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| Cynthia still likes food |
30 Jul: In Durango, wheel balancing at Handlebar Motorsports and physical therapy both went well, and Ron even managed to drop off recycling at Fort Lewis College. On our way up the hill to Fort Lewis College, we saw a tiny fawn with spots right beside the road as we passed... cute fawn. Our daily walk went well despite being too hot and we did see several of those impressively antlered bucks. 7 miles
29 Jul: Bummer, our internet connection failed this morning, and we missed our 11:30 AM Zoom meeting with Dr. Gleeson about Lea DNA analysis. We did arise at 6:30 and walk at 8:30, waaay early for us, but we need to become accustomed to getting up and on the road early for our first several days of travel through Colorado during the "monsoon" season. After lunch at Boss Hoggs, we are now sleepy and lethargic. About the time we were deciding when to go for our second walk of the day, significant thunderstorms rolled in. No second walk. 6 miles
28 Jul: One more day closer to departure from Pagosa Springs, and perhaps because of hiking hot the last two days, we got an earlier start this morning and were not quite so hot on our hike. Ron rode over to Walmart for pretzels and frozen mango that he is happily munching while writing more to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Our evening walk include bonus wildlife spotting: five bucks with awesome antlers, a quick brown fox leaping impressive distances, a magpie close up, and us. 9 miles total for the day.
27 Jul: And another wonderful day dawned here in Pagosa Springs. Peculiar that we were too hot earlier and now are cooler. We had hoped to hike early, but Ron got wrapped up while forming a response to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Now it is nearly noon again. Hiking at high noon is hot! We did survive. Dinner at Boss Hogg’s was tasty as usual, but we waited forever to leave because it was raining. Then the rain continued to lighten so that we were able to walk to the lake and return "home" just before dark. 8.6 miles.
26 Jul: Will Ron actually start "packing" this early? Not yet, although he is going through his stuff looking for items to jettison. We awoke late and walked to the lab for Cynthia's blood tests this morning, mailed a package off somewhere and have been engrossed in electronics ever since. It rained once and looks foreboding now at 5:30. At 7 the skies were still dark, but the color radar promised that the rain was leaving, so we did indeed venture out (with raincoats) for our usual walk to the lake and back. Today we saw two handsome bucks and a young doe keeping them company somewhat timidly. 6.8 miles
25 Jul, Sunday: Life is good when we can locate porta potties for our suburban hiking destinations. Again we were up not so early and commenced walking near noon. Ron made another trip to Walmart for more frozen mango and red grapes. (Our life is so hard.) There was one LOUD clap of thunder at 4:05, and the rain began. Cynthia has been packing in preparation for our ride through Colorado to Butte, Montana on the first of August. (Count it, only six days away.) One box will be shipped ahead, another box will be shipped home. After checking the color radar, Ron decided that we could wear raincoats and walk our usual walk to the lake with only a little chance of drowning. (We stayed nicely dry.) Sunset through the clouds was very nice. 7.9 miles
24 Jul: Up not so early and started walking at 11:30 because the forecast was so pleasant, but at our most remote distance from the motel it started raining. Fortunately, Rhonda, who lives there, invited us into her garage to escape the rain. Good thing too because it rained quite heavily for ten minutes. Then we continued our walk only a little damp, and got caught by another, much lighter, shower. We walked to Boss Hogg’s for an early dinner. After rain off and on all day we ventured out again at 7 PM and made our entire walk and sighted two nice does on the dam embankment before the rain began a block from the hotel. Life is good. 10.1 miles.
23 Jul: Arriving soon at a sunrise near you. We were up early, but life interferred, so we didn't get started walking until nearly noon, partially because the forecast was so pleasant. And it was indeed a pleasant walk. Ron resupplied frozen mango, oatmeal, blueberries and grapes at Walmart and City Market. Cynthia is now snoozing a bit this afternoon. Rain interfered with our shortened evening walk, but we are grateful for 6.8 miles and seeing three deer. Or maybe two.
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| Lookie !! much, much smaller brace. |
22 Jul: Oh what fun! We walked to see Lonnie, our Durango hand therapist, in Pagosa, and she made a new, smaller brace for Cynthia to wear in the daytime, but she will still have to wear the longer brace at night for two more months. Cynthia's new exercises are to move her fingers and her wrist, but not her extensor tendon. It rained again in the afternoon but was dry enough for our usual evening walk early at 5:45 so that we were ready for bed by 9:30 when Ron became absorbed in Orange County deed records instead of going to bed at a sensible hour. 6.8 miles walking today.
