Rain now, cold coming later

Angry gnome

I found this picture when I was looking for something else in my vast library of pictures from years gone by. Again I was amused by this little guy, who looks like he's telling us to get lost, or maybe turn around before it's too late. Obviously it was raining then, too. I didn't expect so much rain when I walked to the bus this morning; it looked like it should be intermittent and dry up quickly. But it didn't, and I think it only now it has stopped for the day.

It looks like it will be turning cold soon, with lots of frigid wind coming from the Canadian Frazer Gap, which always means unpleasant conditions even if the sun is shining. Oh well, it could be much worse: I could be living in some place where we are much colder and windier, or even somewhere that doesn't have nice warm houses to live in. I should count my blessings and be grateful for the rain, which always brings lovely spring flowers. Eventually.

The news has been horrific: I am afraid to turn on the TV and see if there has been yet another mass shooting somewhere in the country. Only three weeks in, and we have been averaging 12 or 13 a day. I think I will spend my time catching up on watching all the movies I've missed lately, now that the Oscar nominations are out. I've seen a few of them and truly enjoyed "The Banshees of Inisherin." At least half of the nominations are new to me, so it will be fun and a good diversion to check them out. Most can be seen online if I'm willing to pay a few bucks, which I would be doing if I went to the cinema anyway. How about you? What do you do to change the subject from the current world situation? I'm always looking for new ways to cope.

:-}

Trying something new

Whatcom Falls last Saturday

Last week, I wrote my usual Thursday Senior Trailblazer post, but skipped my Saturday and Tuesday posts for the second or third week in a row. I almost posted again this past Saturday, but the day got away from me before I got around to it.

And I'm beginning to think that maybe it makes more sense to write a post on Mondays, since I have stopped doing volunteer work that day. My schedule is still plenty full, with yoga classes on Tuesdays and Fridays, my rarely missed Thursday hikes, and the Saturday walk with the ladies (and one man). Not to mention the four days a week at the YMCA, which I am considering shaking up, too. It's just time for me to reassess what I am doing out of habit, and what I am doing because I really want to.

For the first time in eight years, I will not fly to Florida to visit my sister this winter. Looking into the near future without having to consider how to schedule that trip, I realize that it gives me a sense of freedom that opens up new possibilities. Maybe I'll start making an occasional trip to Texas to see the rest of my family, I don't quite know yet. But at this point in my life, barreling quickly towards my eightieth birthday (well, not quite but almost), I am wanting to get out of old habits and spend my days fully engaged in doing what gives me the most pleasure, while I still can.

Some of the Saturday walking group

I am so happy that I have such a great group of friends to exercise with on Saturday mornings. Every New Years Day, Cindy (our leader, front row in lavender) brings carafes of coffee, hot chocolate, and her famous fig bars to share with us. We bring our leftover holiday goodies. Before we bring this out, however, we make one 2.6-mile loop around the lake. Afterwards, some will make a second loop, but others (like me this year) will just head home, too full of food to even consider it. This is one group that is high on my list of activities to keep. I'm afraid they would have too much fun without me!
:-)

Wonderful walk, this time without wind

Our Saturday walking group

Look at all the people who showed up for our Saturday walk this morning. I cannot say "the ladies" because of Gordon, who has now joined us four times. He did warn us, however, that he will soon be returning to his home in Arizona and won't be with us for awhile. He hopes to return sometimes in March, however.

It was wonderful to wake up to no wind for a change. The skies were cloudy but no rain yet, so we happily walked almost seven miles around Whatcom Falls Park. I just saw that we have another major windstorm on the way for tonight, with lots of rain, so we lucked out today.

Most of these ladies have been friends for many years, and I look forward to the socializing we carry on along the trail and, often, afterwards over coffee. We discussed movies, books, and even a little bit of politics. Then I headed home to have a nice lunch and get ready for the movies with my friend Judy. Pretty much a perfect Saturday.

Whatcom Falls

And the water was roaring over the falls this morning. I took a picture last fall, at the end of our dry summer, and there was barely a trickle. Very different today!
:-)

First Saturday walk of 2018

Whatcom Falls Park

This morning was our first regular walk of the new year, and we had twice the number of walkers as we did on New Years Day. It was another day where it rained all night and then stopped just in time for us to enjoy ourselves in dry conditions. Way out in front you see our leader Cindy in the pink jacket. I was actually in the middle of the pack, with about the same number behind me as well. We walked around Whatcom Falls Park, along Whatcom Creek, which leads from Lake Whatcom to Bellingham Bay.

