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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
SB-Finito: Part 4- Lori!!
The last 4 Newsletters have summed up the last 2 1/2
years of The Senior Bachelor's Search For Romance
& Adventure. And now that Search is coming to an
end. An end in the sense that I hope Lori is the
woman I have been seeking. Whether or not I am the
man she might be seeking, remains to be seen. We
all know that the relationship ladder has many rungs
to climb before reaching the top, and we have started
the climb. To the extent that it is appropriate for me to
share events thus far with Lori, I will do my best.
As past readers know, the Journey around the world
was to be with 6 women. After Vicki and I were
together in Brazil and Argentina and Gael in Chile , I
found out I had prostate cancer. The day the doctor
told me, I made arrangements for Gael to return to
Cape Cod, Umberto to Lerici, Italy , and me to Los
Angeles to have my prostate gland removed. I will not
know for many years if the cancer was caught early. I
did not require chemotherapy or radiation, and now I
get my PSA checked every 6 months.
They say your perspective undergoes real changes
when death looks you in the eye. In my case, that
certainly occurred. You realize how truly mortal you
are. The ones you love, you want to spend more time
with. Things you love to do, you want to do.....now. But I
wasn't so sure that I had the energy, or the desire, to
re-seek a long term relationship. I needed time to
make that decision.
Over the next few months I maintained contact with
Vicki, Gael, Lori, Cindee and Vija (Corrine had
dropped out for personal reasons). Cindee and I
visited each other in Mt. Shasta , California , I had
numerous communications with Vija, and I had
limited contact with Lori. During this time I kept myself
busy with cruises and travel for interested men and
women (over 50) who wanted to join me on some fun
trips.
Now.......FINALLY.......Lori.
By the end of 2006 I believed that I was ready for that
elusive, long term, loving, healthy committed
relationship. I invited Lori to visit me for a week in Italy
this past August. She did, and I immediately felt this
was a very special woman. Very VERY special.
Following is a bio Lori has written.
I am a happy, independent, sassy, consultant/project
manager; working on HP's website and the HP
Learning Center (free!) online classroom. I love to be
outside doing just about anything, but find myself
most often hiking, biking, diving, skiing, sailing,
walking or hanging out where there is warm water. For
fun I travel. My job allows me to work from almost
anywhere and I take advantage of that whenever I can.
Much of my wandering is back and forth between the
four grandbabies (three boys ages 2, 5 and 8 and a 3-
year-old princess) so I can establish myself as an
unforgettable and love-filled part of their lives, but I
also travel internationally and have been to about 30
countries I think - I have never actually counted them
all up.
Zack and Nathan
Cameron and Sammy (Samantha)
I am one of the luckiest women that I know in that I
have wonderful family and friends, I am reasonably
healthy, I have seen and tasted and smelled many
amazing things, have loved and been loved by many
diverse and remarkable people. I have experienced
things many people only read about or watch on TV,
yet still have an insatiable appetite for more.
I raised my three children by myself (Shawn, who is
now nearing age 36; Elisa, 32; and Erin, 29) mostly
while living in Boise , Idaho . I was born in California
and have lived a few years in both Colorado and
Oregon along the way. Boise will remain a base for
me as long as most of my family is there and it just
happens to be a great location for outdoor activities.
The experiences I had with my children made me
resourceful, hopeful, resilient, forgiving and patient. I
don't regret having to 'do it alone' for we had lots of fun
and it has given me excellent perspective. I made lots
of mistakes, of course, and can laugh about most of
them. I tried many relationships and learned
something from each of them. Being a single mom
forced me to try new things and test my limits. I am a
stronger woman and know more about myself today
due to these experiences.
My Fam!
