Hi John! Welcome to the Forums! Glad to have you aboard.
You've come to the right place. Many of the members got here the same way as you did. I'm a little different. I've been building for 71 of my 77 years and build whatever strikes my fancy at the time and my wallet says OK. My favs are first WWI & WWII planes and second sailing ships with anything else in third.
I've learned a lot here from the members. I learn something new almost every day. They are very knowledgeable and are ready to help you with any questions/problems that you have.
There will be a little lag time between the time you retire from work and you're really "retired". You will still have to deal with the dreaded "Honey Do List" that plagues us all. Mine hasn't really ended yet and I "retired" in 1998 and the list is a lot smaller but it's still there.
Jim 
Main WIP:
On the Bench: Artesania Latina (aka) Artists in the Latrine 1/75 Bluenose II
I keep hitting "escape", but I'm still here.