Heading back down 

Then we walked UP the city streets to Big Rock Garden Park to add a little distance. I was huffing and puffing on the way up, but when I stopped to take a quick picture, the ladies began to get away from me, so I only took the one and tried to catch up. After a lovely dry walk of about five miles, we met up afterwards for some coffee before heading off into our day. My favorite way to start the weekend!
:-)

Seven years with these fine women

After our short walk, before snacks

It was seven years ago yesterday when I made my first walk with the ladies. Although we usually meet on Saturday mornings at 8:00am, on the first day of the new year we meet at Lake Padden and go once (or twice sometimes) around the lake before sharing goodies with each other. It's a great way to start things off right.

That first year, I stayed to watch the Polar Bears take their plunge into the frigid icy water. I wrote about it here, if you want to see what some crazy people do to ring in the new year. For a few years after that, I considered taking the plunge myself, but I never did. Now I don't even think about it. Times do change and even old skydivers sometimes starting getting sensible in their old age.

Frosty bench with goodies

Cindy always brings coffee and hot chocolate for afterwards, and several of us bring leftover food from the holidays. Peggy also brought a basket of knitted pot holders for us to take home. I've got several of them from other years; they are the brightly colored items at the far end of the frosty bench. It was a lovely way to begin our New Years Day. Let's hear it for a wonderful, sparkly brand new year!
:-)

Another fabulous sunny day

Robert and Leo at the coffee shop this morning

Leo seems to have fallen in love with this orange hat, since he's had it on every time I've seen him for a month now. He and his dad Robert were busy playing cards and having breakfast before he headed off for school. He has grown so much and now can read just about anything!

It got really cold last night (well, down to freezing levels) because yesterday was clear and sunny. Today is another beautiful warm day, but it looks like our luck will finally have run out on Thursday: it's supposed to rain all day after all these days of sunshine. I can't believe that we would be lucky enough to have a beautiful dry day three Thursdays in a row! I'm not making any bets on it, in any event.

I keep thinking about topics for posts but then forget to write them down, and when the time comes to compose one, I'm often at a loss. It is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Monkey. It will last until January 27th, 2017. Yesterday was New Year's Day in that part of the world. That link gives some blessings that are traditional for the new year. Here's mine to us all:

恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財 (Gōngxǐ fācái)

'Happiness and prosperity!'

:-)

Chinese New Year and more

Canadian mountains seen from Bellingham

As I was driving to the meeting spot at Boulevard Park to begin the walk this morning with the Fairhaven walking group, I happened to see these gorgeous mountains lit up by the sunrise, with a narrow strip of sunlight and grey clouds overhead. Beautiful! I had to share this with you. We walked more than five miles at a fast clip and had coffee together before heading home.

Did you know that yesterday was the first day of the Chinese New Year? It starts with the first lunar new moon of the calendar year. This is the Year of the Horse, one of twelve animals that cycle through their calendar. I was born during a Horse year, not to mention at the end of the year under Sagittarius, making me doubly horsy, I guess. Anyway, that link gives some predictions about the upcoming year.

And tomorrow, well, you know where 100 million Americans will be, don't you? I was shocked to find out how many people watch the Superbowl, and you can bet that many Washingtonians will be watching on pins and needles. Go Hawks! My Seahawks thumbnails are a little battered but still hanging in there.

The day after tomorrow I will spend all day traveling to visit my sister Norma Jean, and it looks like it's just in time: the next week is going to be quite a bit below normal here in Bellingham, but lots of sunshine and warm temperatures are expected in Florida, now that their cold snap is gone. Next Tuesday I'll post from there, hopefully showing me having fun!
:-)

First sunrise of the new year

Sunrise at Lake Padden on New Years Day

Yesterday I remembered that I took some pictures with my cellphone at Lake Padden on New Years Day and had forgotten about them. The pictures I took on the hike last Thursday were taken with my camera, and it wasn't until I wondered how these New Years Day pictures turned out that I was prompted to take a look. The picture above was so good I had to share it!

After the walk, ready to eat

Cindy, who is the person from the Fairhaven running store that sponsors our walks, always has a nice little gathering to ring in the new year at Lake Padden, where we take only one trip around the lake before having coffee, cocoa, and treats to share. As you can see, the fog moved in and apparently didn't let up for several hours.

Food and drink on New Years Day

The food was so delicious, and Cindy makes a spicy Mexican coffee with chocolate in it that I love. I did keep the amount I ate to a minimum, because some of us decided to take a second trip around the lake afterwards before heading home. As you can see from the way we are dressed, it wasn't exactly warm, and after stopping to eat I was pretty cold and anxious to get going. And no, I didn't stay for the Polar Bear Plunge. I briefly thought about it, but just one look at my swimsuit while dressing for the day was enough to change my mind!

