Thank God for Thanksgiving. Thankful in Nov. Despite Distance Apart

Ron is in Illinois and Cynthia is in Texas. Oh woe is us.

Mom and Jon at the movies, having fun

21 Nov: 

20 Nov.  We are both energetic this AM; exercised, oatmealed, and we were ready to roll onto our trails at 8:20 AM. Cynthia took Ron’s advice by not overdoing it after several days of rain and the five mile jaunt yesterday, by turning back at the fitness center; her total is 3.21 miles at noon-thirty, no doubt energized by the cool temperature of 62 degrees.  She is still doing tax bookwork. 

19 Nov: Cynthia walked 5.0 miles and had dinner with Jon and friends. Ron walked the dam twice.  See the photo of sunlight sparkling like trillions of diamonds on lake.

18 Nov:  Ron enjoyed a nice visit with Ann and Diane at Cedarhurst in Highland.  Diane picked him up at Mariner's Village at 9:30 so that he didn't have to risk getting wet and windblown.  Cynthia (in TX) drove to the bank to figure out what eye online DDA’s were in her checking account.  No, she was not hacked.  The items were reimbursement to son Jon for shipping prescriptions.  Jon took Cynthia to see the movie "Bonhoeffer" tonight. 

17 Nov, Sunday:  Ron transitioned again to Mariner's Village at Lake Carlyle in order to visit other friends from high school and junior high, starting with a different Cynthia at Cambridge House in Belleville.  That visit went very well, and we enjoyed chatting for more than an hour.  Ron’s Texas Cynthia sat inside the entire day because of rain.  The best part was watching Martin Scorsese new series, The Saints, with episode one about Joan of Arc.  That was followed by a great story about George Washington before and leading up to the Revolutionary War.  Following that was a documentary about James Armistead Lafayette, a slave who was a spy during the Revolutionary War.  She feels very inspired and patriotic. 

16 Nov:  Saturday in Texas will be lovely with a high forecast of 78 degrees and sunshine.  It is a great day to walk to the lake.  Ron received cataract aftercare instructions from Bonnie: 1. Do not sleep with pets.  2. Do not wear make up.  3. Do not bend over or lift over 5 lbs.  Ron appreciates the good advice.  He walked to the mailbox again after dark this evening (a mile each way).

Cynthia with newborn Hayden Grace

15 Nov:  Cynthia thoroughly enjoyed seeing new born baby Hayden, her mama Kiira and her grandmother Roxanne.  (The hospital was unable to force Roxanne to leave her new grandbaby.)  Ron went into the woods twice again today and pulled another 132 bush honeysuckle.  That and a trip to town for groceries consumed the day.  Carol again cooked a delicious dinner of salmon and sweet potato.  Eighteen more days until Ron arrives in Texas.  Joy is us!

14 Nov: MEDICAL. Cynthia has a dental appointment.  Cynthia and Ron have a 12th great-grandchild, Hayden Grace, just born!  Ron again searched in the woods for those lost clippers and pulled another 130 bush honeysuckle.

13 Nov:  In Mt. Olive, Illinois, Ron hunted (without success) for his clippers hanging in a tree somewhere in the woods.  He did find the last honeysuckle he cut, retraced most of his path and pulled another 51 honeysuckle, so the time was not entirely wasted.  And true to forecast rain began after noon for which genealogy projects were waiting.  Cynthia bounced out of bed at five AM, exercised and ate a hearty bowl of oatmeal and berries.  Taxes, a trip to the pharmacy for a RX,  plus attending a funeral are on the ticket for the day.  She is to stay out of the sun on her skin for a couple days so will work out at fitness center.  Thanks to ‘Lizabeth in South Carolina for the following amusement: Remnants of the old Richmond, Nicholasville, Irvine & Beattyville Railroad (RNI&B) are still visible today, including these bridge piers in the Kentucky River at Valley View, Kentucky.  The RNI&B once stretched from Frankfort to Airedale, but much of it was abandoned in the 1930s.  The bridge over the river was dismantled in 1942, though the piers were left in place to serve as supports for the nearby Valley View Ferry.  More photos and history of the RNI&B from our partner site.

12 Nov:  MEDICAL Jon is taking Cynthia to her dermatologist appointment.  A good day despite waking up at 3:30 AM.  She put the brace back on her right hand after too much work on the IPad keyboard.  Ron pulled 105 bush honeysuckle and left his new clippers somewhere in the woods.  He got off to a sluggish start this morning and afternoon before finally feeling more energetic after a couple of rest breaks.   

11 Nov:  Cynthia is on a sleeping binge.  She had a three hour nap yesterday afternoon and went to sleep last night at 9:00, arising this AM at 5:50.  She walked almost six miles.  Ron also slept well and pulled bush honeysuckle in three bouts, the rest are shaking in their roots!  What a fabulous day! 

10 Nov, Sunday:  Ron, in Illinois, pulled a lot of bush honeysuckle and snipped multiflora rose bushes today, with more of the same planned for tomorrow.  Cynthia walked four plus miles.

9 Nov:  We both slept wonderfully well last night, and Ron awakened ready to burn leaves, which we did until the rain started at 10 AM.  Then we made a trip to town for groceries, and Ron went out to pull bush honeysuckle for an hour in the afternoon.  We might have figured out all Eric needs for his web site.  Cynthia walked exactly six miles in two trips, plus bookkeeping and writing a meditation. 

8 Nov:  MEDICAL Cynthia is delighted that she can now hear the GPS clearly and that her iPhone relays the messages to her hearing aids.  Jon fixed something; we don’t know what happened, but she enjoyed the drive to MD Anderson for her annual mammogram.  This was a very long day at MDA.  But, thanks be to God, it is a negative mammogram.  After having breast cancer in 2011, going in for a mammogram creates anxiety.  Now, praise God, and home to relax following several over-filled days.  Ron returned to Carol and Bill’s tree farm, stopping first in Trenton to see Dean, a high school classmate, and then following GPS directions over innumerable one-lane asphalt roads.  No wonder county roads have a reputation.  Carol and Bill welcomed Ron with a delicious salmon and sweet potato dinner.

7 Nov: Cynthia and Jon tried to install a new Bluetooth dash mounted GPS.  The installation was seamless, but it will not work because Bluetooth only sends sound to car speaker blocking sound to hearing aids.  The device is the size of a cell phone, too small to see while driving.  It is being returned in the AM.  Exciting to see and read Wall Street’s reaction to the election.  Ron walked the dam twice today and ate a baked potato and steamed veggies at Los Amigos.  Between walks, he rode first to Edwardsville to the Credit Union and to his storage locker to pay rent, then to Fairview Heights where he got to see and briefly say an unadorned "hi" to a junior high classmate, Dick, and while riding on U.S. 50 towards Lebanon, the road was closed, leading Ron to an extensive search for an alternative route with his GPS for a guide. Extensive detour, Silver Creek is flooded.

6 Nov:  Historic Election!  Congratulations to the American People!  2:00 AM in Texas.  Ron has had a lazy day, getting up late, breakfast late, a walk on the formerly haunted trail mid-afternoon, and he has quarters for laundry.  Maybe laundry is why he dragged his feet today.  Cynthia walked almost five miles.  Ron did walk the dam once today.

5 Nov:  Election day with all the media fanfare and BS.  It is raining again this morning here at Lake Carlyle.  Sistah Carol reports that her pond is full.  Now if only the well would replenish its supply.  Another day indoors with indexing.  Maybe after 2 PM it will stop raining so that Ron can walk the dam.  But instead, Ron watched Larry Bird basketball highlights for a couple of hours, Bill O'Reilly for another hour or more, and finally started walking 10:20 to 11:26 PM.  It isn’t raining in Texas; Cynthia walked to the lake and home, enjoying a phone call from Smooch. 💋 Once home, she ordered the protein (for Ron) which will arrive 7 Nov.  Cynthia is working on the Rambo DNA Project; FTDNA was helpful in restoring ten kits (that she deleted) back to the project.  Carol is very happy. We want Carol happy.   Our God reigns.  

4 Nov:  Jon is driving Cynthia to her ten AM Dr Appt at St Luke’s.  She ordered a $109.00 GPS for the car as recommended by the former owner.  Ron was tired last night while walking across the dam and went to bed about 6 PM, slept until 5 AM and still feels a bit lethargic this morning whle indexing.  It has been raining in Carlyle non-stop since well before dawn.  Odds are good that the lake level will rise and more water will be released from the dam.  Nephew Eric visited but Ron was unable to figure out what Google has done to prevent photos from showing up on his web site.

3 Nov, Sunday:  Ron did depart at dawn for church in Trenton to see if twins Cheryl and Carol are there.  Don and Ann told him last year that Cheryl's husband in homebound requiring constant attention, so the odds are good that still applies.  They attend a different church in Carlyle now.  As of 10:00 AM, we are both at worship, different churches, different states, but united in Thanksgiving.   Cynthia and son Jon enjoyed a lovely birthday party at Good Charlie’s Oyster Bar.  Indexing always continues.  Ron was delighted to learn from the other couple in his pew an address for his classmate Dean H., but he doesn't answer his phone.