My appetite for life has definitely allowed me to try a
variety of things. I have had the opportunity to pilot a
plane, a kayak, a stroller, a luge, a pair of skis, a
parachute, a dump truck, go-kart, golf cart, camel, a
little red wagon, and whitewater kayak. I have chased
after lizards, children (and grandchildren) under tables
and through bushes, sunsets, fireflies and rainbows,
sea turtles and lobster, my dog across the street and
my heart halfway across the world. I've slept on the
ground, on a straw mat, in a tent, in the desert, on a
trampoline, in my car, in a tree-house, on the beach
and in 5-star hotels. I've eaten meals most people
would consider unpalatable, slept in places some
would consider not fit for their pet. And of course
would do it all again if presented with the opportunity.
Monaco
I'm a very free spirit with a ton of curiosity about the
world and usually will travel light and with no set
itinerary. I meet people easily and usually end up with
at least one new friend. I tend to avoid big cities
(although I have fun when I am in one) and will
frequently land in another country and simply rent a
car and drive off into the unknown. I am there to learn
and to explore not to impose. I don't pitch a fit if the
plane is late, the weather turns bad or the bathroom
has a bucket instead of running water. I always
manage to laugh regularly in spite of, and in most
cases because of, adversity. Those times always
seem to make the best stories. Always ready for the
next chapter, I look forward to the opportunity to share
some of my crazy adventures with other men and
women who might enjoy the same perspective and
love of life.
Lori
Richard again:
It is now October and Lori is back in Idaho and
Colorado visiting with her 3 children and 4
grandchildren, and I am returning to the United States
at the end of this month. Lori is planning on visiting
me in Manhattan Beach . For how long? Neither of us
knows the answer to that. Hopefully forever. What we
do know is that we are both interested in spending the
time it takes to get to know each other. Again, to the
extent that there is any "shareable" information, I will
periodically bring you up to date.
Lori's Family
I want to thank, again, all of you who have followed
along this Adventure. I will continue to write
Newsletters about every other week. If you have any
questions, or comments, feel free to write me. I
personally answer all emails I receive.
Warmest Regards,
Richard Roe
Senior Bachelor
The last 3 Newsletters have recapped the events of the Senior Bachelor Search for Romance & Adventure up until the start of the Journey in November, 2005. If you would like to read these 3 Newsletters they follow below this Newsletter. SB-Finito: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Cancer-Part 3 THE JOURNEY BEGINS: Vicki Mackarvich lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and Destin Florida, and we were the first to start the Journey, shortly after Thanksgiving, 2005. Vicki is the mother of 4 children and has 4 grandchildren. Vicki Mackarvich also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, and we were the first to embark on the Journey. And what a Journey it was! Vicki lives in Atlanta, Georgia and Destin, Florida, is the mother of 4 children and grandmother of 2. Our first date was in Rio de Janeiro! Umberto and I flew from Los Angeles to the airport in Atlanta and we met Vicki jumped on a plane for the 9 hour ride to Rio. As mentioned many times in previous Newsletters, Vicki and I, as well as the other 5 ladies, would be in separate bedrooms, in every sense of the word. If there was a romantic interest between any of the ladies and me, we would resume that part of our relationship back in the United States after the trip was over. All of the 2,200 women who sent in their information had the same goal as me, at least that was my thinking. And that was to find a person to share the rest of their life with. Ideally, all of us would like to be in a loving, committed, healthy relationship, but as we know, stuff happens!!!! This Search of mine, albeit with a monster amount of help from Oprah and People Magazine, was to be my last real attempt to find my soulmate. If this did not work, I would become a confirmed bachelor!!!! We (Vicki, Umberto and myself) had a lot of fun in Rio de Janeiro, but I must say, this is not a city I would revisit. It was exceptionally hot and humid and dangerous. You had to stay in one area, Impanena, or you risked robbery, or worse. We hired an excellent local driver, Favio, and visited many local spots and toured the city and had no problems. Then the real adventure started!! We flew to Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon Jungle, and then a 2 hour boat ride really into the interior of the Jungle. We stayed at Ariau Towers, each in our own treetop cabin, 50 feet above the ground, right at the top of the canopy! Incredible. You could hear and see many animals, birds, snakes, spiders, etc., all of the things you would expect in the Amazon Jungle. This was the same place where Survivor Amazon was filmed, and we used the same guides.
