September, Two Rolling Stones

This is our R1250 RT with custom seat.

30 Sep:  We continued our binging on ice cream, but tomorrow is the 1st of October and we must quit that in order to have perfect lab scores by the 1st of January for our doctor's appointments.  We enjoyed lunch with Deanna and Julie at the R80 in Kensett.  They gave us a lovely tribute to their departed brother Danny and showed us several pictures of his art work.  Oops, the recommended dessert was homemade pecan pie, and Ron decided to see if he could buy pints of ice cream at the conjoined quick mart.  It was a success, and the pie was indeed almost as good as the ice cream.

"Hudson has tricks" was the warning

29 Sep:  Brett, Jenn, Hudson & Holden met us again at Northern TapHouse at 10 AM for a final brunch and that chess game.  Hudson has learned the chess moves reasonably well, but he hasn't learned to look ahead for hazards; Ron won.  We again rode I-494 around to MN 77 south across the Minnesota River to highway 13 to Jensen's for lunch with Carolyn at 2 pm.  We had a lovely visit and decided to confine our lunches in the future to the three of us.  About 4:30 we headed south on I-35E, but we were not ahead of the evening rush hour.  On the plus side, the traffic thinned with every exit until it was quite light by the time we entered Iowa, and we did arrive in Northwood without undo delay.

Resting after the Bocce fiasco

28 Sep, Sunday:  We did indeed have great fun although we didn't follow the plan.  Brett, Jenn, Hudson & Holden met us at the Northern TapHouse for breakfast & lunch at 12:30.  The TapHouse doesn't do egg whites, but they were willing to cook a veggie omelet for Cynthia using eggs, and she reported it as very tasty.  3-year-old Holden needs to be active at all times, so Jenn took the boys for a walk while we were waiting for the food to arrive.  They cover quite a significant distance in 20 minutes.  After lunch we decided to go to a park in Edina that has Bocce courts and bowling.  3-year-old Holden enjoyed chasing the Bocce balls and collecting them into groups.  We all had fun despite being unable to score.  Brett and Cynthia talked religion and politics while Jenn and I took the boys for a long stroll along the lake.  Especially fascinating were the couple of remote-control boats plying the waters amid flocks of ravenously hungry ducks being fed from shore by bystanders.  Eventually we reassembled just before cell phone calls were made to reassemble, and from there we drove to Licks in Excelsior (click here), a great ice creamery with fascinating flavor names, like Exhausted Parent, Heaps of Love, Fat Elvis, Sticks and Stones, and This Just Got Serious.  I got two flavors in a quart, and it was all delicious, but I didn't pay attention to the names of the flavors selected by my server.

27 Sep:  Brett, Jenn and the boys picked us up at the hotel at 9:15 for Hudson’s soccer game at 11:00 AM.  On this chilly Minnesota morning we watched the Western Minneapolis suburbs first grade soccer teams.  Geat-grandson Hudson was the first goalie for his team.  Hudson’s team scored a goal but lost 2-1.  The historic event was followed by a lunch at Birch's (click here) in Wayzata overlooking one of Minnesota’s ten thousand lakes.  Everyone overate! and the brownie fudge sundae was outstanding!!  Brett had the best idea to walk it off at the U of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  What a great idea, and we all are so happy that Cynthia's torn tendons warmed up so that she was able to comfortably walk more than two miles.  The trees and flowers were gorgeous.  Thanks to Jenn and Brett for a fabulous time.  The challenge chess match with Hudson is postponed until tomorrow.  We are looking forward to great fun.

26 Sep:  We had a fabulous Lunch at 1:30 PM at Jensen’s Restaurant with Cynthia's Turvold cousin Darlene & husband Jim, plus Lance & Shelley and Donna.  We didn't solve any world problems, but we had a lot of fun with the conversation.  Cynthia was a bit anxious on the motorcycle on I-494 traffic through significant construction, but we got there in only 30+ minutes despite a five-minute stop and go in Eden Prairie.

25 Sep:  Cynthia's pain is significantly reduced this morning, and we walked for 45 minutes around the neighborhood.  We drank no alcohol this evening when Brett and Jenn brought the boys to the TapHouse again.  Again it was so fun to watch the boys.  At 7 years old, Hudson is much more calm and sedate, behaves much better and spends a lot of time ruminating.  At 3 years old, Holden does none of those things and is in perpetual motion, having fun one instant at a time.  It is so strange to think that earlier this very month we were still in Pagosa Springs, Colorado and that we have visited Roy and Barbara in Salt Lake City since.

24 Sep:  We spent the afternoon with Brett at the TapHouse, had a wonderful conversation, drank WAAay too much beer and wine respectively, and staggered the half block back to the hotel, leaning hard on each other to stay upright.  Ron had switched to drinking water about 3 PM, intending to ride the motorcycle to see Hudson's soccer practice, so he was quite disappointed when Brett told him that soccer practice was probably already over.  After escorting Cynthia back to the hotel and into bed, Ron went for a long walk and cell-phone talk with friend Bob.  Bad news there is that Bob's wife, Rachel, is moving into hospice care Friday.  The outlook is miserably grim; she has an aggressive cancer in her brain.

23 Sep:   The 10 AM online Zoom call with Eric K was a disaster.  It emphasized how little we can accomplish with a new computer paradigm.  We won't try that again until we can meet in person with Eric so that he can walk us through the logon.  (That's right, we were unable to even logon to his Advisors Crypto site.)  Brett and family visited us in the evening at the Taphouse for a delightful outdoors evening meal.  Afterwards we took Hudson and Holden over to sit on the motorcycle, eliciting HUGE smiles from the boys.  Cynthia and I went for a couple of short walks of a couple of blocks, but she was in significant pain all the time.

22 Sep:  A Blessed Monday of rest and relaxation.  Reservations are made for next week in Northwood.  Our visiting plans are "coming together" in that everyone wants a different date and different time.  Oh well, we love our friends and relations anyway.

