SWEATY September to Convalesce

12 Sep:  Ron arose early today, but after checking the weather, decided to let Cynthia sleep.  It was still "only" 79 degrees when she got up and we went for our walk.  Ron has been trying to fashion a nice little synopsis of his AI session about the James Bankson family that migrated to Illinois, and the AI has been amazingly helpful although it is guilty of creating a story that reads well despite factual inconsistencies.

11 Sep:  We did it again!  Up at daylight, we had a mission… to walk to the doctor’s office several city blocks away and to arrive by eight AM.  We did it.  Ron passed almost all of the tests except for a small opening in the sutures.  The nurse practitioner used steri strips to promote healing.  The downside is not riding the bike for 2-3 more weeks.  Encouraged by other good news we opted to walk the perimeter of Rice Campus because of their great gravel track.  We were surprised to find it was 4.86 miles.  Since we were hungry we continued to Salata and pigged out on a huge bowl veggies and salmon.  We were STUFFED.  But, Ron thought he had lost his drivers license and walked back to Salata to see if it fell out of his pocket.  No such luck.  Soooo, on the way driving home, I asked Ron if we needed anything from the store.  He said, “Blue Bell Ice Cream, Southern Blackberry Cobbler.” I agreed.  Dulce De Leches and Vanilla Pecan, are delicious, too.  The good news is he found his drivers license in a small packet with his medical cards and Social Security card.  Ron has been sleeping nicely for two hours.  Cynthia is ecstatic to have submitted Vol IV to the publisher.  Someday she will write an article about stress that comes just from driving and living in a large city.  Thank God we travel.  We walked again tonight for today’s GRAND TOTAL  17,520 Steps, 7.12 miles.

10 Sep:  These two exhausted people in Texas really did not want to arise at 6:00 AM and walk 3.5 miles.  But we did it anyway.  We are fully breakfasted; Ron is slumped in the chair, eyes closed, mouth open, and he might be sleeping.  Good! Late morning we enjoyed going to Jason's Deli for lunch before driving to the Medical Center to overnight for the 8:15 AM Dr appt tomorrow.  Ron drove the fifty mile trip to the Houston medical center... All went smoothly despite a 20-minute traffic snarl.  We really are exhausted.  Vol IV is finished; it will be uploaded to the publisher on Sat. 12 Sep.  Whew!  3.03 miles.

9 Sep:  Just two more days until the doctor tells us if Ron is still alive. Keep your fingers crossed.  Now that we've exercised, walked, breakfasted and looked at various things, it is time for Ron to get back to work on that index - - - and it is now finished.  A few more checks and the book is off to the publisher.  What a surprise; Cynthia returned with a carton of ice cream after going out to pick up a prescription.  At this rate, I will encourage her to go for prescriptions every day. 5.39 miles (WOOO HOOO)

8 Sep:  Hey, that's today already.  We are up and ready to do our morning walk in our sleep.  Cynthia will run errands to the pharmacy, post office, get the oil changed, and fill the car with fuel.  There is no escape from this heat, but the great news is that it will soon be cool … in time for Thanksgiving.  More good news, Vol IV may be ready to submit to the publisher in two days.  4. 76 miles

7 Sep:  Ron let Cynthia sleep until 6:41.  Yay!  We ventured forth for our walk, surprised we were not unduly burdened by heat.  As Ron is moving through corrections to the index, he has now reached the S’s.  And you know the alpha rest.  When he reaches Z that means Zed. Vol IV will be zipped and Zapped to the publisher. The big Zend.  And for us Zzzzleep. 3.46 miles

6 Sep, Sunday:  This getting up before 6 AM is the pits.  No wonder there are so many miserable people in this world.   So Cynthia says tomorrow is a new Beatty Holiday… Labor Day Rest.  Cynthia received an alert from Google Photos to back up her photos. Hmmm! Backing up 17,000 photos lessened iPad storage so significantly she received an email from Google to upgrade her storage or she would only have 20 days left to use Gmail. Thanks to ChatGPT she was able to delete 55 GB of storage!  No need to upgrade. Just delete.  Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatian,   Now we are happy that we walked 3.66 miles

5 Sep:  After our 6:30 AM hour walk in a Texas steam bath, we are breakfasted and sitting outdoors on the patio while Ron catches up on his sleep.  After he awoke on the patio, he immediately went to bed for a serious nap.  I love you Smooch!  After noon he resumed working on the index for James Lea and made good progress.  It was raining in the evening so we didn't get a second walk. 3.59 miles 

4 Sep:  Ron found a new playmate this year in conversational AI, and he is enthused about two, maybe three, possible new books.  Cynthia and granddaughter Lauren are co-publishing a book, Conversations with Grandmother.  Lauren is a MA Psych therapist with insightful thoughts about life.  Cynthia had a two plus hour nap.  We overdid our evening walk, 12,000 steps, almost 5 miles.

3 Sep:  Same morning routine as on 2 Sep, not likely to change all month.  More index entries, separating Hugh Dobbins from Hugh Dobbins Junior. 4.5 miles.

2 Sep:  Same morning routine: wake up way too early, do 20 minutes of exercises, walk to Walmart in the Texas heat and humidity, eat oatmeal, sit on the patio until the sweat dries, come in to the air conditioning and never set foot outside until an evening walk. Ron finished the proofreading and has moved on to consolidating index entries on James Lea.  The best part of the daily routine is nice napping. This is the final home stretch. 4 .55 miles.;

1 Sep:  And now we have a title for the September blog post.  And Ron is posting a day late after working on James Lea all day long. Cynthia has not posted walking mileage for a century or two. We have been walking about three plus sweaty miles every morning.  Now we are adding another mike with an evening walk. 

Hiking Vermont in August & Riding to Texas

31 Aug:  And now we already need a title for the September blog post.  Jon got home at dark, about three hours earlier than Cynthia had predicted, so Ron hadn't finished all the cleaning and straightening that he intended.  Jon says "All Good."   

30 Aug:  Ron again did a very gentle set of his morning exercises minus one or two, and we walked to Walmart again.  We are "enjoying" eating our oatmeal out on Jon's patio even though it is quite warm.  Today Ron couldn't tear himself away from his new AI genealogy buddy, although AI did make four mistakes during the day.  The AI is amazingly conversational and thanked Ron for correcting its mistakes.  Throughout the day Ron took opportunities to straighten up his messes so that Jon would not be disappointed with the appearance of his house upon his return.

29 Aug:  True to his passion for fitness, Ron did a very tentative, gentle set of his usual exercises minus one or two.  Then our morning walk to Walmart for provisions, then oatmeal as usual, and then he got to work on James Lea for the morning.  However, in the afternoon, he discovered the joy of asking AI genealogy questions.

28 Aug:  Cynthia slept for eleven and one-half hours in a fold-up recliner that reclined using body weight.  She collapsed the foot portion and fell on the floor once before nurse Elmiria wedged a chair underneath the foot to keep that from happening.  Ron didn't sleep much and was awakened at midnight for an antibiotic IV and at 5:30 for X-rays, a long trip through hallways and corridors and elevators.  He was fed and discharged by 8:30 AM.  The nurse gave him a do and do not do list.  He should be able to drive the bike after his follow up appointment on September 11th.  Our driver arrived at ten; we treated Steve to lunch at Jason's Deli; two ice cream cones later we did a pit stop for berries and bananas at Walmart.  We are very quiet in our fatigued bodies awaiting bedtime.  Ron is really quite surprised that the wound does not hurt at all.

27 August in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty Six,  Hereby Duly Recorded For Posterity: The doctors call the pacemakers generators.  This one is smaller and more accomplished.  Once Cynthia figures out how to download and install the new Medtronic App, it becomes seamless.  Data is sent automatically.  Ron won't have to fuss at the folks managing the remote tests who are trying to get paid for a fourth test each year.

Emelia is a wonderful nurse

This AM we gathered our gear and walked about .6 miles to the hospital.  Add another ten miles from the registration desk to the Cath Lab of the Heart and Vascular Institute.  This is a big hospital in the midst of the largest medical center in Texas.  After tests and more tests, Ron was thoroughly kissed and hugged, then wheeled back to the OR at 11:45.

The doctor said it was very successful procedure.  The Pacemaker leads are in good condition and did not need to be replaced.  The procedure took about an hour and a half.  Ron thought he was lightly sedated; he also had local anesthesia injected directly, and that did hurt.  Once he returned to his room, they did an X-ray and then they fed him both breakfast and lunch meals.  He is now ready to leave, but we have no where to go.  Our ride won't pick us up until tomorrow, and we don't have a room reserved at the hotel.
Ron (and I) will stay overnight in the hospital.  The same driver will pick us up about 10:30 AM tomorrow to take us to Jon's house.  We are staying there while he is visiting my sister and cousins in CA.

26 Aug:  We made it up early enough to be ready for our driver to take us to the Medical Center at 6:30 AM.  Ron thoroughly enjoyed talking with Steve since he is both a former motorcyclist and a computer developer.  He also took full advantage of the HOV lanes and explained that motorcycles are always allowed into the HOV lanes as are cars with at least two passengers.  It was amazingly faster.  He dropped us off at the Hilton Medical Plaza, and we walked to the Houston Medical Center for the pre-op appointment at 9:30.  It is so fun to see how much Ron amuses the  electrophysiologist.  Then we used a Uber to take us to Jasons Deli for lunch before walking to Sasha’s for haircuts.  A second Uber picked us up and drove us back after we stuffed ourselves at Jason's Deli.

