The Honeymoon

The Hubby and I are coming up on our 15th wedding anniversary.

The week we got married we put a down payment on our first home.  That was our honeymoon money... (we are very practical). Since then, we've been spent much of our free time (and spare cash) on improvements for our current home... vacations have not been very high on the priority list.

Till this year.
We're caught up on most projects, we're not ready for others, so this year... it's a cross-country country trip! New York to California for 4-days of pampering in the middle of mountain-hugged giant forest - Sequoia & Kings Canyon.

This was a trip of a lifetime!  And it was absolutely perfect.  Perfect weather, perfect accomodations, perfect time with my love.  I know you would have loved to be there... but since it was the honeymoon, you'll have to settle for photos.  Here are a few of my favorite (click on the pictures to see them in full view).

Enjoy!

Palm trees????  

We aren't in New York any more!

Can you believe this sunset?  

On our way up, through the foothills, toward our final destination.

This was our view almost every morning when we walked from our room to the lodge for breakfast.

 

If you ever go to Sequoia National Park... and need a place to stay, 

The Wuksachi Lodge is the place to be - excellent rooms, fantastic food, and friendly staff.

DAY 1 

 

Our first waterfall, of many, during the trip.

 

We hiked though the woods... surrounded by giant peaks...

... ending up here.

This picture doesn't show how tired we were... 

2.25 mile walk, uphill, in the snow with another 2.25 to get back to the car.

But it was SO worth it... see the giant waterfall in the background?

DAY 2

Our first visit to the big trees... with a perfect blue sky.

Can you see me???  I'm that teeny, tiny, white X at the base of the tree.

These are BIG trees.

REALLY BIG... can you find me in this photo?

Such gigantic trees.  Such a small pinecone.

From snow covered... to the BEACH!

We snaked our way down 5000' of mountain into the foothills near Potwisha, CA.

My beautiful husband snapped this shot of a beautiful waterfall.

Here's the view from the other side of the falls.

 

My FAVORITE wildflower photo.  California Milkweed.

These trees are too tall, they won't fit in the frame.

 

Yes, you could build a small house in here!

Soooooo Big!

REALLY BIG!

The General Sherman is the largest living thing on the planet Earth.

DAY 3

On our way to Cedar Grove, through Kings Canyon

 

Waterfalls, probably only visible in spring, popped up everywhere!

With others raging... like Grizzly Falls

and...

 

Roaring River Falls

A look up to where all this water came from - snow melt off the mountain peaks.

What?!  Another waterfall?  This one's not on any map, may not be around for long.

It surprised us while on our way back to Wuksachi.

Lupine with Ladybug

DAY 4

Our final day with the big trees.  

 

The hubby, with the Mark Twain Stump (the tree was cut down in 1891).

 

The Nation's Christmas Tree.  The General Grant.

 

This big boy fell in 1985.  (Can you see me?)

After vising the big trees, we went down (to 3000') to see the wildflowers.  

Here's some Yucca that was burned in a recent fire.

 

Best shot of the week??

How about this one?

On our final night, we snapped a self portrait.

I call it...

"The Honeymooners"

 Good night!

If you'd like to see the full set, click here, to link to it.  As always, thank you for visiting.  I hope you enjoyed my photos.  Please do not use any photo without permission.  I welcome your requests.

An amazing adventure!

Got home this morning from a 4-day visit to
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

(click on photo to see it in all its splendor)

More to come...

Becoming a runner

Can it be true?  Am I actually getting the hang of this running stuff?  Here's the story.

About a month and a half ago I started on my quest to run a 5k (the length of final leg of the "sprint" triathlon I'm doing in July).

• I got instructions from coolrunning.com and their 'Couch to 5K' plan.
• The hubby is a former cross-country/track guy, so he coached me, too.
• I mapped out a 2.0 and 3.0 mile course around my neighborhood.
• I was recently introduced to Robery Ullrey's Couch to 5K Podcasts for Running (thanks, Sonny!) and bought myself a very cool armband to hold my iPod.
• Oh yeah, and I've read a number of books/websites on the how-tos of running.

Two times a week for almost 2-months now, I've plodded around the course, not feeling very runner-like.  There were days in which I was downright miserable.  But I kept going.

Last week I had a breakthrough.  Then it  happened again TODAY!

During last Thursday's run I was without my iPod.  The hubby was running with me.
A little side note about the hubby... he's a natural runner - tall and sleek - he could run a 5K tomorrow if he wanted to.  He's also much, much faster than me.
So we're running last week.  Poor hubby is practically walking to as not out-distance me.  Finally, I tell him to run ahead... I'll catch up (or, I'll meet him at home).  After a bit of argument, he finally acquiesced to my request and ran off.

That's when I decided to run for 2-minutes, then walk 2 - a modified week two of Couch to 5K.

I ran.
... and ran.
... and ran some more.

The first set was 3 minutes long.  Then I walked.  Then ran again for FIVE minutes.  Then a walk.  Then 4 more running minutes. 

Most importantly.  I FELT GOOD!  I felt strong, like I could run even longer and not be in pain.

Tonight was similar.
I did a 4-minute warm-up, then it was time to run.  I ran for a little while... 2-3 minutes, then walked (to the top of the hill), looked down at my watch...
and... go!
6-1/2 minutes later I finally took a rest... tho I don't know that I really needed it.  WOO HOO!
I walked for 3 minutes, than ran for another SEVEN AND A HALF!  WOO HOO again!

I finally think I'm getting the hang of it.
Finally.

Tho, now that I look back on my progress, I shouldn't be surprised that it happened this way.
Whenever I've learned a foreign language I would struggle and struggle and struggle then all of a sudden **SNAP** I know it!
When I learned all the data and statistics and medical terms for my job I struggled and struggled and struggled, then **SNAP** I got it!
I guess running works the same way, just physical instead of mental.

