We sure do know how to have fun on a Monday evening. We spent the entire evening last night putting up the roofing shingles on half of the shack’s roof. What a fun job that was. First there was the terrifying fear of watching Karlo run around on the roof. At least this time he agreed to tie a rope to himself, just in case. The only problem was that he had to hold the rope in one hand and try to use the free hand to put the shingle in place, grab a nail, and then nail it in. As you can imagine, that was impossible so he almost always had to drop the rope. The scariest part was the first 3 or 4 rows because he had to do those while standing on the very slippery (un-shingled roof), reach down, and work backwards. The best part of this scenario was the fact that I was below the roof on the ‘staging’. It was my job to stop the shingles from slipping down and hold them in place while he nailed. This was great. Not only did I not have to watch the death-defying circus act that was going on above, but I also got a million tar pebbles in my face, hair and eyes. When I ducked under the eavesdrop I got sawdust pouring on my head. And if all that wasn’t enough pleasure, I had daddy-long-legs spiders crawling on my shoulders and bees buzzing in my ears while I tried to hold the shingles perfectly still. I almost can’t wait to do this all over again tonight when we tackle the other side of the roof.
But tonight won’t be quite as exciting. It’s not supposed to rain tonight. Did I mention that it started to rain last night, and one of us (we won’t mention which one) was too stubborn to stop working? So that made my aluminum ladder nice and slippery for my 35 one-handed trips up and down, carrying the shingles and all the necessary tools up the roof. And tonight I will probably not forget that the staging is there when I'm squatting down picking up all the garbage that Karlo throws off the roof . . . So maybe tonight I won't crack my head into the corner of a 2x4 like I did last night. Who’s idea was this shed anyway?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
A Seriously Stressful Sunday
Boy am I happy yesterday is over and done with. I hated just about all of it. Since the weather was pretty crappy (gee, there’s a big surprise) we decided to spend the entire day working on the ‘shack.’ Karlo spent most of Saturday working on one end (the easy end) while I was out enjoying myself. Luckily I did get a little fun over the weekend. CA Sue just happened to be in town for a couple days and I couldn’t miss the chance of getting together. Tina and the girls met me and Sue at the Evergreen Walk and we had such a lovely afternoon. Thank goodness it got me out of more carpentry.
But yesterday I was stuck. I had to help Karlo tackle the difficult side of the shack – the side that stands 25 feet off the ground, on a steep and rocky slope. I was quite sure I would have a heart attack as I watched Karlo on the enormous extension ladder (of course it was raised higher than the manufacturer recommends) as he put up the last pieces of wall and trim. I didn’t take any pictures of this because I was either holding the bottom of the ladder (as IF I could stop a fall) or I was on the ‘staging’ holding up one end of the wood. I was terrified and brought to tears on more than one occasion. All I kept thinking was “stupid shed, why are we doing this?”
I thanked God a million times yesterday for letting Karlo escape severe injury and I am so incredibly relieved that we are almost done with this project. The only thing left is the roofing and that will, no doubt, also leave me paralyzed in fear. Here is a taste of what I’ll be witnessing, praying that Karlo doesn’t slip clear off the roof. Can not wait to be done.
But yesterday I was stuck. I had to help Karlo tackle the difficult side of the shack – the side that stands 25 feet off the ground, on a steep and rocky slope. I was quite sure I would have a heart attack as I watched Karlo on the enormous extension ladder (of course it was raised higher than the manufacturer recommends) as he put up the last pieces of wall and trim. I didn’t take any pictures of this because I was either holding the bottom of the ladder (as IF I could stop a fall) or I was on the ‘staging’ holding up one end of the wood. I was terrified and brought to tears on more than one occasion. All I kept thinking was “stupid shed, why are we doing this?”
I thanked God a million times yesterday for letting Karlo escape severe injury and I am so incredibly relieved that we are almost done with this project. The only thing left is the roofing and that will, no doubt, also leave me paralyzed in fear. Here is a taste of what I’ll be witnessing, praying that Karlo doesn’t slip clear off the roof. Can not wait to be done.
Friday, June 26, 2009
No Photos and Then More Bad Photos
Because I just can’t seem to get enough of the bad pictures . . .
Last night Karlo and I took a gorgeous hike. We hiked near our house, on a trail that we normally frequent. Only last night the trail was completely unrecognizable. I could swear we were in the Pacific Northwest. It was so different, so green, so lush, so rainforest-like. There were brand new ponds where last time no water stood at all. I called them ‘reflecting ponds.’ Karlo called them mosquito breeding grounds. Just about all the rocks were now covered with a green carpet of moss. I just couldn’t get over the change in landscape in just a few weeks and I wish I had my camera to compare this trail to our recent hikes in the Seattle area. You couldn’t believe the similarity. But, as usual, you will have to take my word for it. Because, as usual, I didn’t take my camera! Although, I have to say, it was probably a good thing. Hiking on the wet and very slippery rocks and roots was very tricky and the occasional slip and fall was inevitable. And on that subject, would somebody please invent some hiking shoes with a sole that mimics a dog’s paw pads? Why is that I was slipping and falling everywhere and Peanut never skipped a beat. That sure-footed little creature had no trouble at all. Well anyway, my camera stayed safe but now I have nothing to show for the hike.
And moving on from the ‘no picture’ portion of today’s post to the ‘bad picture’ portion . . .
This should really be a separate entry called Glass Fusing 101 – What Not to Do. Last week . . . wait a minute . . . two weeks ago, I went to a glass fusing jewelry making class. This is something that I’ve been dreaming about for years. I always had a burning (pun intended) desire to melt glass and now that I finally have a kiln, it was time to learn. The class was fun and interesting. I left there with over $100 in supplies to try it at home. I just couldn’t wait to start cutting glass.
The cutting was not as hard as I had imagined. I did pretty good with that. But the firing didn’t go as planned.
Blunder #1:
The top clear glass slid nearly completely off the pieces. Back to the drawing board. This time I used some glue (just as the instructor advised – should have listened) and this time everything stayed in place. But the result was . . . well, ugly.
Blunder #2:
My third attempt got me closer to where I want to be. Still not too pretty, but at this point I was not using my nicest pieces of glass. I figure I need a few more practice runs before being confident enough to use the good stuff. I’m getting there.