21 Sep, Sunday:  Ron had barely finished his exercises and eaten a bowl of cereal when Brett, Jenn, Hudson, and Holden showed up for breakfast at the Northern Taphouse (click here), a pretty good pub next door to the hotel.  We thoroughly enjoyed our day with them, watching the kids running all over the farm where we picked apples, green beans, and raspberries.  Then Brett drove us all the way downtown to the Minnesota Institute of Art, nicknamed, very inappropriately, MIA.  Cynthia walked all over the farm without problem and lasted into the Museum before she suddenly ran out of steam and needed to leave in order to find food.  Brett treated us to a lovely dinner and brownie ala mode dessert at the Boulevard (BLVD - click here).

20 Sep:  After that one evening, we were back on the I-35 north to Medina, Minnesota, a NW Minneapolis suburb, to see Brett & Jenn, Hudson & Holden.  This was again a quick day, 150 miles to the Country Inn & Suites, within 10 miles of their house, still undergoing remodeling.  What a horror show the insurance company has put them through.  We ate dinner at a good restaurant and invited them to join us for breakfast tomorrow.   Route: I-35 to I-494 through the endless construction to the Carlson Parkway exit in Plymouth.

19 Sep:  Serendipity strikes.  We rode 100 miles east on I-80 to Des Moines to see cousin Sandy and her son Van.  Sandy is still as sweet as ever but is really quite bewildered by all the things she now just doesn't understand.  Cynthia was touched to see the role reversal in that Van is now very solicitous of his mother and takes care of her with patience and understanding.  We then called Ray Mechem in Mason City and rode those 200 miles on I-35 north.  Upon arrival, we called again and were invited over to see Ray and Dick (who we missed in Berthoud, Colorado) and their wives Mary and Fran, plus a bonus daughter (Malinda ?) and son-in-law.

18 Sep:  Today we get to stay put for a change and visit friends.  We did walk to the National Danish Museum (click here).  That was a very interesting museum, and Ron particularly like the Danish pottery on display on the upper floor.  It was also interesting to see the artifacts on shelving in the basement.  Cynthia did better with the walking today and is feeling better.  At 5:30 we returned to the Norse Horse bar for dinner with Deb, Karma, Barb and James.  The women had one conversation, Ron and James had a different one about golf, airplanes and AI, but a good time was had by all.

17 Sep:  We arrived in Elk Horn this afternoon at two.  Good news: we enjoyed another great lunch at the Ruby Tuesday in Lincoln.  It was great to see the Welcome to Iowa sign.  This was a much more gentle day, only 167 miles.  We didn't do a lot after checking in to the Hygge Inn but napped and then took a long walk around town to see the changes.  Sadly, the town is losing much of the charm that it had when the National Danish Museum was located there.  For Cynthia, the best part was to go to sleep early and sleep well.

16 Sep:  Cynthia owes everyone email, but her hand complains.  The sun is shining, we are fed and exercised, now to pack and ride for a thousand hours.  We rode directly to a Ruby Tuesday restaurant in North Platte for a delightful lunch of veggies and greens.  Today was less pleasant, hot and humid with more traffic, another 300 mile day.  We are in York, Nebraska. … 866 miles in three days on I-80.

15 Sep:  The weather has been grand!  We were on that smooth road in Wyoming by ten AM headed for Nebraska.  Cynthia’s back is good; Ron fed her ice cream every time she growled.  We stopped in Sidney, Nebraska, two hours east of North Platte.  After eating, Cynthia declared herself exhausted.  The wind was a little less rough than yesterday, and the traffic was still light.  Ron never expected two days on the super slab to be tolerable.  It helped that Nebraska revoked its helmet law last year, so Ron was able to enjoy the wind whistling through his ears.  257 miles this time.

14 Sep, Sunday:  Ron and Cynthia plan to depart "early" for Elk Horn, Iowa (click here).  Since I-80 is the most convenient road to take from here, we will give it a try despite Ron's disinclination to spend so much time on the super slab.  Let's hope it will be easier on Cynthia's back.  The ride was long, 300 miles, and we arrived successfully in Rawlins, Wyoming at 5:30 PM.  The ride was not as bad as expected since the traffic was less than expected, although the wind was quite strong and buffeted us constantly.  The road surface was quite smooth, especially in Utah and Wyoming.

13 Sep:  Ron intended to spend the day with Roy, but instead wrote postcards and watched political news until Cynthia woke up from a long afternoon nap.  Ron then rode over to Roy's to spent an hour with him in his "man-cave" until time for Roy, Barbara and Ron to drive to the hotel to pick up Cynthia for dinner again at the Market Street Grill.  Again we all enjoyed conversing with each other about church, genealogy, etc.

12 Sep:  We were almost packed in Rangely when the earliest raindrops started falling at 10 am.  We waited for 2.5 hours until the rain stopped entirely, quite unusual for the desert high country.  We were so very relieved to be looking at Blue skies ahead for the first 30 miles to the town of Dinasaur but noticed a tongue of cloud reaching northward from a very dark southern horizon as we turned to go west.  In Vernal, UT we stopped at a Subway to be sure that Cynthia had something substantial so many hours after breakfast.  We managed to get out from underneath those clouds, but there were equally worrisome clouds above the mountains to the west, and those kept getting darker and darker as we approached closer and closer.  We stopped in Duchesne at the Visitor Information Center where a lovely lady told us that the heaviest rain would be at Strawberry Pass but that it was sunny in Heber City and Salt Lake.  Ron decided to hope for the best, but soon after we left Duchesne, we again encountered  heavy rain and hail.  This time the rain was not as blinding, but the hail stung Ron's face more severely.  After ten minutes we passed through it, and Ron was much relieved although we were still climbing towards the actual pass.  The mountain top was a lovely huge flat area with two or three huge lakes, quite scenic and worth the difficulty getting there that day.  The descent from the pass was interminable through winding canyons to Heber City, and winding again down I-80 into Salt Lake City.  We called Roy and Barbara immediately after arrival at our hotel, and they picked us up half an hour later for dinner at the Market Street Grill & Oyster Bar (click here), just a few blocks from our hotel.  We all enjoyed lively conversation about church, genealogy, etc.  Ron redid the graphs for Volume Three, and Cynthia sent corrections to the publisher.