We did so much in the Jungle that it would take up too much space to write about it. I recommend that you click on this link to the Newsletter Archive page, then click on the top of the page for the archives, and then read the following Newsletters: December 1, 2005, December 9, 2005, December 12, 2005. Also, please click on this link to see the amazing photographs Umberto took, and after you click to open the page, please look at the photos dated...12/1, 12/9 2005,12/12, 2005. http://www.seniorbachelor1.com/SBPhotos/index.asp I have to thank Vicki again for being such a great person to spend time with. She proved at least as strong as Umberto and I, and truth be told, she fared even better in the Amazon Jungle than we did. Vicki departed a few days before Christmas, and up until this point I had not said one word to anybody about something that was really, REALLY bothering me. Right before I left on the Journey, I had an extensive physical examination. After all, this Journey was to very adventurous locations in South America, Africa, India, Burma, Laos and Cambodia, and Irian Jaya. This was an aggressive itinerary and all of us had to be in top physical and mental condition. The pre-trip examination showed an increase in my PSA, a blood test men undertake for prostate cancer. Darned if it was not elevated, and the doctor was somewhat alarmed, and requested another test in 2 months. Of course this was on my mind constantly but I did not want to delay the upcoming Journey, and I figured I would get the test after Vicki left and before Gael arrived in Santiago, Chile. When Gael arrived I had already had the test, but did not know the results. I told Gael what was going on and that we would have to wait 1 week for the results, and then we would go from there. Gael was great about this and very supportive. For the next week we had a great time in Santiago, Chile and then an incredible time in the Atacama Desert, a place I never heard about but Umberto knew about from when he lived in Chile.
Again, to read about Chile and to also view the photographs, please look at the Newsletters dated December 27, 2005, and January 3, and January 9, 2006, by clicking on this link. Please click on this link to the Photo Journal Page and view the photos dated January 1, January 2, January 3, January 8, 2006. I awaited the results of my PSA test with great angst, and my fears came true. The result was still high, way too high. I called my doctor in Los Angeles and he recommended I have a needle biopsy done. I debated if I should do this in Santiago or Los Angeles, but had faith in the local doctor and hospital. To say the least, this kind of a biopsy is most uncomfortable. I spent the night in the hospital and then waited for these results. And then the real bad news came. Cancer. Gael was wonderful in every regard, and I realized how fortunate I was to have met and traveled with 2 such terrific women. And, I had the distinct pleasure of still having the opportunity of spending time with 3 other great women going forward...that is if there was to be a going forward.. (One of the ladies, Corinne, dropped out for personal reasons). This will conclude Part 3. Part 4 will bring you up to date from the time of the cancer diagnosis and will include the visit from Lori to Italy in August, 2007. My best wishes to everyone. Richard Roe
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, First, let me thank the tens of thousands of people who have diligently followed my search for a life partner. Believe it or not, there have been more than six million unique visitors to the Senior Bachelor website, mostly from a six minute appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and an assist from an article in People Magazine. Extra thanks go to the 2,200 courageous women who sent in videotapes and biographies, and to the ladies that attended the parties and/ or cruises. And extra extra thanks go to the 22 Fabulous Finalists who visited me in Manhattan Beach in October, 2005 for four days. And extra extra extra thanks go to the five women who were willing to take a chance and travel around the world with me!!! The old expressions "All good things must come to an end" and "One door closes and another opens" both apply to the current situation. My mission to find a woman to spend the rest of my life with, is reaching a conclusion. As of this writing, the final conclusion is still unknown but I am hopeful. I specifically refer to Lori's recent visit with me in Italy. The outcome of that visit is a "work in progress" that I hope I will have more to report on in the coming weeks and months. I have the highest regard for Vicki, Gael, Lori, Cindee and Vija, the five ultimate Fabulous Finalists. I had either traveled with, or had extensive communication with four of these wonderful ladies, but not Lori, until a few weeks ago. My Search has ended as I hope that Lori is the woman I have been seeking, and I hope she will feel the same about me. If not, I think I will become a confirmed bachelor!!! I will let you know both my story and Lori's (told by her) at the appropriate time.
