About me Hi there, my name is Bob, I'm 3 years widowed, & thinking it's about time to start living again. There is a lot to read here because I'm really trying to make this thingy work & the more you know about me the better the chances are that you'll try a little harder to get to know me. Please don't just skim - the better/more you know about me the less likely you are to waste your precious time. First item: I'm a wee bit younger than my pro-file says, (for security reasons). I'm just a (70+) retired blue-collar working-class guy with LOTS of interests (mainly intellectual at this point) - health nut I'm not, though I eat well. JUST TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR !!! •I am not an exercise freak, I do not "enjoy going for long walks", running marathons, climbing Machu Picchu, hiking the Himalayas, or chasing some bucket list & trying to travel globally before cashing out. I'm NOT that guy - just move on now - bin dere/dun dat. •I am now a book nerd who wore his body down to the nub - including a heart attack in 2006 - after more than a half-century of strenuous physical construction work. •I don't consider myself an "Adonis". I was easy on the eyes when I was younger & still don't look like I've got 1 foot in the grave, albeit I could stand to lose 20-30 lbs. More boat time & less computer time would help a great deal but widowhood has worked against me because I'm now more sedate, not the workout-warrior type. After dying in 2006 I'm done burning 3 ends of the candle 24/7/365 & tempting fate. •Mostly I split my time reading books, watching movies, & TV shows, & reading news of the world every day on my computer. Everyone has different passions, such as art, sports, music, family & faith, & I love to explore them all. I don't like early mornings, I like to take naps at odd times just because I can, & sometimes I go 24-36 hours straight watching TV shows, movies, & reading anything that catches my attention. I'm not your typical guy - up & down with the sun - I go to sleep at any time of the day or night, whenever I finally tire of fighting off sleep. I live life at my pace, & will try to live it on your schedule if that is necessary, as much as possible. At this stage of life I have lived enough for 3 people & find infinitely more pleasure in being thankful I woke up AGAIN, slowing down & marveling at the miracle that is life all around me, & treasuring each day as if it were my last. I do smoke, so if that's a turn off, oh well... [shrug]....again, move on & don't waste your time. I don't drink much but do have an appreciation for sipping German whites (over 100 bottles in the cellar - as old as the early 2000s), my occasional world-class Virgin Mary, or a dark/bock beer (Fin du Monde or Leinenkugel Dark Lager). I inhale a little 4/20 or eat a gummy now & then (with my physician's awareness) mostly for osteoarthritis pain, but getting a buzz is fine too since I really don't drink. Secondus: I'm not shelling out the bux to buy a membership here but I'm more than willing to converse with you, if you make the effort. Call me on my landline - I'm ALWAYS willing to chat for however long you want. (six . zéro . huit) deux . deux . quatre - zéro . un . deux . trois. ALWAYS remember your own safety & security, dial *67 before calling me to block caller ID & prevent reverse look-ups that can reveal your address. (Just a common sense precaution you should ALWAYS use, not just for me.) PLEASE DO NOT ask me to download apps like Signal, Telegrift, or WazzApp because you suggest they are "easier to communicate with". I don't use a cell phone, I have a "dumb" landline that only shows caller ID & cannot "do" apps - which explains why I can only use 2 dating sites from my PC. If we're going to talk & get to know one another it'll have to be vocally, not some funky text messaging "app". I've built & programmed about 60 computers but REALLY do not like cell phones. Personally, I prefer to interact in-person & am good for picking up the tab on a first date with ZERO expectations. If you contact me here, I will always give you my telephone numero right away (see above). What you decide to do with it is entirely up to you but I encourage you to be bold enough to take that 1st step toward finding a new companion - even if only to get a free boat ride. LOL Troisième: I'm deadly serious about wanting to start a new relationship with a woman near Madison, WI or willing to relocate here IF... ***Stress Point*** IF...the relationship DEVELOPS ENOUGH TO WARRANT MOVING HERE, with me, into my house/home (it ain't much but it's all mine) - or at least nearby enough to see each other on the regular. I own my 3 bedroom house & am open to a woman companion moving in if we find ourselves compatible - but selling & moving to her is probably not in the cards for a few years yet. (It's do-able, if somebody buys me out for an obscene $500k.) Moving, for me, would be very complicated - I'd have to sell the house, probably the boat & truck, uproot my 2 sons who are living here for the moment, & leave behind the one male true friend I've managed to keep for decades. I absolutely love boating & fishing, but it's kind of a "group activity" & not so much fun all by myself now. I own a 22' comfortable cuddy cabin I/O boat & love spending weekends on the water in it. It was my wife's & my favorite pastime, lazy fishing over the side while she read a book, being rocked to sleep by the waves at night, & putt-putting to breakfast at 1 of the restaurants on the 4 lakes here. If you like the idea of getting away for a couple days, make the effort to come visit (even bring a girlfriend/guardian if you like), join me on my boat (weather permitting) & "veg out" with a little wine, cheese, & music (maybe even a meal of fresh fish). The boat sleeps 3 - 2 in the cuddy & 1 on the foldout passenger seat - & I live a block off the water. I'm Agnostic by design but don't mind folks who have a religion, as long as they aren't going around proselytizing. I do think "Karma" seems to be a real thing. I do not like pious religiosity, hypocrisy, lying, greed & avariciousness. I knew only 1 man in 70 years who lived his religious (Catholic) tenets - the pious rest were all some of the worst human beings I have ever met. I don't do "complex", have never felt the need to "get rich", (albeit before grievous medical setbacks to my wife & my heart attack, we were millionaires at one point) & am uncomfortable with those who possess those attributes too deeply. I'm not "rich" but I have a sustainable enough income to support a couple (& my 2 sons who've moved in for a while) in fiscally responsible perpetuity & security. I have 2 grown sons who moved back in - the elder (48), has a good job & moved back when my wife became ill. The younger (45) has gone back to school (paralegal) for a couple years so he's living with me now too. I'm not adverse to a woman who has older children (pre-teen+) but babies are out of my bailiwick. I like visiting museums & riding on steam trains & will drive/fly long distances to do so. Last year the eldest & I flew to Colorado to ride 3 steam trains. Politically, I describe myself as a Socialist-Libertarian with liberal cultural values & fiscally conservative tendencies - but these days I'm not nearly as intense about any of it as I was as a younger man. I can take care of myself & do not "need" someone to take care of me. I am well-read & capable of figuring out & fixing anything by myself. What I DO seriously want is a broadly open-minded woman to become friends with & do things with regularly; beyond that I have no expectations. If intimacy develops, that good, if not, that's okay too. I got lucky once, which is more than many ever get. A woman WAaAY out of my league adopted me for her very own (still don't understand why) so I remain optimistic that lightning can strike twice in my lifetime. I have a desire to love someone, or at least have a close friendship with abiding affection for that person. I miss having someone special in my life to care about & for. A long-distance relationship just won't cut it for long, I like the physical touches (don't worry about the $3x part, I'm not necessarily asking for that if you are not interested). It's the daily little trips & adventures, the taps, the hugs, the holding hands, that lift the heart. If you can just "BE" & be loved, & if you can stand looking at me without saying "EWWWWW !!!", then take the initiative, reach out, & I'll do my best to work on a relationship - first by phone, then if it's comfortable & secure enough, finally in person somewhere public. Messages & emails just don't cut it for long. Dating - on to the physical stuff that women seem to worry overly much about; I am superficial & have an eye for beauty, but what I find beautiful isn't the typical "girl-next-door" or All-American Christie Brinkley blonde. I am attracted to taller women (5'•7"+) because I would declare that I am a "leg man". (Secret knowledge - men classify amongst themselves as identifying with the feature of a woman that most attracts them.) I understand beauty is more of a concern for a woman's self-image but I have some non-traditional views of what is attractive - i.e. less California Barbie & more Popeye's Olive Oyl. I "PREFER" taller women with black/red/deep auburn hair & aquiline noses having a Mediterranean/Slavic "affect" - (think Cher/Minnie Driver) - but find tall blondes like Christine Baranski very attractive too. Many women identify too much with the