11 Sep:  Leaving Montrose on US 550 and then US 50 N, we turned on CO 92 E and started up Colorado Route 64 over Grand Mesa en route to Rangely, Colorado, but in ten miles we first encountered big heavy raindrops and spent no time in turning around and ran straight into a heavy deluge of blinding rain and hail for twenty minutes.  Amazing that formerly dry conditions can be transformed so completely, so rapidly.  This is Cynthia's first experience with hail; it makes quite a racket on her helmet.  Ron doesn't wear a helmet, so the hail only brutalized his face.  He back-tracked to Delta, CO and proceeded through Grand Junction following the GPS to I-70 West to CO highway 139 north to Rangely.  It was a very interesting ride with rocky mountains, 15 MPH hairpin-turns, and occasionally threatening storm clouds.  The hotel is nice, and we walked the length of town to Gio's, which restaurant served us nice salads and ice cream with caramel topping!

10 Sept: After breakfast Ron rode to visit Pat with a top case filled with recycling he could not unload in Pagosa Springs.  Cynthia spent the day exercising her back, taking a shower and packing.  Volume One is being printed.  The Volume Three galley proof was not in color, had fuzzy graphs and had a mistake in labeling on one graph.  Ron still needs to improve the index for Volume Two by deleting duplicative entries.

9 Sep:  Montrose, Howard joined us for lunch at the Stone House and took us to visit the Ute Indian Museum, a very interesting place.  Cynthia took a step off the boardwalk that was too big for her legs and pounded her back, and her sciatica is reminding her to not do that again anytime soon.  Ron and Howard enjoyed an afternoon stroll through the riverside water park, but Howard decided not to stay for dinner so he could get home before the deer make driving dangerous for all concerned.  Volume One is off to the printer.  Yaay.

8 Sep:  Ron planned an early departure for Montrose, Colorado, and we did get started about 10:30, which is early for us.  We were surprised to find much warmer temperatures than the BRRRRR anticipated.  Cynthia wore her heated gear that was totally unnecessary for the entire ride, although it did get cold going over the 10,000 foot passes.  We intended to eat lunch at the Lone Star Cafe in Durango, but it was closed, so we ate at the Sidewalk Cafe instead.  Dinner was at the Stone House in Montrose.  The route was simplicity itself, US 160 W to Durango with a stop for lunch, US 550 N through Silverton to the "million dollar highway" to Ouray and continuing to Montrose and the Quality Inn just past Walmart.

7 Sep, Sunday:  Ron received an e-mail with four absorbing interviews from his MIT reunion in April.  Today is packing day!  We walked early and spotted several deer.   Dinner was at  Boss Hogg’s at 4:30. We are so tired it is off to bed.

6 Sep:  Ron worked on Volume Two and is making great progress.  Our lunch was great.  Cynthia is surprised at how much she loves broccoli with honey mustard.  We had a delightful visit with a couple from Georgetown, Texas.  We walked the neighborhood.  Cynthia is finally writing overdue email to her family.  Eleven grandchildren and thirteen great grands takes a lot of writing with one finger typing.  She submitted dirty clothes to the washing machine.  Her favorite word is clean.

5 Sep:  Cynthia's box of mostly clothing was shipped back to Texas!  We had a 76 minute walk to the lake and spotted six bucks and two had ten points.  This was a successful day.

Cynthia achieved her goal of making it to the lake.

4 Sep:  At noon-thirty, we have walked the loop around the subdivision once.  Cynthia has packed her saddlebag to see how much she can fit inside (not much!)  Ron has completed his first pass thru the index and now needs to take recycling to the County Transfer Station.  After feeding our faces, Ron rode to the recycling center with the mountain of recycling from the past six weeks, cardboard, clamshell plastics, etc.  What a joy that they took it all.  We walked in the evening for a total of 4.51 miles and returned to our motel to go back to work.  Ron re-packed Cynthia's saddlebag and discovered that she can carry another outfit.  He then packed the box for shipping things back to Texas and was amazed that the return box was smaller than the original.

Cynthia got a pedicure

3 Sep:  On this gorgeous day in Pagosa Springs, the housekeeper has cleaned our room.  Cynthia has bathed and eaten and is ready for her nail and pedicure appointment.  Ron has been working on the index for Vol. 2.  Life is very good despite that  Cynthia tripped and fell on the trail to the nail salon.  Every year so far, she has fallen once as we begin hiking; this year was no exception.  We enjoyed a pasta salad with salmon dinner at Gustoso’s.

2 Sep:  By evening, Ron finished the edits for Volume Two; next, he needs to proof the index and re-insert it.  We slept beautifully, and we had a great walk with perfect 73-degree temperature under the most gorgeous blue sky.  A mother deer and her “teenage” son ignored us as we passed by.  With tonight’s second walk, we achieved a total of 4.35 miles, 10,929 steps. 

1 Sep:  Pritikin says. “You can eat ice cream on your own birthday, just not on everyone else’s birthdays.”  We could not help ourselves since it is Cynthia’s third great-grandmother, Brynhild Olsdatter Gandrud’s birthday, born 247 years ago in Flaa, Norway.  Right?  Happy Birthday, Bestemor.  The ice cream was delicious.  The first day of September is beautiful.  Ron worked on Vol. Two all afternoon.  We accidentally sent Vol Three as an edit file instead of a .pdf; Barb caught it, and we submitted the correct file.  Cynthia’s right hand is in a brace so she one-finger corrected some Brooks genealogy.  We walked early and at 4:30 ate dinner.

Merry Christmas in Texas. Great grandchild # ten arrived.