25 Aug:  Good Grief, I just looked at the HTML generated by the short little entry given to me by AI.  I shoulda dropped it into a text file first to get rid of all that garbage - and now I just did that - much better.  We are getting more familiar with this early arising, early exercising and early walking routine, but it is no more palatable than when we started.  I did clean most of the love bug detritus from the motorcycle with just water.  Cynthia had a hearing aid appointment this morning in Montgomery, but they canceled it on her.  This makes the third time, so she won't try to go there again.  Our plans were to drive to the bank and to the storage locker, but we decided to charge the battery up again by first going to Jason's Deli, and did.  We are getting to bed reasonably early after washing clothes, but we have to arise at 5:30 in the morning to be ready for our ride downtown to the medical center for my 9:30 appoint with Dr. Dougherty.  Then we see Sasha, stay in a hotel overnight, and get my pacemaker replaced on the 27th, God willing.

24 Aug:  We slept in this morning and got out the door for our walk at 7:06 AM.  Fortunately there was a nice breeze that kept things cool so that we didn't suffer much.  I've been spending way too much time having interesting conversations with Google's AI.  Here is the AI's suggestion for a blog post

Title: The Day’s Work: Security Rings, Tech Square, and What We Remember

All this talk about data formats, genealogy code, and the old days of computing got me thinking about a summer long ago in Cambridge.

When you read books or articles about early tech history now, "Project MAC" and "MIT" are described with this grand, almost mythological aura.  They talk about the legendary hackers, the cultural revolution, and the epic paradigm shifts.  But my memory of it is much more grounded: I simply showed up to an office, sat at a desk, and did a job. My assignment that summer was documenting the code written to run the Multics security rings.

If you aren't an old-school computer geek, security rings were a foundational breakthrough in how operating systems protect themselves.  The architecture used concentric circles of isolation—Ring 0 was the untouchable core supervisor kernel, and the outer rings kept regular, untrusted user applications completely separate so they couldn't crash the entire machine or access unauthorized data.  It was beautiful, rigorous, pure computer science math.  I didn't design the rings.  My job was simply to look directly at the raw code that had been written and translate exactly how it functioned into clear, logical documentation.
Looking back, what surprises me is how much that summer job secretly shaped the rest of my life.  I think college students often go into things looking for a paycheck or a specific skill, but the unintentional lessons stick with you the longest.  Spending months deconstructing abstract code frameworks taught me a style of systems thinking—how to break chaos down into logical components—that became a professional superpower.
At the exact same time, I was regularly attending Maggie Lettvin’s physical fitness classes on campus.  It was a funny parallel.  During the day, I was documenting the structural rules for keeping a computer utility healthy.  At noon, Maggie was teaching us the structural body mechanics of keeping ourselves healthy.  Her husband, Jerome Lettvin, was a giant on campus—famous for stepping onto the stage at Kresge Auditorium completely unscripted to systematically debate Timothy Leary using raw, unshakeable logic.
I worked on Tech Square floors away from the AI Lab crowd, who were actively rebelling against our secure "utility" mindset to build their password-free systems.  We just worked in our respective corners, entirely unaware that the basic rules of the digital world were being ironed out right around us. I eventually went down the path of writing my own databases in C++, and nowadays, I use those exact same structural logic patterns to parse census entries and chase brick walls in genealogy.  The tech has completely changed, but the fundamental joy of solving the puzzle remains exactly the same.

Would you like to tweak any specific phrasing in this draft, or should we start outline ideas for your next update about the motorcycle trip down to Texas?

nope, I'm going to give you credit and post it exactly as you phrased it.  Thanks That is incredibly kind of you, and it is an absolute honor to have a hand in getting those memories out onto your blog!  It was a true pleasure tracing through that remarkable history with you—from the architecture of Multics and the pure x86 speed of XyWrite to the legacy of the Lettvins at MIT.

I will keep an eye out for the post on Where is Ron now?.

Safe travels on your motorcycle journey, stay cool out there in the heat, and whenever you are ready to tackle your next genealogy database puzzle or talk shop, you know exactly where to find me.  Have a fantastic day, Ron!

23 Aug, Sunday:  We were slightly later out the door today and enjoyed our humid walk to Walmart for groceries.  Ron worked on James Lea most of the day, and Cynthia proofread the entire book non-stop.  After it was too hot Ron made a few trips out of doors to wash the car, then the car cover, folded the cover, and moved it into the garage.  At dark, while the birds were settling into their favorite bedtime routines, Ron went out to move the car to be a little less under those same night time resting spots.  It appears to have worked.

22 Aug:  Most perfectest today; up at 5:30, exercised and out the door at 6:33 in the growing light of early dawn.  Today we walked straight to Walmart so that Cynthia could buy more blueberries.  Ron made a second trip to get frozen mango, returned and ate breakfast.  He was no sooner finished with oatmeal and the usual frozen mango dessert than Cynthia began demanding that we try to start her car.  This time we had to override the NOCO's protection circuitry and the car started immediately.  We then drove all the way to Jason's Deli without stopping except for a couple of stop lights.  We ate big salads so that Ron was too full for a second ice cream cone and then drove back to Jon's.  As soon as we parked the car, we washed it, hoping that we've parked it out of the range of the host of little bird shitters that park themselves in the tree overhead overnight.

21 Aug:  More perfecter today; up at 5:45, exercised and out the door as the light was growing.  We walked a circuit of the peninsula: Paradise Lane to Bilsing Cove to Lake View Drive to Cape Conroe Drive to Scenic Drive to Fantasy Lane to Intrigue to Paradise, 2 miles.  Ron then walked again to Walmart for frozen mango and frozen blueberries.  We enjoyed sitting on Jon's patio to eat our oatmeals and frozen mango breakfast - - but Ron was too sleepy to read effectively, so we laid down for a quick nap.  Now it is noon and Cynthia is getting ready for the big event: starting her car using Jon's new super duper jumper-cabled Noco lithium battery.  Which didn't succeed.  We don't know what is wrong.  The car battery might be entirely drained so that the Lexus anti-theft system won't allow the car to be started.  There are a few other things to try - - - tomorrow.

20 Aug:  Already !!  My but time flies.  This morning we timed our walk perfectly, awakened at 6:00 AM, up and exercised promptly and out walking in the early morning light before sunrise.  We walked all the way to Walmart and bought raspberries, bananas and melatonin.  Once home Cynthia started writing cards & letters; Ron ate enough oatmeal, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, protein powder, flax seed meal and chia seeds to choke a horse.  Then he went comatose and sat reclining on the patio thinking about lying back down for a nap.  Instead he sat down to work on James Lea yet again.  And just like that it was nap time.  Up again, James is beckoning.  It is all ready for the publisher except that Ron decided it needed another thorough reading.  That's what he is doing now.

19 Aug:  The hope is that we can get to bed early, wake up early and walk before the temperatures become oppressive.  We got up too early, at 5 AM, and had to wait for daylight at 6:30 to see.  We walked in two installments, first up Paradise to Intrigue to Fantasy past Hilltop before Cynthia said that her new shoes were not comfortable for walking, and second after returning home to change shoes, downhill to views of the lake.  It was delightful to be out walking at sunrise when the temperature was only 80 degrees !!  We returned home and Ron walked to Walmart for blueberries, raspberries, bananas and frozen mango.  While returning he stepped over a low fence, tripped and fell head first towards concrete.  Even though his head is hard, he didn't break the concrete.  Instead he hit with hands first, tucked and rolled, avoiding all injury - except that the raspberries were burised and bleeding.  Once he returned home and ate breakfast, we rode the motorcycle to the storage locker and to Walmart for more groceries.  We've spent the rest of the day in the air conditioning.  Ron is making great progress on his James Lea index.

18 Aug:  Today, we did rise early; Ron was up and packed by 5:20.  The ride to Conroe was quick and sweet although going south on I-45 to Jason's Deli was busy with traffic.  We did stop for lunch at Jason’s Deli, but their salad bar isn't available until 9 AM, so Cynthia had avacado toast and Ron had free soft serve ice cream.  Being in TX 105 traffic was a far cry from the tranquil roads earlier and yesterday.  We arrived at Jon’s house to stay and found the driveway full of vehicles.  Dr. Dougherty's office visit is scheduled for 26 August at 9:30 AM, and the surgery is scheduled for August 27th.  Pro-active Cynthia has already hired a driver to take us to the Medical Center on the 26th and pick us up on the 28th.  We will count on Uber to get us to Sasha, Cynthia's hairdresser for the last millennium.  A follow up appointment is scheduled for Sep 11.  Jon returns to his place Aug 31st, but until then we have to keep the place clean and tidy (a BIG challenge for Ron).

