Up a long dirt road in Walden, Vermont, surrounded by state forest, sits a converted tractor barn that serves some of the best maple whoopie pies in the state. Inside, you’ll find George Peak, who just turned 80, and his wife of 30 years, Colleen Willette, 69. Colleen’s home baking outgrew their kitchen two years ago, so they moved the operation into the barn where George used to park his tractor. It took off from there.
George still handles the delivery runs himself, covering about 60 miles a day to 10 stores across northern Vermont. On weekends, the bakery becomes a diner, and snowmobilers on the nearby trail pull up for maple-syrup whoopie pies. After three decades of marriage and a business, the couple’s secret is simple. As George says, they don’t have time to argue.
Stories like this land differently here on the Suncoast, where plenty of retirees stay active with a boat, a workshop, or a second career. George and Colleen found purpose at the end of a dirt road, and they wouldn’t trade it. So we want to hear from you: what keeps you busy in retirement, or what would you do if you never had to stop?