Cynthia and granddaughter Lauren

2 Nov:  Reading news before bedtime is not conducive to a good night sleep…  tick tock…the hours passed.  Finally,  at 11:30 Cynthia slept until close to two and Boinnggg!  Awake again, dozing/dreaming and awake at five AM.  The dream might have made a great movie, if she could remember it.  Exercised, bathed, weighed, and fed, she is preparing for a 10:00 brunch with Lauren’s family and Jon.  It rained all afternoon in Texas.

2 Nov:  Ron enjoyed a second night of good sleep.  Cynthia was plagued by restlessness.  Ron went into the woods three times pulling bush honeysuckle and clipping multiflora rose.  His knee and back seem to be improving as he continues taking it easy on them.

1 Nov:  Meanwhile in Texas, Cynthia slept ten hours before exercising, eating, calling Ron, responding to messages helping two people with their Rambo DNA questions, calling FTDNA, reading the news, walking four miles, calling Ron, eating lunch, responding to MD ANDERSON about next week’s Mammogram, and she is now on hold with Customer Service at 1:25 PM.  But she is ever so thankful for life in Christ, Ron, our life together, family and the return of health! .  

Following Fall South in October

Ron is now at his sistah's in Mt. Olive, Illinois; Cynthia is in Texas.

And a fun time was had by all

31 Oct:  Thank you, God, for RON.  Bless him with renewed energy.  All Saints Blessings on All Hallows Eve... the dark is rising… until the morning light.  We all called Dean and left a Happy Birthday song on his voicemail.  When he returned the call, we serenaded him again.  This evening after sunset, the colors of the trees along the meadow were marvelous despite not being BRIGHT.  Ron is happy that his body is tolerating the walking, kneeling and clipping activity, and has discovered that the best schedule is to walk until everything feels OK before kneeling to clip again.

30 Oct:  Jon is taking C in his car to get a haircut.  Cynthia did not walk today.  Ron has been enjoying reading Confronting the Presidents , although he did take a break to ride into town with Carol for groceries, aspirin and multiflora rose clippers.

29 Oct:  Cynthia walked 6 miles in two trips.  It was warm late morning, and windy early evening, huffing and puffing.  This day Ron decided that he could work harder since his body hasn't been complaining . . . yet.   

28 Oct:  Cynthia had two Dr appts: Dr Sharpless and Dr Hyman, dermatologist.  On his third day in the woods, Ron walked a bit more, did a bit more, and enjoyed the colors again.

27 Oct:  Thank you, God, for RON.  Bless him with renewed energy, health, and rest.  Amen  Lucky Ron got to tend fire nearly all day, with only a couple of breaks to walk in the woods and eat lunch and dinner.

Can you tell  that Kiira is expecting?

26 Oct:  We both experienced delightfully pleasant days, despite being apart all day long.  Cynthia reports that the baby shower was beautiful, and she got good photos. (No doubt a dozen will be posted tomorrow.)  She was also exhausted. Driving was the challenge; she needs the GPS guidance to shout at her louder than the surrounding traffic.  Ron enjoyed walking in the woods luxuriating in the marvelous fall colors still in full bloom hereabouts.  He found 6 bush honeysuckle to pull besides clipping and poisoning multiflora rose. With a surprising show of self restraint, he stopped before wearing himself out in the woods and resumed indexing.  (That is where those couple of days disappeared: indexing.)

25 Oct:  Today was traumatic; Cynthia left me to fly back to Texas.  No sooner was she out the door than a light rain began, but it is badly needed, so I'm not complaining.  The hard part is that I now have to pack up everything without her to blame whenever I cannot locate something.  I do miss her and prefer to be with her, so this is a sad morning.  I hope her flight goes smoothly and that she enjoys the baby shower tomorrow.  It did; she did.

24 Oct:  Sistah Carol and Bill came to visit and enjoy a meal with us at Los Amigos.  We did our usual morning "haunted trail" and evening "to the spillway" walks.  Cynthia is in final throes of packing for her flight tomorrow.

23 Oct:  What happened to yesterday?

22 Oct:  Yesterday.  Again, oatmeals, haunted trail and indexing.

21 Oct:  We awakened earlier this morning at 7:30 AM, ate our oatmeals, and walked along the formerly haunted trail.  One of the guys picking up the cemetery told of wearing his wolf costume and jumping out and growling at a little girl and her mom; the girl offered the wolf her popcorn.  Scary !!  6.27 miles, 15,000 steps. Yay.

20 Oct, Sunday:  We slept in until 9 AM, then had to hustle to get to Oaxaca Restaurant in Edwardsville for a great lunch with Eric & family.  Much fun was had by all.  Cynthia was not happy with all the lumps and bumps on Illinois highways.  I thought the roads were relatively smooth.  Indexing continues.

19 Oct:  Moving slowly this morning, Cynthia spent an hour with Apple Support to get her calorie counter "recalibrated" so that her calorie counter gives a more satisfactory number.  We then had to walk for 20 minutes on level ground to do the recalibration and continued walking entirely across the dam.  Indexing away all afternoon.

18 Oct:  RVS VACCINE DONE.  We walked the haunted trail about noon, again before lunch at Los Amigos, and Ron walked a second time in the evening across the dam.  The Haunted trail hosted innumerable kids.  No telling how many survived.  Cynthia paid attention and did a good job indexing today.  Ron continues with the impossible task of deciding which Major Lea is being referenced on each page.  (There are four Major Leas and four Luke Leas.  Only one Ephraim.)

17 Oct:  We are feeling even better, walked once before lunch at Los Amigos.  The weather is magnificent for late October in Illinois.  The people working on the Haunted Trail say it is all a fundraiser for the 4th of July fireworks.  We successfully walked the dam to the rest area and back, perhaps a bit too far.  All three Apple Watch Fitness Rings are closed with 19,000 steps and seven miles!  Indexing continues; It is a slow grind.

16 Oct:  We are feeling better and walked twice today, although it was cold and windy.  Cynthia almost got three of her fitness rings closed.   The Apple Watch increased the goals this year, and it has been harder to reach them with injuries.  We walked around Walmart shopping primarily for raspberries, almonds and frozen mango.

15 Oct:  FLU SHOT 2024. And another day dawned bright and cold.  Temperatures are finally where they should be this time of year.  We survived our hike on the "haunted trail" despite the slithering ghoul we had to pass in the cemetery.  Cynthia didn't like the coffee provided by the hotel machine, especially after she added cornbread mix to it from a bag of mine she found lying on the counter.  She usually knows not to mess with my stuff but apparently needed a reminder.  We removed one of the shimms in her footwear and improved her comfort while walking.  Too bad we didn't realize that advantage earlier, like two months ago when we examined the same orthotic

14 Oct:  PACEMAKER TEST DONE. We thought it was going to be extremely windy and cold for our ride to Carlyle, but the ride was actually quite pleasant although not warm.  Pam greeted us warmly when we arived at the Mariner's Village, another hotel where the managers treat us like family.  We shopped at the nearby Walmart for groceries and walked halfway across the dam to the spillways.  I was quite surprised to see that they are releasing quite a flow of water from the lake into the Kaskaskia River.   Cynthia is washing all traces of poison ivy out of her clothes.  We have no idea how and where she got it.  We remembered to send Ron's pacemaker data off to Medtronic using Cynthia's smartphone and a pacemaker device reader (aka magic).

13 Oct, Sunday:  We enjoyed a second day with sister Carol & Bill in their woods.  Ron walked to mud slide hill and saw Eric's new deer blind next to the ashes signifying an earlier burn pile and stack of firewood chopped from the tree on the neighboring property.  (Carol says the tree was on her property, walked a few steps over onto the neighbor's property and fell backward onto hers.)

12 Oct:  Carol & Bill will pick us up at 10 am, God willing, and take us out to the country to enjoy an 83 degree day.  We were all worn out, Ron from overeating oatmeal first thing, Cynthia from days on end of travel, Carol from her early morning schedule.  But Carol did fix us a great lunch of salmon, sweet potatoes and colorful mixed veggies.   Bill took Ron on a quick tour of the property, to the splitter shed to see the new firewood racks all dado jointed and sturdy, down mud slide hill to see the new bridge, and on the new path: "Carol's Lakeside view" with a magnificent view of the Mt. Olive Lake, now drained down to a swamp full of weeds.  Apparently it would cost the city over a million dollars to bring the deteriorating dam up to modern standards, so the lake is now drained.  No doubt someone on the city council will have a plan to enrich himself by selling development rights to someone, and then the city will repair the dam.

