They retired to France, and say they’d be ‘absolutely broke’ if they’d stayed in California

On a sunny afternoon in the Dordogne Valley, Debra and Eric Stillwell stroll along a cobblestone street, watching autumn leaves tumble to the ground.

Later they’ll stop at one of the open-air markets found in southwest France’s medieval towns, perhaps plan a trip to Bordeaux to visit Citi de la Vin — Debra’s favorite museum — or wander through the region’s many castles.

It’s a life far removed from the future that once awaited them in California, where they spent three decades before relocating to France five years ago.

“I figured it out,” says Debra, 67. “If we stayed where we were, I would probably have had to work until I was 85.”

The Stillwells — who met at a “Star Trek” convention in 1995 and married a year later — had long dreamed of retiring in Europe. Debra’s mother had retired