The Missouri ROMEO's

If you're of a certain age, you know ROMEO stands for Retired Old Men Eating Out, and in the picture we're all at Denny's. To belong, you don't have to be retired, but it helps - those who have yet to "pull the pin" could retire but they're still supporting children in some cases, or not ready to spend the mornings with the wife.

We don't have a butcher, baker or candlestick maker, but we're still a diverse group. If we had anything in common, it would be love of country and concern for community. Our oldest (middle right) was a Marine in the Pacific during WW II.
He's a great guy who remembers combat and will never ride in a Japanese car. Our youngest is closest to the camera, and teaches high school (for just another two years, he says). The guys in plaid shirts allow me to join them Mondays to Thursday at Jack in the Box, but I have to wear plaid and blue jeans or they send me home to change. They're all retired, some more so than others - with our group it depends on how much you need to earn to help your kids, especially in this economy. That last guy on the right is like me - we can't decide whether we are a Floridian or Missourian, so have homes in both places. He tends to favor boating shirts, with the flap in the back - but he is always working so gets very little time on his boats. I hope to convince him to spend more leisure time, if only because I want a ride in his boat. I'm not naming names here to protect the innocent, but they're all guilty of being friends.

We came together over politics in the Wildwood, Missouri area. Wildwood is geographically huge, with 67 square miles of land, yet only 32,884 population. It is the third or fourth largest city in Missouri, and is home to 11 square miles of state and county parks, with a few city parks thrown in for good measure. The parks are nice, and the large raccoon population enjoys the smorgasbord around the trash containers. We also have a surfeit of deer - before we sold our 1/4 acre subdivision house lot, we had nine (9) of the critters eating the flowers at one time.
Being a suburb, you couldn't hunt deer (except with an SUV), so we learned not to put hosta plants where the deer could turn them into a salad bar.

When the town was formed, out of previously unincorporated County land, a number of folks were not happy with the group leading that charge. They came out from the city, and then tried to create city rules for folks living on this land for generations. I ran for office to oppose this group, and was adopted by the folks in the picture. I said we needed to think about change before rushing into it. After two successful runs for one of 16 council seats, I decided to go for Mayor and oppose the NIMBY crowd that moved in, then wanted to change everything. With the help of the ROMEO's, I prevailed and served as their Mayor from 2000 to 2004, at which time I retired from my full time (paying) job and moved to Florida. I couldn't leave completely, as I had children in the area, so we became gypsies, selling the 4 bedroom home and buying two 2-bedroom condos, one in Missouri and the other in Florida. Each summer and again during the Christmas holidays, we drive back to Missouri. I have fewer activities in Missouri, compared to Florida, but I have many friends whom I cherish and I break bread (or pancakes) each day with them.

Friends are precious, and the guys in the picture are true jewels. They make my current Missouri life a nice change of pace during the three or four months of my visits. May they all live long and prosper.