11 Oct:  We managed to get on the road at 10:30 and only stopped once to arrive in Litchfield at 2:30 in the afternoon and have Carol and Bill join us at Ruby Tuesday.  Much fun was had by all.  The fall colors were less frequent and less striking but were still very nice.  The most amazing part of today's ride was that the pavement was very smooth from start to finish.  That is so very unusual in Illinois, a state known far and wide for poor pavement.  US 218 into Keokuk, US 136 crossing the Mississippi on a bridge undergoing repair, 3 miles to a R on IL 96 S 28 mi (missed turn #1) to a L on US 24 (missed turn #2) for 3 mi to a R on I-172 for 20 miles continuing onto I-72 for 55 miles to a R on US 67 S just west of Jacksonville, about 4 miles to a left on Woodson-Winchester road 4 miles to a R on IL 267 S (which i recognize as Lawrence''s favorite) 22 mi to Greenville for gasoline and a L onto IL 108 which was surprisingly nice and newly repaved, 22 mi to a R in I-55 S in increasing winds 7 miles to Litchfield.

10 Oct:  We visited with cousins Ken and Marvin (& Doris) at noon at the Great Day Cafe in Keosauqua.  Unfortunately, we missed both Rex and Scott in the afternoon and left at 4:30.  We are spending the night in Keokuk and bought blueberries, raspberries and bananas to go with our oatmeal dinners.  Route wasn't great: US 63 S -> US 34 E, R on V43/ IA 16 E to R on IA 1 S which is much improved by grinding and replacing pavement joints.  Continuing IA 1 S from Keosauqua was again rough and lumpy to IA 2 which is not as smooth as previously to US 218 S to the Quality Inn in Keokuk. 

cousins

9 Oct:  Our visit to Northwood was a success; we managed to spend two hours apiece with loved friends and family there.  We are heading south before snowfall and hope to see a few relatives in Keosauqua.  No worries about being too cold this year.  Fortunately the fall colors are beginning in each place we stay, and the colors were gorgeous as we rode south on I-35.  Route: I-35 S to I-80 E skirting Des Moines, R on US 65 S briefly to L on IA 163 S for miles to join US 63 S to Otumwa and IA 149 to the Quality Inn there.

8 Oct:  Breakfast with Dick & Jane at the Holiday Inn was again delightful.  It is nice to talk with people who share convictions and observations.  Ron rode into Northwood to pick up Annie's leftovers at Susan's Corner Cafe.  (We were lucky that no one else ate them.)  At 1:30 we rode to Kensett to see Danny, Deanna and Julie for delightful conversation and snacks (lefse !!).  At 3:30pm, we set off the exit alarms first and then visited Ann-n-Dale and their grandkids Cole and Bria.  They guided us into the nursing home next door to visit Cynthia's cousin Nelda.  Next stop was the cemetery to pay our respects to Cynthia's parents.  After parking within twenty feet of their graves, we wandered around for ten minutes looking for them.  Before leaving Northwood, we shared a foot-long veggie sub at Subway.  Next year we hope to visit Ray and Mary

All the kids at the playground in Wayzata, MN

7 Oct:  Ron called his cousins in Iowa and was lucky to talk to three of the four in Keosauqua.  Lunch with Annie and Dave, Ann-n-Dale was delightful and delicious as always.  Everyone actually looks better than a year ago, better health is such a blessing at our ages.  Annie is such a good cook that Ron was still too full to eat dinner with Dave and Pat in the evening.  We have to thank Ann-n-Dale for the ride to Annies so that Cynthia could enjoy seeing her friends without the embarrassment of hairdo by helmet.  Ron was quite disappointed to discover that no one had remembered to bring the leftovers that Annie had packed for us.  Pat is having back pain and nerve problems, Dave is older too, but we all enjoyed good conversation despite discomforts.  The biggest surprise is that Dave and Pat sold all their "rendevous" gear and are planning to do their camping in a tin can.

6 Oct, Sunday:  We had great fun visiting with Brett & Holden at breakfast before driving to Northwood.  We really missed Jen and Hudson, but they had to attend a birthday party.  Holden has a smile a mile deep.  Both of the boys were sad to see us go.  Hudson gave us huge hugs last night, and Holden hugged tight this morning.  Precious boys.  The wind was horrendous whipping us around for 2 and a half hours.  There aren't good restaurants in Northwood, so we ate popcorn for warmth and crunch, then shared a Subway filled with veggies.  We've seen lots of fall color in Minnesnowda.

5 Oct:  We relocated as early as possible (11:30) to another Country Inn closer to Brett, Jen, Hudson & Holden and then joined them at the Birches on the Lake for lunch, a Wayzata playground on a lake (see photo) for an hour and again at Gianni's for dinner.  We are now way too much overfull, but it was delicious.

4 Oct:  We enjoyed a nice 45-minute walk in the neighborhood around Neil Armstrong Elementary School.  Then, suddenly, it was time to shower and pack in order to check out and relocate to the Hampton Inn in Eagan, near the airport.  The ride N on US 10 to I-494 W to I-35E South one exit onto Lone Pine Road and the Hampton Inn was easy in light traffic.  We had great fun at dinner tonight (starting at 4:30) talking with Lance & Shelley, and Carolyn at Jensen's in Eagan, Minnesota.  We sat at a booth next to Shelley and across from Carolyn and Lance, so were able to converse in separate conversations: Ron & Carolyn versus Cynthia & Lance & Shelly.  Then we used the restroom and switched seats to switch conversational partners.  Now, at 8:33, Ron can get back to work on Cynthia's James Lea index, but he worked far too late, past midnight. 

3 Oct:  More indexing, more walking, more raspberries and almonds at ALDI.  Cynthia went walking the halls of the hotel without me, so I started ten minutes later and could not find her.  She left her phone in the room and hid in the fitness center on the treadmill. Cynthia treaded on the mill for thirty minutes, but the Apple Watch only recorded nine minutes as exercise because she only walked 2.5 MPH…not pushing fast enough to be considered exercise.  Sadly, Axel’s Restaurant closed permanently on 30 Sep, so Ron was forced to find an alternative and located a Jensen’s Restaurant that might be very good.  Donna is still suffering from a bad cold.  We walked outdoors twice totaling 5.38 miles, and we split a Subway whole wheat bun filled with veggies.   (15,101 steps) 

2 Oct:  More indexing, more walking (twice for 45 minutes each).  Donna didn't call today, so we assume that her cold is worser.  Let's hope she feels better tomorrow.  We baked our huge sweet potato in the microwave in the potato pocket that Elauth gave us, and it turned out perfectly.  This time we bought blueberries and raspberries at ALDI (again).

1 Oct:  We spent the day at the hotel since Donna's cold has gotten worse.  Her doctor prescribed medication, so we will see how she is tomorrow.  In between times, we did walk once to ALDI for a sweet potato and continued for a mile or two, and repeated the walk around the Neil Armstrong school before dark.  Ron spent the day working on the James Lea index and is ready to redo the text file to find more needed index entries.

Fall Foliage in Vermont - September

30 Sep:  We did depart Wisconsin "early," 11:30 AM, and returned to the hotel in Cottage Grove that we liked last year.  Donna came over to join us for dinner at Applebys, which can prepare only broccoli and salmon for us, no baked potato, no rice, no bread, very unsatisfactory.  Ron walked to ALDI nearby for almonds, blueberries, raspberries and bananas; he forgot the spinach and sweet potatoes.  Our route was simplicity itself, I-94 forever into Minnesota, MN 95 south several miles, R on 70th Street to a traffic circle, L on Kent Street S to a R on 90th Street W to the hotel, 250 miles later.  Ron is now "free" for three days to work on that James Lea index.

The Valley Orchard was fun

29 Sep, Sunday:  We said our goodbyes to Stan & Raquel.  WOW, did they ever treat us good.  We rode left on Indian Trail to R on something to L on I-88 toll (pay on-line for 50% off) to R on I-39 N to US 20 E 1 mile to Valley Orchards to visit Spruce & Molly & family (Ada, Eve, and Otto) at an apple orchard in Rockford, IL.  A fun time was had by all.  Ron and Spruce regaled each other with reminiscences and stories.  Cynthia and Molly talked intently about who knows what.  The kids shot a bucket of apples via slingshot at targets, and Eve even shot an apple through the mouth of the target to win donuts.  After a couple of hours, it was time to get the kids home, so we said our goodbyes and rode north on I-39 to join I-90 into Wisconsin where we stopped for dinner in Madison at an IHOP and at a Comfort Inn for a night's sleep.   

28 Sep:  We visited Raquel and Stan for the day.  It is quite unique for us to visit another couple, both of whom are genealogists.  Everyone took a nap in the afternoon except for Ron, who worked on his index.  We went to dinner at a new, ritzy Italian place that couldn't offer anything to fit Ron's diet, so he ate a plate of noodles and half of Cynthia's Norwegian trout (which was quite good).

