The Red Ride...

I thought for sure I would be paralyzed after kayaking for most of the day on Friday, the 28th. As it turns out, I was not. It seems that all the swimming, all the many many laps I have clocked in this summer have paid off. Friday marked the 3rd year of Mom's passing. I have done allot of work this year to 'be okay', to deal w/ the grief of losing her and proceed forward. Friday was a gorgeous day. I thought the best way to honor her, and that would be every single day for the rest of my life, is to live. So, I did something I have wanted to do since I laid eyes on the Cherry Creek Lake/Reservoir, almost a year ago. I rented a kayak for the day, and off I went. The lake measures 850 acres!! I mastered my rowing skills @ camp, and grateful I was, because you need to have a clue on how to navigate the waters. It was choppy, not like a sheet of glass, as the jet-skiers, motor boats and a few sail boats were making their fair share of wake waves, and it was windy enough to effect the water. (There is plenty of room for everyone, but the ripple effect travels far and wide). I stayed on the perimeter for the first couple of hours, just wanting to catch a glimpse of the park from the waterside. I took my time, I wanted to take my time. I only pulled onto the beach once for a short rest-bit. I knew exactly where I was from the many many times we have walked on the trails by the water. I saw the dense, swampy foliage as I navigated my way around the lake. There were some huge fallen trees w/ the root side facing me. I tried to get some pics, but the kayak kept on moving, the sun was too bright, etc. Their complicated weave of roots made for amazing sculptures, none of which I would have ever seen had I not been on the water. I kept going and at some point I was hoping to find a spot where I could just stay w/out drifting, like putting down an anchor. Well, I have to thank the pelicans for leading me to just the right spot. I was sort of, kind of following a group of pelicans. If I could just get close enough, the sun was behind me, and they were still enough, this could be a good pic, I thought. Well, sure enough, they 'allowed' me to do all that; get close enough, and take a few pics. Once they were done w/ me, one by one by one, they made a line and swam in the other direction. It was quite a sight! And then, lo and behold, I paddled out just far enough and I stopped moving. There was no drifting, I didn't use the paddle to keep the kayak steady. I just sat, and took it all in. Again, time was not an issue, and I savored every moment in that great red ride I had for the day. As it turns out, I was the very last one into the Marina, so whew!!! For any Rhoda Girls reading this, you know in my head I could hear Dede hollering, 'All Rhoda boats in!' Mom would have been really really happy for me for having such a great day...

#grateful #veryverygrateful

The red ride...

Resting, taking it all in...

Short stop on the beach..

The pelicans...thank you pelicans...

'There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

     a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

     a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

     a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance....'

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-4

Coronado Island...Thank-you....

View from our hotel of the Coronado Bay Bridge

View from hotel of downtown San Diego

Terrace (loved the terrace) of our room with a view..

Big California skies, the Pacific on Coronado Beach

Mussels and fries @ Chez Loma

We parked in front of this historic bungalow everyday @ the beach...

Historic Hotel Del Coronado...125 years old!!

Sand castle sculpted in front of Hotel Del...w/ Jimmy!!

Where we did not stay (one of the Del's Villa's)...lol...pretty!!

Chandelier in lobby of Hotel Del!!

Sunrise...

...and sunset...

This is how our vacation started...we boarded the plane, excited that our vacation was finally upon us. I smiled @ the man sitting next to me in the window seat, Jimmy was on the aisle. Window man and I engaged in very small chit chat. I noticed his accent. As always, curious:

Me: Where are you from?

Him: (short, momentary hesitation) Iran.

Me: (still in conversational mode, not thinking the worst) So, why are you going to San Diego?

Him: My wife's mother died.

Me: Oh I am so sorry. Last year at this time, my Mother died. I know how you feel.

Him: Thank you.

He went on to explain to me about the Iranian community in San Diego, that he lives in Denver. I told him that we were going to San Diego to celebrate our 25th Anniversary, that it was a happy occasion, that I hoped his next trip would be a happy occasion. I offered him some almonds, he said no, and put his hand over his heart. I had my Chaim Potok novel in my lap, he watched cartoons for the rest of the trip. We landed w/out incident and said our good-byes.

We had a wonderful time on Coronado Island. We wanted to go to the beach and eat fish. Anything over and above that would be icing on the cake. Just being there, smelling the water, waking up w/ the sun, seeing the pristine cleanliness of the Island, pastel colored bicycles everywhere, children pedaling freely, shiny cars reflecting the palm trees on their well polished bodies, knowing we were very very close to Tijuana, dreaming about buying a condo or a time share for our next trip back to Coronado (stranger things have happened) all added to the depth of our visit to Coronado. The icing was thick.

We planned the trip so that it would be the few days before the 1st anniversary, or yahrzeit of Mom's passing. I said to Jimmy, this was either a really good idea, or a really bad one. As it turns out, it was a really good idea. The anticipation of how bad the day might be was erased by the whole adventure. My gratitude of being by the ocean, the long walks on the beach, all took away the sting of the day. Honestly, I was glad that the first year w/out Mom was behind us. So, here we are, back from sea level to 6000 feet in the air. A seamless transition, this time...looking forward to the continuing adventure....

Acclimatising...

View from Target...the parking lot...can you even believe???

Notice Lowes down the hill...seriously...???

A little step back..

I mentioned it in the 'peppers' post, adjusting or acclimatising to living so far above sea level is very real. The air is dry and thin. The lack of air and humidity will most definitely effect you. One of the most important things you can do is to drink a ton of water. I am very tiny and have found myself drinking 40-70 ounces of water every day. (Can you even imagine...all the rest rooms I have 'visited' are lovely!) You have to or you will get dizzy, start cramping up, get headaches, have heart palpitations. It is a way of life. So, we are 1/2 way into week 3 here in Colorado Springs, and I am making the adjustments. BK sits by the sink, waits, and will have himself a long tall drink of water. It's interesting. Here is how Wikipedia describes a the effects of living in a high altitude on humans:

'Acclimatisation to high altitude continues for months or even years after initial ascent, and ultimately enables humans to survive in an environment that, without acclimatisation, would kill them. Humans who migrate permanently to a higher altitude naturally acclimatise to their new environment by developing an increase in the number of red blood cells to increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, in order to compensate for lower levels of oxygen in the air.'

These pics, are you ready, were taken from the parking lot of our Super Target (love super Target)! This is the range of mountains I wake up to every morning. I am finding that the first word out of my mouth in the morning seems to be, 'Wow'...everyday.

Mmmmmm GOOD!!!

Recipe from my Gram, passed down.

71/2 quarts salted water
cleaned chicken
package of parsnips (about 5)
2 medium turnips (yellow would be a treat)
carrots..can't have too many
3 or 4 stalks of celery (I left it out this time)
dill dill and more dill
flat leaf parsley...2 bunches is good
1 medium onion

boil water
cut onion into quarters and stuff into chicken
tie up chicken so onions stay 'in'
peel and slice parsnips
peel and thinly slice turnips
peel and slice carrots
slice (otherwise missing) celery
cut stems off of dill and parsley, rough cut

Carefully place chicken in boiling water
Skim off all the 'debris' from the chicken...this may take a few minutes
dump in parsnips, turnips, carrots first
'layering', then dump in the celery, dill and parsley

Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Let rest for 1/2 hour...remove the chicken!
Make thin egg noodles and enjoy!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Bridge over Troubled Waters

Overflowing Pawtuxet River reached record highs not seen since 1982!
Pawtuxet Village, RI