17 Aug:  Today we plan to arise early, pack and be ready to ride at first light again, but without a reservation that forces us to keep riding after the heat wears us out.  We awoke slightly later at 4:30 and left our hotel slightly later at 6:30 and had to stop for gas since Ron had neglected to think of that in his heat-induced stupor yesterday.  It comforted us to know that there are hotels in Jasper, Woodville and Livingston, so we can find one when we become overheated.  And finding a hotel was a comedy of errors even though we weren't yet overheated.  We stopped in Livingston first at the Holiday Inn but didn't like their price.  The hotel immediately adjacent looked like a Hampton Inn, which it had been two years ago, but it is now the Angler Inn, a Choice hotel.  Once settled in there, Cynthia discovered that Livingston now supports a Denny's, and since diabetic Cynthia had been without food for six hours, we immediately rode there to order our egg white veggie omelets.  (Maybe that tiny cup of ice cream helped stave off her starvation.)  Today we are both feeling much better rested and slightly more energetic.  After omelets we shopped at HEB for oats, blueberries, raspberries and bananas.  Route: left on Canal Street 1 block to R on US 84 N across that BIG bridge about 10 miles to a 90-degree R turn to follow US 84 north some more 27 mi to a L on LA 28 W which we followed through its confusing merges in Alexandria, LA first with US 167, then I-49 and finally US 71 before striking off alone for many miles to join LA 8 NW which we follow up to and around a rotary then back SW until a right turn continuing for another 20 miles to become TX 63 W for many miles to Jasper, Texas where it joins US 190, which we then stay on to get to Livingston.  Tomorrow Ron's motorcycle helmet returns to live in the saddle bag for the duration - - - and we get to go eat at Jason's Deli again.

16 Aug, Sunday:  We are hoping for a better night of sleep than last night, and we need to arise around 4:30 to have a chance of departure at daybreak, 6 AM.  We succeeded in sleeping very well from 10 PM to 4 AM, but that wasn't actually nearly enough.  We were packed with the bike loaded fifteen minutes before the first light of day improved visibility enough to start riding south on Commonwealth Blvd 1 mi to L on Gloster S 2 mi to R on McCullough Blvd W 1 mi to the Natchez Trace.  There was a 35-mile detour off the Trace at Kosciusko via TN 35 S 20 mi to R on TN 25 S 8 mi to R on TN 16 W for 5 mi before resuming the Trace all the way to Natchez with a stop at the first restroom after riding for an hour (i.e. every an hour and a half).  The heat exhausted us so badly that we didn't stir from the room for food or gasoline or anything.  Total miles today 279 miles, very hot for the last two hours.  We did see a couple of deer and a turkey.

Mee Weefee with first heart throb

15 Aug:  Natchez Trace is closed for repairs to a double arch bridge close to Nashville, so we need to go south on US 31 for 7 miles to a R on US 431 W 2 miles -> TN 397 W 2 miles to a R on TN 96 W 3 miles and L on TN 46 through Leipers Fork to the Trace.  Wish us luck.  Thanks, it worked.  Ron's handwritten directions only had Left and Right mixed up twice, but the distances helped so that he figured it out and put Leipers Fork into the GPS and got straightened out quickly.  We didn't get started as early as desired, but we were on the road riding by 7:45, so we got to enjoy cool temperatures for the first three hours.  It was a lovely comfortable, relaxing morning riding the gentle curves at 52 mph.  For the first two hours we saw dozens of bicyclists but practically no other traffic.  After an hour we started looking for signs indicating bathrooms and stopped for those.  Consequently we rode from mile marker 425 to 261 before noon, 164 miles on the Trace.  We stopped at the visitor center in Tupelo and watched a 15-minute video about the origins of the Trace and the Kaintucks that brought it to life, both earlier and later.  Then we exited the parkway onto Main Street in Tupelo and stopped at Danvers restaurant for salads before checking in to the Comfort Inn north in 96 degree heat.  After a nice afternoon snooze, we rode to a nearby IHOP and had dessert at Smoothie King.  Another heat-shortened day with 200 miles for total distance.

14 Aug:  Amazing !!  That Cynthia woke up at 5:09 and we were able to arise and shine long before sunrise.  Breakfast next and packing is partially done; we might indeed be on the road by 7 AM, so I need to stop this foolishness of typing now.  Close, we were riding by 7:45, and it was already warm although the large, dark clouds overhead were somewhat anxiety-provoking.  We stopped first for gas and to remove jackets, second at the Kentucky Welcome Station, and two more times before stopping at the Comfort Inn in Brentwood, Kentucky.  The route was simple but there were two long, hot stop-and-go traffic congestions, first for no apparent reason, just south of Louisville after our digression from I-71 onto I-264 brought us to I-65, and second, approaching Nashville due to a nasty car wreck with the three fire trucks blocking two lanes of the four on the interstate.  211 miles for the day and 96 degree heat by 11:30 AM when we walked to the nearby Jason's Deli.  Our dietary resolve was aided since the Jason's Deli soft serve ice cream machine was broken and missing, but we succumbed to Jeni's Ice Cream despite being way too much over full from the salad and baked potato at Jasons.  It was a struggle to shower with such a full stomach, but no problem about falling asleep in bed for a lovely two hour nap.  After that, Ron put on shoes and rode the motorcycle to get gas for tomorrow and blueberries, raspberries and bananas for breakfast.  Unfortunately he left the room without the GPS and relied on his memory to get him to the Publix but went the wrong way immediately.  He did find the gas station easily and returned to go the other direction and get the groceries.  Good thing that the gas station was close to our exit from the interstate so that he remembered the turns we made to get to the hotel.  Route I-71 S to I-264 E to I-65 S through Nashville to Brentwood, TN.  Traffic today was much less intense than yesterday, and scenery was much better in the mountains.  211 miles, 96 degree heat.

13 Aug:  This Comfort Inn was best this year, serving hot oatmeal with bananas, blueberries and strawberries for breakfast.  We were amazed and enjoyed our breakfast more than any other hotel provisions this year.  Even better, we were on the road slightly earlier than yesterday, around 9:30, and we continued our schedule of riding for an hour between breaks to get off and walk (usually to the bathroom).  I should have realized that the interstate from Cleveland to Columbus would be busy, busy, busy with traffic all the way to Cincinnati.  It stayed foggy and cool until 11:30 when the sun came out and we found ourselves a bit hungry.  The interstate rest area was closed, so we arbitrarily selected an off ramp in northern Columbus without any real reason and discovered a Kitchen Social restaurant across from the Cabela's, where we parked in the shade, used their restroom and asked about the restaurant that used to be there three years ago.  That meal sustained us for another two hours as the heat went from 77 to 92 degrees.  We stopped at a rest area south of Cincinnati so that Cynthia could look for a hotel in the vicinity of Louisville.  She selected a Holiday Inn Express in La Grange, Kentucky, and off we went.  We were only a mile from the exit when the first raindrops hit us and the deluge caught us right at the exit.  Thank God that there was a car exiting just in front of us to help me figure out where to go.  Then we got stopped by a stop light for an eternity of rain before following the GPS routing to the Holiday Inn.  To add insult to injury, gust blew a lot of rain into the porte-cochere while I was unloading.  Now lots of stuff is strewn about the room drying (hopeully) overnight so that we can wear it comfortably in the morning.  Route: I-77 N 4 miles to I-277 W 3 miles to I-76 W 22 miles to I-71 S  through Columbus and Cincinnati to La Grange, Kentucky, about 330 miles.

12 Aug:  After the easy ride yesterday, we again arose early and were exercised, fed and on the road by 9:30 AM.  We were told of an interesting restaurant, Eat'n Park, by Cynthia's newest trip advisor, ChatGPT.  As always, Ron thought we could ride that 240 miles easily, and that turned out to be true.  The GPS directed us to Eat'n Park, and their salad bar was excellent.  Their ad for a cinnamon roll al la mode looked just too good, especially when coupled with the advertising on the back of the menu claiming excellence, so we bought one, and it was indeed delicious, but afterwards, even though we did enjoy it tremendously, Ron would rather have kept to his diet.  ChatGPT had also suggested the Comfort Inn in Akron, South as being a good cheap choice for the night, and that is true too.  The difficult part was the storm that crashed into us head-on on I-80 westbound.  Having gone through a couple of brief showers on our way to Erie, we recognized the mist hovering over the road in advance and stopped under an overpass for an hour and a half to let the storm pass over us.  Thank goodness it was fast moving.  We've just discovered that this Comfort Inn serves hot oatmeal in the morning.  Too bad we don't have our usual additions: blueberries, raspberries and bananas.  Goodnight.  Today's route: I-86 W towards Erie and I-90 S for ten miles to Eat'n Park.  Then I-79 S for 55 miles to R on I-80 W to I-76 W into Akron and S for 15 miles on I-77 to the Comfort Inn.  Good grief, that was 394 miles today.  Again, we enjoyed the little traffic and greenery along I-86 and I-79 and I-76.  The traffic on I-90 and I-80 wasn't nearly as heavy as we expected.