21 Jul: Today's big "excitement" was walking within ten feet of a young buck before he decided that this was wrong and bounced ten feet further away before resuming nibbling alongside the road. The skies looked ominous for rain, but the color radar reassured us that it was dissipating, and we did indeed stay dry. Ron had planned to avoid the "wet" and tarred asphalt path, but Cynthia wanted to see if we could resume our usual habits. The wet asphalt didn't adhere to our shoes, so we nervously walked our usual path and found no problems. 9.7 miles
20 Jul: Our trail to the lake is being tarred … but we didn’t see any feathers. After dodging traffic on our morning walk, we opted for a different direction this evening and explored a bit. It was a pleasant diversion through more expensive neighborhoods. Pagosa Blvd is torn apart for a bridge remodel; looks like the crew tore it up and went on vacation - no equipment, no road, no progress. 9.4 miles and lotsa antlers
19 Jul: On this mornings walk, we saw the tiniest deer we have seen this year. 9.6 miles. 23,000 steps.
18 Jul, Sunday: Today we get to visit with Greg and Cindy at Boss Hogg's at 3 PM, and Cynthia will get to see just how pregnant little Eliza, the waitress, is now. And a fine, fun visit was had by all. Eliza is due in two weeks, so she is very, very pregnant. We walked twice, once before noon, when Cynthia became nearly faint from the heat and dehydration, and once at 7:20 in the evening. We saw a momma raccoon crossing the street with three babies trailing behind her shortly after again seeing two bucks on the embankment. We arrived "home" after it was too dark to see well enough. WooHoo! 10.7 miles today, 24,000 plus steps. The legs are working great, and only two more months until Cynthia’s left hand functions, God willing.
17 Jul: And we are up !! Another day is begun and we are exercised, fed and preparing to walk. Nephew's DreamHost web site is still loading slower than molasses in winter. It rained hard this afternoon. Cynthia isn’t wearing a sling, but she is able to keep her left arm comfortably cross body while walking. After Ron finally finished nephew's DreamHost site, we walked late and saw two bucks on the embankment of the dam as we passed the lake. By the time we finished, it was dark, and we are celebrating that we surpassed ten miles for the day. Yay for us. We also discovered one of those walking essentials on a little driveway at the lake, a Johnny on the spot, thanks to the Pagosa Lakes Home Owners Association.
16 Jul: Happy Birthday to my beloved. SmoochSmooch. I love you. Our morning walk was delayed by Ron's preoccupation with nephew Eric's new web site on DreamHost, which is preset to use WordPress (whatever that is). So we got out the door at noon and it was hot until the increasing clouds gave us some shade. Near the end of the walk, we saw a couple of bucks grazing near our walkway, about 20 feet away. After a day indoors, we ventured out again at 7 PM for a much cooler walk, totaling eight miles for the day.
15 Jul: After all, Tomorrow is another day. We are now halfway through July, and we leave Pagosa Springs the 1st of August. We awakened too early and were able to walk comfortably since the haze has reduced the heat. The mountains are reasonably clear, but you can tell that there is smoke haze dimming the views. On our usual walk this morning, we saw three handsome bucks and several does. There were five handsome bucks out and about again tonight. The walk was pleasant, giving us another day of nine miles and over 20,000 steps. Ron got four more steps than Cynthia. Plus, he won the first I Love You of the Day "competition" twice!
14 Jul: The actual birthday birth date approaches. Birthday month celebrations continue in the ability to wear clothing that did not previously fit over the massive soft cast. Physical therapy begins today in Durango, maybe ... Rain was forecast, but at 8:00 AM the weather looked ok (and was). The therapist removed the stitches and cut the brace shorter to free the fingers at the first knuckle. And we returned home dry. Yay! It was marvelous to see far less smoke and much more scenery on the ride today. Despite the ominous clouds overhead, we walked our normal route to the lake and back and thoroughly enjoyed seeing a doe grazing RIGHT beside the road. We walked to the other side and passed by her while she was preoccupied with the lush clover. Then we saw another couple of does later. Ron mapped out a route to Butte through Berthoud, Colorado.
13 Jul: This is the day after we saw the doctor. We slept well but woke up before we were ready. Oh well, nephew's site is nearly complete, and it is time to walk. The smoke is pretty bad. Skies were very hazy again today, and no mountains could be seen. Two young bucks were very close to us. 8.1 miles total today.