Before firing:
After firing:
Last night Karlo and I took a gorgeous hike. We hiked near our house, on a trail that we normally frequent. Only last night the trail was completely unrecognizable. I could swear we were in the Pacific Northwest. It was so different, so green, so lush, so rainforest-like. There were brand new ponds where last time no water stood at all. I called them ‘reflecting ponds.’ Karlo called them mosquito breeding grounds. Just about all the rocks were now covered with a green carpet of moss. I just couldn’t get over the change in landscape in just a few weeks and I wish I had my camera to compare this trail to our recent hikes in the Seattle area. You couldn’t believe the similarity. But, as usual, you will have to take my word for it. Because, as usual, I didn’t take my camera! Although, I have to say, it was probably a good thing. Hiking on the wet and very slippery rocks and roots was very tricky and the occasional slip and fall was inevitable. And on that subject, would somebody please invent some hiking shoes with a sole that mimics a dog’s paw pads? Why is that I was slipping and falling everywhere and Peanut never skipped a beat. That sure-footed little creature had no trouble at all. Well anyway, my camera stayed safe but now I have nothing to show for the hike.
And moving on from the ‘no picture’ portion of today’s post to the ‘bad picture’ portion . . .
This should really be a separate entry called Glass Fusing 101 – What Not to Do. Last week . . . wait a minute . . . two weeks ago, I went to a glass fusing jewelry making class. This is something that I’ve been dreaming about for years. I always had a burning (pun intended) desire to melt glass and now that I finally have a kiln, it was time to learn. The class was fun and interesting. I left there with over $100 in supplies to try it at home. I just couldn’t wait to start cutting glass.
The cutting was not as hard as I had imagined. I did pretty good with that. But the firing didn’t go as planned.
Blunder #1:
The top clear glass slid nearly completely off the pieces. Back to the drawing board. This time I used some glue (just as the instructor advised – should have listened) and this time everything stayed in place. But the result was . . . well, ugly.
Blunder #2:
My third attempt got me closer to where I want to be. Still not too pretty, but at this point I was not using my nicest pieces of glass. I figure I need a few more practice runs before being confident enough to use the good stuff. I’m getting there.
Before firing:
After firing:
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Bad Picture Day
As the owner of a DSLR this entry is embarrassing, but I’m just so excited about my latest purchase that I have to share . . . Footnote: pics not taken with the DSLR!
Last night Karlo and I went to PetsMart to get dog food. This was finally my big chance to get some fish. Seems like buying fish is an incredibly difficult task for me because we need to arrange the shopping so buying the fish is the last errand before hitting the road to home. The fish can only survive in the plastic bags so long and our commute home is always at least 20 -30 minutes. I insisted that Karlo and I eat dinner out at 4:30 last night just so our trip to PetsMart was our last errand of the night.
So I picked out a new male guppy (to replace the recently departed Fred) and another colorful little platy and while I was there I finally got my goldfish. It’s been a month since I filled our little pond in preparation for them. I couldn’t have been happier. I picked 5 of the cutest goldfish (two of which are actually white with gold spots) and watched them swimming around in the plastic bag all the way home. Karlo was very patient during this shopping expedition, which was odd. He never has any patience when it comes to my fish buying. I think he was just waiting to use his line about these new goldfish becoming a great appetizer for the blue heron that stalk our big pond every day. I gasped in horror, “Do you really think they will eat my goldfish???” Karlo’s reply was, “Of course they will! What do you think will happen?” I swear this was the moment that he was happily waiting for. He was just so pleased to burst my little bubble.
But that was OK. I decided that I’m not going to stress about it. We got home and after inspecting the now disgusting water, Karlo agreed to drain, wash, and refill the pond. Maybe he felt bad for rubbing in the fact that my new pets will be tomorrow’s dinner for the big birds.
Here’s the scene of my now clean pond with the fish in it. You have to look really hard to see the fish.
And this picture is so bad that I’m going to call it “art.”
I can't wait to get home and take inventory . . .
Last night Karlo and I went to PetsMart to get dog food. This was finally my big chance to get some fish. Seems like buying fish is an incredibly difficult task for me because we need to arrange the shopping so buying the fish is the last errand before hitting the road to home. The fish can only survive in the plastic bags so long and our commute home is always at least 20 -30 minutes. I insisted that Karlo and I eat dinner out at 4:30 last night just so our trip to PetsMart was our last errand of the night.
So I picked out a new male guppy (to replace the recently departed Fred) and another colorful little platy and while I was there I finally got my goldfish. It’s been a month since I filled our little pond in preparation for them. I couldn’t have been happier. I picked 5 of the cutest goldfish (two of which are actually white with gold spots) and watched them swimming around in the plastic bag all the way home. Karlo was very patient during this shopping expedition, which was odd. He never has any patience when it comes to my fish buying. I think he was just waiting to use his line about these new goldfish becoming a great appetizer for the blue heron that stalk our big pond every day. I gasped in horror, “Do you really think they will eat my goldfish???” Karlo’s reply was, “Of course they will! What do you think will happen?” I swear this was the moment that he was happily waiting for. He was just so pleased to burst my little bubble.
But that was OK. I decided that I’m not going to stress about it. We got home and after inspecting the now disgusting water, Karlo agreed to drain, wash, and refill the pond. Maybe he felt bad for rubbing in the fact that my new pets will be tomorrow’s dinner for the big birds.
Here’s the scene of my now clean pond with the fish in it. You have to look really hard to see the fish.
And this picture is so bad that I’m going to call it “art.”
I can't wait to get home and take inventory . . .
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Twitter Silliness
I recently realized that just about the entire month of June slipped away and I completely slacked with my YogaDudes business-related activities. I guess I took the vacation mode seriously and didn’t want to do much work when we got home. I haven’t written a newsletter, blogged, or Twittered (or maybe that should be Tweeted. I’m still not sure of the correct lingo) for nearly a month.
Since I had some freelance work to do last night and I was in the ‘work mode’ I decided to visit Twitter. Yes, I Tweet and I never mentioned it before because it’s purely business. I have no interest in using Twitter for personal or social reasons and none of you would care much about my Tweets. But anyway, while I was there snooping on some of my followers and looking for some good yoga material I couldn’t help but notice that somebody was following Richard Gere. [Footnote: You see, this is why Twitter is bad thing to begin with – a useless time suck.] Here I am trying to do some ‘work’ and now I’m snooping on Richard Gere. The only reason this caught my eye was because we just watched Nights in Rodanthe a couple of nights ago and how can you not like Richard Gere in those mushy chick flicks? So I clicked on his profile and this is what I see . . . (You will probably have to click on the graphic to view it bigger.)
I’m trying to figure out if he was excited to have dinner with my father or my nephew . . .
