Wandering Money Pig - A journey of early retirement and FIRE (financial independence retire early)

  View from inside the Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art  Growing up in one of the world’s great cities, New York City, we New Yorkers sometimes feel a sense of entitlement and pride bordering on arrogance, that there is nowhere els e outside the confines of the city.  Of course, this isn’t true the minute you decide to venture outside this great city. When I first saw a map of the state, I couldn’t put my mind around the driving distances between the tip of Long Island (the farthest point on the eastern end of the state) to Niagara Falls (the farthest point on the northwestern end of the state).  That drive, at little over 500 miles, would represent around a 9 hour drive, if you don’t hit any traffic, which is an impossible task in the state and you don’t stop for fuel, food, or bathroom breaks. As a young man thinking of going places after just obtaining a driver’s license at the age of 16, I certainly knew I had my work cut out for me, trying to see some of the most popular attracti

  Dave Wenzel Tree House, Nay Aug Park, Scranton, PA When my wife and I (and our Pomeranian Toby) lived near the suburbs of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), one of our favorite pastimes was exploring the great outdoors with our dog.  Eastern Pennsylvania is blessed with beautiful lakes, serene rivers, rolling hills, famous Pocono Mountains, and tons of state/county/local parks everywhere in between. During a typical workweek, I would research potential locations to explore on the weekend.  It was, and still is (after early retirement), one of my favorite things to do.  Sometimes, researching a place to visit is arguably better than the actual trip.   It’s the thrill of the hunt, figuring out where our pack would hike or explore, that really got my blood pumping.  Like most worker bees, I lived for the weekend, thinking about visiting somewhere scenic outdoors so all of us can enjoy together, spending quality time together… We visited many great places during our time in the Keystone State