31 Dec, Sunday: Hmmm! 123123: 12/31/23, the last day of the year!   Worship at 10:00 AM.  Fifteen years ago, on New Year’s Eve, Ron responded to a friend's suggestion and proposed.  Cynthia surprised both of us by saying, “Yes.”  It has been a marvelous decision, a happy time, and a wonderful life.  We are amazed at how fast the years have passed, but we echo each other’s: "Thank God!"  5.0 miles 

30 Dec:  We walked to the lake and worked on financial reports; Cynthia upgraded her junk report, and Ron worked on James Lea.  Late afternoon, we walked once again to the point.  5.20 miles

29 Dec:  Today, we were glued to our electronics; Ron analyzed financial records for IRS required RMD calculation, and Cynthia did DNA administrative duties.  We walked five miles, followed by egg white omelets at Magnolia Diner, picked up packages at Jon’s and an RX at Walgreens, and shopped for groceries at Walmart.  Tick! Tick! Tick!  Yup!  Here we go again, zooming through another December to the big countdown at midnight Sunday.  5.0 miles

28:Dec:  The day was chilly but sunny; we delayed walking until one PM when the outdoor temp hit 52 degrees.  Ron completed his RMD analysis up through November, and we had a lovely dinner with Pastor Diane & John, Bishop Mike & Susan at the Cafe on the Green.  5.0 Miles

27 Dec:  Wednesday was a most enjoyable day to sleep late, catch up on projects, turn on the old Dell laptop, used to write five volumes of the Rambo Book, to see if it works; yes, it does.  Ron is working on financials to complete the MRD before Dec. 31.  Cynthia completed Ron’s medical paperwork for Pritikin; hers was done yesterday. Reviewing cardiac procedures since 2010, we are thankful for Medicare, plus excellent supplemental policies.  Cynthia’s Plan J requires no co-pay; it is no longer available, and the government cannot take it away.  Ron has supplement D via Mutual of Omaha, which offers great coverage in addition to Medicare.  We walked 5.31 miles.

26 Dec:  We walked five miles after early AM email distractions. Cynthia checked her blood pressure after the walk: 104/68.  Then we walked five miles before jumping up on the motorcycle to shop for food. (Well, we don’t exactly jump up, but it sounds energetic.)  Traffic was heavy, the stores were still crowded, and the restaurant was closed.  Because she was starving, Cynthia ate a half bag of unwashed globe grapes in Walmart.  Ron is industriously editing James Lea.  5.0 miles.

Fyn in England

Zoe's husband Jack

Jack, Paul, Zoe, Fyn, and Cheryl

25 Dec, Sunday:  Merry Monday, Merry Christmas!  Son Paul and his family are in England visiting granddaughter daughter Zoe and her new husband, Jack.  Zoe is at the U of York studying for a master's in Public History.  Jack is playing soccer (see photo).  They will FaceTime at noon CST.  Thank God for the gift of family, phone calls, e-mails, plus our 5.0-mile walk to the lake and back, and we call it a day!  ZZzz 

24 Dec, Sunday: Brunch with Jon and Jim & Jan at the Yacht Club, followed by visiting 23-month-old Charlotte and her parents at one PM.  We met   Roxanne and Kiira, Julie, Lamar, and Jade for worship at four PM, then a Christmas celebration over dinner at the Salt Grass Restaurant.  

Little Charlotte (upper right)

Blaire and Becks

Sister Bonnie and her family

Ron and Cynthia after church

23 Dec.  We exercised, oatmealed, and walked; Ron did Sudokus and edited James Lea.  Cynthia said this is Clean Condo Day!  5.0 miles 

22 Dec:  Ron is sending his Christmas cards today.  Cynthia is not sending cards.  5.0 miles 

21 Dec:  Winter Solstice is upon us.  So is writing Christmas cards, running errands, walking, and having a late lunch at Magnolia Diner. The hard drive did not successfully migrate everything to the new Mac, so we have many more things to accomplish before Feb. 10th.  However, the past three days of work on James Lea's book were not saved when the Mac rebooted.  Very sad!  8.31 miles&nbsp

20 Dec:  Another five-mile day!  Ron is hard at work on the Lea book  Yaay!

19 Dec:  IMAGINE!  Yet another crazy busy day doing the usual, followed by a five-mile walk, then a trip to the Apple Store in the Woodlands for Apple School on the new Apple Watch #9.  The traffic was horrendous, but we were only a few minutes late.  We learned GPS and cellular on the Watch are the same as on the iPhone.  We get complimented often because we hold hands, “So sweet,” a lady said in Walmart.  The truth is Ron holds Cynthia’s hand to keep her from falling, shopping, or dawdling.  Take your pick.  And now we are tired, as usual!  5.51 miles

18 Dec:  Computers and James Lea ruled the day!  Ron worked on the book, and Cynthia spent half the day struggling with security issues on several websites.  We enjoyed two walks, 6.12 miles  

17 Dec, Sunday:  Worship was wonderful with tiny angels dressed in white fluttery wings, Mary adoring, Joseph with arms raised, a heavenly choir, and bell ringers telling the story of Jesus’ birth. Midafternoon we walked 5.08 miles 

16 Dec:  We exercised, oatmealed, walked to the lake, and drove to Jason’s Deli for their salad bar and our bike. Ron ran errands; Cynthia stopped at the pharmacy and then went home to read a gifted book, From Bremerton to River City, written by a 95-year-old woman about the first North Iowa Band Festival in 1938. And we walked again. 7.15 miles 

15 Dec:  Another early AM, but an appointment with Cynthia’s retina specialist is scheduled for ten-fifteen.  Good news all around. The retina specialist said everything looks good, and her AMD continues to be stable.  We ate lunch at Jason’s Deli and walked to Eyeland to schedule an eye appointment for Ron’s RX glasses.  Thankfully, they had an opening at two PM. He has prescribed transition lenses for reading and distance, using OSHA Safety design for use on the motorcycle.  It will have a gradient design to turn into sunglasses in the bright sun.  At 2:33, trouble started! Cynthia said, “I received a weather warning.  Heavy rain is scheduled for 2:33.  Oh, that’s Now.” And the forecast was right.  But the optician was measuring Ron for new glasses.  We finished, paid the bill, and wondered if we should sit at the optical company to wait for the rain to pass over or return to Jason’s Deli.  Cynthia bolted towards food.  By the time Ron arrived in the midst of the deluge,  she was nearly finished eating avocado sourdough toast.  The rain promised to pour indefinitely (eight PM).  Cynthia texted Jon, who just had a flat tire and needed to get new ones a block away.  He picked us up, we waited for new tires, and he brought us home.  We will get the bike in the AM.