Since I had some freelance work to do last night and I was in the ‘work mode’ I decided to visit Twitter. Yes, I Tweet and I never mentioned it before because it’s purely business. I have no interest in using Twitter for personal or social reasons and none of you would care much about my Tweets. But anyway, while I was there snooping on some of my followers and looking for some good yoga material I couldn’t help but notice that somebody was following Richard Gere. [Footnote: You see, this is why Twitter is bad thing to begin with – a useless time suck.] Here I am trying to do some ‘work’ and now I’m snooping on Richard Gere. The only reason this caught my eye was because we just watched Nights in Rodanthe a couple of nights ago and how can you not like Richard Gere in those mushy chick flicks? So I clicked on his profile and this is what I see . . . (You will probably have to click on the graphic to view it bigger.)
I’m trying to figure out if he was excited to have dinner with my father or my nephew . . .
Monday, June 22, 2009
A Quick Fix
Somehow, in between the rain showers, Karlo and I managed to squeak in a couple dry kayak rides over the past week. After learning my lesson over and over regarding the camera, or lack there of, this last time I decided to bring my camera (despite the gray skies and threatening clouds). This time I would be ready for whatever action we encountered on the lake. There would be no more missed opportunities, no more perfect pictures that could have been.
We paddled out and I was eager to see what would happen. I had my camera around my neck and turned on. Bring it on . . . I'm ready. And guess what happened?
.
.
.
Absolutely nothing! The winds were strong so reflection pictures were out of the question. There were no birds to be found, no interesting clouds, not one darn thing. I guess bringing my camera is the best way to ensure a boring ride. So we paddled over to the spot that made me cry on a previous trip . . . the spot where we gawked in awe at the bald eagle. Do you remember my description of the perfect perch? Well here it is:
Can't you just picture the beautiful eagle on that perfect bald branch? No? You can't picture it? Here maybe this will help.
There. I feel much better now. Photoshop saved the day. That is pretty much the exact scene that I missed that day. So let's just pretend I took that picture, OK? Nobody really needs to know the truth.
We paddled out and I was eager to see what would happen. I had my camera around my neck and turned on. Bring it on . . . I'm ready. And guess what happened?
.
.
.
Absolutely nothing! The winds were strong so reflection pictures were out of the question. There were no birds to be found, no interesting clouds, not one darn thing. I guess bringing my camera is the best way to ensure a boring ride. So we paddled over to the spot that made me cry on a previous trip . . . the spot where we gawked in awe at the bald eagle. Do you remember my description of the perfect perch? Well here it is:
Can't you just picture the beautiful eagle on that perfect bald branch? No? You can't picture it? Here maybe this will help.
There. I feel much better now. Photoshop saved the day. That is pretty much the exact scene that I missed that day. So let's just pretend I took that picture, OK? Nobody really needs to know the truth.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Family Time
This weekend went by way too fast. I feel as though Saturday was too short. We tried to cram in as many activities as possible, which always makes the day fly by even faster. But today was a special day. It's not often that I get to see my family, even some extended family, all together. This is normally only reserved for Christmas, but today we celebrated a bit of a Christmas in June. Not only was Father's Day a cause for celebration, but it was also time to officially christen the new house in Haddam. After years of planning and building, we were finally able to get together and enjoy the place. Sometimes I still have a hard time believing this house really exists. For as long as I can remember my father has been dreaming about it and talking about it. His dream is finally a reality and what better way to spend a Father's Day for him.
My brother and Penni cooked up a mean surf and turf dinner and we had a feast. The weather even cooperated and we got to spend some time outside. I batted around a volleyball with my niece Nicole (who is in 7th grade and is offically taller than me) and she is really good. Boy could I have used her a dozen years ago. We would have been a team to contend with. I look forward to see her develop as a player. For sure she will be the star of the team!
Here are some pics of the family enjoying the deck and the beautiful views of the river. Thank you Ang and Penni for a great time and thank you Mother Nature for giving us a few good hours of no rain.
My brother and Penni cooked up a mean surf and turf dinner and we had a feast. The weather even cooperated and we got to spend some time outside. I batted around a volleyball with my niece Nicole (who is in 7th grade and is offically taller than me) and she is really good. Boy could I have used her a dozen years ago. We would have been a team to contend with. I look forward to see her develop as a player. For sure she will be the star of the team!
Here are some pics of the family enjoying the deck and the beautiful views of the river. Thank you Ang and Penni for a great time and thank you Mother Nature for giving us a few good hours of no rain.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Photos for a Rainy Weekend
I have two blog stories just waiting in the hopper, but I need photos to accompany them. Photos that I don't have with me. sigh.
So what else can I talk about that doesn't require a photo? Oh wait, I know . . . I'll tell you about my new photo gallery. When I got my new camera I decided I needed a new place to store some pictures. I have my Picasa albums for all my miscellaneous snapshots. But I wanted a special place to put some of my favorite pictures. I originally intended for this gallery to be filled with only photos taken with the new camera, but I did break down and use some old pictures. I'm hoping to beef it up over the rainy weekend, but in case you're looking for ways to waste time online this weekend, here's the link: http://aprophoto.smugmug.com/
So what else can I talk about that doesn't require a photo? Oh wait, I know . . . I'll tell you about my new photo gallery. When I got my new camera I decided I needed a new place to store some pictures. I have my Picasa albums for all my miscellaneous snapshots. But I wanted a special place to put some of my favorite pictures. I originally intended for this gallery to be filled with only photos taken with the new camera, but I did break down and use some old pictures. I'm hoping to beef it up over the rainy weekend, but in case you're looking for ways to waste time online this weekend, here's the link: http://aprophoto.smugmug.com/
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Back to My Regularly Scheduled Life
Time to move past the recent dramas and get back to my life as usual. And this next story will clearly illustrate my typical life . . .
Ahhh, the joys of traveling. The bliss of the last vacation has barely worn off yet and the stress of the next vacation is already starting to bite. It seems that we never take easy vacations. I remember thinking back to a trip to Maine we took several years ago. I went online and found a cottage to rent, emailed the owner, mailed a check and that was it. Several months later we got in the car, drove to Maine and had a lovely time. The extent of my vacation planning took approximately 20 minutes. I don’t think I ever experienced such an easy vacation planning before, or since.
Our last vacation wasn’t too bad. It only entailed our flights, one car rental, one motorcycle rental, and 5 different hotel reservations. Oh and, of course, lots of date coordination with friends. But overall, it wasn’t too bad. Now our next trip to Europe has been grueling and it’s still not done. Planning for travel to Europe is never an easy ordeal. Because I’m not familiar with the towns I have to cross-reference everything on a map. Most of the hotels do not have web sites and I simply cannot do business with non-connected establishments. It took me days to find a little hotel in the Alps of Northern Italy near the park we want to visit. I was so proud of myself for finding this perfect little place. Then two months later I get the dreaded email that starts with, “We regret to inform you . . .“ and it goes on to explain that the hotel is forced to close due to the economy. Now I have to start from scratch. But at least we still had the flights in place and that was half the battle.
