“It’s not the end,” he said before the tour, “but I can see it from here.”

Jane Giannoulas, his wife, had wondered what the slow times would be like. Though she loved being a part of the rush, the transition to a quieter present has been lovely. Time is theirs. They work in the yard, watch the waves crash onto the beach and devote autumn Sundays to the N.F.L.

Seeing her husband get to enjoy the simple pleasures is like “watching a child experience fireworks for the first time,” she said. “People take these things for granted, but to see Ted sit down in the middle of the summer on a blanket at the lake, it’s a real special thing.”

Yet she acknowledges the Chicken is “in his soul.” He will hear a piece of music and she knows he is trying to incorporate it into his act. They will see Mick Jagger, still running around the stage during a Rolling Stones concert at 73, and Ted will postpone retirement for another year.

“A lot of people wonder, ‘Do I ever get to see Ted?’” Jane Giannoulas said. “But I do. I see him in those quiet moments in his backyard.”