14 Dec:  We left by nine-thirty for the ride to Hempstead for lunch with Carol S., stopping at the CPA, then onto Brenham for Ron’s eye appointment at 1:45 PM.  It was a successful visit until we realized Ron’s eyes were still dilated as we returned for the ride home on the motorcycle.  Thankfully, Ron did a great job, and we are still alive.  We arrived home after dark; we had no walk today.

13 Dec:  A busy day! Ron affixed the AZ motorcycle license tag for the next five years.  6.0 miles 

12 Dec:  Our walk to the lake at ten-thirty started out chilly but warmed up in the bright sunshine.  Ron is in a HO HO HO mood, writing Christmas letters with a goal of ten a day until the end of the month.  Cynthia is FA LA LA ing projects completed.  Becks is amazingly alert for a newborn.  Big sister Blaire is in love.  7.0 miles, all of Cynthia's fitness rings are closed.  

11 Dec:  After the morning EO routine (exercise/oatmeal), we walked almost to the lake but turned to boogie back for our dentist appointments at 2:00 PM.  Our good reports were followed by a stop at Walmart to search for hard sourdough pretzels; they did not have them.  Dinner at Jason’s Deli was filling, and the ride home was not quite as chilly.  5.0 miles 

10 Dec:  We worshipped at Grace Lutheran Church, followed by brunch at Magnolia Diner.  Cynthia erred in trying to type a document on her Mac; her right-hand ring finger and middle finger sagittal bands do not allow her fingers to do 10-finger typing on a keyboard.  She put the brace back on.  4.0 miles 

9 Dec:  Luxuriating on a Saturday with nothing on our schedules except a walk, a trip to Walmart, and a package pick up from Jon.   Almost everything from the 2011 17” MacBookPro hard drive migrated successfully to the new 15” MacBook Air.  As we travel, it will conveniently hook up to 48” TV screens with an HTML cable.  We started our walk at 2:00 PM despite 80 degrees, plus high humidity, because of some cloud cover.  It worked - - sort of.  We returned home alive but sweaty after a five-mile jaunt to the lake.  Cynthia prepared baked salmon using a new recipe.  Ron made a baked sweet potato using the potato pocket that ElaRuth gave him years ago.  5.0 miles   

8 Dec.  The Bishop’s Clergy Christmas luncheon was at 11:30 AM, but we arrived late and ate lettuce.  We don’t eat pasta in cream sauce or butter rolls, and Cynthia disciplined herself not to eat the yummy-looking homemade carrot cake.  We left the luncheon a few minutes early to get to our appointment at the Apple Store to have Ron’s old Mac checked out, plus Cynthia’s 2019 Apple Watch needed to be checked.  The battery did show deterioration; she was offered a $60.00 trade-in on a new Apple Watch and bought one that includes the GPS and the cellular on the 2019 Watch.  Ron successfully removed the hard drive from the 2011 Mac with a delightful Apple Store assistant. We walked to Best Buy, nearby, and Ron bought an adapter, and their Geek Squad announced the hard drive was still good.  It is being migrated to the new Mac as we sit here exhausted from the day.  Riding on I-45, one of the most dangerous freeways in the US, in the dark is stressful to one of us, while the other said he was ready to do something different after arriving home.  Today's walk: two miles.

7 Dec:  After oatmeal and exercises, we were off to the Apple Store to buy a new MacBook for Ron.  Thankfully, they had what he needed in stock: a 15-inch MacBook Air with 16 Gig memory and 1 Terabyte SSD hard drive.  We stopped at Jason's Deli for large luncheon salads and a baked potato, and then Cynthia had an eye appointment next door, with very little change in her RX.  We walked to the lake and home, totaling 6.6 miles for the day.  Ron could not take the old MacBook Pro apart to get the hard drive out to attempt migration to the new computer.  When we stop at the Apple store again tomorrow, he will take both MacBooks to see if their Genius bar can help.  This is being typed on the new MacBook Air, and Ron is delighted with the keyboard.  Cynthia is happy to be riding the motorcycle instead of driving.  One of these days, her disinclination to present "hairdo by helmet" will overcome her reluctance to drive in Houston traffic.

Miss Blair & Baby Becks

6 Dec:  Our tenth great-grandchild, Becks, arrived late afternoon, 7.6 oz.  Her parents and big sister are elated and exhausted.  The Smooches slept late, luxuriating in the peace of togetherness.  We will be much rejuvenated if we get another few nights of good sleep.  After compulsory morning exercises and oatmeal, we walked to the lake and back, collected too much from the storage locker, and bought groceries (although Ron forgot the walnuts on his 4-item shopping list).  Ron connected Cynthia’s Mac to the 48” TV screen for a monitor to read about new Macs.  5.0 miles  

5 Dec:  Ron said his goodbyes to Rex, Danielle and the dogs before continuing to Corsicana to research Albert Miller Lea, who died there.  The local genealogy librarian was familiar with Albert Miller Lea but had no Bible record.  However, there were a couple of good biographical sketches of him in their vertical files.  Next time, Ron will dig out his camera to take photographs.  He did promise the librarian to send a copy of the Lea book and articles from the Freeborn Standard next time he researches in Minnesota.  And home on the range, Cynthia walked to the fitness center and back, brimming with excitement because Ron is due in Walden soon and very soon!  The happy ending is that he arrived about 3:30, and the Smooches are very happily reunited.  Route: back to TX 205 S 7 miles -> FM 148 S 2 mi to R on I-20 W 25 mi to L on I-45 S 45 mi to Corsicana (next time take photographs).  I-45 S 113 mi to R on FM 1791 S 18 mi to L on TX 149 S 12 mi to L on FM 1097, R on ?? to E on TX 105 E to Walden Road.