One of my blogging friends mentioned a book that I received from my local library yesterday, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I had to wait for the book, since it's very much in demand, and once I started to read it I couldn't put it down. I loved it, but I hesitate to recommend it because it's a fantasy mystery that would not be everyone's cup of tea. But it sure was mine! It's one of those books that I think about long after I've finished it and will read it again. I cannot remember who suggested it; my habit is to open my handy link to the library if a book sounds interesting and put a hold on it. It was several weeks ago, so I would like to say thank you to whoever it was who suggested it. And I've discovered the Neil Gaiman is a prolific writer, so I've already put a hold of another of his books. This blogging universe enriches my life in many ways!
:-)

Last year sure went fast

Seattle Space Needle fireworks

Maybe some day I'll actually get to Seattle to see the New Years 8-minute-long fireworks display from the Space Needle. I doubt it, though, since I'd need to stay up all night, and I can barely make it to 9:00pm as it is! I do get to see all the wonderful pictures the next day, which I always enjoy on the first day of the new year.

I am simply astounded at how quickly the past year flew by. If this is any indication of future annual trips around the sun, I'd better find the global seat belt so I won't get flung off the planet! Today I'll head to the gym for my usual workout, and tomorrow I'll go to Lake Padden to join the Fairhaven walkers for our annual New Years Day trek around the lake, with celebratory coffee and goodies to share afterwards. I'll probably stick around for the polar bear plunge.

Lake Padden Polar Bear plunge 2010

Four years ago, the first year I stayed to watch, I considered maybe the following year I might do it myself. Tomorrow should be around 40 deg F for the plunge, not all that cold... but still. It takes a fair bit of courage, and then you must get out and deal with the aftermath. Yikes!

Whatever you decide to do to begin the new year, I hope it's memorable. Time to trade in the year for a new one, 2014, which I sincerely hope will be wonderful for us all. Happy New Year!
:-)

Blanchard Mountain and a party

What's that yellow stuff in the picture? Sunshine? Well, of course that's why so many Senior Trailblazers are huddled in the rays, trying to catch a bit of sun after we experienced such a dismal December. The last three days have been sunny, and today twelve of us headed up Blanchard Mountain to enjoy the day together before making our way to Mikey Poppins' home for a belated New Years party.

Long rays of sunshine at Lily Lake

We hiked to Lily and Lizard Lakes from the north side of Blanchard Mountain. When we did this same hike back in April, the weather was nowhere near as fine as it was today. That is not to mention that today it was quite cold, with lots of frost from the clear skies at night. We saw several different kinds of hoarfrost, but this specimen of angel hair hoarfrost was especially magical.

Although it looks almost like a fungus, it's nothing but water that has "spun" out of a log and made this amazing cascade of frost. I imagine that this pretty scene no longer exists, since any rays of the sun would melt the delicate hairs. We hiked to both Lily and Lizard Lakes and found that the trail was icy and slippery in spots. Some people had received Christmas presents of strap-on Yaktrax, which are designed to slip onto your boots and make it easier to hike on ice.

It takes a village to get Norm's Yaktrax secured

After getting geared up for the ice, we hiked up to North Butte to catch the view, since we knew that today we should get quite a stunning scene, since there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The view was indeed wonderful, but getting there was not so easy. Those things to keep you from slipping were welcome as we labored up to the top.

We cut today's hike short so that Mike could host a party at his nearby home. Mike missed quite a few hikes during the summer, with the excuse that he was working on a home renovation, and he wanted to show his friends (that would be us) what he had accomplished.

We walked into his beautiful renovated home after our hike, to be treated to a wonderful repast of tacos, tomato bisque soup, egg rolls, and a dessert spread that strained our hiking pants to the brim! It was also wonderful to see a slide show of all of our hikes where Mike carried his fancy camera, pictures that most of us had never before seen. We were mesmerized.

Here we are, enjoying an incredible feast, and that's Mikey on the left with Linda. We were all pretty full by this time, but we were also amazed at what he has accomplished. He made one room out of two; you are looking at it, front and right. The dining room has become part of the living room. It seems like it should always have been this way. Now that I am home after today's sunny hike and marvelous feast, I realize how fortunate I have been to have met this great group of like-minded seniors. We sure know how to have fun!
:-)

New year is off to a good start

Early morning at Lake Padden

I almost forgot what it feels like to have a sky full of sun. It was quite cold last night and fog hung over everything as I drove to Lake Padden, but occasionally the fog would lift and I was blinded by the low sun shining right in my eyes. About fifteen of us met there to ring in the new year with a quick walk around the lake.