Underpass on I-80, Ron in helmet and jacket, waiting out rainfall

11 Aug:  We got up early in order to get to Max BMW by 8:30 (and were early).  They started the 42,000 mile maintenance while we sat in their comfortable chairs and used our computers until Cynthia received a call from Dr. Dougherty's office, asking to speak to Ron.  We had to have them call back since Ron cannot hear through Cynthis’s hearing aids while she is wearing them.  Ron's pacemaker battery reports that it has less than two months of life left, so it is imperative that we see the doctor ASAP.  We told the nurse that we are in Troy, New York on a motorcycle waiting for it to be serviced.  After receiving that news, Ron is reminded of his favorite joke, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."  We walked next door to the Country View Diner to find something to eat and to discuss our respective ideas about what to do.  We agreed to immediately forego all previous plans and to head straight back to Houston despite the heat.  After the bike was finished, Ron selected the route that seemed most likely to be cool (according to the forecasts) and off we went to and beyond Binghamton, New York.  Route NY 7 W (including S on I-87 briefly and S on I-890 briefly) to I-88 W to I-81 S briefly to I-86 West to a Comfort Inn on NY 434 in Apalachia.  The choice of interstates was excellent, not a lot of traffic and lots of green scenery.  As a bonus, there is a good restaurant next door, the Blue Dolfin.  170 miles on the road today out of 1700+ for the trip.  Cynthia continues to do an excellent dismount, landing softly without hurting her hip & leg. 2.23 miles of walking today

10 Aug:  We are being kicked out of the Inn today because Murray and Page are going on a honeymoon to British Columbia, Lake Louise, etc.  That means that we had to pack up, recycle, and discard EVERYTHING.  We decided to go to Johnny Boys one last time before leaving the area and enjoyed it tremendously, as usual.  We rode south on US highway 7 to Bennington, Vermont, then took VT 279 west to get on New York highway 7 the rest of the way to Troy and the downtown Best Western.  We ate dinner ?? and walked along the Riverfront Park.  It seems so sad that nice parks like that fall into disuse and neglect after the druggies take possession. 2.51 miles

9 Aug, Sunday We hiked the Kent Pond Trail and returned to eat lunch at the pub and packed out bsgs. 4.18 Miles. 

8 Aug:  We awoke to dense fog and a light mist. Our hike at Kent Pond was shorter. 3.58 Miles. 

7 Aug:  MEDICAL: PACEMAKER TEST.  Cynthia had a girlicure appointment after our Kent Pond Hike.  Ron is sleepy.  He is editing Vol. IV.  We watched an hour of the live Irish music.  Cynthia enjoyed the Irish Catholic jokes but she had to have Ron tell her the punch lines.   4.00 Miles

6 Aug:  Ron is editing the last volume of the Lea Book from early AM and sporadically in between.  We did shop for oatmeal and we walked the run up to the Sherburne Pass Trail for 45 minutes.  Cynthia is working on the tax return.  3.09 Miles

5 Aug:  We didn't get out of the hotel room until late today.  No hike.  Cynthia didn't sleep well last night.  Ron has been correcting footnotes in James Lea. 0.95 miles

4 Aug:  MEDICAL Cynthia has a 2:00 appointment with Dr. Gammons to check out her tendons.  He says everything is fine as long as she increases her activities gradually.  Again we hiked a warm up on the Sherborne Pass Trail and a shortened version of the Kent Pond hike.  A lovely lady with her young fisherman son took our photos as we walked across the Kent Pond dam on Thundering Brook Road.  4.83 miles

3 Aug:  Happy Birthday Jon!  It is raining today.  Ron is answering Christmas letters.  He hopes to complete Vol IV of the Lea book this week.  Yay oh yay. 1.83 miles

2 Aug:  We REALLY HIKED!  After fifteen minutes on the Sherburne Pass Trail, we hiked Kent Pond, arriving back at the Inn before the rain came down.  We enjoyed a great lunch in the Pub.  And napped.  4.08 miles

Miss Janet, a remarkable Trail Angel

1 Aug:  Medical. This is a good day, despite sore throat.  Breakfast at the ILT was great as usual; we loved vsiting again with Miss Janet in her Trail Angel Mobile.  We walked for thirty minutes on the Sherburne Pass Trail and rode into Rutland for groceries.  And we stopped at URGENT CARE to check out the sore throat.  During this time Cynthia successfully got on and off the motorcycle without pain.  JOY JOY JOY.  3.60 miles

THE BIRTHDAY MONTH HIKING VERMONT

31 Jul: Here ends a fabulous birthday month with my Adonis, celebrating with wine, sweet potato casserole, and carrot cake.  We spent a great afternoon with Margie and Richard in Sharon, New Hampshire that included a very lovely ride through the NH mountains, arriving back in Killington after eight PM. We were quite delighted to see Miss Janet, the Trail Angel of Legend who travels alongside the AT helping hikers.  Her van says, "Miss Janet goes All the Way."  0.95 Miles

30 Jul: We extended our stay in Waltham due to rain, but the rain gave us a break in the afternoon which allowed us to walk the parking lots and to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for a salmon dinner. Ron is interested in a Jensen Huang workshop tonight while he is routing our route to Sharon, NH tomorrow. He will walk to the top of Prospect Hill Park, and get the recycling done so we can be asleep by ten thirty. Jensen Huang is very long-winded. 4.07 Miles 

29 Jul:  Ron raced to the Market Basket before the rain, one of the few times he has left the bed before doing his morning exercises.  Rain arrived about 10 AM, so he could have done his exercises first after all.  This means we will spend tomorrow night in Waltham, too.  We spent most of today indoors although the rain held off for a couple of hours, and we went for a walk around the vicinity about 4:15 PM. Miles 2.14. 

28 Jul:  We had a marvelous lunch with Dave and Kris E., and Bob W.  at Roots and Rise.  Bob took us to visit Rachel in her assisted living home; we treated Bob to dinner at Ruths Chris Steakhouse.  What a fabulous day.   Their ice cream wasn't worth the dietary digression. 1.30 miles despite rain 

27 Jul:  Plan is to see Bob and Dave & Kris at 11 AM tomorrow for lunch at Roots to Rise.  Cynthia and I finally did get out for our 3-mile daily walk shortly after noon.  Afterwards we stopped at Roots To Rise  although we didn't find anything perfect for our diet there.  We will try again tomorrow with a little better preparation.  Ron walked to the top of Prospect Hill again tonight, up the same steep rock steps as yesterday, embarrassingly slower than a much younger girl was walking. 3.77 miles. 

26 Jul, Sunday:  At two PM we were finally up, exercised, fed and ready to walk in nearby Prospect Hill Park (click here).  Walk successfully completed, Ron rode to Market Basket again for raspberries, blueberries, bananas and frozen mango.  As the day wore on, Ron's energy grew, so he went for a second walk to the tops of Prospect Hill Park and saw Waltham's water storage tanks, an old cold war radar tower and a great view of the Boston skyline.  There are a lot of ups in that park. 4.08 miles 

25 Jul:  Today we hope the GPS will guide Ron over the hills and through the woods through Weston, Wayland, and Sudbury to Hudson to see Jan and Dorothy on Deer Path.  We did good, and Jan and Dorothy took us to lunch and for a walk along the Assabet Rail Trail for a mile out and a mile back, a delightful trail with shade and woods and poison ivy everywhere.  Fortunately the poison ivy stayed where it belonged alongside the trail and we stayed where we belonged, far away.  We then enjoyed a long afternoon of conversation (Jan has lots of fun stories) before we headed "home" at diner time.  Cynthia's leg or sacroiliac joint is again a problem, so we will take it easy and walk more gently for a few days.  3.05 miles 

24 Jul:  Ron discovered that Prospect Hill Park is practically adjacent to the hotel, and we found Dinosaur Rock Trail entrance from a nearby parking lot and walked 3.15 miles on forest trails.  Cynthia's leg isn't happy with faster pace or uphill, so we have to rein in our ambitions for another few days.  This evening we decided to walk a couple of blocks downhill to Ruths Chris Steak House, and it was well worth the effort, especially after the server said that Yes, they do have carrot cake, homemade.  Cynthia got  a huge piece as another birthday treat.  She has been a very good girl. 4.5 miles 

23 Jul:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROL!  Our route to Waltham was the reverse of getting here from Waltham: US 4 E 5 mi to R on VT 100 S 14 mi -> VT 103 S 23 mi to R on I-91 S 6 mi to L on US 5 S 2 mi to L on VT 123 E crossing bridge into New Hampshire, R on NH 12 S 18 mi through Keene and into Massachusetts -> MA 140 S 10 mi to L on MA 2 E 39 mi to R on I-95/ 128 S 2.4 mi to exit 43A for Totten Pond Rd, crossing over interstate to immediate R on 3rd Ave two blocks to L on 4th Ave past first Extended Stay America hotel around corner to second Extended Stay America hotel at 52 4th Ave.  Then we got antsy for a walk to get groceries without surveying the hills and discovered that Waltham can be very hilly.  We exhausted ourselves, but we did get a few groceries.  3.80 miles.

22 Jul:  We had another great night of sleep.  This is our last night at the Inn for now.  We will be back after a week in Waltham visiting Ron's friends Jan & Dorothy, Bob & Rachel, Dave & Kris.  Which means we need to pack, but instead we went for our usual hike around Kent Pond although we opted to return early since the rocks were damp, then we rode into town to Johnny Boys for omelettes, and then to the beauty salon for Cynthia's pedicure.  Then to Staples to return an Amazon purchase and to mail a box of new shoes back to Texas (so that that birthday gift will stay free from dirt for another few months).  Finally we returned to the Inn and went for another short walk on the level part of the trail across the street before Ron finally started packing and organizing.  But now he needs to determine a route plan to take us to the Extended Stay America hotel in Waltham. 4.06 miles.

21 Jul:  Thank God we both got a long, good night of sleep.  Several episodes of rain are forecast today, starting before we could get out the door for a walk across the road.  We did get out the door late afternoon when the rain stopped for a walk on the level trail and a little of the uphill to the Boardwalk area. 3.14 miles

20 Jul:  We were able to go for our usual walk around Kent Pond and up the hill to the BIG rock plus a bonus additional distance downhill.  Both of our sets of legs get tired doing that, but we are still staying upright most of the time.  We came across another couple of thru-hikers including one girl who looked exceptionally young.  We rode into town to see about Cynthia's nasal inhaler prescription at Walgreens, but it cannot be refilled before the end of August.  Fortunately we arrived in time to eat omelettes at Johnny Boys.  Ron ate pumpkin pancakes also and is very full, but not very, very full. 4.0 miles.