4 Dec:  The ride from Miami south to Rockwall, Texas, on US 69 was quite pleasant, with fall scenery and colors adding to the green grass and fields along the road.  Ron spent the night with cousin Rex and his wife Danielle, and we all went to dinner at a great restaurant there.  Their home is quite hectic with four large dogs and eleven !! puppies.  Back home in Texas, Cynthia made chili to take to her granddaughter in Bryan, TX, for an all-gathering birthday party with Jesus in the morning.  She was home by two.  Two miles walking today ofr Cynthia.  Ron's route: US 69 S to Whitewright, TX and R (straight) on TX 160 S 9 miles to TX 78 S 27 mi to L on TX 205 through Rockwall, TX 16 mi to L on FM 548 E 2.5 mi to R on Tejas Trail briefly to R on Hidden Pass that curves into Eagle Pass 1 mi to R on Cattlemans Trail to L on Dove Landing.  

3 Dec, Sunday:  Ron is visiting Clarence in Kansas City for a couple of hours or maybe sixty hours!  Who knows!  Cold and rain are forecast in one hour (at three PM) south of KC.  His next stopping spot should be a little more than an hour south of KC UNLESS HE DECIDES TO GO ELSEWHERE.  WHO knows? Aha! Ron made it to Miami, Oklahoma, by dark.  He phoned from a Walgreens drugstore while searching for a hotel.  The good news was that he was only two minutes from a hotel with a Subway restaurant nearby and checked in quickly.  Meanwhile, at home on the range in Texas, Cynthia completed the final day of a 21-day, 10,000 steps-a-day challenge. 14,958 steps, 6.26 miles.  She is a happier hiker with more steps daily, but walking on uneven ground in the dark (alone) is not a good choice.  Route:  I-35 S to I-70 W to 7th Street exit (U-turn to go N) to visit Clarence.  18th Street S to I-35 S to US 69 S to Miami, OK

2 Dec: Sat: Ron left Trenton, Illinois, mid-AM, for the arduous ride to Kansas City, MO, arriving in Excelsior Springs, MO (drenched) to visit his friend, Les.  His wet shoes and socks sizzled on the heater.  At about eight-thirty PM, he will ride to Kearney, MO, a suburb of KC, check in at the hotel, shop for food, and fall asleep.  Kearney is about fifteen minutes west of Excelsior Springs.  Ron has a detour, wet drizzle, or heavy humidity riding to Kearney.  He arrived wet again at about nine PM.  Tomorrow, he will visit Clarence in KC, and, God willing, he will leave for the next overnight before dark or rain. Cynthia walked 6.5 miles today (day 20 of 21).  Route: US 50 W to Trenton, IL, R on IL 160 N to Highland, L on US 40 W to R on IL 4 N to L on I-70 W to I-270 W ;to MO 270 W to I-70 W 182 miles to R on MO 13 N (where the rain started) 25 mi to L on MO 10 W 17 mi through Excelsior Springs to US 69 N 2 mi to R on Italian Way to R on Salem Road to Les & Joan. back on US 69 N briefly to L on MO 92 W 7 mi to Kearney and SureStay Plus.

Hudson, Holden and Santa

1 Dec:  Ron spent another day and night in Trenton, Illinois, keeping Ann company.  He plans to leave for Kansas City, MO, tomorrow, likely about ten AM; he has several places to stop en route to Texas.  Cynthia walked at 10:30, shopped for groceries, and (for those who understand the importance) had a broken fingernail repaired.  HA! From the state of extreme boredom.  5.79 miles (day 19 of 21-day challenge)

Hurray, hurray for the 1st of May in Sedona

31 May:  As we leave the merry month of May, we also ride away from beautiful Sedona to Flagstaff.  The astounding part is that Ron's packing was completed earlier than ususal and we finished housecleaning only an hour past our check out time.  (Ron has learned that the housekeepers are delighted to discover him still cleaning when they arrive.)   The ride north to Flagstaff was scenic and uneventful unless you consider that there was little to no traffic to slow us down.  As we rode up the switchbacks onto the Mogollon rim, we encountered a surprisingly chill wind.  Then again, Flagstaff is at 6900 feet elevation.  Route: 89-A N to I-17 N to I-40 E to exit 198, R on Butler Ave .7mi, L on 4th Street .7mi, R on Industrial Blvd .6mi, L on Steve's Road, R to Best Western Pony Soldier.

"Happiness isn't something that depends on our surroundings ... It's something we make inside ourselves."

-Corrie ten Boom 

30 May:  This will be an early to hike day, then filled with packing and recycling until dinner at Linda and Dale’s at 5 PM.  With luck everything will be packed and ready to roll first thing in the morning - don't we wish. 4.0 Miles

29 May:  Memorial Day, so no QQQ.  We hiked at 10:30 and enjoyed watching a backhoe digging loose rock from the entrance to the irrigation canal.  Cynthia took a video to delight the younger generation.  At 4:15 we rode south to dinner at Cucina Rustica with pastors David and Gwen B.  Our waiter was quite a character, with a strong accent that was hard to understand.  This time they got the message no oil, no butter, no fat, no cheese and delivered immediately with no backtalk.  3.0 miles

28 May, Sunday:  Worship at Christ Lutheran was wonderful.  The sermon highlighted the need for being feathers on the breath of God, a need for good leadership and communication to overcome division in our troubled times.  We stand united with a constitution like no other country.  Being in the presence of America’s beauty, its red rocks and rills, is a gift.  Cythia became teary-eyed while singing the national anthem in church.  After breakfast at Cafe Jose, Ron rode to Cottonwood for frozen mango and pretzels.  Cynthia is almost packed.  Ron hasn't started packing yet.  3.9 miles  

27 May:  We hiked a short one early because Cynthia has a nail appt at one.  Cynthia's goal is to pack her saddlebag.  On our evening hike, we met a delightful foursome from Santa Fe at the overlook after our mandatory hill climb!  We enjoyed visiting so much that we failed to notice the encroaching darkness, so we boogied off down the hill via the access road past Cresent Moon Ranch house.  3.02 miles  

26 May:  Two hikes, it was such fun meeting Brad and Natasha from Duluth, MN, and how fun to see Gretchen with little Gitsy in the park.  6.5  miles 

25 May:  Ron strapped the big box of Cynthia's clothing, etc to the back of the bike and mailed it back to Texas.  We hiked twice, and our backs have survived too much bending over to move rocks to help clear the trail.  It took us this many hikes to decide which path is a trail that leads to Buddha Beach and on to the old water-powered pump.  5.10 miles.