27 Sep:  We enjoyed breakfast with Dave & Barb before packing and leaving Fort Wayne at 11:30 AM with a forecast of rain coming in an hour from the south anywhere along our route.  Our plan was to circumnavigate Chicago to Aurora, Illinois to visit Raquel and Stan  Despite the threat, we stayed dry and enjoyed the scenery, fields and occasional harvest activity..  Stan has lots and lots of interesting stories and an excellent memory (for his stories at least).  They fed us a delicious chicken, sweet potato and salad dinner.  Route was West Washington to West Jefferson -> US 24 (12 miles) to R on IN 114 a long way to join IN 14 through Rochester (where I expected rain but was not disappointed to stay dry) but there was a detour that took us north to IN 10 W until it crossed into Illinois and became a very rough road, IL 114 to Momene where we turned L on Second street and continued through Kankakee to a R on IL 102 that was a very nice road to Wilmington, IL, L on IL 53 briefly to R on Strip Mine Road, R on IL 129 onto I-55 N 20 miles to exit 257, L on US 30 4 mile to IL 59 N 10 miles that took forever, L on Aurora Road -> Indian Trail Road, L on Felton into Stonegate West, R on Havershire, 2nd R on Kingsley.  We were so happy to get off the bike and be done traveling for the day.

26 Sep:  We enjoyed a peaceful, quiet day at the Allen County Library (Indiana) with Barb and husband Dave.  They have certain traveled to a lot of places and have interesting tales to tell.  Since Ron had no research plan to follow, he didn't find anything important.

25 Sep:  We plan to leave somewhat early, ride all day through Ohio to Ft. Wayne, 230 miles.   Wow, Did we get wet.!!  We ran head on into a massive downpour or two or three on Ohio highway 3 southwest of Hudson, Ohio.  The rain started so quickly and came down so hard, that we didn't even have an opportunity to find a place to stop until after we were soaked through to the skin.  So, since we were so wet and the temperature was above 72 degrees, Ron decided to keep riding so that the wind would help evaporate all that water.  He was looking for a Shell station, but none appeared before the fuel gauge read only 10 miles left.  We stopped in Findlay at a Martin's grocery hoping to find a salad bar.  No such luck, but the greeter recommended Chick-fil-A for a good, big salad.  Bad recommendation, but we did get an inferior salad.  We arrived in Fort Wayne before dark and enjoyed a simple dinner of grilled salmon without any sides since the restaurant did not have rice or baked potatoes or steamed anything.  Route: Pekin Road west to L on OH 306 S fifteen miles to Streetsboro, R on Market Square to R on OH 303 W through Hudson twenty miles, L on OH 606 S eleven miles to R on OH 3 where the rain hit us like a hammer as we rode through Medina, OH and, rain-blinded, we missed US 42 S but still came to a R on US 224 forever, drying out a little bit more with each mile, stopping in Findley, OH for food, continuing to Van Wert, OH (146 mi), R on US 30 towards Fort Wayne (25 mi), straight on IN 930 towards downtown and our hotel.

24 Sep:  Walt says rain is forecast all day, so he took us to the renowned Cleveland Art Museum for the day.  It was wonderful; Cynthia really enjoyed seeing so much fine art (as I did also).  We walked and walked so far.  When we got back outside, the sunshine was very enticing, but that disappeared as Walter drove us home.  Pam cooked for us again this evening, salmon, brown rice, sweet potatoes and salad.  We are so happy that she is a VERY good cook. 

23 Sep:  We certainly slept soundly and long, not awakening until 8:30 AM.  Walt and Pam are busy with doctors appointments today, but they will have time to see us tomorrow.  It is drizzling, so we sat indoors all day working on the James Lea book.  The drizzle abated after noon, allowing Ron to rush out for groceries.  Walt and Pam invited us over in the evening for grilled chicken, quinoa, corn and salad.  (Pam is a very good cook.) 

22 Sep, Sunday:  Google maps said our selected route to Novelty, Ohio was 256 miles, and they were indeed beautiful miles with mostly good pavement.  We arrived at Walt & Pam's house just minutes ahead of Walt, a few more minutes ahead of Pam, and even a few more minutes ahead of Ben.  Everyone is tired from long days in the sun, so we all agreed to see each other later, like tomorrow.  Our route was full of turns, and we only got lost once.  US route 6 W to Smethport (93 miles), where we did not find a good restaurant, PA 59 W (44 miles) to Warren, PA, rejoining US 6 W (14 miles) to a L on PA 27 W (20 miles) to go straight onto the Enterprise/ Titusville Road (3.6 miles) to rejoin PA 27 W again (18 miles) to L on PA 173 S eight miles to a R on PA 285 five miles to an unmarked turn onto Adamsville Road (which was fairly bumpy but came to a T intersection that was unexpected - we crossed under I-79 as expected and wandered around on bumpy roads following the GPS for 20+ miles until we discovered Adamsville Road again and resumed our intended route) R on Liberty Street 1/2 mile to L on US 322 (43 miles) into Ohio to L on Auburn Road (3 miles) to a R on Pekin Road (3 miles) to Walt & Pam's.  A lovely day with surprising fall colors in several places.

21 Sep:  After heading west for 15 miles on old US 20, Ron missed the turn onto I-88, so instead we rode parallel to it on NY 7 for a dozen miles on a smooth road.  I-88 to Binghamton, NY (105 miles) and I-86 & Old US 17 W until Waverly (40 miles) when we dropped into Pennsylvania on US 220 S for about 15 miles to take old US 6 west.  Again the interstates were mostly smooth pavement with  a couple of 10-mile expansion joint lumps and bumps, but road work is underway to replace a couple of those sections.  Thirty-five miles later, we were nervously watching steel grey skies as we approached Mansfield, PA and decided to spend the night in the good Comfort Inn we found there.  Good thing too, color radar showed that it was raining just to the west.  The motorcycle is getting rained on now as I write this.

20 Sep:  Departure for Texas via New York, Ohio, Indiana, MN,  IA and Illinois.  Forty days on the bike?  We need exercise!  Well, we started at 3:30 PM after saying many goodbyes! and after Ron had pleasant success in the options market.  Instead of Binghamton, we are overnighting in Latham, NY. after a very lovely and comfortable ride on US highway 4 S 53 miles to L on NY 149 S for 12 miles to L on US 9 S a mile to I-87 S for 47 miles, a nice, easy 110 mile day on mostly good pavement.!  (I-87 had bumpy expansion joints for a couple of 10 mile stretches.)  Cynthia LOVED the hotel, especially the bed, soft enough to sink into, relax and sleep the night away.

19 Sep:  Our morning hike was again gorgeous; the trees are more colorful, fallen leave cover the trail, and we hiked quickly on our usual route to the top of the hill and back.  Cynthia took a HOT shower afterwards while Ron was fussing with recycling.  We ride up the montain to Cynthia's physical therapy appointment at 3:30.  Cynthia has got her box ready for final packing and shipping to Texas.  And she is learning to index.

18 Sep:  This is the take away from September in Vermont:  After two months in Vermont of conservative hiking due to her three torn tendons, Cynthia is trying to make up two months in twenty days.  This is what happens when she tries ro get everything done yesterday.  Cynthia is fatigued after longer and more industrious hikes, but happy to have those tendons healed.  We hiked to our favorite boulder and back in time for a 2:00 PM nail appointment.  Ron's last QQQ option sold while we were gone, so we are ready to do our final laundry here before packing those clothes and then eat dinner.  While Ron was finalizing travel plans, Ed Kellett did not respond to e-mails or phone calls, and Ron discovered an obituary; Ed died on 5 Sep, another excellent good friend gone.  (This is perhaps another way of defining time, by the passing of family and friends.).  Cynthia is going to miss Ed’s calls to Ron.

17 Sep:  And today we hiked to our favorite boulder atop the hill and down to the second turnaround spot, then returned.  Ron is feeling quite energetic and lively; Cynthia is exhausted.  Ron suddenly realizes that he hasn't updated the blog for two weeks, and with his memory like it is, those two weeks are lost forever.  He has been working diligently to clean up his "Google Drive," to document Oke's life (a potential best seller), to index the Lea books, and to recycle everything possible.  Suddenly it is time to pack everything besides all of the above.

16 Sep:  Physical therapy is cancelled.  We hiked Kent Pond to the big boulder.  Ron is trying to teach Cynthia about creating an index.  She is falling asleep.  It is easier to teach her when she is sleeping; she makes fewer mistakes.

15 Sep, Sunday:  Cynthia slept twelve hours!  Ron’s attempt to back up his new Mac to the time machine failed.  We hiked to the big boulder to see a cute little white fuzzy catapiller trying to hike up Ron's pant leg.  Then, back at the first stream, we witnessed a turtle (maybe a snapping turtle) big as a dinner plate with a head the size of a tennis ball.  Ron is attempting to teach  Cynthia about creating an index.  She prefers eating.  Ron's time machine backup refused to work despite trying several suggested fixes, but the fix that worked was credited to ChatGPT.  HA.