So what do you think happens next? I spent a solid week planning our very complicated flights, calling back and fourth between two different airlines trying to coordinate Karlo’s paid business flight with my free flight. I had to find two separate itineraries that matched on the return trip. They had to qualify for a free ticket (and those are far and few between) and also fall into the company travel budget. If I found a flight that I could get for free, the paid flight was out of my company budget. The flights within the budget I couldn’t get on. It was painful, but I finally did it. And then yesterday we get the email that says, “Sorry to inform you, but a portion of your flight has been cancelled.” It’s only the portion that takes us over the Atlantic! Good grief almighty. Back to the drawing board with 5 more phone calls to two different airlines and Travelocity. I had to cancel Karlo’s original trip, rebook (at a higher price of course) and completely redo my trip. I dread the bills and paperwork arriving and trying to explain to the CFO what happened. What a complicated mess. I still need to book two rental cars, one motorcycle rental, and a hotel in Italy (at the very least). I keep putting it off because I just don’t want to do deal with it. It’s bad enough to have to plan everything once, but doing it twice is really irritating. We may just be walking and camping when we get there.
Ahhh, the joys of traveling. The bliss of the last vacation has barely worn off yet and the stress of the next vacation is already starting to bite. It seems that we never take easy vacations. I remember thinking back to a trip to Maine we took several years ago. I went online and found a cottage to rent, emailed the owner, mailed a check and that was it. Several months later we got in the car, drove to Maine and had a lovely time. The extent of my vacation planning took approximately 20 minutes. I don’t think I ever experienced such an easy vacation planning before, or since.
Our last vacation wasn’t too bad. It only entailed our flights, one car rental, one motorcycle rental, and 5 different hotel reservations. Oh and, of course, lots of date coordination with friends. But overall, it wasn’t too bad. Now our next trip to Europe has been grueling and it’s still not done. Planning for travel to Europe is never an easy ordeal. Because I’m not familiar with the towns I have to cross-reference everything on a map. Most of the hotels do not have web sites and I simply cannot do business with non-connected establishments. It took me days to find a little hotel in the Alps of Northern Italy near the park we want to visit. I was so proud of myself for finding this perfect little place. Then two months later I get the dreaded email that starts with, “We regret to inform you . . .“ and it goes on to explain that the hotel is forced to close due to the economy. Now I have to start from scratch. But at least we still had the flights in place and that was half the battle.
So what do you think happens next? I spent a solid week planning our very complicated flights, calling back and fourth between two different airlines trying to coordinate Karlo’s paid business flight with my free flight. I had to find two separate itineraries that matched on the return trip. They had to qualify for a free ticket (and those are far and few between) and also fall into the company travel budget. If I found a flight that I could get for free, the paid flight was out of my company budget. The flights within the budget I couldn’t get on. It was painful, but I finally did it. And then yesterday we get the email that says, “Sorry to inform you, but a portion of your flight has been cancelled.” It’s only the portion that takes us over the Atlantic! Good grief almighty. Back to the drawing board with 5 more phone calls to two different airlines and Travelocity. I had to cancel Karlo’s original trip, rebook (at a higher price of course) and completely redo my trip. I dread the bills and paperwork arriving and trying to explain to the CFO what happened. What a complicated mess. I still need to book two rental cars, one motorcycle rental, and a hotel in Italy (at the very least). I keep putting it off because I just don’t want to do deal with it. It’s bad enough to have to plan everything once, but doing it twice is really irritating. We may just be walking and camping when we get there.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
It Takes Rain to Get a Rainbow
Despite the fact that the title refers to rain I’m not going to complain about this lovely CT weather. Yesterday’s blog posting and the resulting comments made me want to share these thoughts . . .
First, I want to send out a heart-felt thank you to the friends that left me comments on my last post. It hit me today that good things often result from bad things happening. For instance how often does somebody get laid off from a job only to find an even better one, or start their own successful business as a result? Or maybe they go through a tough divorce only to find their one true love shortly after. There are also circumstances where people get sick and/or face their own mortality in order to reevaluate their lives and set better priorities. In my case I tend to take things and people for granted and not realize this until they aren’t there for me. I never seem to appreciate Karlo as much when he’s home as I do when he’s away. Why does it always take a bad thing (him being away) for me to appreciate all that he is?
And likewise, it took something bad (the anonymous fool that polluted my happy place) to make me realize just how great my friends (the ‘real’ ones, not the phony Facebook ones) really are. You guys are the best and I’m honored to call you all my friends! And thank you Anonymous Fool for making me realize this.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Feeling Old
I’m feeling a bit old today. I say this as I’m listening to Frank Sinatra and truly enjoying it. I just came back from my first mountain bike ride of the season and not only did I perform less than stellar, but I rode like a chicken on the down hills. I refused to jump logs that I would have no problem jumping . . . oh say . . . last year. I did manage to crash and fall into a muddy ditch so maybe I do have a bit of youth still left in me.
But there are more reasons than physical ones that I’m feeling old today. I’m thinking back to a lovely email that my friend Jill sent to me this morning. It was all about aging, but not about the silly physical things that go wrong with age. It was about the positive points regarding aging. Yes, there are such things! Here’s a little clip from the email:
“As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.”
I guess this email has made me realize that I am indeed old. I have come to the point in my life where I realize what things are important and what things aren’t worth a second thought. Today it was particularly easy to see this crystallize. I’m still stunned at how my meaningless off-hand blog remarks can cause such uproar. I always fill this blog with my opinions, some serious, some silly, but the important thing is that they are just my opinions. Everybody has opinions and everybody likes and dislikes different things. Why should one person’s personal tastes toward anything effect or upset anybody else?
Imagine if I said that I don’t like American cars . . . (Not like I ever said that before.) Is that grounds for everybody that drives an American car, or works for an American car company, to get offended? Does that mean that I think I’m too good to drive one, or I’m an anti-patriotic terrorist? Or does it just mean that my personal preference is for other brands? Doesn’t everybody have personal preferences that may or may not coincide with their best friends?
And the real kicker is the thought that people could be upset about my opinion. I mean I’m just some obscure person out in the boonies. Who should care what I think or say? I just can’t imagine giving a second thought to any random person and their opinions. My friends are all entitled to their personal preferences, whether they match mine or not. In fact, when they don’t match mine there is usually a good laugh involved. But I can’t see how anybody’s personal preference for anything could actually upset me. If I don’t agree with an opinion so be it.