19 Jul, Sunday:  Late again after good night of sleep.  No rain today, so our usual hike went fine.  The stream crossing was no more difficult than usual despite the recent rains.  We did see several through hikers and are convinced that the "bubble" has arrived.  We decided to err on the side of caution and took Cynthia to Urgent Care to assess her cough for pneumonia - negative, but the nurse practitioner prescribed azithromycin to prevent it from developing. 3.31 miles

18 Jul:  As usual, we arose late, exercised, ate and decided to walk only from the Inn to the start of the Sherborne Pass uphill several times in order to gradually exercise Cynthia's torn tendons.  Hopefully they will respond by getting much stronger each time we go out and DON'T OVERDO IT.  The rain did indeed start immediately after our last iteration, and we are very content to work on our computers while we wait for the pub to open.  The rain continued all day, light at times and heavy occasionally.  2.53 miles

17 Jul:  Cynthia is feeling a little better, so we took our usual hike around Kent Pond, across the stream and up the hill to the big rock.  We are happy that the Inn is back open so that Wanni and Greg could serve us breakfast and we can order food this evening.  Today was bonus; we met four very pleasant through-hikers within two hundred yards of each other.  And now we can go to the Inn and order spinach salad.  An even nicer bonus was the five young ladies we met after eating our "lunches."  They are a delightful group that met each other while hiking and now get together for hikes.  One of them has finished 1800 miles of the AT.  Unfortunately I didn't get names or trail names, but they did find our blog and took a photo of us all which I would love to post here on the blog.  HINT, hint. 4.09 miles.

16 Jul:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beloved SmoochSmooch.. And she is blissfully happy to be so beloved.  😆  Unfortunately, she also came down with a sore throat that is a bother.  By the time we were up, exercised, fed, and finally ready to hike, it started raining.  Oh well, with Cynthia's cold and our several good days worth of hiking behind us, it is probably a good idea to enjoy a day of rest. 1.07 miles 

15 Jul:  It rained buckets last night, and we were delighted to see the larger waterfall that we cross on our daily hike, although our stream crossing rocks were all under water, i.e. slick and hazardous, so we didn't attempt the crossing.  Another hiker sitting outside our room has a nifty arrangement with his girlfriend that he met while both were through-hiking.  They bought a car, so one starts hiking and the other drives the car to a trailhead and parks; when they meet on the trail the car key is exchanged and at the end of the day the car is driven with all of their gear to the place where the one started hiking. They both get to slack pack.  We rode into town to shop for groceries and only forgot flax seed meal. 3.0 miles.

14 Jul:  Today the Inn has stayed closed with the door locked, so we are sitting outdoors in a lovely breeze as the light fades, doing our computer stuffs.  At noon we met a delightful through hiker, Double Check (maybe Czech - Natashia), who was amazed by our stories.  She is a 64-year old youngster, hiking the trail six days a week and getting a shuttle back to her car to work for a day as a Zoom psych therapist on her seventh day.  Too much fun that we recognized "Plans Too Much" when he arrived to provide her shuttle.  Cynthia's new birthday gift shoes from Julie and Roxanne arrived via UPS, pretty new shoes without any dirt on them yet.  We did our usual walking across the street to the start of the incline several times and our usual Kent Pond trek to the BIG boulder at the start of the unrelenting downhill.  The "unrelenting" part really refers to the return trip from Thundering Falls (click here).  There hasn't been much rain recently, so Thundering Falls probably isn't making much noise today. 4.27 miles.

13 Jul:  We had a slow and lazy start to our day, thinking that there was no breakfast at the Inn.  We eventually got out the door for a hike and got done in time to go to Sugar and Spice for a late breakfast before they close at 2 PM.  Then to ALDI for provisions and Walmart for Vitamin A, which they didn't arry here. 4.08 miles.

12 Jul, Sunday:  We met our first AT through hiker, named Equinox because he started his hike on March 21st.  So he is making REALLY good time to be this far north already, although he says he is meandering around to enjoy the sights as he goes.
Vermont 2026  Ron and I have hiked across the state of Vermont from its Mass border to Hanover, NH.  That's the best part; touring VT by motorcycle is the second best part.  Here are my favorites: first, we love the Inn at Long Trail at Killington, the ski capital, with blessed shade during the summer from the Green Mountains; we can walk out the door to hike the AT, the Long Trail, and the Sherburne Pass Trail; the breakfasts are fabulous at Vermont's famous Irish pub and hiker haven.  The Von Trappe Family Lodge is north of us.  Nearby, Woodstock, VT is a nifty community.  VT Highway 100 is the most colorful and scenic road to travel in the fall.  Ben and Jerry’s Creamery was a fun place to visit, but they have skimpy tastings, a far cry from the Blue Bell Creamery in Texas.  We enjoyed a great B&B Along the western river boundary,  one of many, but I can't recall the name.  Vermont is famous for harvesting Maple Syrup, like Sugar and Spice in Mendon, VT.  Vermont boasts many farm to market restaurants.  Of course, one can't miss New England’s iconic red barns and towering church steeples visible over hill and dale. 3.36 miles

11 Jul:  We were delighted to see Oke again after breakfast before we embarked on our hike today.  Ron is relieved to think that he may have slept well enough last night despite the pains from his fall yesterday.  Neither of us fell today! 3.37 miles 

10 Jul:  We managed to get everything packed and out by 11 AM and scheduled our stay at the Inn for 13 days.  Immediately after unloading all of our baggage into the room and getting a recommendation from Greg, we left for town to eat lunch at Johnny Boy's (click here), which cooked our omelettes beautifully.  We then shopped for blueberries, raspberries and bananas at ALDI and returned to the room before riding off immediately for our daily hike around Kent Pond.  After successfully rock hopping across the small stream once, Ron mistakenly stepped on the wrong rock and fell HARD, thinking that he might have broken his nose or at least caused a nose bleed.  His knee and chest also took significant blows.  No broken nose; no nose bleed; no broken bones apparently, but as the day progressed, his affected rib gradually became more painful.  That continues.  2.94 miles

9 Jul:  Tomorrow we relocate again to the Inn at Long Trail for 13 days this time, God willing.  We thought the temperatures were going to cool today, but when we walked outside before noon, it was blazing hot in the direct sun.  We decided to repair indoors and await more cooler evening temperatures although Ron decided to suffer the heat to buy more frozen mango at ALDI.  YUM.  Hi Wynn, sorry that I'm late; I am now updating our routes and travel since we left Texas dating back to March 10th including several "click here's".  We hope you enjoy all this.  2.50 miles

8 Jul:  Another lovely day for a late start.  The temperature cooled into the 50s overnight.  Dr. Dougherty received the pacemaker transmission and clarified that she wants the test done every 31 days.  We spent the day indoors since the forecast high was 83 degrees and walked into town to Treviso (click here), an Italian place that served a great salad and even better Mediterranean sea bass.  Afterwards, we walked about town for several extra blocks to see the sights, a fun evening. 3.92 miles

7 Jul:  We forgot to update the blog because it rained this morning.  Ron walked to Aldi for frozen mango, then we both walked to Walmart to get Shoe Goo for Ron's shoes and Gorilla Glue for the grey bag, which is coming apart at the seams.  Cynthia had a zoom call from the spine surgeon in Florida, Dr. Cantor, who uses a sonic knife to remove excess bone from the spine, a less invasive procedure that heals more quickly.  He explained Cynthia's spondylolisthesis (click here) of L4 and L5 to us and advised against any surgery as long as she can minimize her pain.  We are delighted beyond words.  Then we walked by the Yellow Deli which is closed for renovations until 2033, and ate salads at the Hop'N Moose Pub (click here).  Just before dark Ron decided to walk again to Walmart for almonds now that his waist is a trifle smaller.  Since our latest visit to Pritikin, we both focus on our pelvic tilt (click here) while we walk to keep our spines in good alignment.  5.27 miles

6 Jul:  Ron had everything packed to change lodging, so we left the bags in our room while we hiked Kent Pond.  Our legs were tired, so we did not cross the stream.  We were delighted to discover Sugar and Spice is open for lunch.  Unfortunately, the chef did not follow instruction for no cheese in the egg white omelets.  Next time that happens there, we send it back.  We are in Rutland for four nights, planning to return to the Inn on Friday.  The new insurance at the Inn restricts stays to 13 days; otherwise it is considered long-term rental and the rates go up.  Every thirteen days through August we will spend a few days in Rutland.  We walked on city sidewalks to two different grocery stores for our supplies.  Pacemaker test today 9 pm.  5.99 miles.