14 Sep:  We are in progress of creating a place name index to the Lea book, Volume I.  Our hike to the stone steps was exhausting.

13 Sep:  Cynthia wanted to reach Thundering Falls, so we rode the motorcycle to River Road and hiked to the falls, then up the steep climb to the big boulder and back to Thundering Falls Brook Road and River Road, walking to the motorcycle by road.  Cynthia was exhausted but pleased.

12 Sep:  Temps are warming up in the mountains!  Ron wants to hike early.  LOL  It is the same time either of us gets ready to hike… noon.  The problem is that Ron asks Cynthia when are we going hiking.  She replies, as soon as I finish my coffee.  She finishes her coffee, changes clothes and shoes and she is ready - but doesn't say so and starts looking at her iPad.  Ron, meanwhile is doing whatever he does while waiting for her.  So Ron is waiting for Cynthia whle Cynthia is waiting for Ron.  And we both prefer to stay busy, so when Ron eventually says when will you be ready, Cynthia replies that she has been ready for an hour already.  Ain't love grand !!

11 Sep:  We had a fabulous hike to the stone steps… another closed ring wonder.  The markets had good news

10 Sep:  We hiked to the big boulder!  Cynthia is learning about creating an index.  With her at the helm of indexing, it will be another two years before we get the books to the publisher. 

9 Sep:  Monday Physical Therapy after we hiked to the big boulder.  Ron updated Oke's story and decided that Cynthia could help with the index for her Lea books to speed things up to her satisfaction.

8 Sep, Sunday:  After breakfast, Cynthia was cold (49 degrees) and feels beat up, so we went to bed for a nap instead of out the door for a hike.  By the time we awakened, the forecast called for showers soon.  We had a day off.!!  Ron began cleaning old files from his Google Drive, updated the QQQ spreadsheet and did Sudokus. 

7 Sep:  We hiked Kent Pond ... carefully so as not to cause body ACHES.  We are guessing that this was the day we met a lovely couple through hikers who flipped to summit Kithadin and are now again northbound to finish after crossing the Kennebec River Ferry, Sunshine and Scarecrow, now as a couple Sunny & Scare.

Bird's eye view of Inn at Long Trail

6 Sep:   We did it!  We hiked to the ski run!!!  Amazing after so many torn tendons and so much pain!!!!  Yay.  It was only five miles but a lot of elevation gain,  Good for us!!!

5 Sep:  Cynthia organized stuff to get shipped home to Texas and arranged appointments for that first week back in Texas.  She arrives the 25th of Oct; Kiira's baby shower is scheduled for the 26th. Cynthia doesn't want to leave Vermont, a hiker's paradise, well, except in two weeks it will be cold!

4 Sep:  As we head inexorably towards our likely departure date of Sep 20, Ron took the first bit of recycling out and is mending socks now.  Oke's book is due for an update before Ron forgets everything Oke told him.  Most important is to go hiking after Cynthia awakens from a necessary morning nap.  If Ron gets pills done and sock mended, perhaps he will leave a note and hike up the Sherborne Pass Trail until Cynthia phones him. 

3 Sep:  Up and exercised, fed and ready to go hiking.  The temp of 60 degrees was perfect, the sun just warm enough, thank you, God!  Big day ahead with trip to Rutland for shoe repair and Post Office mailings.  Ron is busy mending a jacket while waiting for Cynthia to finish coffee.  Shoes should be ready by the 10th, excellent.  Postcards and check mailed, Great.  Hike was very pleasant, and Cynthia's back and feet complained less than usual recently.

2 Sep: We had a lovely day hiking after the sky stopped spitting on us. Ron finished sawing a maple tree across the AT Trail entrance at Kent Pond. A tree branch swatted him across the eye but he is fine. After dinner we showered and fell asleep!  

1 Sep, Sunday:  26 years have passed since Scott died from leukemia.  It seems like a moment ago.  Cynthia’s heart hurts like it was yesterday, but she is thankful for the memories.  We have been noticing more and more reds and yellows in the leaves underfoot as we hike, and a couple of the roadside trees have turned brilliant.  Fall is falling.  We enjoyed a "short" hike of 2 miles each way, taking it easier on our bodies for a second day.  Oke stopped by again with more materials (homework) for Ron to help "flesh out" his biography.

August in Vermont

Photo credits: Carolina Sunshine

31 Aug:  The last day of August in Vermont, and the forecast has turned better for us hikers with little chance of rain until after dark.  We will let you know how it went, but first, Cynthia went back to bed to see if she could get back to sleep after awakening at 4 am.  Ron completed a second draft of the index. 454 pages in Volume One!  We never got out of doors today, but a day of rest is necessary every once in a while for us old folks.  (Me, not Cynthia.)

log rolling with LoMein

30 Aug:  And another day dawns bright and beautiful.  We got to bed early and slept well, so we were full of energy and ready to hike.  Here we are home again after a vigorous hike, over 14,000 steps.  It was delightful to meet Chef Reggie on the trail; he was mushroom hunting, one of our favorite cooks here.  Then we had a delightful visit with a hiker from Wyoming with the trail name SideQuest.  Ron clipped overhanging branches along the way and sawed a huge log laying across the trail.  Thankfully, a strong hiker named LoMein happened along and offered to help finish the sawing.  He and Ron shoved and rolled the log off the path.  Ron has a major job redoing the index.  Bummer.  Cynthia was hopeful it could get to the publisher by the time we leave Vermont on 20 Sept.  The good thing about leaving will be having decent wifi!

29 Aug:  Unfortunately Cynthia's hip gave her significant pain when she rolled over in the night.  It got quickly better as she walked to breakfast, and we had a great hike before her physical therapy at 3:30 PM.  Then we rode to the pharmacy for a prescription refill and back to the Inn ASAP for FOOD.  Ron continues working on the James Lea index; lots to do.

28 Aug:  We extended our hike today past the ski run and third turn-around to the stone steps.  So far we seem to have survived without undo discomfort, but the real test comes if we sleep well tonight.  Ron discovered several flaws in his index and hopse to be able to rectify them "easily." Our new hiker friend had dinner with us tonight.  

27 Aug:  I love my wife, and I get points for first written I love you of tomorrow.  We got out for a good hike today around Kent Pond, up to the big rock and down to the ski trail.  That was enough for today, and we met a delightful hiker named No Shit, who has flip flopped and is now southbound with 1400 miles done and "only" 800 "easy" miles left.  Ron sent a new draft of Oke's life to him.

26 Aug:  And just when we were preparing for a hike, the rain came down fiercely.  It then rained a second time just before Oke showed up with more artifacts for his long life story.  (Ron expects the book to be a best selling classic American novel.)  That second rain ended just in time for us to ride dry all the way to Cynthia's physical therapy.  Ron is  delighted to have a rough draft of the index in the book now, so it is time to work again on Oke's life story, typing for a couple of hours before bed.

25 Aug, Sunday:  Surprise!  We awoke early and amazed the staff at the inn when we showed up for breakfast at 7:40. Then we fell asleep after breakfast!  Ron is working on the Index for the Lea book using a VI editor.  It is going well. After the index he will look carefully for errors, double check page numbers, order the copyrights and ten Library of Congress numbers. The DNA study will be a separate book, but it is already written. The appendices will be a separate book, but it is already written. Cynthia is elated. Oke stopped to visit this afternoon so we did not hike.

Ron, Cynthia and salads

24 Aug: Sat: Cynthia slept ten hours and declared she is rested!  Indeed she is rested and the torn tendons seem to be healed; she is exuberant!  Yaaay!  At 68 degrees, the day is gorgeous, the sun is shining and we hiked four miles. It was fun to shower and clean up!

23 Aug:  We slept in longer than expected and were rousted from bed by a phone call from Jan asking us to come to breakfast at 8:30.  We enjoyed tremendously our lively conversation with Jan, Dorothy and Donna.  What a fun bunch of people.!!  At noon we went for our usual hike across the stream to the big rock a the top of the hill before rushing off to Cynthia's manicure and pedicure appointment.  After five sudokus while waiting, Ron sneaked out to ALDI for groceries.  We lived life on the wild side this evening and had toasted soda bread for appetizer and dessert.  The scripts for the index are proceeding exceptionally well.  (I am so proud of you! by CF)

22 Aug:  Ron spent the morning absorbed in computer programming with the Vi editor to create an index for the James Lea book.  Initial results look interesting.  Then at 1 pm we rode to Kent Pond and walked as far as the little stream, still just a tiny bit too high to cross comfortably.  So we walked across the dam and made it to physical therapy just three minutes late.  Jan and Dorothy and sister Donna are due to arrive before midnight after a long day supervising movers.