I really do think that life is way too short to get bogged down in petty nonsense. There is so much more to life than that. Why waste time dwelling on any negative things that you can grasp at? The world is full of so much beauty and joy if you go looking for it. I’m definitely at the point in my life where I have settled into life and really know how to live it in a positive way. It is sinful to waste precious time being upset for no reason.
And one last thought regarding aging . . . I know this theory about aging is really true and I can see this in my relationships with all the people in my life older than myself. I just realized at this moment how much I enjoy talking and spending time with these people. Seems all my contact with these older and wiser people have left me a better person and taught me important life lessons. I don’t dread aging. I know that life just keeps on getting better.
But there are more reasons than physical ones that I’m feeling old today. I’m thinking back to a lovely email that my friend Jill sent to me this morning. It was all about aging, but not about the silly physical things that go wrong with age. It was about the positive points regarding aging. Yes, there are such things! Here’s a little clip from the email:
“As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.”
I guess this email has made me realize that I am indeed old. I have come to the point in my life where I realize what things are important and what things aren’t worth a second thought. Today it was particularly easy to see this crystallize. I’m still stunned at how my meaningless off-hand blog remarks can cause such uproar. I always fill this blog with my opinions, some serious, some silly, but the important thing is that they are just my opinions. Everybody has opinions and everybody likes and dislikes different things. Why should one person’s personal tastes toward anything effect or upset anybody else?
Imagine if I said that I don’t like American cars . . . (Not like I ever said that before.) Is that grounds for everybody that drives an American car, or works for an American car company, to get offended? Does that mean that I think I’m too good to drive one, or I’m an anti-patriotic terrorist? Or does it just mean that my personal preference is for other brands? Doesn’t everybody have personal preferences that may or may not coincide with their best friends?
And the real kicker is the thought that people could be upset about my opinion. I mean I’m just some obscure person out in the boonies. Who should care what I think or say? I just can’t imagine giving a second thought to any random person and their opinions. My friends are all entitled to their personal preferences, whether they match mine or not. In fact, when they don’t match mine there is usually a good laugh involved. But I can’t see how anybody’s personal preference for anything could actually upset me. If I don’t agree with an opinion so be it.
I really do think that life is way too short to get bogged down in petty nonsense. There is so much more to life than that. Why waste time dwelling on any negative things that you can grasp at? The world is full of so much beauty and joy if you go looking for it. I’m definitely at the point in my life where I have settled into life and really know how to live it in a positive way. It is sinful to waste precious time being upset for no reason.
And one last thought regarding aging . . . I know this theory about aging is really true and I can see this in my relationships with all the people in my life older than myself. I just realized at this moment how much I enjoy talking and spending time with these people. Seems all my contact with these older and wiser people have left me a better person and taught me important life lessons. I don’t dread aging. I know that life just keeps on getting better.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday Recap (Part II)
In the later afternoon we received a bonus visit from Regina and her kids. What fun we had running around the yard with them. Karlo even convinced them all to take ATV rides with him — including Gina and I still can’t figure out how that happened. Obviously Gina never heard about Penni’s last ATV ride, but we will just keep that quiet. Anyway, here’s some snapshots of the backyard shinanagins.
Too bad I missed the shot one second earlier when the ATV was 2 feet in the air coming over that hill!
Too bad I missed the shot one second earlier when the ATV was 2 feet in the air coming over that hill!
Sunday Recap (Part 1)
What a busy weekend it was. Getting up on Sunday morning was a challenge. I was exhausted, my throat was sore, and my head was pounding from the two beers I drank. I was tempted to sleep in . . .
But instead we got up and got busy with projects around the house. The most interesting project was shaving Bentley. My poor shivering, bald, albino dog. Check this out:
He did take this whole scene surprisingly well. I just couldn’t imagine what a shaved greyhound would look like. Would he still have his tiger stripes? Luckily he does and he doesn’t look quite as funny as I thought he would. Although Peanut would probably disagree. Nothing was funnier than watching her reaction to seeing the bald Bentley for the first time. She ever so cautiously approached him, completely convinced that he was a different dog. “Who is that?” she must have been thinking. She tip toed over to him and sniffed every piece of him for five straight minutes. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him and still was not convinced it was Bentley.
Karlo and I managed to squeak in a topless Jeep ride (the keep was topless, not us) and a kayak excursion without getting rained on. It was a risky maneuver with those threatening clouds looming all day long. We really lucked out on the lake and the sun actually shone for a while. However, I am still kicking myself for the lesson I apparently have still not learned. Once again I didn’t bring my camera and once again it was the most incredible ride. I figured it was cloudy and gloomy, what would I take a picture of? Idiot. The water was dead still and the reflections were mesmerizing. Did I mention that this week’s photo blog theme was Reflections? Uuuugh. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, there were several cranes out hunting and they were simply taunting me. We must have had at least 6 or 7 fly-bys, about 15 feet in front of the boat. These birds were majestic in their flights. And oh, you can only imagine the cool reflections of the birds on the calm water. KICKING MYSELF!
After our kayak trip we came home and I slaved planting my new garden. Here it is:
Stay tuned for Sunday Part II. Can’t post that part without the back up photos . . .
But instead we got up and got busy with projects around the house. The most interesting project was shaving Bentley. My poor shivering, bald, albino dog. Check this out:
He did take this whole scene surprisingly well. I just couldn’t imagine what a shaved greyhound would look like. Would he still have his tiger stripes? Luckily he does and he doesn’t look quite as funny as I thought he would. Although Peanut would probably disagree. Nothing was funnier than watching her reaction to seeing the bald Bentley for the first time. She ever so cautiously approached him, completely convinced that he was a different dog. “Who is that?” she must have been thinking. She tip toed over to him and sniffed every piece of him for five straight minutes. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him and still was not convinced it was Bentley.
Karlo and I managed to squeak in a topless Jeep ride (the keep was topless, not us) and a kayak excursion without getting rained on. It was a risky maneuver with those threatening clouds looming all day long. We really lucked out on the lake and the sun actually shone for a while. However, I am still kicking myself for the lesson I apparently have still not learned. Once again I didn’t bring my camera and once again it was the most incredible ride. I figured it was cloudy and gloomy, what would I take a picture of? Idiot. The water was dead still and the reflections were mesmerizing. Did I mention that this week’s photo blog theme was Reflections? Uuuugh. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, there were several cranes out hunting and they were simply taunting me. We must have had at least 6 or 7 fly-bys, about 15 feet in front of the boat. These birds were majestic in their flights. And oh, you can only imagine the cool reflections of the birds on the calm water. KICKING MYSELF!
After our kayak trip we came home and I slaved planting my new garden. Here it is:
Stay tuned for Sunday Part II. Can’t post that part without the back up photos . . .
