How do you make new friends when you're retired?

Last week I had lunch with three dear friends.  We've been hanging out together for over 20 years and have shared the ups & downs of life.  It made me think back to when we formed our close bond working together on a wild, busy medical floor at the hospital.  But what happens when you're not working and you begin to lose friends for a variety of reasons? 
Some would say to join Facebook which is a nice place to visit, to share pictures & a quick "hi".  I call it Faux Facebook since many only present the best part of their lives.  It certainly doesn't take the place of hearing a friend's voice, watching their expressions and laughing together.
So where do we find these new friends?  Gloria Steinem has said that there should be some group set up like AA meetings in every city but it would be for friendship.  You look in the paper and see where the meeting is held and go.  Some of the same rules would apply like discretion & honesty and you get your "friend fix".  
Some ideas for meeting potential new friends are to join a club, start a club, take a course, hang out at Bethel Food, join the Senior center, call someone you haven't been in touch with for a long time, do volunteer work or join a gym or dance class.  Most important is to smile, be a good listener and as Dale Carnegie has written, "Become genuinely interested in other people".  Have some personal cards made up at Vista print for a small amount to hand out to potential friends and say "Call me if you're interested in having coffee together and we can continue our conversation". I know it works.  Good luck!