21 Aug:  24,000 mile service scheduled with MaxBMW in NY.  The ride wasn't bad at 3:30 am; no cars passed me for the first hour, but I only went a little over 30 miles in that hour because of darkness and rain from the Inn to Rutland and wet roads for the next thirty miles.  I arrived at Max BMW about 6:30 and met the owner, Ben, who was there early and still has a tremendous passion for BMW motorcycles.

Queen Anne's Lace

Glodenrod

Ron wearing gloves for Cynthia

20 Aug:  The temperature drops today.  Brrr!  We hiked at noon.  Despite cold, wind and mud on the trail, we had an excellent hike.  The small waterfall was full of rushing water.  Goldenrod and Queen Anne’s Lace made a lovely photo.   It is amazing that Cynthia's tendons are healed and her hip pain is gone so quickly.  We met another couple of couples hiking, Chuck & ?, Steve & ??, and enjoyed a very nice conversation over dinner.  The page numbers are in the book and it awaits the index.  Ron rode to Rutland for groceries.  

19 Aug:  Monday… Cynthia has physical therapy at 2:45.  This morning while sitting up in bed at 8:45 am, Ron experienced sudden, intense dizziness for thirty seconds followed by a sudden sweat for two minutes, exactly the same sort of symptoms from his first episode of Afib in 2015.  Cynthia got on the ball and wrote to our doctor and Ron's cardiologist.  Cynthia's Apple watch can and did take an ECG that shows normal sinus rhythm.  All is well.  We made it to Cynthia's PT appointment but a downpour ensued delaying our departure for 45/minutes.  

18 Aug, Sunday:  Again we slept well and are delighted to be feeling better rested.  Cynthia is marveling that she has no pains after walking as opposed to severe pains after sitting.  We will not be walking this morning in the drizzle and rain, but it is supposed to go away at noon, so we should get in another good walk since the rain isn't sufficient to make the creeks rise.  Oke visited us again with more momentos of his earlier life.  After his visit, the rain finally stopped after it had intensified enough to raise water levels.  Ron was falling asleep working on James Lea, so we took a nap.  Eric made us another great dinner of salmon, sweet potatoes and veggies.  Life is good.   

17 Aug:  Fortunately Cynthia slept well last night despite the excessive exercise.  Ron did not.  Even when he felt himself to be comfortable, he still couldn't fall asleep for a long time.  Fortunately we got to bed early, so we spent 11 hours in bed.  A light shower passed at noon, and we went hiking soon after, hiked to the big rock, and decided that was good enough after yesterday.  Ron is still making cosmetic changes to the James Lea manuscript; we both hope it will be finished soon.

16 Aug:  Ron is betting that Cynthia will take a nap this afternoon after our daily hike.  (Ron lost his bet although she did fall asleep on the heating pad ;on the couch for fifteen minutes before dinner.)  And our hike was the most difficult since Cynthia's injuries started complaining on day three here in Vermont.  We hiked past both of our earlier turn-arounds to the rock stairs fairly close to the road above Thundering Falls.  Cynthia's watch probably knows the distance (4.91 miles, close to closing all three rings).  Because of our poor sleeping recently, neither of us felt very energetic, and we were very tired afterwards.

15 Aug:  We left first thing in the morning to get Cynthia into town for her haircut appointment.  She liked her new stylist and style.  Then we have to leave last thing before dinner to get her to physical therapy.  In between we stopped for the first time this year at Sugar and Spice for egg white veggie omelets and pancakes.  Then Cynthia decided to try a scoop of their maple ice cream.  Consequently we were not very hungry at dinner time.  We haven't been sleeping well, and we are tired little puppies.  Ron slept much better this evening, but back and leg pains are still disturbing Cynthia's sleep.

14 Aug:  We awakened early despite not getting to sleep early.  Consequently Ron was dragging a bit on our ususal hike plus a little bit extra.  Now it is time for him to shower and nap.  And a good time was had by all.

13 Aug:  After breakfast, Ron finished the jigsaw puzzle because someone else had done a great job putting in lotsa pieces.  Then we chatted with a delightful hiker from Charleston, SC named Carolina Sunshine.  She spent the night at Pico shelter with a group of a dozen giggly girl scouts and drank eight cups of coffee at breakfast to offset the accompanying lack of sleep.  After noon, Ron & Cynthia rode down to Kent Pond and walked to the usual lawn chairs on the dock.  Imagine our surprise when Carolina Sunshine walked out on the dock to visit with us again.  She had hiked downhill from the Inn to the Gifford Woods State Park and learned that she could indulge in a fifiteen-minute shower for $1 in quarters.  She was so happy that she was dancing and singing in the shower, and we were happy to see her again, even if she was clean.  She took the precious photo of us holding hands sitting on the dock!!!  She is indeed Sunshine!  After dinner Ron to rode into town for groceries, esp. bananas, blueberries, yogurt and frozen mango, but on the way, exiting the parking lot, he stopped abruptly and dropped the bike, because the pavement is slanted downhill significantly there.  He had to ask for help at the pub to get another three guys help him right the bike before he left the parking lot.  Amazingly there is not even a scratch on the bike to commemorate the mishap, although Ron's hip is extremely tender in one spot. 

12 Aug:  Sixteen years ago Ron and Cynthia were going to do a thirty-day research trip together, but they had so much fun that they haven't stopped.  They fell in lust and got married.  Ron worked on a jigsaw puzzle this morning, and Cynthia had an eventful morning phone call from the author of Mocking Justice and learned that a documentary is in progress to tell Barefoot Oke's life story.  Cynthia had physical therapy early at 1:15, and it sprinkled on our ride home, and then the sun came out and it sprinkled some more.  We extended our stay until the first of October.  

11 Aug, Sunday:  Gorgeous weather!  A great hike!  We barely made it across the stream.  That was crazy!  Ron has been working on a mental outline for Oke's biography in the mornings when he wakes up early.

10 Aug:  Our hike was short because the stream was too high to cross on dry rocks.  The weather forecast is fabulous for the next ten days with high sixties and low seventies.  Oke visited us again with more notebooks from his colorful life.  Two-year-old great-grandson Holden broke his femur on a playground in Minnesota.  A cast will suffice, surgery is not needed.  The best news of the day is that Ron gets to start at page one again renumbering the pages.  The James Lea book will be three volumes with two of them about 400 pages apiece.  If all goes well with renumbering we will hope the index goes well, too!  Cynthia figured out the cover design for all three volumes, done identically using the deposition line: "I married the Bankston daughter" and the James Lea signature.

Cynthia can make shoes muddy

9 Aug:  After breakfast this morning, Oke dropped in to say hi.  It was great to see him.  Since the forecast had been for a lot of rain (shades of Debby), Ron took advantage of a break in the rain to ride into Rutland for groceries.  After lunch, Ron started in on the jigsaw puzzle, and Cynthia decided that this is almost a perfect day for hiking at 66 degrees with an overcast sky.  The wind is blowing, which Cynthia thought might dry the mud on the trail, so she succumbed to temptation, and hiked fifty minutes up the Sherburne Pass Trail in lotsa mud.  Cynthia was so pleased and thankful to have hiked alone to the first sitting tree (3/4 mile, halfway to the sinkholes).  It is a challenging trail.  Of course, our readers know exactly where the sinkholes are!  The trail is blue blazed, and under those blue blazes on the trees are 100-year-old white blazes; this is an original route of Appalachian Trail.  Cynthia's new hiking shoes are broken in, wet and mud-covered.  Cynthia hiked alone because she stuck her nose into the Inn where Ron was working away at the jigsaw puzzle and announced that she was going for a walk - - - without bothering to listen to Ron's inquiry whether she wanted to go down to hike at Kent Pond, our usual.  So Ron followed her up on an outstandingly muddy trail.  After dinner, the rain came down in sheets, as forecast.

Cynthia selfie, lake in background

8 Aug:  Another beautiful day for our great "morning" hike, the usual at Kent Pond with an extra walk across the dam, thanks to the overcast, cooler conditions.  Cynthia took a selfie while we relaxed on wooden lawn chairs at the end of a short pier in the lake.  Today's high was 72, and we rode to Cynthia's biweekly physical therapy despite threat of rain.  While there a brief shower passed by at 3:30 PM, so we were not terribly surprised to run into that same shower as we rode eastward downhill returning to the Inn.  We got soaked and the temperature dropped significantly.  After dinner Ron commenced on the jigsaw puzzle until 10:30 PM, during which time, Cynthia fell asleep on the heating pad wrapped in a blanket.

7 Aug:  Sunshine, a hike at Kent Pond, and the Lea book is close to completion.  Ever-hopeful, Cynthia hopes we get it off to the publisher by the end of August.  On the other hand, Ron was excited to find that someone had spread out another jigsaw puzzle and put the entire edge together.   

6 Aug:  We were delighted to see Jan and Dorothy, especially since they arrived with Cynthia's left-behind clothing in hand.  They enjoyed lunch at McGrath's and then left immediately to drive to Burlington to help Dorothy's sister pack and move.  (Their car is full of bags of newspapers that they had used for their own move, just completed into Marlborough, Massachusetts.)  Now we are preparing for another hike but, since the weather forecast turned sour and uncooperative, we napped!!!