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A Smashing Saturday
Despite the terrible weather we are having these days, I managed to really enjoy the day yesterday. It started off with a delightful new hike in Eastford. The only part of this hike that wasn't perfect was the fact that I experienced my first real tick episode (where one actually lodged itself under my skin) from this walk and my right hip started to act up again. I had to sit out the last half mile and wait for Karlo and Peanut to come and rescue me with the Jeep. But that wasn't all bad. I sat on the side of the river and watched and listened to the rushing water go by. It was quite tranquil.
The reason I didn't want to push it with my sore hip was because I had to perform in our little Eastford line dancing presentation in the afternoon. I figured I had enough going against me already (as I just learned the 3 dances 3 days ago). But I would like to report that I did just fine during show time and unfortunately I don't have any photos or video this year. My photographer refused to come and watch me this time due to the fact that he has poison ivy all over his face :-(
After the dancing Karlo and I visited our neighbor and we had fun watching all the birds in her yard.
From there we headed to Hartford for a quick visit with Dad followed by an awesome night with friends. We were planning to meet Tina and head to some bar in Hartford for a South End Reunion. But when we arrived at the bar the three of us stood outside the fence, peering in and observing the crowd. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach and didn't feel too compelled to walk in. I turned to Tina and said, "Well T what do you think?" and she said, "We are too clean to go in there!" With a complete sense of relief we all hopped back in the car and headed to Plan B which was meeting another old friend at the Wood N Tap in Rocky Hill -- much more our speed compared to the ganster biker bar where the party was being held. And we had a stinkin' ball.
As if we didn't have a full enough day at this point, at 9 PM we headed to Manchester to meet Regina for a drink (well, in our case . . . dessert). What amazing timing that Regina just happened to be in CT on the same night that Tina and I were out for a night on the town. More great conversation and fun and before we knew it, it was past midnight and my voice was gone. Well worth the late night. It was a blast. And I had so much fun talking and catching up that I forgot to pull my camera out. uuuuuugh!
The reason I didn't want to push it with my sore hip was because I had to perform in our little Eastford line dancing presentation in the afternoon. I figured I had enough going against me already (as I just learned the 3 dances 3 days ago). But I would like to report that I did just fine during show time and unfortunately I don't have any photos or video this year. My photographer refused to come and watch me this time due to the fact that he has poison ivy all over his face :-(
After the dancing Karlo and I visited our neighbor and we had fun watching all the birds in her yard.
From there we headed to Hartford for a quick visit with Dad followed by an awesome night with friends. We were planning to meet Tina and head to some bar in Hartford for a South End Reunion. But when we arrived at the bar the three of us stood outside the fence, peering in and observing the crowd. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach and didn't feel too compelled to walk in. I turned to Tina and said, "Well T what do you think?" and she said, "We are too clean to go in there!" With a complete sense of relief we all hopped back in the car and headed to Plan B which was meeting another old friend at the Wood N Tap in Rocky Hill -- much more our speed compared to the ganster biker bar where the party was being held. And we had a stinkin' ball.
As if we didn't have a full enough day at this point, at 9 PM we headed to Manchester to meet Regina for a drink (well, in our case . . . dessert). What amazing timing that Regina just happened to be in CT on the same night that Tina and I were out for a night on the town. More great conversation and fun and before we knew it, it was past midnight and my voice was gone. Well worth the late night. It was a blast. And I had so much fun talking and catching up that I forgot to pull my camera out. uuuuuugh!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
This is Getting Depressing
The lack of sunshine is really getting to me. That, combined with the terrible sinus issues caused by this lovely weather, is not making for a happy Paula. I'm unmotivated and uninspired. Because I can't come up with anything interesting to talk about, I'll just share with you my first set of vacation pics online. It has taken me over a week to get the first set up uploaded. Hopefully I'll have more by next week. In the meantime, if you're as unmotivated as I am perhaps you'll enjoy wasting a few minutes looking at our Motorcycle Tour Highlights.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
What Was I Thinking?
I just opened my purse to get some chewing gum. While looking for the gum I noticed my sunglasses were in there. I made the conscious effort to bring them to work today in the hopeful event that the sun may actually come out today. What was I thinking?
I gotta say, this weather is just a downer. I just checked the 10 day forecast to help me figure out what day to take off. I was either going to take this Friday or next Monday off (whichever day had better weather). Well, it's a tough call, seeing as it's foretasted to rain both days. Looks like I'll be stuck at the office. I am so fed up with this and ready to pack my bags again and head to wherever the sun actually shines.
I gotta say, this weather is just a downer. I just checked the 10 day forecast to help me figure out what day to take off. I was either going to take this Friday or next Monday off (whichever day had better weather). Well, it's a tough call, seeing as it's foretasted to rain both days. Looks like I'll be stuck at the office. I am so fed up with this and ready to pack my bags again and head to wherever the sun actually shines.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
How I Love My Job - Let Me Count the Ways
OK, truth be told, I'm over-worked and over-stressed these days. But with that said, I still love my job. Take today for example . . .
In the morning I strolled down to (one of the many) beautiful fully-applianced kitchens for breakfast. I have my own dry cereal in my office, but the company is nice enough to provide plenty of organic milk. How nice to always have fresh milk at my disposal. I ate my yummy cereal and then pondered which flavor tea I would have today. Or wait, maybe I should have some organic cocoa instead. I just love how the non-coffee drinkers are not left out in the cold.
After lunch I got my usual hungry slump and to my surprise I found some popcorn in our popcorn machine. We even have little paper bags, just like at the movies. What a fun mid-day treat.
But wait, it gets much better. When leaving the kitchen I happen to stroll through the shipping room where I found a big box addressed to me . . . from B&H Photo. Now that I have Lisa, Jamie, and Michelle's attention . . . Look at what the company bought for me:
I am in pure heaven. I got the brand new Nikon D5000 with the lens I've been drooling over since Christmas; the Tamron 90mm macro. Conveniently enough it is compatible with my D60. Good planning, I know ;-) I also got a Nikon 18-105mm VR lens that I already love. I am very much looking forward to getting to know this baby. So much to do and so darn little time.
In the morning I strolled down to (one of the many) beautiful fully-applianced kitchens for breakfast. I have my own dry cereal in my office, but the company is nice enough to provide plenty of organic milk. How nice to always have fresh milk at my disposal. I ate my yummy cereal and then pondered which flavor tea I would have today. Or wait, maybe I should have some organic cocoa instead. I just love how the non-coffee drinkers are not left out in the cold.
