was for a while very active with hunting and fishing. However, in 2003, I decided it was time to call it quits. My oldest grandson still tries to coax me to go turkey hunting each season.

I still enjoy playing cards and having a cold one from time to time. You'll find me playing some pinochle and euchre frequently with friends, as well as some black jack on the Diamond Jo. Life overall is pretty good!