Hollyweird pert-nosed stylized version of American beauty, but I have always found myself in the Mediterranean camp, where Aquiline noses were the standard of beauty for thousands of years. MORE importantly, a face that shows life lived & experienced, is something that I look for 1st. I don't have a preferred body "type", as long as a woman wears hers with confidence. BUT...... ....those are ONLY preferences, NONE are exclusive of anyone who doesn't happen to look that way. I can find something attractive about almost any woman. To me, women themselves are an art form as worthy of viewing with adoration as any painting in a museum. What you were or did before me just doesn't matter, only the future does. I would prefer to find a woman who is content to putter around the house & yard, go out to a restaurant & a movie occasionally, do some shopping once in a while, & occasionally pile into the car/plane for a road trip to museums, zoos, or other "scenic" things at a nice leisurely pace. The only "strenuous" activity I look forward to is launching my boat & drowning worms & minnows over the side. The big question, for me, is; can a beautiful woman, who is clearly out of my league, actually WANT to spend time with someone who doesn't fit the mass-lot of qualities almost all of the women's pro-files on dating sites say they are looking for (healthy, active lifestyle, kind, attentive, loyal, honest, faithful, "financially secure" - blah blah blah). If they want all that, they sure better have a lot more to offer than being divorced with a pack of kids living at home & barely retaining a smidgen of model-like looks they might have once had at age 21 - like being filthy rich, the personality of Mother Theresa, & the $3x drive of a non-existent bimbomaniac (censor again) - not be delusional enough to overlook the fact that any man with all those qualities likely doesn't ACTUALLY behave in a monogamous manner. We're OLD, people, & we're looking for companionship/love - our "Person" - not some Disneyland fairy tale. If you think you can find it on the interweebz, you bought the wrong book. Lastly, 2 things; 1.) I love to laugh & will spend inordinate amounts of time trying to make you laugh too. 2.) If you aren't willing to put in the effort no relationship is ever going to work. I am now ready & willing to open my heart again for another woman - i.e. I am "emotionally available" & will move heaven & earth - short of unacceptable behavior - to find that someone special. I am a 3rd year widower still recovering from the grieving process after losing the one & only love of my life (so far) & co-dependent partner of 18,910 days. It was literally love at 1st sight for both of us & we were stuck on each other like glue, for good. I'm not looking for a replacement exactly, that would be both impossible & unfair to place those expectations on another woman - but I am looking for a new "companion" to share moments of life with at a minimum - & maybe, just maybe, lightning will strike a 2nd time for me. As for "what kind of woman" I'm looking for, that's the fun part - you just be you & I get the thrill of discovering who & what you are about. If you are adventurous, like me, finding out who & what I'm about should be fun for you too. Life is filled with unknowns, that's the best part about it, in my opinion. At just under 18 the LAST thing I EVER expected was to meet a woman (girl, then) that I would instantly fall so deeply in love with before I knew what hit me. Trust in the universe to provide that lightning strike & embrace it fully when it comes. Don't waste 5 years fighting the impossible, like I did, before finally realizing just how lucky you've gotten. My recently departed re-made me into who I am as a person & most likely was the only person I ever met who had the patience & love to get the job done - even though it took a half century to "fix" me. Thank the lucky stars she did, because these days I'm now a bit of a unicorn when it comes to finding a decent companion with most of those positive qualities. I offer kindness, devotion, interest & attention, & exclusivity of my affections, to a woman seeking those qualities. Tell me what you want, what you need, & we will assess together whether I can provide those things. I've never really liked being a 1-night-stand kinda guy. Won't turn you down, if that's what you need, but I'd rather not go down that road. If you are unseemly rich, or poor as a church mouse, I'm a fun date - at least that much I can try to be, no matter who or what you are about. That about wraps me up & apologies for being so long-winded (2,684 words), but knowledge is power & knowing more about me empowers a woman to make better/faster decisions about having a relationship with me.