Ron crosing stream, a daily event

5 Aug:  Fabulous day, great hike! 

4 Aug, Sunday:  Unfortunately we did not sleep well last night despite getting to bed early.  Nonetheless, we are up, breakfasted and enjoyed a lovely hike after the forecast showers departed the area.  We hiked a little further than usual rehab distance and added more distance by walking across the Kent Pond dam. 

3 Aug:  is forecast to be a rainy day all day, but instead we had a dry day, so we hiked our usual rehab route along Kent Pond in the early afternoon.  Renumbering and cosmetics not only continue for James Lea, but have expanded far beyond the original scope.    

2 Aug:  We slept very well last night and plan to continue our new sleeping positions and hiking without hills.  (Yes, it is Vermont, but we can walk along Kent Pond.)  After breakfast, Ron indulged in another hour of jigsaw and another hour at noon, and another hour at dark; sadly there are only 20 pieces left.  We did enjoy another walk along Kent Pond, but didn't walk again in the evening because Ron rode into town for groceries after dinner.  Renumbering P## continues and cosmetic changes continue too.

1 Aug:  We slept well last night and awakened feeling somewhat better than all last week.  Oh goodie,someone started a jigsaw puzzle and abandoned it.  Cynthia had much less hip pain today, thank God, and we went for a nice short walk along Kent Pond (to avoid stressing the glutes with uphills).  Ron was considering an after dinner hike when the rains came and canceled that thought.  He enjoyed doing the jigsaw puzzle for an hour before returning to James Lea, making those cosmetic changes and beginning the renumbering all of his P## page number references. (Fooey)

Birthday month in Vermont: Eighteen Again and Again

Ron enjoying sunshine at Kent Pond

31 Jul:  Another good day, but we were quite lazy and only walked a tiny bit on level ground before the rains came about 2 PM.  Ron has been very busy with James Lea and is now finding P## references to change into page numbers.  Never mind that he is seeing reason to make cosmetic changes that will change the page numbers.   

30 Jul:  And we are up, dressed and ready for breakfast at 7:15 in order to get Cynthia to the doctor by 8:15 to learn what the MRI said about her hip pains.  Dr. Gammons is really good; he said my sweetie is just wearing herself out.  The new hip pain is another torn tendon, this one on the gluteus maximus, and as long as the pain doesn't get any worse, things are healing as well as can be expected.  We did our grocery shopping but forgot to get a couple of critical items (yogurt).  Neither of us slept well last night, and we were falling asleep, so we took a nice, long nap.  Cynthia wrote:  I had a pelvis MRI on Friday and met with the ortho specialist in Vermont.  They are internationally renowned for sports medicine. The major problem is the date on my birth certificate.  And they cannot fix it.  The hip tendons above the piriformis are torn on the left side and starting to tear (threads) on the right side.  The tendons wear out.  Because they tore due to overuse, they will sort of heal.  The tendons are thin, like tissue paper and stick to the piriformis muscle that sits directly under it and on top of the sciatic nerve.  When I rise from sitting the sticky stuff adheres to the piriformis and the sciatica nerve below the piriformis muscle.  The dr said I am doing all of the right things.  The tendons won’t heal, but they will get bigger and stronger.  Injections do not help, and I don’t want pain meds.  It may take a year.  Ron went out to talk with a couple of hikers this evening, Yard Bird and Penobscot.  Yesterday's excitement was talking with White Lightning, who started the 9th of May and has covered 1700 miles in 73 days, 23 1/4 miles per day, every day on average..

29 Jul:  Immediately after finishing breakfast, we hustled down to the Post Office to retrieve the medications Cynthia had requested via USPS, which does not deliver to the Inn.  Ron then checked QQQ and decided to eat some frozen mango before hiking to the ski run again, except hiking uphill is much harder than he thought, so he only made it to the sink holes and decided that was good for today.  Last year he hiked to the sinkholes in a mere 36 minutes versus the 50 minutes today.   

28 Jul, Sunday:  And another beautiful day, but it is unclear just how much hiking we will do since Ron's knee and thumb joint are slightly less well than yesterday morning.  It is Sunday, a day of rest.  We rested the afternoon away!   Thanks to Kamie B. Cynthia pulled on the back brace she received at Winchester Hospital and that is helping!  

27 Jul:  Pain eventually brings Pollyanna down to earth.  Cynthia is lying beneath her new heating pad, trying to warm herself back up to her normally ebullient self.  Ron is about to head out the door and up the hill, having dispatched the final message about our Sprague ancestors.  Boy, oh boy, did Ron overdo the hiking today, but fortunately Tyler and Lydia provided conversational incentive for him to hike downhill without thinking.  After dinner at the Inn, Ron spent a pleasant 20 minutes outdoors talking with Post-it and Amber before they needed to check the laundry.  Post-it started the 19th of March in Springer.  Amber stayed at home in Pennsylvania but came up to the Inn to provide support.

26 Jul:  Another successful day of sitting around doing genealogy.  We did take Cynthia to the hospital for an MRI to see if there is some reason for the intense pain she experiences when arising from a sitting position.  We bought a heating pad and an electrolytic drink to see if either of those might help.  Today went quite well, so we are encouraged.

25 Jul:  Today we met Canadians at breakfast.  They had just finished hiking 100 miles of the Long Trail, especially 11-year-old Geneva and her mother Momma Bear.  Kate is getting ready to ride a motorcycle from Nova Scotia to British Columbia to attend Simon Frazer University,  Drat, we sat inside all day again today until time to leave for physical therapy.  Ron learned yesterday not to go for a long hike at 7 PM, so this may be another day of rest.  Physical therapy at 3:30 PM was wonderful and left Cynthia feeling much better.  Heat seems to be really, really helpful.  

24 Jul:  Rain is forecast to begin at 2:38, so Ron is going to repeat his hike to the sinkhole, hoping for a better outcome today.  QQQ bets are in, so it is best to get outta here and not obsess.  Cynthia is still hesitant, being exhausted from recurrant pain. The MRI is scheduled for Friday afternoon. Results next week.  Ron went for a hike too late; he had forgotten that the days are getting shorter now.  But at least he met a couple of nice guys hiking, Hot Dog, hiking the Long Trail, and Yard Sale, an AT thru hiker who started in June and carries an unbelievably small pack and no sleeping bag.

23 Jul:  We had great hopes for a good nights sleep, but it didn't happen.  Our injuries are still interfering with our abilities to return to sleep after awakening in the early morning.  Regardless, we continue to thank God for our lovely life together.  Rain, rain, rain. for the next three days is the forecast.  The sun broke through, so Ron hiked to the sink holes, despite a couple of very brief, light sprinkles.  On the way back, Ron was threading his way down through tricky wet rocks when his foot caught on something and he fell headfirst, bruising his right palm and wedging his body upside down between the rocks.  The worst damage appears to be a muddy right shoulder and hip.  Nothing is broken, nothing torn, nothing bloody, and maybe nothing is bruised.  We won't know for sure until morning.

22 Jul:  We got out for our usual walk to the big rock and back.  Cynthia's physical therapist, Shannon, gave her a great massage and heat treatment that provided welcome relief.  Shannon agreed that this may be a knot in Cynthia's piriformis muscle.  Ron rode into town for groceries and returrned barely before dark.

21 Jul, Sunday:  We woke up and usual and thank God as usual, ate breakfast as usual, and Ron went back to bed, having not slept well through the night.  He re-awakened at 2 pm.  It is another lazy day.  It was great fun to have breakfast with BitterGoat!  Too much fun that BitterGoat has met Starfish, Cynthia's Facebook friend from 12 years ago, 22 Jul 2012.  Cynthia could not hear well because of background music and loud conversation at a large table, but she was delighted with a flash of understanding what BitterGoat meant by Nothing!  

20 Jul:  Cynthia rested, trying to avoid her recurrent pain in the hips.  Ron wonders if that could be a muscle cramping.  Ron hiked up the Sherborne Pass Trail long enough to discover that he has gotten much older recently.  It was a hard go just to get to Cynthia's first "sitting rock."  He also tried to do a little trail maintenance and discovered that he is entirely out of shape for using a hoe.  Stay tuned; we will document any "progress" to be found.  Cynthia’s goal post-publication of James Lea is HEALTHY AND FIT.  No more sitting   Based on Greg's recommendation, we went to the pub this evening and stayed until closing listening to a delightful band, Kilashandra (click here) playing their own songs.  The only other couple left at the bar at closing was another female pastor, Hannah, and her husband.