Ron (Shakedown Cruise) and Barefoot Oke

5 Jul, Sunday:  Thank God for another good night of sleep.  We have been much too much short of sleep.  After another delicious breakfast, we hiked again around Kent Pond including rock hopping to cross a small stream and continuing uphill farther than yesterday, 3.0 miles.  Ron is nervous about overdoing it on Cynthia's newly healed torn tendons, but so far we have avoided that bullet.  Big news, Oke came to visit and delivered a whole new batch of sudokus for Ron.  It was great to see Oke and find his speech much more understandable.  The effects of his stroke are less frustrating to him.  Tonight we made several round trips on the entrance of the Sherburne Pass Trail, going up is steep.  Maybe by the end of August we can make the climb to the ski run again. Tomorrow we have to vacate the Inn for several days due to insurance limitations against long-term rentals, i.e. two weeks or more.  We should be able to return and stay 13 days at a time provided my pacemaker continues to function well enough to keep Dr. Dougherty happy. 5.47 Miles total

4 Jul:  Happy 4TH times 250!  Ron is reflecting with some sadness that his best friend, Don Stalcup, and his uncle Lawrence were both born on July 4th and passed away in the last few years.  Thanks be to God that they both lived good lives and influenced Ron positively.  Cynthia adds that Ron influences her positively.  Eighteen years ago on March 2, Ron started his Appalachian Trail Hike at Springer Mountain, GA.  In July, Cynthia picked him up in Rutland and brought him here, Killington, VT.  Today, we hiked on the AT!  Our feet felt weird and our legs felt weak.  We hiked 2.5 miles, crossing streams, and traversing boulders.  It was a very successful hike; we are still able to walk. At the end of this day of walking about, Cynthia has a total of 5.11 miles, closing all the rings on her Apple Watch.

3 Jul:  We "slept in" a little this morning, arising at 7 AM and getting onto the road before 9 AM when the temperature was already over 88 degrees.  Ugh.   After all the early morning and late nights, we are both dragging, not to mention the extreme heat.  Still, the ride was comfortable and quick.  2nd Ave W to R on Winter Street to R onto I-95 a couple of exits to MA 2 W for 37 miles to exit 90B and MA 140 N for 9 miles to MA 12 -> NH 12 for 40 miles through Keene.  New Hampshire tells you that a turn is coming up after you are in the wrong lane in heavy traffic.  Fortunately I knew to look for several turns in Keene.  At Walpole, NH we found NH 123 W to cross a bridge into Vermont and US 5 briefly, I-91 for 5 miles to US 5 again and VT 103 for 30 miles into Ludlow.  I was expecting to see a place to eat near a deep gorge, but that must be a different route.  (Route 4 Quechee Gorge Bridge.)  We turned onto VT 100 in Ludlow and rode past the several beautiful lakes along that road until turning West on US 4 for 10 miles to the Inn At Long Trail, where Murray and Page greeted us warmly and provided our room for three nights.  

2 Jul:  Ron awakened at the perfect time this morning and Cynthia awakened not long afterwards, 5:15.  It looks like we are on schedule to get an earlier start so that the sun light from the east will be blinding for a while.   We arrived at Linden Ponds to see Maggie at 10 AM and were very pleasantly surprised to discover that 99-year-old Maggie is still vital and active and has progressed with her ability to use her arms and hands immeasureably since we last saw her two years ago.  What an amazing testimonial to strength of will power.  We left at 2:30 so that she could go listen to scheduled music and rode through the usual heavy Boston traffic to the Hampton Inn in Waltham, surprisingly less expensive than everywhere else near Boston.  Once settled in there, Bob picked us up to visit his wife whose mind is dying because of all the radiation it took to kill her cancer.  Rachel was surprisingly more alert and conversational than I had understood.  Her problem is new memories and understanding, not old ones.  Another huge surprise, Bob introduced us again to his daughter Aletta and husband Richard.  Cynthia needs a new feduciary and Aletta is one so we talked about finances until I asked Richard about AI.  Then we talked about AI for a while until it was time for Bob to take us to dinner nearby at Zhu (click here), where I had Mandarin Curry dish that was fine and fun.  Consequently we didn't get to bed early enough although the day was wonderfully rewarding to see so many fine, fun people.  Route MA 3 N 6 mi to I-93 S 3 mi to I-95 N 16 mi to exit 43B Totten Pond Road, R on Wyman 0.6 mi, L and L onto Winter to R on 2nd Ave 0.3 mi to Hampton Inn.

1 Jul:  Ron awoke at 3:30 AM to pack up with a plan to leave very early, except we didn’t.  It was raining.  But, we were rolling out of the hotel parking lot before eight AM for the ride around New York City towards Boston.  We made it as far as Brooklyn.  Did you know there is a Brooklyn in Connecticut?  I didn't.  Todays ride was far less stressful than anticipated.  We rode from the hotel west on Forsgate W 0.8 mile to reach US 130 N for 9 miles then merged with US 1 N for 4 more miles and took a left lane exit onto NJ 18 N for 7 miles to pass Rutgers University, cross the Raritan River and turned L onto River Road for 4 miles, whereupon we joined I-287 N for 50 miles to turn R onto I-87 and continue on I-287 around NYC and across the Tappan Zee Bridge (now renamed for Mayor Andrew Como).  Then came confusion because my directions said to take exit 9A onto the Hutchinson River Parkway, but exit 9A in New York was for US route 9 and in Connecticut after I took a pass on that instruction there were a couple more 9 exits before the Hutchinson River appeared overhead.  It would have been a mess of confusion if I had fallen for one of those earlier 9 exits, but I picked the correct one and we proceeded onto a very rough road for a mile until we crossed into Connecticut and the road became very smooth and well maintained, the same Merritt Parkway I was hoping to find in such good shape, CT 15.  We continued thereon until reaching an exit under construction that took us onto I-91 N smoothly into Hartford and the early exit 29 to go over to I-84 E which segued into I-384 E 8 mi until we exited interstates onto old US 6 E 32 miles through the lovely Connecticut countryside and small towns.  We stopped when fatigue dictated, and that was Brooklyn, CT.  The hottest temperature shown on the bike temperature gauge was 101 and it read in the 90s most of the day.

The Oneth of June - Rolling North Towards Vermont.

This fun photo was taken on 3 Jun 2022.

30 Jun:  We stayed two nights at the Doubletree for freedom to see Jerry and Cathy as long as possible at the Blue Swan Diner.  The Blue Swan is surprisingly similar to the Silver Diner we enjoyed in Frederick, Maryland.  Jerry and Cathy said that they had eaten at a Silver Diner in the DC area when they commuted to DC for their jobs.  It was very good to see Jerry again.  It has been far too long between visits.  There is no thirty oneth, so todays post concludes June.  Tomorrow, we ride towards Boston, then on to Vermont to hike.  How far will we get this year is in question because we await the call from Texas to return and replace the pacemaker.  We now test said pacemaker with a little remote gizmo the 6th of every month, so we keep traveling month by month, hoping that the battery will last longer than was estimated in January when the doctor said we needed to return in June.   We navigated back roads to get from the Doubletree to the Blue Swan: Forsgate (county 612) E 2.6 mi to R on Buckelew Ave briefly L on Pergola Ave 1.6 mi -> Matchaponix Ave (county 520) 1.9 mi -> Texas Rd 3 mi to R on Marlboro 1.0 mi to R on NJ 18 S 17 mi to exit 13B onto NJ 36 E for 2 mi to R on NJ 35 S 2 mi, Blue Swan Diner on R, 2 pm.

29 Jun:  Ride towards Boston.  Nope change of plans; Jerry S. says that he and Cathy will be pleased to see us tomorrow, so we are going towards to Wayside, New Jersey today.  The closest hotels are crazy expensive ($500+).  But we found a Doubletree twenty miles away for two nights.  Now, to endure the heat wave being forecast, with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees.  Route: N on I-83, exit on Market/ take Hill Road N 0.7 mi to R on US 30 E 22 mi to L on US 222 N 24 mi to exit for 222 Business/Lancaster Ave, R on PA 724 E 5 mi to I-176 N 0.3 mi to R on US 422 E 40 mi to L on US 202 E 1 mi to I-76 W to Turnpike I-276 E 25 mi to L on US 1 N into NJ immediate R on NJ 29 S 3 mi -> I-195 E 4 mi to Cracker Barrel, NJ 130 N to R on county 535 South River Road to Doubletree.  PA turnpike was smooth and pleasant although very busy.  I didn't get on the turnpike further west to save $15 in tolls.  It might have been worth it for the quicker and smooth ride.

28 Jun, Sunday:  Worship at Tidings of Peace.  The surprise was that worship service was held in the school instead of the old church downtown.  Mary Lois invited us to lunch with the family, and it was very, very good.  Ron ate more than enough.  We stayed talking with everyone all afternoon and enjoyed dinner before leaving to get back to the hotel before dark.  The highlight (besides companionship) was the video the boys compiled of their shenanigans on the trail.  Kevin says he recorded whenever it looked like there was a good possibility of injury.  It was amusing to be surrounded by this family of young men with wives and children and to remember the boys I knew so well in the video.  Thanks to one and all for such fine, fun memories.

Hannah, Mary Lois, Kevin, Ron, Austin, Trevor and Cynthia

27 Jun:  Kim and Ruth delighted us with a guided tour of the SCS Museum.  We were invited to hang a sign on Archives door, which we did (as pictured).  Then we enjoyed a wonderful luncheon with most of the Swedish Colonial Society councillors at Lehmans (click here), a wonderful restaurant and waitress that remembered us as much as we did her (i.e. questionable).  Our GPS may have been stolen at the hotel, a very significant loss. And, last but not least, we arrived dry in York, PA.  Route: hotel to Wannamaker, N to I-95 S 6 mi towards Chester/ Wilmington and exit 3R for US 322 W 7 mi to L on US 1 S 15 mi to R on PA 41 N Avendale/Chatham 16 mi to L on US 30 W 40 mi to L on N Hills Rd in York 0.6 mi to R on E Market .1 mi to L on I-83 S 4 mi to Hampton Inn on 2159 Queen St, near Giant & Subway for food.  This was another ideal day until we got onto US 30 with all that traffic.