After lunch I got my usual hungry slump and to my surprise I found some popcorn in our popcorn machine. We even have little paper bags, just like at the movies. What a fun mid-day treat.
But wait, it gets much better. When leaving the kitchen I happen to stroll through the shipping room where I found a big box addressed to me . . . from B&H Photo. Now that I have Lisa, Jamie, and Michelle's attention . . . Look at what the company bought for me:
I am in pure heaven. I got the brand new Nikon D5000 with the lens I've been drooling over since Christmas; the Tamron 90mm macro. Conveniently enough it is compatible with my D60. Good planning, I know ;-) I also got a Nikon 18-105mm VR lens that I already love. I am very much looking forward to getting to know this baby. So much to do and so darn little time.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Eeeeeek
We went on two snake hunting expeditions in Arizona and found nothing . . . but yet we come home and find this sucker smack in the middle of our road. And he was big too. Sorry I didn't include my foot in the picture to give you a sense of scale. Just biking by it was scary enough!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Weekend of Accomplishments
I feel like we had a very productive weekend and I don't feel the slightest bit guilty for crawling onto the couch a little bit early tonight. Yesterday we tackled Phase 2 and 3 of Spring Cleaning. There was such a big gap between Phase 1 and 2 that I pretty much had to also redo Phase 1. I really do love this house, but my God is it hard to clean. Luckily Karlo and I teamed up to tackle the vacuuming of the beams. One of us has to hold the canister vac up in the air while the other climbs up on chairs to reach all the overhead beams. Take my word for it, this job sucks and I'm so thankful that we only do it once per year. It's still too often as far as I'm concerned. I vacuumed and steam cleaned the wood floors while Karlo cleaned the windows. I think he got the short end of the stick considering 90% of the first floor is glass.
Once the house was spic and span we moved on to my next accomplishment of the day. I took my first motorcycle ride of the season (as the driver instead of the passenger). This is a nerve-wracking experience that I always look forward to getting behind me. Once I take my first ride and realize that I do, in fact, remember where all the controls are and get that feeling of comfort on the bike I feel so much better. So check that off my list of things to do.
My next accomplishment was dreadful. I spent 1.5 hours of feverish cooking in preparation for a dinner party. I am very proud of myself as everything came out great, the food was cooking in the oven, and the kitchen was spotless before the guests arrived. What a relief.
Today we accomplished two more big things. We cleaned the dogs room, beds, blankets, and most important . . . the stinky dogs. They are now so soft and cuddley I can't even stand it. If we can only clean their dreadful mouths of that dragon breathe they would be in bed with us tonight.
We snuck in a trip to our old stomping grounds (Nathan Hale Homestead) in Coventry to visit Lisa at the Farmer's Market. What a nice treat it was to see Lisa and get the yummiest kettle corn in the world. And it was very cool to be back to the site of our wedding. That place will always have a special place in my heart.
And lastly, we took our first real bike ride of the season. We rode a little over 40 miles, which is an aggesive first ride and I think we did pretty good. The first and last 10 miles were a bit tough, but the middle 20 were great. Part of me is hungry for more and can't wait to jump back on a bike, but the other part of me is wishing distant biking didn't suck so much darn time out of the weekend. I guess I just can't have my cake and eat it too. Oh well. Over all, considering my allergies improved greatly, I would give this weekend two thumbs up.
Once the house was spic and span we moved on to my next accomplishment of the day. I took my first motorcycle ride of the season (as the driver instead of the passenger). This is a nerve-wracking experience that I always look forward to getting behind me. Once I take my first ride and realize that I do, in fact, remember where all the controls are and get that feeling of comfort on the bike I feel so much better. So check that off my list of things to do.
My next accomplishment was dreadful. I spent 1.5 hours of feverish cooking in preparation for a dinner party. I am very proud of myself as everything came out great, the food was cooking in the oven, and the kitchen was spotless before the guests arrived. What a relief.
Today we accomplished two more big things. We cleaned the dogs room, beds, blankets, and most important . . . the stinky dogs. They are now so soft and cuddley I can't even stand it. If we can only clean their dreadful mouths of that dragon breathe they would be in bed with us tonight.
We snuck in a trip to our old stomping grounds (Nathan Hale Homestead) in Coventry to visit Lisa at the Farmer's Market. What a nice treat it was to see Lisa and get the yummiest kettle corn in the world. And it was very cool to be back to the site of our wedding. That place will always have a special place in my heart.
And lastly, we took our first real bike ride of the season. We rode a little over 40 miles, which is an aggesive first ride and I think we did pretty good. The first and last 10 miles were a bit tough, but the middle 20 were great. Part of me is hungry for more and can't wait to jump back on a bike, but the other part of me is wishing distant biking didn't suck so much darn time out of the weekend. I guess I just can't have my cake and eat it too. Oh well. Over all, considering my allergies improved greatly, I would give this weekend two thumbs up.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
This is So Hard
Despite how much I love CT, my house, my job, and everything about being 'home,' I am so struggling with my return from vacation. I don't think it took me more than 3 hours to start to feel like CRAP. As I type this I feel exhausted and have a nauseating headache. I don't know which culprit (the dogs, the dusty house, or the pollen) that is doing me in, but the combination of all of them is making me want to repack my bags and get out of this state.
I'm simply amazed at how great life was on vacation. My body seems to really do well with the R&R. In 10 days I didn't experience the slightest headache or stomach ache and anybody that knows me knows that this is amazing. And I was pushing myself to the limits too. For instance, one particular day I had:
So I decided to bring this home with me. I can't seem to control my allergy headaches, but perhaps I can reduce the amount of stomach aches. I am trying my very best to eat as slow as possible. Karlo swore that he would also make an attempt only he ate as fast as possible last night to get back to mowing the grass and tonight he gobbled his food and ran downstairs before I could even tell him that we had dessert. How am I supposed to mend my evil ways when this is what I live with? Uuuugh, I'm going to bed.
I'm simply amazed at how great life was on vacation. My body seems to really do well with the R&R. In 10 days I didn't experience the slightest headache or stomach ache and anybody that knows me knows that this is amazing. And I was pushing myself to the limits too. For instance, one particular day I had:
- Multiple beers during the day
- A Margarita at 5 PM
- Fillet Mignon for dinner (I haven't consumed a piece of red meat in years)
- A big glass of red wine with dinner
- A Sambuca nightcap
- Followed by real, rich, creamy ice cream before bed
So I decided to bring this home with me. I can't seem to control my allergy headaches, but perhaps I can reduce the amount of stomach aches. I am trying my very best to eat as slow as possible. Karlo swore that he would also make an attempt only he ate as fast as possible last night to get back to mowing the grass and tonight he gobbled his food and ran downstairs before I could even tell him that we had dessert. How am I supposed to mend my evil ways when this is what I live with? Uuuugh, I'm going to bed.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Last Day of Vacation
I intended to get up early to catch the sunrise over the canyon, but I decided that I got my fill of sun pictures last night so we slept in and allowed ourselves to be a little lazy. We made our way back to Grand Canyon around 9 o’clock. We picked a trail that went down into the canyon. As a matter of fact this trail went all the way down to the river, but we didn’t get anywhere close to that. The bad part of hiking at the canyon is you have to hike straight down to start and then straight back up to end. It’s sort of backwards to what we are used to. But it was still fun to hike down inside the canyon for a little way. I hate to admit this, but I got a little bored with the same scenery.