19 Jul:  The Republican National Convention looked more like a Trump rally on steroids.  It was great fun to wathch all the hoopla.  Cynthia continues to stand on point, twinkle toes, to get her muscles back into place for pain free walking.  She's finished her second cup of coffee, and we are about to head out the door and onto the trails.  We hiked around Kent Pond and up the hill to the big rock and beyond ... to the "new" stone steps just before the next "road" crossing, a new personal best for this year.   4.90 Miles. All three rings closed 

18 Jul:  We got up and out early enough to get acroos the stream and to the big rock again, but there Cynthia determined that we needed to return so that she could get a shower before a physical therapy session.  Shannon was also puzzled that Cynthia's twinkle toes posture could reset her hips so that the pain goes away.   Ron continues working on James Lea appendices when not shuttling Cynthia hither and thither.  Oh, yes, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of salmon at Choices.  Cynthia made it through the entire day without the intense pain that has afflicted her for at least two weeks now.The moon was beautiful, too. 

17 Jul:  Another day in the birthday month.  We will get off our duffs and go hiking today.  We will find suitable food.  We will NOT sit all day again.  And indeed, we hiked over the hills and through the woods, across the stream to the big rock.  Then we decided to err on the side of caution and returned in time to ride home on the motorcycle in the rain, stopped at the pub for salads and a Magners, and returned to our usual couch potato positions absorbed in electronics devices.

16 Jul:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beloved.  I'll keep you, even with all these injuries and medical appointments.   We did absolutely nothing energetic today.  We didn't even go out for food.  Maybe we will celebrate Cynthia's birthday tomorrow with more activity.  Ron spent the day working on another James Lea appendix, now that he has discovered a better way to make smaller files.

15 Jul:  And today we took Cynthia up Killington to rehab.  It is still too early to trade her in on next years model.  Shannon found a tight piriformis and is of the opinion that there might be a tear there that is healing.  No hiking today because she has a pedicure and manicure this afternoon.  The big revelation today is that Cynthia can entirely eliminate the pain by standing on her tippy toes.  Amazing but true.   

14 Jul, Sunday:  Another day, another hike to the big rock and back.  Seems likely that this was the day we encountered our favorite trail maintainer, Charley.  Great to see that he is still lookin healthy and fit.  Cynthia is napping this afternoon after struggling with her hip pain today.  Ron is still struggling with appendices for James Lea.

13 Jul, Sunday:  And today on our hike we met Drag'anFly, a delightful 83-year-old woman who is on a mission to complete a hopscotch thru hike.  She started at Springer, but skipped many miles in Tennessee to visit friends, skipped more miles in Virginia for a family event and was hiking southbound today for logistical support (Plans Too Much shuttled her north so that she can hike back to her van).  After she summits Katahdin, she will return to complete the sections she skipped.  This is her second thru hike, the first was in 2014 when she was 74.  She usually lives near the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pine Grove Furnace and volunteers there frequently.  Eric cooked us dinner of arctic char, veggies and baked sweet potatoes tonight.  Then we enjoyed sitting outside our room in lawn chairs and talking with several people/ hikers until mosquitoes convinced us to retreat indoors.  It has been a marvelously pleasant day.  We hope your day was equally pleasant.

12 Jul:  Cynthia says that Ron should take a break from James Lea to go hiking for the day, but Ron's knee is also a limiting factor just now.  So far, his knee is calming down nicely after two months of being less and less painful. No more squats for Ron - ever.  But then Cynthia slept very well last night  and woke up eager to get out and hike, so we did our usual hike to the big rock and back, and met several through hikers including Slip and Slide and New Hampshire Peak Bagger.  We even enjoyed dinner with another delightful couple, Mike and Karen, from North Carolina, who have completed 1800 miles of the trail in several installments despite injuries.  Cynthia begins physical therapy on Monday at Vermont Sports Medicine in Killington.

11 Jul:  Cynthia's sleep was greatly disturbed by lots of pain in the tendons of her hip, perhaps IT band issues.  In the early afternoon, Cynthia and Ron teamed up to send his Pacemaker test today.  Ron then rode to town for groceries, but otherwise we had a lazy day pampering Cynthia's poor abused tendons while Ron worked on converting James Lea JPGs to Grayscale for the book.  Cynthia's tendon pain reached new highs today.   

10 Jul:  Murray suggested Cynthia’s hip pain is tight IT band at pelvis.  She needs to knead it vigorously with her knuckles before arising to walk.  After breakfast we had an ADVENTURE hiking.  The color radar forecast suggested that the rains were diminishing and vanishing as they approached our area, so we rode the motorcycle down to Kent Pond and dismounted just in time to experience rain coming down in sheets for twenty minutes.  After it stopped we hiked only as far as the stream crossing because several important stones were under water.  We still congratulate ourselves on maintenance activity.

9 Jul:  Another warm day is forecast, with thunderstorms in the afternoon.  Cynthia's hip pain is inexplicably worse again this morning.

8 Jul:  Cynthia phoned the ortho in Rutland for an appointment and is scheduled for July 30 at 8:30 AM.  We had a great hike today, even further downhill from the boulder because Cynthia felt so good after we began walking....4.24 miles.  This afternoon we had a real treat; Oke came to the Inn and visited with us for half an hour.  He chuckled quite enthusiastically when Ron pulled the straw hats Oke had given us from the drawer next to the safe where Oke had stored them.  Life is good.

7 Jul, Sunday:  Refreshed, we hiked 3.5 miles in cooler temps only because we started at 10:30 AM.  We pushed further downhill from the boulder.

6 Jul:  We are again happy to be alive, thank God again and again!  Another day of zero hiking; we hope Cynthia's hamstring is appreciative.  The James Lea book has been paginated, and the table of contents created. Yay!  

5 Jul:  It rained early as we ate breakfast, and we never quite made it out the door to hike today.  We are again happy to be alive, thank God, and are quite pleased that we are able to continue hiking, albeit less distance than formerly.  Cynthia has been experiencing a debilitating pain in her hips that goes away when she walks any short distance; very puzzling.  Ron continues working diligently on the James Lea book, and is excited to be making such good progress towards completion. 

4 Jul:  Happy Fourth of July.  Today was just like yesterday, except that Ron's calf muscles are complaining about the unaccustomed exercise and Eric fed us quite delicious Alaskan char with our sweet potato and Irish soda bread.  We hiked the same "morning" hike of about a mile out and a mile back around Kent Pond to the huge boulder that marks the beginning of the long downhill leading to Thundering Falls (click here) and the same evening hike up the Sherborne Pass Trail (click here) for far less than a mile.  Cynthia's hamstring wasn't feeling up to the climb, and Ron's calf muscles were quite tight too.

3 Jul:  We arose a little later, but got started hiking a little earlier and repeated the hike we did yesterday.  This time it wore Ron out much more than expected.  Time for a nap.  The new chef, Eric, introduced himself and assured us that he was capable of feeding us well according to the demands of our diet: no oil, no butter, no fat, no cheese, no salt and no sugar.  Our salad and sweet potatoes were perfect.  Again, we hiked an additional half mile up the Sherborne Pass Trail in the evening, and Ron is pleasantly surprised that his aggravated knee seems much better already.

2 Jul:  Hiking Vermont: We did hike the state of Vermont a few years ago, and we continue to love hiking.  This year Cynthia is recovering from a torn hamstring tendon in Feb, a nasty fall that bruised her ribs in June, and a bump on her head from falling to the floor after melting in 101 degree heat a few weeks ago.  Today we hiked almost four miles on the Appalachian Trail at Killington, VT; we managed the rocks and roots on the trail, clambering up and down gentle slopes and crossing a stream bed on the stones, which proves to us that Cynthia is fine.  We are staying at the Inn at Long Trail (click here) until mid-September.  We can walk out the door and hike daily in this hikers heaven.  The huge breakfasts are awesome.  We have been coming here since 2008 and love the people.  No A/C is needed!

1 July:  The three hour ride from Milford to The Inn at Long Trail begins whenever Ron gets packed.  The bike was loaded at 11:40 AM, and we were en route to fuel the bike, but returned to the hotel to return room keys.  By 1:30 PM we started searching for food in Western Mass.  Greenfield had 5 pizza restaurants, one Wendy’s, multiple cannabis dispensaries and a whole lotta closed cafes.  At the next exit from I-91, Bernardston, Massachusetts, Zeke's (click here) was recommended, the Crumpin Fox country club that offers good salads and delicious salmon.  About an hour north on I-91 was US highway 4  west.  The ride was story book beautiful over Quechee Gorge (click here), along the Ottauquechee River (click here), and through picturesque Woodstock, Vermont to Killington.  Brogan gave Cynthia a huge hug.  Ron enjoyed a tasty lettuce, tomato and turkey open-face sandwich on toasted Irish soda bread.  Our favorite room has not changed…  in fact it has likely been  unchanged since 1970 apart from the bathroom update which we donated.  Route: I-495 N to I-290 E to I-190 N to MA 2 W to I-91 N to Hanover, NH, L on US 4 to the Inn at Long Trail (click here)