Hi, I’m Scott Rabideau.
I have had a great run in life. After a tumultuous period in my early 20s, I met the love of my life, settled down, had a couple of kids, worked pretty hard, and finally had the opportunity to retire in 2025.
In my view, retirement is simply the start of a new phase in your life — a new journey, if you will. Sure, there are limitations that come with age, but if you accept them and work within those limitations, you can find exciting opportunities that were never available during your working years.
In his 2019 book, The Second Mountain, David Brooks, an opinion columnist for The New York Times, took a deep dive into the various paths that you can take in the final chapter of your life.
Without getting too deep into the book’s philosophy, his point is that most people climb their “First Mountain” during the majority of their life. A good education, a good job, a family, a home, and a successful career are all a part of the primary conquest. But once you’ve succeeded and are at the point of retirement, you stand back and say to yourself, “Is that all there is?”
Now that I don’t have the pressures associated with climbing that first mountain, I’m able to look towards the so-called “Second Mountain” on the horizon, and frankly, I cannot wait to start a climb that is free of those burdens.
So that’s what this website will be all about: My personal journey climbing the Second Mountain. I intend to explore places, themes, and activities that interest me and, hopefully, you’ll find some of my exploits interesting as well.
In today’s society, most people would simply post a video or a few pictures of a day’s activities on some social media platform, but I’ve chosen a more curated and disciplined approach. (I’ve never had a Facebook, and I don’t plan to start now!
Visiting this website provides you with the opportunity to read about my jaunts and road trips to unusual places throughout New England, see how I try to master the art and craft of stone walling, and experience the trials and tribulations of a hobby farmer. I may even throw in some stories about volunteering as a Little League umpire!
Enjoy your visit, and I hope you keep checking in.
My Latest Posts
- ‘The Road Scott Traveled’
This winter, my wandering mind came up with a fun idea for my retirement: to bring back the concept of road tripping without using an interstate highway. And to truly bring it back in time: No map apps or even mobile phones will be used for the trip. Paper maps only.
Scott Rabideau 