Granson Ross Thompson

Rogers is clean, vibrant, and clearly benefits from the Walton family’s investment — home of Walmart and Sam’s Club. We’ve got a full day of exploring ahead, including a museum our server highly recommended last night. We’ll stay busy until our 3:00 p.m. check-in, then get ready for the show and link up with Brent. This will be our seventh time seeing the Crowes — Red Rocks (twice), Vail, the Fillmore in Denver, and two unforgettable nights in Vegas right before the Super Bowl. They always deliver. Here’s to road trips, great music, Airbnb scheduling disasters, and the world’s greatest rescue pup. We live in the most beautiful country on Earth. It’s not perfect, but damn — we don’t throw people off buildings for who they love. So get up, get out, and never forget to live Right Fucking Now. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

I was told as a kid that animals don’t have souls and don’t go to heaven. I’ve asked God to make an exception and let Tee Tee wait for me in my heavenly home. I haven’t been this sad in years. She’s been with me through so much of my journey, and I’m going to miss her terribly. This morning I’m taking her outside to roam Chipmunk Hill one last time—let her eat grass, feel the mountain air, and do whatever she wants. Then we’ll wrap her in her favorite blanket and lay her to rest under the marker by the deck. It’s okay to cry. She earned those tears. Goodbye, Tee Tee. Thank you for everything, my friend. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

We’re already mapping out the next adventure: driving back to Indiana soon, road-tripping to Arkansas for The Black Crowes, followed by a night in the Ozarks so we can grab a soda at the famous Marty Byrde’s bar from Ozark. The rest of our calendar is stacked: Foo Fighters in Nashville, AC/DC at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas, and closing it all out with Metallica at The Sphere. A lot of our favorite bands are getting up there in years. They still deliver incredible shows, but we know the guitar straps will eventually get hung up for good. That’s why we’re making the most of every opportunity. Music connects humanity like nothing else. If your favorite artists are still out there touring, go see them while you still can. Cheers from two of the happiest old hippies you’ll meet today. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

We live in a bike-lover’s paradise—thousands of miles of paved trails, most of them six feet wide and gorgeous. Last week we got a foot of snow on Monday. By Wednesday it was gone and we were back out riding. Nothing beats that feeling. We’ll squeeze in a couple more rides before we head back to Indiana. The bikes stay here in Colorado. When we’re in Indy we just rent if we want to spin. Renting is a fantastic low-commitment option if you’re not ready to drop the money yet. E-biking has genuinely rewired our retirement. Real exercise with just enough electric help to keep the fun factor high. We’re out there breathing fresh air, seeing beautiful places, and feeling strong. Summer’s here. The bikes are charged. The trails are calling. Cheers from the top of a mountain—two people living their best rewired lives. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

We have one more full day in Albuquerque. Tonight we’re watching Nick hit some dingers with the family. Tomorrow we’ll load up, take Cousin to the airport, and head to our friends Dave and Nicole’s ranch for the final night of this two-week road trip. They’ve been pouring their hearts into building their slice of paradise—we can’t wait to enjoy it and let Parker run free across the acreage. I’m not even sure how many thousands of miles we’ve covered, but I’ve personally driven this car less than 1% of the time. I only take over for bathroom breaks or when something interesting catches our eye. The future really is here. Stop driving your car and let it drive you—it’s a total game-changer for how we travel and live. Retirement gives you the freedom and flexibility to chart your own course. We’ll get home, catch a show at Red Rocks, then soon load up again for Indiana to see more family and friends. Not all who wander are lost. Choose your travel partners wisely… and enjoy the fucking journey. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

These days our main job is impacting our grandkids. We raised our children to be independent and self-sufficient—they don’t need us, but it’s good to be available when they do. As of today we have six grandchildren, with number seven likely on the way. I’m predicting a minimum of eight. Grandkids are the best fuel for aging adults. When the world feels like it’s spinning toward chaos, focus on your family. That’s one corner of life where you can still exert real influence. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by things outside your control. Enjoy what you can shape. Let the weak-minded spend their energy bitching, moaning, and complaining. Real strength comes from passing good values to the next generation. At this stage, we have one job—and trust me, we are locked and loaded. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

Elon Musk just exposed the one lie every modern nation tells itself. Musk: “In 1969, we were able to send somebody to the moon.” Rotary phones. Computers the size of rooms. Slide rules. We put a human on the moon with less processing power than your watch. Musk: “Then the space shuttle retired, and the United States could take no one to orbit.” The most advanced nation in human history went from footprints on the moon to zero capability of leaving the atmosphere. That is not a funding problem. That is civilizational decay dressed up as a policy decision. Musk: “People are mistaken when they think that technology just automatically improves… it will, by itself, degrade.” That sentence should keep you up tonight. We treat progress like gravity. Like it pulls us forward whether we try or not. It is the opposite. Progress is a boulder on a hill. The second you stop pushing, it rolls back over you. And it never announces itself. Musk: “You look at great civilizations like ancient Egypt, and they were able to make the pyramids, and they forgot how to do that.” They did not run out of stone. They were not conquered. They got comfortable. And the knowledge bled out so quietly that nobody noticed until it was already gone. That is the real threat to everything we have built. Not a nuclear flash. Not an asteroid. Not some dramatic Hollywood collapse. A quiet forgetting. Every chip we fabricate. Every rocket we launch. Every data center we power. All of it held together by a thin fraction of the population working at a pace that would break most people. The moment that fraction gets tired or outnumbered by people who believe the machine runs itself, everything dissolves. And here is the part nobody wants to say out loud. We are not special. We are running the same operating system as every civilization that came before us. Comfort is the sedative. Complacency is the flatline. One generation that stops fighting is all it has ever taken. You do not lose the future in a war. You lose it in your sleep.

