In this issue:
--Retired or not?
--The Worcester nightmare
--No successor
--Consulting and design
--Canvas labyrinth status
--The Collaborative
--Robert's schedule
--Writing projects

Retired or Not?
There seems to be confusion regarding my retirement. Here are the facts. Currently, my retirement is only partial. Due to circumstances facing many retired people in today's economy, I intend to continue to work part time. What I really want to end is the administration of Labyrinth Enterprises, LLC. I am not actively seeking work nor doing marketing nor any of the activities that it takes to grow and operate a service business. As a result, work -- received through clients finding my website or through reputation or word of mouth -- will continue to taper off. Nevertheless, I am available to do a small number of installations, and Linda and I are available to do trainings and programs. That being said, I'm not going to take on any more difficult jobs (see next article). I will refer such inquiries to members of our growing labyrinth collaborative. All of this means that only a small number of people will have a chance to have a labyrinth that I personally install, a low number to be sure, but greater than zero.

The Worcester Nightmare
Nudging me toward retirement are difficult installations such as the one described below. It all started well, a few years ago, when I received an inquiry from Daniel Solein, the principal of an architectural firm designing a new psychiatric hospital for the state of Massachusetts, located in Worcester. just up the hill from the University of Massachusetts hospital. As a result of our discussions, he included four labyrinths in the design, two for patients and two for staff. Further, he specified polymer concrete, the material that we have promoted and developed for durable institutional labyrinths. Our bid was included as a subcontractor under a local company, Francis Harvey & Sons General Contractors. The installation date was delayed several times, finally taking place while I was scheduled to be in Europe. So Chuck Hunner filled in as supervisor for the job. The red tape, the procedures, the site, and the weather all were obstacles that made it a difficult installation. Chuck and the crew, comprised of Lisa Moriarty, John Ridder, Mark Smith, and David Blonski, did admirably. Unfortunately, the contractor did not turn out to be ethical or reliable. Despite promises starting last August, payment for our work, which was completed on October 10, 2011, has not been forthcoming. Nothing. Zero. Nil. Not a penny. I had to borrow money to pay the workers part of what they are due. Now I am faced with the expense of legal proceedings. This is the first time this has ever happened, in 16 years of building labyrinths, and will, needless to say, be the last.

No Successor
The most unsettling aspect of my retirement is the lack of a successor to run Labyrinth Enterprises, LLC. Sixteen years of building this company is about to go to waste. A few years ago, I advertised the company for sale, but had no takers. Most of my current experienced workers are in their 60's, and not interested in ownership -- although they may be willing workers.My equipment is in storage in Indianapolis, as John Ridder will need it in the spring. This includes proprietary tools developed specifically for our polymer concrete installations. In December, I sold my truck and tool trailer, as the cost of commercial insurance was exorbitant. I would be glad to advise someone on how to continue this work, if there is anyone interested. It has been a very satisfying career for me.

Consulting and Design
I am still available on a fee basis for consulting and design work. This includes reviewing plans for labyrinth designs, creating new designs, or supervising a group of volunteers. Much of this work can be de by email or telephone, which is good (see my schedule).Why not take advantage of my experience and creativity for your labyrinth project?

Canvas Labyrinth Availability
Our St. Louis studio, under the direction of Judy Hopen, was the world's largest producer of hand drawn and painted canvas labyrinths. Judy's talent was quite extraordinary. Congratulations to over 1,000 customers who have artifacts of her work. Due to health and financial considerations, our studio was closed last June. Judy's current health challenge is being kept very private, such that even I do not know her current situation. How will people who want a portable labyrinth be served? Only two sources currently exist for hand-crafted canvas labyrinths, not counting a few local artists who produce them in limited numbers. John Ridder, at www.paxworks.com, is well established, having been making labyrinths almost as long as I have. Less known (yet infamous in her own right) is past president of the Labyrinth Society, Lisa Moriarty -- originator of the Circle of Peace labyrinth pattern (www.pathsofpeace.com). Lisa is young and energetic and highly skilled in her artistry. She has produced several labyrinths for us, to complete some unfilled orders, much to our satisfaction. I highly recommend both of these artists. Since I see Lisa as the logical successor to Judy Hopen, I will be aiding her as much as possible in becoming better known.

Labyrinth Artists' Collaborative
My first preference for Labyrinth Enterprises, LLC, would be for it to go non-profit -- a structure and purpose that would well fit its sensibilities. Short of that, I hope to use our established name to give opportunity to other talented labyrinth artists by giving them exposure on this website as well as the appropriate referrals. I have been a bit slow in getting this accomplished, due to my travel schedule and some limitations in serving as my own webmaster. Stay tuned, this is something that I still hope to do.

Robert and Linda's Schedule
During the past two years, I have fallen in love, remarried, and discovered cruises. So infatuated have I become with cruising that I am doing some writing on the subject (see below). My schedule for 2012 looks something like this:
January: Annual visit to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
February: A rare month at home in San Antonio
March-April: Labyrinth work in Australia
April-May: Possible cruise back to the U.S.
June-September: Visiting favorite places and people in New England, Colorado, Nova Scotia, and Washington State.
October: Time in San Antonio
November-December: Possible repositioning cruise.
Any additional labyrinth work received will be inserted somewhere in this schedule, which is, of course, open for significant change.

Writing Projects
My foremost endeavor these days is to complete some of the writing which I have postponed for years. Here are a few projects:
Retired: Gone Cruising: Diary of a Transatlantic Crossing. This will be my first work to be finished, currently under production. The associated website is www.retiredgonecruising.com. The book is a blow by blow account of a 17-day cruise, along with history and personal commentary. If you have ever gone on a cruise, you can compare your experience to ours. If not, you can see what it was like for us.
Robert Ferre's Labyrinth Manual The ultimate guide for designing and building labyrinths.
Robert Ferre's Facilitator Guidelines Based on my 95-page outline developed for training facilitators.
Robert Ferre's Labyrinth Essays. Everything else that I have to say about labyrinths.
Fond Memories of a Good Life. Linda pointed out that the other books I want to write, about Chartres Cathedral and happiness and much more, could instead be chapters in a single memoir. Brilliant.

I do all my writing these days using the Pages app for my iPad II. It is small, very portable, and easy to use. Next to it, my laptop seems like an 18-wheeler. Luckily, I have discovered that exotic destinations and cruises are perfect writing venues.

Contact Me
You will find my personal website at www.robertferre.com.
Email me at either of these addresses: robert@labyrinth-enterprises.com or robert@robertferre.com