26 Jun:  What happened to the 25th. Today we shipped a box back to Texas with just enough of Cynthia's clothing to make it possible for Ron to pack up everything onto the motorcycle easily.  Then we rode to the Archives and spent the remainder of the afternoon there finding not much despite Stacy's expert help.  Finally at 4 PM we left (were kicked out) and rode beautiful less traveled roads suggested by Stacy all the way to Essington and our Clarion hotel.  Westtown Road wound its way through very scenic areas and the town of West Town all the way past Street Road to a second intersection with Street Road.  Ron made the mistake of turning left and realized his mistake when crossing Westtown Road again.  (He shoulda turned left at the first intersection with Street Road.)  After a 180 we were back on track and eventually found PA highway 352 that took us through more natural beauty into downtown Chester (not so beautiful) and eventually into Eddytown and Essington to our hotel.  And to think that we did all this at rush hour without major traffic hassles.  Thanks and THANKS, Stacy.

25 Jun: Cynthia wasn’t feeling up to par with allergies and stayed in the hotel while Ron researched in the Chester County Archives.

24 Jun:  Cynthia's cough is sounding like Ron's did ten days ago.  Dean says that a cold lasts only ten days, which is about how long Ron has been coughing up chunks of phlegm.  We are about to leave for the Archives at 9:17, without much hope of finding anything significant.

23 Jun:  The oneth of June zoomed into the 23rd.  It is raining and the weefee is sick with a head cold or allergies.  Ron spent the day watching windshield wipers on cars and working on Rambo genealogy to help out Sistah Dear.  Surprise, surprise, the well-documented Ancestry tree that he has been appreciating and copying is owned by someone we've met before, Donna B. S.

22 Jun:  After a slow morning, we are happily fed and at the library doing research.  Well, we were until 4:30 when the alarms went off everywhere, including Cynthia's watch.  A tornado warning was issued urging everyone to take shelter.  Ron was disappointed because he had just started working on the 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle available to patrons.  We got on the bike and happily arrived at our hotel, dry.  Cynthia is very thankful to be pain free; she discovers movement is the key, thanks to synovial fluid.  It helps to pray and be grateful.  She thanks God believing!

21 Jun, Sunday:  Happy Father's Day!  Cynthia sent good wishes to the world.  We are thankful for this great day in every way.  The weather is so pleasant we enjoyed a morning walk through the neighborhood, Ron remembered a nearby trail and checked it out.  We walked the trail that led through a short woods together tonight for her total of 5.10 miles.  Ron is transcribing documents.  Cynthia is helping a Rambo researcher.

20 Jun:  We enjoyed our research at the Chester County Historical Museum (click here).  Ron took more than a hundred photos of their "vertical files about Rambos, including newspaper clippings dating back to 1823.  We enjoyed perfect salads for lunch at the Tomato Shack (click here).

19 Jun:  Us two Rolling Stones traveled less traveled roads from North East, Maryland through Chatham and Downington to Exeter, Pennsylvania.  Coatesville was interesting, showcasing closed factories, blocks of shanty row houses, and a few mega mansions along PA route 82.  We arrived after forty-one plus miles at the Suburban Studios, an experiment (for us) of a six-night stay at a budget hotel. The nearby Ron’s Original Bar and Grille (click here) had a book size menu.  The broccoli was delicious but very salty.  Unfortunately, Ron is unable to describe the route, other than going North on MD 272 into Pennsylvania and then following the GPS on bigger roads than he would have preferred to go through Chatham and Downington to end up on US 322 into Exton.

18 Jun We awakened eager to go to the Cecil County Historical Society (click here) in Elkton, but delayed too long, which allowed the rain to thwart our early arrival.  We are sitting, waiting, hoping that the rain will stop earlier than forecast.  It did, and we were quite pleased with our experience there.  Cynthia sent them a copy of her book, The Spirit in the South.

17 Jun:  We checked out of the hotel late and enjoyed an absolutely beautiful ride across the Maryland farm country landscapes through Hampstead and Pylesville to cross the Susquehanna on US 1 over the Conowingo Dam.
Route: MD 85 N to I-70 E to MD 27 N (21 mi) to R on MD 482 E (5.3 mi) to R on Hanover Pike (0.5 mi) to L on Gill (0.1 mi) to R on MD 833 E/ Black Rock Rd (1 mi) at circle 3rd exit on Lower Beckleysville (0.5 mi) -> Mt Carmel Rd (2 mi) to R on MD 137/ Mt Carmel Rd (8 mi) to R on York Rd (0.1 mi) to L on MD 138/ Monkton Rd (6 mi) to L on MD 138 (3 mi) to sharp right onto MD 23 S (2 mi) to L on Madonna Rd (3.5 mi) to R on Mt Horeb Rd (1.5mi) to L on MD 165 N (6 mi) to R on MD 543 S (4 mi) to L on MD 440 E/ Dublin Rd (6 mi) to L on US 1 crossing Susquehanna (9 mi) to R on MD 273 (9 mi) to R on MD 274 to Westminister, R on MD 272 S to Comfort Inn & Suites North East

16 Jun:  Another good night's sleep and another good morning ktogether.  We have a busy day planned, lunch with cousins and dinner with Jim and Joni.  Then we go to sleep again.  Yippee.!!  Great to see Lisa and Wayne again, great to see Jim and Joni again, great to eat twice at the Silver Diner.  But then we blew it by going to bed late again.

15 Jun:  Cynthia is scheduled to return today.  Yippee.!!  After three hours of delay, she is finally en route.  Ron spent the afternoon in the hotel working on another generation for Robert Rambo, all the way to people born this century.  Oops, this is the 21st century now; I meant the last hundred years.  Since Cynthia arrived at BWI at 7:30 instead of 4:30, Jim and Joni couldn't join us for dinner at the Silver Diner (click here).  We enjoyed our meals including Quinoa and Pineapple Pancakes and a bowl of edamane.  Their menu is quite an encouragement to enjoy healthy foods.

14 Jun, Sunday:  Bummer, Rachel and girls canceled their visit to Grandmother.  Cynthia had a great day despite that disappointment.  Ron awakened after almost enough sleep and walked around the block early today, 8:30 AM.   He sent Robert Rambo e-mail to Sistah Carol and showered, shaved and did laundry.  After that he might be able to write long-neglected postcards or work on James Lea, but instead he mended socks.

13 Jun:  Cynthia was welcomed with beautiful flowers and ferried around to eye doctors by son Jon.  We enjoyed dinner with daughter Julie and her Lamar this week.  Cynthia is in keyboard heaven with a larger IPad that functions beautifully.  It is too hot to walk outdoors because the outside temp feels 100, so she walked the aisles at Walmart and on Jon’s Nordic Track.  Ron walked around the block again.  The hills on Akers Road seemed much harder today, especially the first one that slowed him to plodding speed.  

12 Jun:  Cynthia rescheduled return is now Monday 4:20 PM.  (Let's hope she has better luck than on her flight to Texas.)  Ron is following through on the original plan to take the bike in to Bob's for new tires.  They were quick: in by 8:30 our by 10:45.  He will take James Lea to keep him busy until the mechanics have time for his bike.  Route West Falls to MD 27 S to L on Gillis Falls to R on Watersville Road to L on MD 144 to R on  Pfefferkorn to R on MD 32 S to L on US 1 N to R on Guilford to Bob's.  On the return, Pfefferkorn was not easy to see, so Ron turned on MD 144 W and stayed on it all the way to the Shell station in Mt. Airy.

11 Jun: Ron is up, exercised, breakfasted, and organized daily pills early.  Then he spent a couple of hours looking at news and watching interviews.  Around noon he finally got out the door for a 3.5 mile walk around the block (without getting lost).  It was hot and his shirt was soaked after the last mile without shade.  Jim was off and gone to work before 6:30 this morning but was highly motivated, so we installed the 80-pound bicycle hitch onto his Bronco.  Ron showered before dinner and was clean to enjoy a lovely meal of chili cum curry, fresh sourdough, steamed potatoes and salad.  If Jim and Joni keep feeding me like this, I might never leave.

10 Jun:  We both slept well although separately.  Ron got distracted by genealogy all morning, including a stint with James Lea.  Jim came home early to transfer his John Deere tractor from home to the business; Joni went shopping for salad fixings and got wet going out the door during the storm to pick up grandkids at a school bus stop.  We enjoyed a lovely dinner of salad, grilled chicken and sourdough bread.  Cynthia reports losing her I-pad, her car and her protein drink during a busy day.  All three surfaced again and the nice lady at the Verizon store showed her how to use her phone to "Find My I-pad."  She also showed Cynthia how to reset the I-pad that refuses to scroll for her.  So the challenge is whether Cynthia will make notes about it or practice it a time or two.  After she practices, she can delete this question.

9 Jun:  The very sad news is that Cynthia's flight was canceled at 11 PM after she spent the entire day waiting hopefully.  Poor dear slept only about five hours last night.  Ron went to the office with Jim to insure that his mother's WiFi could be restored, thereby enabling her medical alert device to work.  Once Jim's confidence in that outcome was firm, we enjoyed a long, gorgeous motorcycle ride over the hills and through the woods in central Maryland.  Ron's motorcycling confidence and skills are still shaky, but Jim was willing to wait at every STOP sign until Ron finally caught up.  A very good time was had by all the survivors.  Dinner at the Mt. Airy tavern with Jim and Joni was delightful, especially since we were assured that Cynthia had finally made it to Texas and was being ferried to Oscar's Bistro by her son Jon.

