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

  Pomerleau Park, Newport, VT The state of Vermont was one of our favorite places to visit, thanks to our love of skiing.  We fell in love with the state after our first trip to Killington, in March of 1998.  We remember the epic drive from New York City via I-87 (NY State Thruway), on to local roads, VT Route 4 and then to VT Route 100 .   There was snow everywhere, and we didn’t have an AWD (All Wheel Drive) vehicle.  We took a Toyota Camry, a front wheel drive vehicle to a land where AWD Subarus rule.  We wondered on that first trip why there were so many of those vehicles out there, then we understood very quickly. The scenery was something out of Europe, with mountains that seem to jut out from everywhere.  Snow was falling down, covering everything in white.  We remember the majestic snow capped mountains, the snow covered houses, and snow covered cars vividly during that drive. I had to keep speed to a steady 30 mph or so, so as not to slip & slide on those country roads.

  Borgata, New Jersey As I write this post sitting on a comfortable sofa at the Fiore Suite at the Borgata Hotel & Casino , the wind is howling, making those same windows to flap at times, while the heavy rain is pattering the floor to ceiling windows.  It’s a bit scary, but it’s also incredibly exciting to be staying indoors in the comforts of this beautiful hotel. The remnants of Hurricane Ian is dumping several inches of rain in the Atlantic City area, where the Borgata is located.  In all my hotel stays at any casino, I’ve not had a stay quite like this.  All through out the night, rain kept coming down, as if the heavens decided to dump all of its yearly rainfall, seemingly on this one day! My wife and I briefly worried about losing power and whether or not the windows would stay intact, but luckily everything is still good.  I woke up couple of times during the night thanks to the winds hitting the windows then shaking it, as if trying to break them.  It was certainly a me