24 May:  We leave for ABQ a week from today. LIFE IS GOOD! Thank God!  Thank God!  Two hours hiking, moving rock, and clearing trees from the flood damaged trail left us exhausted.  Progress is being made.  The evening walk was also satisfying. 5.25 miles, 13,868 steps  

23 May:  Exercised, oatmealed, and QQQ’d, we were hiking by 8:30 AM for three miles before returning to more of the crazy market returns.   Ron rode to Cottonwood for groceries for the "last time."  Cynthia started packing.  We went out for a second hike at 6:30, but that is only an hour and a half before darkness threatens.  Five miles 

22 May:  We tried to hike early, but that turned into 10:45 AM when the sun is already too intense; so we opted for forty-five minutes with a second hike at 6:30 PM when it was cooler and pleasant.  We met Angela again, this time with her husband Ryan and two cute, cute little ones, Finn and Johanna.  4.7 miles

Another lovely day in Sedona

21 May, Sunday:  Oh, oh! Oh, no!  Our friends at church gave Ron a two-sided, complicated puzzle.  We enjoyed breakfast at Cafe Jose, and Cynthia fell asleep while Ron now puzzles away.  It is 85 degrees warm today, very hot degrees outside, and it is steamy hot indoors.  Ron was able to spend almost the entire day on the puzzle.  We walked only 3 miles in the cool of the evening.

20 May:  Our one day to sleep in, now that QQQ obsession has gripped Ron.  We did sleep in until nearly 9 AM.  Whoopee !!  Then we exercised, ate, and went for a quick walk through the park, past the pump, and up the hill.  We met the nicest person, Angela, writing at the picnic table chained to a tree that had kept it from being washed downstream in the flooding.  After exchanging life histories, we proceeded up the hill to find that the temperature had gotten too warm to continue before evening, so we returned by the upper route across the meadows.  We went for a second walk this evening after it cooled off and helped some folks from Napa Valley find the vortex. 5.0 Miles

Looking back after all these years of wedded bliss.

19 May:  Tomorrow, Ron will get Tori's photo aligned with the text below.  First QQQ, exercises, oatmeal, and a ride to Elite for Cynthia's hair.  Cynthia walked to Cafe Jose to get steps on her Apple Watch.  Then instead of breakfast at Cafe Jose, as planned, we rode home to avoid the approaching thunderstorm.  We listened to thunder for a couple of hours - but no rain.  Had we known, we would have eaten omelets.  Ron is patiently waiting for QQQ to go down again, a certainty now that the debt limit talks have stalled and the Fed is threatening another interest rate rise.  Over the weekend, he will work on James Lea instead; now, his focus is on the great-grandchildren of James Lea of Cobbs Creek.  The lightest drizzle of rain commenced about 4 PM and continued until midnight without leaving much wetness anywhere.

Tori on the Path to Willingness

18 May:  And the rains came, fortunately after we finished our walk and had met Tori on the Ridge Trail, a painter, and musician (The Path to Willingness).  Cynthia wanted to capture her sweet persona as we said goodbye.  Tori was framed against the deep red rocks, and Cynthia captured the image, but unfortunately, the light did not fall on her sweet face.  Thank you, Tori!  We got an earlier start than usual and were able to hike up the hill and up the Ridge Trail to the Sketch Trail, which we soon decided was too challenging for us just now.   It rained lightly for the rest of the day without amounting to much.  6.17 miles  

Tivoli Fest-ivities #2

17 May:  We have dinner this evening with Nellie & Lisa, cousins of Deb, an Iowa friend who sent Danish party favors from the Elkhorn Danish Windmill (click here).  Both girls were wonderfully sweet, and Nellie's Eddie was also a nice man.  We all enjoyed a couple of hours of reminiscing "Tivoli Fest" (even though Ron and Eddie were about 60 years out of the loop).

16 May:  Rain is forecast again today, but only at 30%.  We need to hike, but the temperature is 85 degrees Hot.  Ron rode to Cottonwood for groceries, and we hiked 3.39 miles at 6:00 PM when it cooled down.  After we hiked through the fields and up to the road, we met a mom and her two UT grad student daughters who wanted to swim in Oak Creek, so we led them down the hill to a wide spot in the creek where they could swim. 

15 May:  Another day on pins and needles, wondering if QQQ would go up or down, and eventually, it did move far enough up for Ron to sell his calls at a profit.  Our new efforts to improve our vision require us to exercise our eyes for an hour daily.  As he does those exercises, Ron often falls asleep mid-exercise. We tried a late hike when it cooled off, but the rain forecast was actually correct, and we got wet while putting on our plastic rain ponchos!  One little mile!

14 May, Sunday:  HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!  After a beautiful Lutheran church service and visit with friends, we enjoyed a good breakfast at Cafe Jose and rested our overfull stomachs all afternoon.  After a short nap, we awoke to dark skies threatening rain.  Ron spent the second day on the puzzle given to him by Dale and Linda for his birthday.

13 May:  Ron is editing… he did finish entering the great-grandchildren of James Lea of Kilgore's Branch this weekend.  Our granddaughter Zoe (Magna cum Laude with Honors Distinction) and her fiance Jack (All-American soccer goalie) graduated from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.  Cynthia was delighted to be able to watch the ceremony on her computer.  They will wed on June 10 and move to York, England, for Zoe to pursue a master's in public history, and Jack will play soccer, hopefully professionally. 