The comment "One door closes and another opens" refers to the fact that there has been an equally powerful mission that was born from my Search. And that is...To Promote Romance & Adventure for People 45 and Over (really 50 and over). Readers of the Newsletters know that I have organized cruises, parties, trips to Italy, and encouraged people to get out and try to find a partner!!! Thus far, there have been five marriages, several engagements, many, many dates and countless new friendships formed. We got some help with the marriages, engagements and dates from Perfectmatch.com. However, from the thousands of letters I have received, the Senior Bachelor experience seems to have inspired so many to get out and change their lives for the better. This makes me feel really great!! Thus this Newsletter is...The Prologue. Over the coming weeks I will write a complete re-cap of the Senior Bachelor Search for Romance & Adventure. It's a long story and will be related in 3 parts. Part 1 will go over the Genesis of the idea and the launching of Senior Bachelor by Oprah and People Magazine.
Part 2 will relate the parties and the meetings and how it came down to five lovely ladies.
Part 3 will discuss the present and the future - events since Lori's visit, what has changed, and what I am hoping for. As written earlier, no one knows how the final chapter will be written. So......STAY TUNED!!! Ciao, Richard
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, In last week's Newsletter I wrote that the Senior Bachelor Search and Journey is reaching a conclusion, and that I would write a re-cap of the events over the last 2 1/ 2 years in 3 Parts. If you missed last week's Newsletter, titled, "Prologue," please look below. Before I launch into the explanation fo the original Senior Bachelor idea, I wanted to respond to many messages sent to me after the last Newsletter. The new, parallel mission, that was born from my original mission, which is......Promoting Romance and Adventure for People 45 and Over (really 50 and over), ........will continue for as long as you, the followers of this Search and Journey, want me to, and if I am healthy and continue to have the motivation and desire to carry on. Cruises, my tours of Italy, parties, etc. I hope will continue unabated. THE GENESIS OF SENIOR BACHELOR: The idea of finding a life partner in, shall I say, a rather unconventional manner, originated about 10 years ago. I had read an article about a farmer who had lost his wife, and he planted a sign in his front yard that read..."Need wife, must drive tractor." I thought...now that was a unique, creative idea! In 1996 my then 29 year old son, Chris, and I embarked on a 7 month journey around the world, to 27 countries on 5 continents. This resulted in a feature length documentary film titled Pop & Me, which after winning 6 film Festivals, was purchased by MGM and shown in movie theaters across the United States. In 2000, Pop & Me was a Semi-Finalist for an Academy Award as Best Feature Length Documentary Film, and released on DVD on 5 continents in 3 languages. A lot of publicity ensued, highlighted by an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey show, and a feature article in People Magazine. You may be wondering....What does Pop & Me have to do with Senior Bachelor?? As it turns out, EVERYTHING!! Please read on. I moved to the Cinque Terre area of Italy for a year, 2001, and during my time in this incredible romantic country, I realized that I was finally ready to be in a healthy, loving, committed relationship. But how would I find "her?" That's when the farmer's idea hit me!!! I, too, would try to use a creative was to find my soulmate. I didn't want a woman to drive a tractor, rather I hoped to find a woman who would be able to travel anywhere in the world on a moments notice, and as previously mentioned, was fit and fun. I really felt I had made a great connection, even a bond, with Oprah after appearing on her show in 2000. After our 18 minute appearance with Oprah was completed, she, Chris and I, went to a nearby room, and Oprah put her head on my left shoulder and cried....for a good three minutes. And then Oprah said something to me that was particularly meaningful and beautiful. I felt Oprah meant this to be a private sharing of her thoughts and I will respect that. Every now and then The Oprah Winfrey Show has a show called "Your Wildest Dream Come True." My son Chris taped a message from me to Oprah, via her Producers, which started out with me saying "Oprah I need help." I said that conventional means