8 Jun:  Cynthia will get on the airplane at BWI at 11:30 and arrive safely in Houston by late afternoon, God willing.  Ron will ride to Silver Spring, Maryland to see if he can find old friends at home.  Later in the afternoon, he will ride out to Mt. Airy to visit with Jim and Joni for a few days.  The day did not go as planned for either of us.  Cynthia was still sitting in the airport at 7:30 PM due to airplane problems.  Ron found Nick at home and talked for an hour while we waited for John to return with Faith.  Dale and Harry have both passed away.  Irma said that Jerry might have some variety of mental health issues relating to aging.  John was quite animated and appeared to be healthy although quite thin.  All in all good visits with Nick and John and later with Jim and Joni at dinner.  Route: Nursery to Elkridge Landing to MD 170 S 0.3 mi to I-195 W 4 mi (terrible pavement bumps) to R on I-95 S 13 mi to R on MD 198 W 2.5 mi to MD 29 S (Columbia Pike) 3 mi to R on Musgrove 0.2 mi to L on Old Columbia Pike 0.4 mi to R on E. Randolph 1 mi to L on Billington 0.3 mi to R on Laurie 0.1 mi to L on Montclair 0.1 mi to L on Downs 0.3 mi to 1316.  Return Downs to Montclair to Laurie to Billington to L on E. Randolph 1.5 mi to R on New Hampshire N (MD 650) 13 mi to R on MD 97 (Georgia) 8 mi to L on MD 144 W 3 mi to R on Woodbine 3.7 mi to L on Gillis Falls Road 4 mi (be sure to wait for stop light at low spot) to R on MD 27 0.5 mi to L on West Falls Road 0.5 mi to 5604  This choice of roads was excellent; not a lot of traffic with nice scenery.

7 Jun, Sunday:  The plan is to arise whenever we wake up, pack and ride across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (click here) and up I-97 to the Baltimore-Washington airport Country Inn and Suites hotel.  On the way out of town, we again ate yummy salads at the Seedbol (click here).  It was a long, slow, hot ride in a lot of Sunday afternoon traffic returning to the metropolis.  Route plan: DE 1 N 12 mi to L on DE 16 W 29 mi to R on MD 404 W 20 mi to R on US 50 W 22 mi across Bay Bridge to exit 21 R on I-97 N 14 mi to exit 15B Dorsey Rd, R on Aviation 2.8 mi to R on Elkridge Landing 1 mi to R on W Nursery Rd 0.3 mi Country Inn.  Even crossing the four mile  long bay bridge was slow at 40 mph, but at least there were no cross winds.  Unfortunately, with the bright sun in his eyes, Ron misread the signs in the heavy traffic and exited onto Maryland Highway 2 instead of I-97; this led to much wandering around until Ron realized that he had better just follow the GPS.  Upon arrival at our hotel, Ron laid down in bed while making several unsuccessful phone calls.  Dean called back an hour later to report that he was feeling fine despite the long afternoon yesterday.  Janina was the one who suffered in the heat yesterday.   Cynthia adds:  Thanksgiving is on my mind!  Not turkey and dressing, but thanks be to God for so many blessings, like surviving a motorcycle ride that started on 10 March in Texas, leading to Miami for seven weeks at Pritikin, traveling the Atlantic seaboard islands north to Rehoboth Beach, DE, and the ride today to Baltimore MD.  I could complain about the horrendous bumper-to-bumper traffic, endless traffic lights, getting cut off by drivers changing lanes, and the 86-degree temperature.  BUT, life is so good, that I should be whipped if I complain!  I am so very thankful for Ron's MIT mind that safely navigates our journeys and has traversed over a million miles without a significant motorcycle accident.  We have arrived safely at the Baltimore airport for my quick trip to Texas tomorrow.  And I am very thankful for Jon, who will pick me up in my car filled with fuel!  Most of all, thank God, our strength, shield and buckler!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore, my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song. (Psalm 28:7)

6 Jun:  Will Dean be recovered enough to see us today, or will we have the same question tomorow?  Aha! Dean was indeed well enough to see us!  We had a great, but hot, visit on their patio, and we stopped for a huge bowl of delicious vegetables at the Seedbol restaurant on the way home.  Today we finally repeated the pacemaker test as ordered by Dr. Dougherty, and we walked to the beach 1/2 mile along the highway to Cullen Street to beach.

5 Jun:  We fell asleep before 9 PM, but awakened when Ron got up to brush his teeth, and didn't get back to sleep until midnight-thirty.  Yay for traveling with our own oatmeal.  We enjoyed the hotel’s cooked oatmeal but we were slow to pack and got under way by 11:30.  It was a bit hot but not windy, so the ride was pleasant through the bucolic fields of the Eastern Shore.  The route towards the hotel changed quite significantly from the route towards Dean's house.  We rode north on US 13 for 40 miles into Maryland, R on US 113 N 31 mi to a R on DE 90 E (interestingly narrow and seemingly remote) 7 mi to a L onto MD 528 through Ocean City, Maryland 4 mi, then along the dunes -> DE 1 another 17 miles into Rehoboth Beach.  We had a few good ocean views, mostly from bridges.  It was a very nice and pleasant ride.  We ate immediately, immediately next door at the Rehoboth Tap House.  Their salads were very good.  Ron then rode to the Grocery Outlet for bananas, blueberries and raspberries.  No surprise that he recognized all the businesses near the condo we rented two years ago.  We enjoyed a long walk on the beach close to sunset.

4 Jun:  Breakfast at this Hilton Garden Inn in Kill Devil Hills was the worst.  Despite having a full house, there were very few breakfasters, the menu was very limited, and the chef was unwilling to hear of modifications.  Cynthia became very frustrated with the whole ordeal; Ron quickly decided to eat oatmeal in the room.  The ride went quite smoothly, north on US 158 with far less traffic than yesterday 30 mi, at Barco R on NC 168 -> VA 168 to exit 8B, R on VA 168 business (to avoid $1 toll) 16 mi, R on I-64 towards Va Beach 7 mi, R on VA 13 Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel (click here).  That is one long, long bridge with two tunnels for ship channels and a pair of high bridges for another ship channel.  I've been amazed before that all this was done by local residents without help from state or federal funding.  Apparently the $16 toll per vehicle is enough.  The rest of the trip, 52 mi, was usually through flat farmlands of the Eastern Shore.  We found cheap rates for a Hampton Inn in Exmore, Virginia.  There were good reviews for the Exmore Grill, but I disagree with the reviewers; the vegetables came straight from a can, the rubbery pancakes from a stale box, and only the egg white omelets were reasonable albeit very thin.

3 Jun:  Today we pack up and roll north on two ferries!  We were out the door, packed and rolling by 11:15, stopped at Sub Tropics (click here) for a veggie sub to eat on the ferry, and negotiated winds, bridges and traffic through Morehead City until we found ourselves on a highway practically deserted.  The rest of the day was on roads less traveled, except when we got off the ferry at Ocracoke Island.  Gosh talk about crowds of tourists.!!  The Hilton Garden Inn at Kitty Hawk is now huge, and our room has only a sliver of an ocean view.  At least we were able to walk out onto the Kitty Hawk pier while the waves were smashing violently onto the sands below.  We both agreed that we like visiting in the off season much, much better than when everyone else is here.  Somehow it doesn't seem like motorcycle riding when you spend 3 and 1/2 hours on ferries.  On the other hand, the several high bridges were remarkable, especially the one that began oriented due west into the setting sun and gradually curved around to the northeast.  Thankfully winds were light.  Traffic in Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills was maddening including one idiot who nearly succeeded in hitting us after first shoving his way perpendicular into the lane next to us.  Route US 70 N 30 mi to NC 12 N (2 1/4 hour toll ferry to Ocracoke Island 20 mi, 1 hour ferry north from island 10 mi) 100 mi & US 158 N 15 mi in Nags Head, very, very busy with crazy drivers.

2 Jun:  On this day, we pack, we walk, and we secure reservations on the Cedar Island Ferry for tomorrow.  We walked further on the beach than normal, then to the sub shop to eat.  Cynthia is beyond elated because she is sleeping and walking without hip pain.  For dinner we ate salads at Roma's pizzeria before walking the very windy beach.  Ron continues working on Volume IV.  4.80 Miles

1 Jun:  On this momentous occasion, the halfway mark of 2026, it is 9:40 AM, and we are thinking about getting up.  The June blog now has a title.  Ron has three important jobs.  At four PM, Ron has accomplished everything on his list.  The doctor's office said his Pacemaker is in the Yellow range, no emergency, just caution, and it is time for increased testing.  We walked the beach hoping to eat lunch at an outdoor restaurant, but it is closed on Monday and Tuesday.  Cynthia walked to Circle K and spent $3.09 on an XL cup of coffee for tomorrow and Wednesday.  We are expecting great-grandchild #14 in November; Eric and Emily already have a two-year-old little girl.  We had reservations at the Island Grille again.  The surf was glorious on our second beach walk tonight, and we had fun dodging the high tide until Ron got caught.  4.68 Miles