Pete Croteau sees the whiteboard in his garage every day. “Porch plants … Swing bolts … Slider …” He and his wife, Lisa, moved into their Reynolds home for good after Pete retired from a 36-year military career in 2018. Now he has his todo list. “We’re products of hard-working Vermonters,” says Pete. Secretaries, appliance salesmen, police officers. “We worked hard to get to where we wanted to be.” Lisa finishes the thought. “This is it.”
[Lisa] We thought moving here was wishful thinking. We visited a few times because it was such a great place to vacation. We had the best sleeping nights of our lives, away from traffic and noise. It’s hard to believe we call this home.
It reminds us of where we grew up. You go to the hardware store and get help from someone who knows your name. At the grocery store you make time to talk to people — because someone you know will be there. You go see people in the neighborhood instead of texting them. Everyone is as glad to be here as we are.
[Pete] I’ll never forget what a boss said: “Retire not from something, but to something.” We’ve certainly done that. There’s so much here — the gym, the trails,the golf. Tonight we’ll have dinner with friends. Tomorrow we’ll walk down to the marina and take a boat out.
We still have plans to travel. Next is probably a trip to visit friends in New Zealand and Australia. One reason we’re considering it is because the airport in Atlanta is so convenient.
[Lisa] Pete’s “that guy on the bicycle.” When I need the car, he tows his golf clubs behind his bike. He wouldn’t be doing that in many other places. We wouldn’t be living like this in many other places.