of finding a woman to spend the rest of my life with were not working, and my Wildest Dream was to find a woman who was at least Fifty, Fit, Fun and Free. Free in the sense that "she" could travel anywhere in the world at a moments notice. I said that if Oprah would have me back on her show, that I would offer a woman fitting the description above, an all expense paid trip around the world, lasting around 6 months. The "catch" was.....that she had to go with me!! I would call this "The Senior Bachelor's Search For Romance & Adventure." In January 2005, I received a message to be in Chicago and that Oprah would help me launch my search. I have to tell you I was really surprised, and very grateful, but also a little nervous. Be careful what you wish for, and all that!! One cannot underestimate the power and the reach of Oprah Winfrey. The Show is seen in over 100 countries and has been the # 1 show in the United States something like 20 years in a row. The segment was only 6 minutes long, and even as the segment was being broadcast, people were flocking to www.seniorbachelor.com. This was the first day that the site was up, and one computer crashed (as the Oprah producers had warned me) and because the Producers told me to have a huge backup computer, everything spilled over into there. Within 24 hours some 3 million (yes, million) unique visitors had come to the site!! Yikes
E-mails poured in, literally tens of thousands of women asking for more information. I noticed one prominent trend; the women said that due to family or work obligations they could not get away for 6 months. I sent responses asking if 6 months was too long, what was the right amount of time? Overwhelmingly, the reply was 1 month. Hmm...I wondered, instead of 1 woman for 6 months, how about 6 women, for 1 month at a time as I circled the world!! (Ha ha. I know the men reading this will get a kick out of this kind of creative thinking!!!) Interested women could send in a 3 minute videotape saying why she thought we would be good traveling partners, and possibly partners for life, and a brief biography and 2 recent photographs. In the interest of fair play, similar information about me was available on the website and people could also rent Pop & Me and find out a lot about my background. More publicity ensued and at one time I had over 25,000 backed up e-mails. I answer each and every e- mail sent to me and I was "working" (ha ha again) 14 hours a day answering e-mail and phone messages. I did not think things could be more crazy, but things were just getting started, as it was to turn out!!! In June 2005, 2 months after the Oprah appearance, People Magazine called me about a photo shoot for their annual bachelor choices. This year, 2005, they were choosing "The Fifty Hottest Bachelors." I was convinced this was a prank call, probably set up by one of my sons, who love to tease me. However it was plausible as in 2000 People ran a feature article about Pop & Me. I showed up at the airport at the time mentioned and 9 people were there, and People Magazine had rented a 35 million dollar jet for the shoot...and I was the only one there. OMG, it was true!! How could anyone believe anybody my age was "hot." At the end of April, there it was, and on the cover, part of the 50, were Brad, Tom and Matthew (as in Pitt, Cruise, and McConaghy). Now my 3 boys went really nuts, to them it was really absurd that their "Pop" was in any way hot and in that company. Interest spiked again. In August of the same year, the Oprah show was re-run and more people than before visited the website. Chris is a graphic designer and he photo- shopped those losers, Brad, Tom and Matthew, off of the cover and put me there!! More ha ha's.
Now I needed help. Joe Franklin was a local friend of mine from Manhattan Beach and a computer whiz, and he also met his wife using an on-line dating service. Joe would help me with everything. I also wanted to have a video of this whole endeavor, and a young Italian photographer named Umberto Zappa, whom I originally met when he was 10 years old in 1985 and he was a camper at Camp Tecumseh (a boys sports camp in New Hampshire where I was the Director for 12 years) was now a skilled professional photographer. Umberto could speak 5 languages fluently, and was not only a great guy, but an avid traveler. Perfect. I would ask Umberto to come to Manhattan Beach and film everything. In the back of my mind, I thought....who knows......Chris and I never believed the results of Pop & Me would ever happen, why not film this as well, it would be fun.