12 May:  HAPPY ANNIBIRSARY!  We celebrated our twelfth anniversary, and Ron is now 76 years old.  (Let's see - born in '47 so math works out.)  We could never have envisioned our lives so changed & wonderful fifteen years ago.  Ron continues to say that he had the perfect life for a bachelor - - and leave it to God to improve upon perfection.  Ron again bought QQQ calls, but the market didn't agree with him until closing.  He then rode to Cottonwood Walmart for the last groceries we would need while here.  Then at 5:30, we joined Linda and Dale (whose birthday was Wednesday, May 10) at Judi’s Restaurant to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary over dinner. 3.6 miles 

11 May:  I LOVE YOU, SMOOCH!  We hiked the Ridge Trail (marked with a black diamond on the maps) for quite a distance.  The black diamond means it climbs and climbs and climbs some more.  Actually, there are a couple of difficult rocks covered with loose sand & gravel to scramble over.  (Falling is not allowed.)  We turned back before reaching the second junction with the Sketch Trail, totaling 6.10 miles. 

10 May:  We arose early and decided it was too cold to be up, so we went back to bed to warm up and fell asleep.  At one, we went for the first of two hikes, moved rocks again, and met several lovely people.   Our second walk in the evening only took us as far as Buddha Beach again.  5.42 miles.  We started SightCare eye exercise program. 

9 May:  We can hike early today! Nope!  We left at 1:30 when the temp was at 80 degrees and did rock maintenance ... moving loose rocks to create a better trail than the one the flooding left us.  We went out again at six, found a shortcut to Buddha Beach, and helped a girl from NYC find it too.  Ron is enjoying telling people that Buddha Beach is buried under 6 to 10 feet of loose rock and gravel left by the flooding, which carried the vortex downstream too.  5.00 miles 

8 May:  Ron arose at 5:30 to finish exercises and breakfast and QQQ in time to leave at 7 am and took the motorcycle to Scottsdale for 6,000-mile maintenance.  And twelve hours later,  he successfully returned home with groceries, new light bulbs, and a better coffee pot.  He spent several afternoon hours in Cave Creek visiting with his cousin Rex and Susie. 

7 May, Sunday:  A week went by already here at the Creekside Cottage.  Thanks be to God for the earth's beauty and the beautiful sermons Pastor David preaches.  And let's also thank God for the choir and Jim.  Despite being tired, we hiked again to the top of the hill and the junction with the Sketch Trail.  Then we collapsed for the remainder of the afternoon.  3.5 miles.  Ron discovered the need for one more sentence to make the next picture fit correctly.  Oops, today it took two more sentences.

Our guests shot us in the back as we hiked

6 May:  Hiking Bell Rock was the goal, but we weren't sure if our guests were hikers.  Indeed, they are young and fit!  Jim even scrambled to the top of Spaceship Rock.  We hiked 6.09 miles with our granddaughter's fiance’s parents, followed by breakfast at Miley's cafe.  Our ride home through Page Springs was lovely, so one would not know it was Arizona.  In a rush to depart on time this morning, Ron accidentally melted his shirt while trying to iron on a patch.  Fortunately, he has identified a candidate patch for that spot.  (He still hasn't finished the mending job on May 18th.)

5 May:  It is lovely to sleep with open windows and not need A/C because the cold overnight air keeps us chilly until noon.  QQQ behaved nicely.  Now it is time to hike!  Hiking Sedona! The flooding was impressive, leaving debris twelve feet high in trees and piled in heaps blocking the trails. Buddha Beach is no longer; the Slickrock slab is covered by a pile of loose rocks up to ten feet high. Cynthia’s hiking goal of thirty days consecutively turned into 37 days because of the rain, but her total was 159.33 miles, not too shabby for a great-grandmother. Photos (?) are from today's hike, where many old Westerns were filmed. We once met a guy who grew up in the area then. His parents hosted and fed many movie stars, including John Wayne. He remembered seeing the valley filled with water when the creek flooded.

4 May:  National Day of Prayer begins with thanksgiving for life lived abundantly and together.  We pray for healing for our country.  QQQ didn't behave as planned, so we hope for better behavior tomorrow.  The ride to Cottonwood for groceries was windy, but the ride back was very scenic and pleasant.

3 May:  It is wonderfully cool at night and early AM.  The microwave is a combo microwave and air fryer.  (This modern world needs to be simplified.)  Cynthia is still exhausted, so Ron walked alone today out the door and over the rocky "trail" to discover Buddha Beach covered with rocks and sand up to 8 feet deep, another casualty of the flooding this March.  No more cute piles of rocks, no more psychic vortex.  He again made it to the top of the hill and came back via the Secret Slickrock Trail, and the wind was strongest where the exposure was greatest a fun combo.

Cynthia with niece Kelly

2 May:  We are ensconced in Creekside Cottage, a block to the Red Rock Crossing of Oak Creek, with a phenomenal view of Cathedral Rock, the most photographed spot in Sedona.  We walk through the adjacent Crescent Moon State Park to terrific hiking trails, and the weather forecast for next week is excellent.  Those fantastic hiking trails are gone because massive flooding washed them away on March 22nd this year.  We could pick our way over river rock and sand to find recognizable portions of the trail to the top of the nearest hill.  4 miles.  We discovered that the rose bush adjacent to the porch is blooming a few red blooms.  Yes, JOY.

Tivoli fest (see Apr 24)

1 May:  Mee weefee returns !!!  Oh, Joy, oh, Joy.  Yes, JOY.  Ron made one trip with a big box to the Creekside Cottage & recycling to Sedona before Cynthia returned, but ran into a mile-long backup due to a paving crew on the return trip, so he could not welcome his WeeFee home.  Ron cleaned, packed, and prepared to move to the Creekside Cottage while his exhausted WeeFee slept.  Cynthia and her children arose at three AM for early airline departures from Palm Springs Airport, plus she had a two-hour shuttle ride returning to Sedona.  Zzzz