Yes, the Grand Canyon is truly amazing, but there is only so much time I can spend looking down into it. We decided to leave a little earlier than originally planned and head back to the valley. The drive back was terrific. We went back a different route than we drove up and it was such a scenic drive. Not exactly what you picture when you think of Arizona . . . That's a snow-capped mountain at the end of this road.
We were both wishing we were back on the motorcycle. We got back into the Phoenix area in the afternoon and had some time to splash around in the pool and lounge in the shade. I know what you're thinking, "There's no way Paula was in the pool." But wait, I have proof:
We started to ease our way back into our home life by talking about work (uuuugh) and eating beef jerky and popcorn for lunch. We thought it would be too much of a shock to our system to go directly from paradise and gourmet meals to the reality at home.
We headed into Downtown Tempe for dinner and just as we parked the car at PF Changs Joan called and invited us to their house for dinner. Since we didn’t have a proper goodbye, with her being carted off to the hospital, we took them up on their offer and headed to their gorgeous home in Phoenix for a casual dinner. Quite the pleasant evening.
Seems like we often go on a great vacation that leaves me thinking, “How are we ever going to top this one?” and this trip was certainly one of those. We are very much looking forward to our return to the awesome state of Arizona, and I'm pretty sure we just picked our retirement spot.
Yes, the Grand Canyon is truly amazing, but there is only so much time I can spend looking down into it. We decided to leave a little earlier than originally planned and head back to the valley. The drive back was terrific. We went back a different route than we drove up and it was such a scenic drive. Not exactly what you picture when you think of Arizona . . . That's a snow-capped mountain at the end of this road.
We were both wishing we were back on the motorcycle. We got back into the Phoenix area in the afternoon and had some time to splash around in the pool and lounge in the shade. I know what you're thinking, "There's no way Paula was in the pool." But wait, I have proof:
We started to ease our way back into our home life by talking about work (uuuugh) and eating beef jerky and popcorn for lunch. We thought it would be too much of a shock to our system to go directly from paradise and gourmet meals to the reality at home.We headed into Downtown Tempe for dinner and just as we parked the car at PF Changs Joan called and invited us to their house for dinner. Since we didn’t have a proper goodbye, with her being carted off to the hospital, we took them up on their offer and headed to their gorgeous home in Phoenix for a casual dinner. Quite the pleasant evening.
Seems like we often go on a great vacation that leaves me thinking, “How are we ever going to top this one?” and this trip was certainly one of those. We are very much looking forward to our return to the awesome state of Arizona, and I'm pretty sure we just picked our retirement spot.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Day of Perfect Timing
Sunday morning was spent motoring back to the marina and cleaning the boat. Luckily this was smooth sailing with no incidents. We carted Joan off the boat (literally in a wheeled cart) and got her to the hospital, said our farewells, and Karlo and I headed to Antelope Canyon (aka Slot Canyon). We arrived just in the nick of time to join the noon tour and this was the last good tour of the day – when the beams of sunlight are still shining through the narrow passages inside the canyon. This place is any photographers dream come true. Too bad this photographer was completely unprepared with no tripod. Oh well. It was still one of the coolest things I ever saw.
The next stop was another photographers dream. It’s called Horse Shoe Canyon – where the Colorado river makes a complete U-turn. I recently marveled at this picture in Outside magazine and it was such a cool bonus that this spot happened to be right along our route to the Grand Canyon. The vista was about a mile hike off the road and as we were walking down we were admiring the cloud formations. What a nice picture they would make . . . You can see them approaching on the left.
Well, within 20 minutes those cool clouds were baring down and threatening in a bad way. We could hear the distant thunder rumbling and Karlo predicted that we were going to get wet. Yikes, my poor camera! We high tailed it back up that one mile hill and made it back to the car just before the clouds opened up. Couldn’t have been better timing.
Our drive to the Grand Canyon was a pretty one. The rain only lasted 20 minutes and the skies were clear at the canyon. We arrived around 5 PM and walked along the rim trail until the sun began to set. We were on the hunt for the perfect vantage point to watch the sunset. It occurred to me that in over 8 years Karlo and I have never watched a sunset together. I have to admit, it was hard to sit still in one place (on dry land) for 20 minutes waiting for the sun to set, but it was worth it. The sight of the sun setting over the canyon was beautiful.
By now it was nearly 8 PM and we hadn’t eaten dinner. We found a “Spaghetti Western” place for some Italian food. This place was a riot with all the Spaghetti Western movie posters on the wall and cowboys as waiters. It was a great ending to a great day.
The next stop was another photographers dream. It’s called Horse Shoe Canyon – where the Colorado river makes a complete U-turn. I recently marveled at this picture in Outside magazine and it was such a cool bonus that this spot happened to be right along our route to the Grand Canyon. The vista was about a mile hike off the road and as we were walking down we were admiring the cloud formations. What a nice picture they would make . . . You can see them approaching on the left.
Well, within 20 minutes those cool clouds were baring down and threatening in a bad way. We could hear the distant thunder rumbling and Karlo predicted that we were going to get wet. Yikes, my poor camera! We high tailed it back up that one mile hill and made it back to the car just before the clouds opened up. Couldn’t have been better timing.
Our drive to the Grand Canyon was a pretty one. The rain only lasted 20 minutes and the skies were clear at the canyon. We arrived around 5 PM and walked along the rim trail until the sun began to set. We were on the hunt for the perfect vantage point to watch the sunset. It occurred to me that in over 8 years Karlo and I have never watched a sunset together. I have to admit, it was hard to sit still in one place (on dry land) for 20 minutes waiting for the sun to set, but it was worth it. The sight of the sun setting over the canyon was beautiful.
By now it was nearly 8 PM and we hadn’t eaten dinner. We found a “Spaghetti Western” place for some Italian food. This place was a riot with all the Spaghetti Western movie posters on the wall and cowboys as waiters. It was a great ending to a great day.
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