Now....how to meet some of these ladies?? I sent out a Newsletter and said that if any interested women would like for us to meet, to come to Manhattan Beach. Over 200 brave women came from all over, and for 3 days we had a blast. We all stayed in a lovely hotel, The Ayres Hotel. I quickly noticed that the ladies had some interest in meeting me, but they were having more fun meeting the other women!! We would stay up until 3 in the morning all talking about our life experiences. It was then that I realized this whole Senior Bachelor endeavor was way WAY bigger than I had ever planned or imagined. There are so many single men and women 50+, and after raising a family, these wonderful women were ready to see the world. To be adventurous. Over and over I heard "Now it's my turn to have fun. I have earned that right and I'm going for it!!!
Richard "drops in" at the Manhattan Beach Pier
Mingling and Meeting the first evening
Roasting Richard Many women on the East Coast and Midwest also wanted to have a party, so I arranged for a big party at The Palmer House in Chicago. I decided to have a theme....a crazy hat party, and also a cruise around Chicago in the evening. A DJ was hired and the ballroom was rocking!! There were hardly any other men there, which was a shame, but nevertheless, the ladies danced and generally had a ball. And more friendships were being born.
On our way to the Cruise at the Navy Pier
Lovely Ladies on the steps at the magnificent Palmer House
Soon to be great and lasting friends!
Well, you HAD to be there! This concludes Part 1. The next Newsletter will discuss the 2,200 courageous women who sent in their information, and will re-cap all of the events in the finding of the 22 Fabulous Finalists, and then the final 6 selections (not only by me, but the ladies as well- this was a 50-50 situation), and the start of the Journey in the Amazon Jungle in Brazil. I hope you are enjoying this re-telling of the events. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at richard@seniorbachelor.com. Ciao from Italy, Richard Roe
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, The previous 2 Newsletters discussed the fact that my Search for a partner to spend the rest of my life with via The Senior Bachelor Search, is reaching a conclusion. If you would like to read those 2 Newsletters, they follow this Newsletter. I would like to reiterate my sincere thanks to the millions of people all around the world who have followed this Adventure. I must admit that many times since the beginning, I have wondered where I summoned the nerve (arrogance????) to believe that a man in his mid-sixties would be desirable to a woman! As readers of past Newsletters are aware, what started out as my Search, has traveled a road replete with detours, potholes, stop signs, good roads and then a roadblock! Along this highway, a new highway, or Interstate if you will, or better yet, an International Highway, was created. It seemed each day more e-mails arrived, mostly from single women fifty and over, who thirsted to put some more Romance and Adventure into their lives. This led to a "parallel mission" of Promoting Romance and Adventure for People Fifty and Over." This resulted in parties in Manhattan Beach and Chicago, cruises to Alaska, the Panama Canal, and the Roman Empire cruise, and tours of Italy. If you would like to see some great photographs of all of these events, please click on this link. Many readers have e-mailed me and wanted to know if the parties, cruises, and Italy tours will continue. YES THEY WILL. A Caribbean cruise is in the works for January 2008, and tours to Italy throughout 2008, and a cruise including St. Petersburg, Russia, July 4-16 (details soon). Please keep tuned to the Newsletters or write to me for more information at richard@seniorbachelor.com. THE PROCESS: I was astounded when more than 2,200 women from all over the world sent in videotapes and biographies to be potential traveling partners. After watching each and every one of them, I realized that there are a lot of good women out there!!! Now, how to find 6 women who would be good traveling partners, and potentially life partners, that would also be interested in me. Let's be honest. It is not "PC" to place too high a value on "looks," but in reality we each know that we have certain physical and other characteristics that we look for in the opposite sex. In my case, I hoped to find a woman over 50 that was intelligent about domestic and world events, and yes, attractive, very fit and lots of fun! The only deal breaker was she had to be a total non-smoker and a social drinker at best. I placed a high value on anyone who had traveled abroad extensively, as I plan on many adventure type trips in the future. I also placed a high premium on women who had been married