Representing in El Paso! Go Chihuahua's! @foofighters

They say a father is the one person who quietly roots for you to outgrow him—to go further, do better, and live bigger than he ever could. There’s something really powerful in that. 🥹💕

Not all who wander are lost. Having the freedom to explore this magnificent country is a gift. You can sit still as life passes by, or you can choose to lean in, engage, and live fully. We chose the latter, and it has made all the difference. On our right wrists we each carry a small tattoo: RFN. If you know, you know. It’s more than ink. It’s a mindset—a commitment to keep moving, grooving, and embracing these next 40 years on this spinning blue ball. Onward open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

One of the topics at this week’s men’s group was how to keep the spark alive with your partner in the later years. I shared that breaking routine and embracing spontaneity are key. Most nights we trade off cooking, but Thursday I looked at my Queen and said, “What if we go to Twin Forks instead?” She lit up: “Like a date?” I told her I was feeling a little “frisky.” We both put on real pants (no elastic waistbands) and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the bar, holding hands the whole time. We still say “I love you” constantly, steal hugs, and share plenty of sugar. Doing retirement with someone who truly loves you is one of the greatest joys in this season of life. Five years ago, I would have told you I’d never retire. I loved the work, the client challenges, and the team we’d built. But things change. Recognizing when it’s time to hand over the reins takes courage. You spend decades building something and you want to see it thrive without you. The best advice I can give: when you decide to retire, truly walk away. Don’t linger. Make the clean break and start rewiring your body and brain for the final, best chapter. If you plan it right, these can truly be the best years. Work hard while you can, then enjoy the spoils with far less stress. We did — and for us, it’s made the last few holes of this life’s golf game absolutely blissful. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

Every year we try our hand at growing some ladies. Coming from Indiana, I had friends who grew marijuana, but I never wanted to risk jail, so I stayed far away from it. Once we moved to Colorado and got settled, we figured — why not give it a shot? Here in Colorado, you’re allowed to grow six plants per person, up to twelve per household. This year we picked up seven clones (all females, of course). You quickly learn to spot and remove the males — kind of like modern society, I suppose. Males grow little “balls,” and if you don’t pull them, your ladies end up with seeded buds. These days, seeds in weed are considered a serious downgrade. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

BREAKING 🚨 Elon Musk announced he will buy a Cybertruck for anyone that can provide proof of who wrote this scripted propaganda video that is uploaded by 20+ Dem Senators saying the same thing THIS IS FREAKING HUGE 🔥

I’m approaching 150 days sober, and I cherish this new version of myself more every day. I’m having more fun than I have in years. I wake up fresh every morning with a clear head — no more struggling to remember what movie we watched or how I got to bed. I now know I’m just one drink away from trouble. Awareness of self is a lifelong journey. If you think you might be drinking too much, you probably are. Taking a break — or quitting altogether — isn’t just a gift to yourself. It’s a gift to your partner, your family, your friends, and your community. This isn’t judgment. Some of us are simply wired to overconsume, and I was one of those people. Quitting opens up a whole new world. The time you reclaim is absolutely insane. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

@20th_Centurygal Pull out your old Boston records kids!

What song featuring an organ rocks the hardest? 🎹🤘

Our son-in-law is in the Padres organization, our favorite band is the Foo Fighters, these are perfect shirts! @foofighters @Padres @nick_d_schnell

Health is everything at this point. We’ve partnered with a longevity clinic that draws blood every four months or so, runs deep analysis, and recommends peptides and supplements to keep the machine tuned for the long haul. I’m always surprised when I meet someone who says, “I could retire, but I’m waiting.” Waiting for what? If you have the financial treasure to sustain your lifestyle, hand the reins to the next generation, leave your company or team better than you found it, and go enjoy the golden (maybe even platinum) years. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…

@Steven_Hyden We’ve been doing that back to back with Sound and Fury, give it a shot!

Finally hearing this the right way.

When I was still drinking, it used to irritate me when someone said they didn’t drink or were taking a break. In my head I’d think, Too bad you can’t get your shit together and enjoy a beverage like the rest of us. Looking back, that was a pretty shitty way to think. But it helped me justify my own drinking — convinced me I was still “keeping my shit together.” Was I really? I had the luxury of telling myself I was just a guy who worked hard and then “graciously” consumed alcohol in retirement. Society makes it easy. Turn on almost any show or movie and alcohol is the reward for success, the lubricant for relaxation, the mark of a good life. Last night we watched an episode of The White Lotus (or whatever it was — Madison?). The wife was in therapy, struggling, and the therapist asked, “Do you want a drink?” She said yes, and suddenly the words flowed easier. I see it everywhere now — the romanticization of spirits. open.substack.com/pub/ansonrosst…