I'm determined to keep going.

In two weeks I'm planning to bike 6 miles, then run 1 (or 2) in my first 'brick' session.  (BRICK = Bike and Run In Combination [K].) I'm going to do my best... its all I can do.

Now it's time for a well-deserved rest.
Good night!

I spy...

Today's visitor.  

Peeking in my back door,
hoping I'll refill the bird feeders.

Oh, and look behind him...
leaves are starting to pop on the trees, too!

To everyone who has encouraged me...
inspired me...
and kicked my butt into gear...

THANK YOU!

12-of-12: April 2010

A 12-of-12 on a Monday... ick.  Oh well.  I did my best to be creative while going along with my day.  I brought my camera into some interesting places (and got a couple funny looks), but hey!  It's the 12-of-12.  I had to!

Be sure to visit Chad Darnell's page and the other 12-of-12ers, too.

8am:

We have some new "neighbors" in the area... BEAVERS!  Tho I haven't seen them yet, I have seen their handy-work.  I've been told they can take down trees like this in about 5 minutes.

Noon-ish:

LOTS of errands to run today during lunch time.  First... a trip to the doctors to get my Tetnus vaccine and PPD test.  Not fun, but I hafta get it done (for work).

This was fun... down the road from the doctor's is my favorite 'Animal' store to get food and treats for the kids.  Gus, the owners hound dog, wasn't in today, so no puppy fix during my visit.

Errands done & had about 10 minutes before I had to visit my next customer, so I stopped at this nice spot for lunch.

Evening:

The Bug checks out the goodies I bought home for him & Mackie.  They approve!

Time for a quick walk before puppy dinner & then off to swimming.

While the kids eat, I have a chance to take a peek at my three new (loaner) books!  I can't decide which one to read first... might just dive into all three at once.  :P'''

Random photo time!

This weekend the snake (Tsunami - our 9-plus foot Jungle Carpet Python) sloughed her skin (she shed).  It's an amazing thing to watch if you haven't seen it before.  She did a great job... only one tear in the whole thing.  Here she is smiling at you:

Here's a view the whole thing.  You will notice, the skin is inside out... it is pealed off like one lonnnnng sock.

When I went outside to take my "View from the Porch" photo, I couldn't help notice my Hostas... peeking out of the ground.  I LOVE all the new growth in spring.

Finally... it's off to the pool.  I haven't calculated my distance yet, but it was probably close to a mile (I hope so, at least).

The View from the Porch:

What a difference a month makes!  This shot has looked virtually identical the last two months (snow and snow)... but not today!  We've have temps in the 60s, 70s, and 80s these last few weeks so the snow is gone and the plants are poppin!  The crocuses emerged and faded in March - now the lilies, hosta, and all things green are starting to grow.  HOORAY!

Turn the Page... Tuesday

March was full of more random reading - fiction, non-fiction, sports...  but one thing you'll notice is missing is Sookie.  I actually did it - one whole month without her & her vampires.  Crazy, isn't it?

Before I get too carried away with my book stuff... make sure you visit Some of a Kind for more TTP...T info and to see what others are reading.  Thanks, Adrienne, for this excellent idea!

So what was on the list for March, 2010?  In no particular order, they were:

Trizophrenia:  Inside the Minds of a Triathlete by Jef Mallett

Your First Triathlon by Joe Friel

As you can guess, these are books to help me in my preparations for my first triathlon coming up on July 3rd.  I won't bore you with the details of the books - but suffice it to say... I read them at the same time, and what a perfect combination.  Serious training info (YFT) with a lot of comic relief (T:ItMoaT).


My world has kind of become this mix of preparation and folly since I signed up for the event.  I'm trying to make my preparations fun and exciting - even tho there are days I feel my lungs are going to burn up or I wonder where this "mystery pain" came from.  I'm a little less than three months from the event... panic and pride are common emotions for me lately.
It's all good!

Olive Kitterage by Elizabeth Strout
This is my Book Club's selection for our April meeting.  I'm giving it a 3.5 (out of 5). 
At first, I really disliked Olive.  She seemed callous & rude, self-centered with a total lack of empathy.  But she grew on me, tho I never loved her.  I don't think she was meant to be the most beloved character in the story - there were plenty of others who instantly drew your affection.
I didn't know before I read the book that it's set up as a series of short stories (not necessarily ALL about Olive).  However, the characters created a "fabric" of sorts - people with intertwined lives showing different sides of their personalities depending on who they were with.  Olive is definitely the center of this tapestry. 
A nice story about life... and the people who live it.

Woodswoman: Living Alone in the Adirondack Wilderness by Anne LaBastille
I've only just started this book.  My husband bought it for me during one of our trips to the Library Book Sale (he knows I'm into books about strong, independent women).  This is Anne's account of her life as a newly divorced woman who sets out to make a life of her own in a self-built cabin the Adirondacks.  So far, she's built her house (and moved it due to a zoning issue) and is about to settle in.  This is real rustic living and I can't wait to read more.
There are two more installments of this autobiographical story... we'll see if I can find them, too.
You can do whatever you put your mind to!

Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
I picked this book up over the weekend; I was "between" books and wanted something short.  Like Woodswoman, I've only just begun Catcher so I can't comment on it yet except that Holden Caulfield seems like quite a character.  I've heard the book has been banned in some places, so I'm very curious to find out why.  I guess I'll learn soon enough.

Well, that's it for this month.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to participate next month - I won't have access to a computer till around the 8th of May... but I'll be sure to stop by to see what everyone else is up to when I'm back online.

Enjoy your spring wherever you are!  Happy reading.