and had children and grandchildren, so we would have those interests in common. I emphasized that my life has always been about Family, Sports and Travel, and I sought a woman who shared those same interests. I tried to determine who would be really fun to be with. Let's face it, at our age, there is plenty of bad stuff going on in our lives, and as much fun as we can inject into our lives is healthy!!! I felt that there were 22 women who fit what I was looking for, and who I felt might be interested in me. Here is a link to their photos and brief biographies. I invited them all to come to Manhattan Beach, California, for 4 days, in 2 groups. They provided their own transportation to the Ayres Hotel in Manhattan Beach, and I had the exquisite pleasure of hosting these 22 lovely ladies as my guest for 4 days. In October of 2005, the first group of 10 ladies arrived, and we had lots of fun riding bikes on the beach, going to Harry Winston's on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, dining at super restaurants at night, and really getting to know each other well. With both groups I noticed how nice the women were to each other. I expected some possible fireworks, but none developed. In fact the opposite happened, and some new and long lasting relationships were formed among the women
For a LOT more photos of the Fabulous Finalists in Manhattan Beach, click here and go to the links for 2005-10- 31 to 2005-11-06!! I mentioned on the Oprah show (which the Producers of The Show and Oprah got a big kick out of) that I would have friends and family in Manhattan Beach for the activities and they could answer any questions from the Fabulous Finalists, and in turn, my friends and family could give me feedback as to whom they felt would be the best matches. My eldest sister, Connie, came from Florida, my former wife's former best friend, Kim, came from Philadelphia, my 3 sons were there as well as many other friends, male and female. After the two groups visited for a total of 8 days, we all were in agreement as to the Final 6 ladies. Vicki, Gael, Corinne, Lori, Vija and Cindee. Click here to see their photos! The Journey would start right after Thanksgiving, 2005, with Vicki, to the Amazon Jungle in Brazil! THE JOURNEY: Vicki is from Atlanta Georgia and Destin, Florida, the mother of 4 and grandmother of 2. We met in the airport in Atlanta and jumped on a plane to Rio de Janeiro. After 4 days there it was off to the Amazon Jungle, and it was great. Umberto Zappa was recording everything and we stayed in The Ariau Towers in 3 AMAZING treetop cabins, located right at the top of the canopy, 50 feet up in the air. Previous occupants had been King Olaf of Sweden, Bill Gates and Jacques Cousteau. Heady company indeed.
For more photos from the Amazon, click here! Umberto lives in Lerici, Italy, where I currently spend about 8 months a year. We first met at Camp Tecumseh, a boys sports camp in New Hampshire where I was the Camp Director and Umberto started as 10 year old camper. Umberto spent the next 10 summers with me at the camp and was among my best campers, best Junior Counselors, and Counselors. One of his roles was running trips!! Over the last 12 years or so, Umberto, now 30, went to photography school in Paris, and is a skilled photographer, as well as speaking 6 languages!!! Umberto's role was to take photographs and videotape all of the events, starting earlier in Manhattan Beach.
Umberto in Chile Many people shared a healthy skepticism of this entire "endeavor." Was it a reality show? After all, I had the contacts and the ability to do this. Was there a secret sponsor?? Or was there some form of a hidden agenda??? I understand this skepticism and I am pleased to report that at no time did I ever have any kind of a deal with anyone about anything concerning this mission. Nor did I receive one cent from any kind of a sponsor or organization. This was 100% my baby. And the goal was straight forward. To find "her," a woman with whom to share the rest of my life. These Newsletters are long, and this will conclude Part 2. Going forward there will be more than the 3 original parts planned earlier. Part 3 will really get into the Journey with Vicki to Brazil and Argentina and also to Chile with Gael, and then the aforementioned roadblock...cancer. Ciao from Italy, Richard Roe
Warmest regards, Richard Roe Senior Bachelor (To forward this email to a friend, click here.)
Some computers have a problem opening the photos
from the Senior Bachelor Newsletter. If so, wait a
few days and go to www.seniorbachelor.com and
click on the most recent Newsletter and you'll
probably be able to see them there.
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The Senior Bachelor Team- Umberto, Joe,
Richard
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