Friday, July 26, 2013

Training begins for a PEACHY 3 day!

It has been a month, I believe, since the SF 3 day. Since then I have nursed blisters, celebrated the 4th, Glenn's 60th, enjoyed the Russian River and sold a couple of houses. I could continue to ignore the obvious... no walking means, no training for my October walk. Looking at the training schedule I see I should be walking 10 miles this week in addition to several shorter ones.
 
I know excuses. I have a bunch.... and the thing about excuses is, they are always based in truth or we would never use them. So "I am busy" rings a bit hollow, because the next thought has to be ... "So what!" Today I actually could see a day in which I would be able to conduct most of my business via phone and internet so I decided to head out on a walk to Tiburon... just to get it started.
 
Just about every morning for the past couple of weeks the skies have been gray and I have been pretty late in rising. I sit in my bed and use my Ipad mini to catch up on news and Facebook etc getting up after 8am. This morning was no exception. But the difference was I got out the shoes and the fanny pack and got ready to walk. LONG over due. Atlanta is not all that far away.... 12 weeks goes by in a flash.
 
 
 

So I visited a client in her new place and parked my car at the Cove shopping center to head over to Tiburon via the bike path. I had on the prerequisite layers of a SF summer and my camera. I took a deep breath and felt that old familiar relaxing of my shoulders as I began to train for Atlanta.
I am always touched by old couples walking hand in hand. Especially when walking to end Cancer I remind myself about those people who have been stolen from their loved ones by Cancer. We are walking so someday we will be able to walk, in our the twilight of our lives, hand and hand on a beautiful Friday morning with the people we love.


The empty benches along the path speak to me.
 As does the beauty of life and the tenacity of flowers standing in the breeze.

 I have missed walking. I have missed the introspection it gives me. The time to remind myself of why I walk. And it is a statement to myself and those around me ..... that this is important. Standing up and lacing up the shoes and putting one foot in front of the other is important, because each step is a step closer to a day without Cancer. The more of us who make that statement, the sooner that day will come. I want everyone who knows me, everyone who cares about this cause to make a pledge to walk in 2014. I am walking in Seattle, and I would welcome you to join me, but you can walk in Atlanta, San Diego, Philly, Twin Cities, Detroit or Dallas
 
Registration will open 7/29 at www.the3day.org
 
Meantime, I walk
 So that in October I will come to the land of Peaches
 Take a big bite
 And get to the heart of the matter.... An end of Breast Cancer.
 
 


Monday, July 15, 2013

Birthday on the River - Boa Boy turns 60

Turning 60.
Somehow people get REALLLLLLL excited about 60. To me it is another day that I can thank God for. Numbers are numbers, they don't define you. But for some reason.... those birthdays come and people will ask... so what did YOU do for your 60th.
 
I had a grand one. I got to spend time with a grand daughter. But since I was away for my birthday and my younger man was due to have his birthday I thought about what would something we both could enjoy. We have always always loved spending time at the Russian River/
 
I began thinking we would just go away the two of and the dogs, since we could use some down time. But as I thought about it and thought about some of our dear friends, I decided we needed to at least offer the chance to come and play, have dinner and toast Glenn.
 
 
 
I found a place that would agree to shorter stays on VRBO. The Monte Rio log cabin. I reserved it for 4 days. Patti and John said they would like to come on Friday. I invited the other select few for Saturday dinner with the offer to stay over.
 
 When we got to Monte Rio, the dogs and we settled in and truly I felt my shoulders relax. The dogs are in heaven when we are the river. There is of course the great outdoors, but there is time with us. As busy as we are, they were glad to have that time.


 
 Sophie adopted her preferred position at the river. On a deck, nose peaking out looking over the river below.
 This cabin had two lawn areas and a couple of decks.
Tucker on patrol...


 Sophie surveying the grounds
 This cabin didn't have the perfect launching spot for the dogs... it sort of just dropped off into the water, so we took the dogs to the Monte Rio public beach for some ball.
The cabin had a veggie garden along with the lawns. 
 And some welcome shade.

 
Patti and John arrived and we enjoyed our day together, just kicking back. (almost brining down the side deck....) and toasting Mr. Y
 

 
The place didn't have any water toys so we bought a few tubes and found the best place to enjoy the river... on it. Those ducks thought we must have some bread or something because they would swin right over begging.



 
You certainly could stand and walk the width of the river. During the winter those water are rushing fast and sometimes might extend all the way up the house. Russian River is notorious for flooding.
Saturday arrived and along with it Pete, Sonya, Dana,Misako Chuck and Stephanie. I decided to treat myself and I hired a wonderful young chef to make our birthday dinner. Coby did not disappoint.
















 
Pete and Sonya
 
We enjoyed some of this fine wine......

 
Happy Birthday Glenn!
 
PHOTO bombing....


 
The man....






 
It was a beautiful night....
 
On the way out of town we played a little more at the beach and then went wine tasting at Gary Farrell and Thomas George.




 
Back at work today... I am missing the river already. But so glad and so fortunate to have had a little time there with some of my favorite characters on earth...