Passion for travel

Chris Schumacher had to audition to pursue her hobby of woodcarving.

On a trip to Florida, Schumacher learned of a carving class through a friend, where potential students were required to demonstrate their abilities in woodcarving before they could join the class.

Schumacher leads a woodcarving class at the Oasis Senior Center in Corona del Mar. The Huntington Beach resident took up the hobby of woodcarving after years as an elementary school principal.

“When you retire it’s a whole different ballgame,” Schumacher said. “It can be lonely when you retire, and getting involved with a group like the people here at the center can be a godsend.”

Schumacher leads the woodcarving class from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays in the senior center’s arts and crafts room.

Schumacher came to woodcarving through her love of travel.

“I retired early, at 55, and traveled with a friend, and we’d just go all sorts of places,” she said. “I planned trips to my favorite birding spots and combined the two hobbies.”

Schumacher’s carving of choice is birds.

She began traveling before she retired. She now travels in a full-size recreational vehicle, but her accommodations were not quite on the luxury side in the beginning.

“First thing I bought was a little trailer and hooked it to the back of my station wagon,” she said. “I would go out to the desert on Fridays and return Sundays.”

For many seniors, travel ? whether for one day or much longer ? becomes a passion.

It’s a good thing, then, that the Costa Mesa Senior Center offers so much variety in the way of exciting outings.

The center boasts a range of travel choices, which include local day trips, at least one gambling trip per month, theater trips and longer trips, says Phyllis Daugherty, the center’s travel chairwoman.

A day trip to Descanso Gardens; a gambling trip to Buffalo Bill’s; and two weeklong excursions, one to Four Corners National Park and one to Victoria, Canada, are just a few of the center’s upcoming adventures.

Trips like those planned by the center are especially valuable to senior citizens who want to travel and see the world but, unlike Schumacher, may not feel confident planning trip details or traveling alone.

“Many people go just because they want to get out, not necessarily to gamble or do any particular activity,” Daugherty explains. “And they like to go in groups because then they have companions. When they’re with a group they feel safer traveling longer distances too.”dpt.01-boomers-BPhotoInfoV91SHAP320060701j1p4bancMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Newport Beach resident Bob Schilling works on the details of a Sea Captain bust he carves during a wood-carving class like the one taught by Chris Schumacher. Schumacher is a frequent traveler and often chases hobbies and passions on trips.