This was the first walk I ever made with this group, three years ago today. I wrote about it here, and  back then I stayed to take pictures of the Polar Bear dip. This year I didn't stay that long; there are only so many pictures you can get of people immersing themselves in frigid waters before it all becomes more of the same. I did briefly consider doing it myself today, but when I saw that the temperature was only 27 degrees F, I quickly changed my mind.

After our walk, we shared coffee and hot chocolate that Cindy had brought, and several other walkers brought goodies as well. Notice that the bench is still covered with frost (brrr!), but we were quite warm after our brisk walk. Before we left, people were beginning to set things up for the Polar Bear swim.

I feel I should mention that I checked over my blog posts for recommendations about good movies I've seen this past year, but many of them were at the beginning of the year (The Artist and The Iron Lady, for example) and were made in 2011. Ones I hope you won't miss this year, however, are The Intouchables, a French movie I just loved, and Searching for Sugarman, a documentary about a singer called Rodriguez. Last week Judy and I went to see Les Misérables, and I simply couldn't stop raving about that one. It's a musical, and there are hardly any words that are not sung. To my mind it was a masterpiece, almost more like an opera it was so grand in scale. I read all the reviews and found that those reviewers who didn't like it mostly didn't like musicals, or had preconceived notions of what the movie would be. If you go with an open mind, I think you will love it, too.
:-)

Happy New Year

Did you know that Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year are both this Sunday, February 14? Yes, it's a coincidence that doesn't happen very often. The Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. This picture is from a traditional Chinese New Year's greeting, and I thought that showing a happy couple seemed very appropriate.

This will be the Year of the Tiger, following the Year of the Ox. I happened to be in China during the festivities once, and that's when I realized that the whole country comes to a halt for a week! And every other minute we were treated to (1) a banquet, or (2) a parade with paper dragons. It did make it difficult to get around, but we had our trusty Chinese guide to help us. Qian (that's his name) was indispensable because there are so many important traditions, and we didn't want to offend.

On New Year's Eve, everyone cleans their house from top to bottom, and cleans and re-arranges their household altar, in order to sweep all the old away and make room for the new. Nobody is supposed to sweep or clean on New Year's Day, because then you would be sweeping away all the luck for your coming year.

According to this page, people born during the Year of the Tiger (1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998) are "usually straightforward and outgoing by nature. They will never give up no matter how aggravated they may become. But, they are also full of suspicion and at times will take hasty action." More information about these people is available on that link.

And it all comes to a close (the festivities, I mean) on the day of the Chinese Lantern Festival, which falls on February 28 this year. So let's clean house and get ready to receive lots of Good Luck!
:-)

Goodbye, aughts

When the twentieth century began, that first decade from 1900-09 was known as the "aughts" as in 30-aught-6 (the only place I ever heard it, some type of gun). Oh, and about that snowman: I saw him while in Leavenworth, and he looked to me like he was sadly saying goodbye. That's the only reason for his picture here.

I went looking on the internet for the name of the decade we are just now leaving, to see if anybody had ever come up with a name for these years with zeros. It was so helpful to all the New Years Eve revelers who wanted to have glasses made out of those zeroes. I would put a picture up but I think I'm glad to see the last of those. There never did seem to be a name for this decade. People are beginning to notice, as they try to decide what to call it. I did find this really cool blogger who writes for the Buffalo News, Anne Neville, and give you a quote from her blog (although the above link gives you the whole post if you are interested):

As the millennium dawned, nobody had an iPod or an iPhone, much less an app. Google, YouTube and blogs were all nonsense words. Texting was unknown; we communicated instantly via IMs while sitting at our computers. Twitter was something a bird might do, not a person. If you bought something on eBay, you paid with a money order -- no PayPal. Imagine life without Facebook -- some 300 million people worldwide can't.

It amazed me to realize the truth of all that: in 2000, our blogosphere was just being born. My mind is boggled at how much the world can change in the space of ten years, and it can't help but make me wonder about ten years from now. Anybody who says they can tell us is either misguided or ready for the loony bin.

Not to mention where I will be. Hopefully, like Abe Lincoln (a favorite blogger) over at Pick a Peck of Pixels, I might still be plugging along at 77. I just can't even imagine what the world of 2020 will be like, but it's fun to think about it. Change does seem to be accelerating in speed as I begin to walk more and more slowly. But at least I'm still walking!
:-)