Otherwise known as, the loooong story of Larry and Mary Ann Marik, our latest bloggers
After he hung up his president hat, bank chairman Larry Marik and his wife, Mary Ann, decided to sell their home, buy a Winnebago, and see more of America. They will now also be blogging about what they see about banking for ABA Banking Journal. See more photos below.
Would you trade a five-bedroom home of 3,600 square feet for life in a 40-foot Winnebago Journey? One year ago, Larry and Mary Ann Marik did, and they couldn't be happier. "When we owned the house, we didn't have a king-sized bed," notes Larry. But they do in the motor home. They also have a considerably larger back yard-America-but one where Larry doesn't have to worry about mowing grass or shoveling snow.
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Banker on Wheels: Newest bloggers take to the road The banking couple you’ll read about here, featured in the April 2011 “First Person” profile series in ABA Banking Journal magazine, has joined the ranks of our bloggers. |
| As Larry and Mary Ann Marik tour the U.S., they will file dispatches
about the banking scene as they see and hear it around the nation. One
week it could be an interesting bank building. Another it could be a
talk with a community bank CEO. Next it could be interesting bank
billboards seen along the highway. We’ve already seen the Mariks’ very first blog, to be posted next week, and it’s a gem about bank life on Main Street. “Tune in” next week and join the Mariks as they visit a bank in Fort Stockton, Texas. |
Actually, this is a longer story than you'd think-66 feet long. That's the distance from the front bumper of the Winnebago to the bicycles racked on the back of the couples' car, which the Mariks generally tow. That's one-fifth of a football field, weighing in at 15 tons. Average miles per gallon of diesel: 8.
"You are basically moving your house," says Larry Marik, chairman of First National Bank of Columbus and Norfolk, Neb., and chairman of the Nebraska Bankers Association.
As Larry began thinking of retirement after a 30-year banking career, the Mariks started considering the future. Both liked road travel. Larry at one time hit the road as a jazz musician, playing woodwinds like the sax. The goal: To see all they could in ten years. More specifically, "I want to do presidential museums and libraries," says Mary Ann, "and Larry wants to do blues bars."
"Larry initiated the idea, but I bought in immediately," she says. Much as selling their home of 25 years was wrenching, "it was a good-sized house and we were tired of taking care of it."
The couple announced their decision at Thanksgiving family dinner. The silence was broken by Larry's younger brother, a full-time farmer: "Let me get this straight. You're going to sell this home. And you're going to live in that motor home? Are you going to join the circus too?"
The Mariks downsized considerably. The couple's three grown children had their pick of furniture, but even after that and some sales, the Mariks still filled three storage units. Mary Ann allows that now if something comes into their lives, something else goes out. (Except their dog, who sleeps on the dash at night.)
Larry and Mary Ann didn't jump into this lifestyle cold. Larry says they rented a motor home first, to see, he jokes, if they could stand living together so closely all the time. They could, and the Journey was bought in 2008 and the home sold in 2010. Now, the road is their home, except when Larry must report to the bank for board meetings-some work he does by conference call-or attend NBA events. One evening the stop may be a Walmart parking lot-the retailer is very RV friendly-the next may be a fancy motor home park.
"The beauty of this is the journey," says Mary Ann. "Not the destinations."
Both Mariks drive the Winnebago. Larry grew up on a farm and drove a school bus when he taught music. Both took a community college RV driving course. But it's Larry you'll generally find behind the wheel. "Driving it isn't hard," he explains. "Stopping it can be harder."
"He's a bit of a back-seat driver," says Mary Ann, tactfully. More typically, "he drives and I read out loud."
Larry Marik hoists the colors at the rear of his Winnebago Journey. The height of Marik and the flagpole gives you a good idea of just how high the vehicle is.
The Mariks’ portable home consists of the Winnebago Journey, one of their cars, and their bicycles—both are avid riders. When you hitch it all together, that’s a 66-foot-long load. Both Larry and Mary Ann Marik can drive the rig.
The Mariks admit that Larry is a better drive than he is a passenger. Next stop, and the first blog, for the couple is Fort Stockton, Texas.
Keep your eyes peeled, should you see a huge black, tan, and steel Winnebago Journey roll through town or pass you on the highway. The Mariks will be displaying this poster as they search for stories for their blog.
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