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| This is the new cast (stitches are on palm side) |
12 Jul: We saw the doctor. YAAAAay! We had to get out of bed at 7:30 and start riding at 8:45 to make it to the hospital by 10 AM (for a 10:15 appointment). The doctor unwrapped miles of bandages and was very pleased with the appearance of Cynthia's hand. Cynthia herself was aghast to see her skin looking - - - old. The doctor sent her off to San Juan Physical Therapy where nice folks fitted her with a brace that is more restrictive!! On the plus side, it frees her thumb to do more things. This new brace cradles her hand and fingers more thoroughly. It will stay on for six weeks except during therapy. The best part is that the brace can be worn in the shower, so Cynthia can again be clean. We had sort of a yummy lunch at Nature’s Oasis although the two prepared salads Cynthia chose had dressing on them. The broccoli and fig salad was yummy, as was the roasted beet and walnut salad. (Ron opted for a loaf of french bread and mango popsicles ) Unfortunately the smoke from forest fires dulled the scenery terribly. On our walk today, starting at 7:20 PM, we saw a deer, and a multicolored fox dashed close by in front of us. The mountains were entirely obscured by smoke. 5.9 miles.
11 Jul, Sunday: Tomorrow we see the doctor. Today we arose early and were out and walking by 9:30 - but alas, it was already too hot. No deer. We completed our walk and spent the day in the hotel working on computer projects. Nephew Eric is transferring his coin web site to DreamHost and has gotten frustrated trying to make the required changes. On our walk tonight we had a great view of a red fox (w/ white tail tip) and a deer, plus totaling 9.1 miles.
10 Jul: Cynthia wanted to start our walk at 9 AM, but instead we had a delicious sleep, arising at 8:46 AM, and had time for breakfast before we began preparing to visit with Becky and Doug at Boss Hoggs. And it was a delightful visit with the women on one side of the table and the men seated next to the aisle. The women talked about DNA (I guess), and Doug and I repeated our previous conversation about hiking, computers, and social observations. A fun time was had by all until Becky suddenly announced that they needed to leave in order to check out the Sand Dunes National Park. Ron prevailed upon them to drive along our walking route to see just how pleasant our daily walk is. Cynthia and I finally went for our evening walk at 7:15 after the worst of the heat had dissipated.
9 Jul: HOT, HOT, HOT. But we went for our morning walk anyway and didn't suffer too much. No deer to be seen though. As we started our second walk this evening, we again saw John and Laurie (and their dog, Riser) and chatted for several minutes - which meant that we returned to the hotel in early darkness. 8.4 miles.
8 Jul: It seems unreal, in view of our recent behaviors, to be awake, exercised and fed before the pill alarm goes off at 9 AM. Cynthia told me that Black Lives Matter has declared the American flag to be a symbol of hatred - to which my response is that people who are full of hatred see hatred everywhere. Due to the idiots driving fast past pedestrians here, we walked on the "treated" loop of the subdivision as opposed to the dusty loop (where we have better chances of seeing deer). We passed the lake by several blocks (since we were early enough to be cool) before returning. Four PM we walked over to Boss Hoggs and discovered that Tess is the name of another waitress we like there. (Eliza might not show back up until after delivery of her baby, expected in about a month.) The evening walk was quite delightful, especially since we met John and Laurie, new friends, owners of the horseshoe game we've noticed before. Then we walked by a group of four bucks in someone's back yard, "bedded down." We missed the bucks on our return but saw three does instead. After successfully completing 9.4 miles total today, let’s eat some popcorn. Our late evening walk followed by a bowl of cornbread seems to be a good recipe for uninterrupted sleep, thank God.
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| SmoochSmooch with cast & sling |
7 Jul: Day 10 of 14… thank you, Ron, for being an incredible care-giver in every way. SMOOCH! Well, after the previous night of limited sleep, Ron (and Cynthia) both slept so well that we didn't awake until 9 AM, didn't start walking until 11:28 AM, and were relieved that the day was not as hot as the 80° temperature indicated. We went for a second walk at 7:30 PM and found it delightfully cool. No deer to be seen either time. And Yaaay, 9.3 miles!
6 Jul: Ron awakened unable to sleep at 4 AM, so he stealthily arose and worked on his computer until Cynthia awoke at 7 AM. We exercised, ate, and were out the door for our morning hike by 10:30, early for us. We meet the loveliest people on our daily walks/hikes, like effervescent Olivia and her delightful mother, Kathleen, this morning. Afterwards, Ron shopped for frozen mango, etc. and is staying cool therefrom. Cynthia is napping as we speak. Our second walk achieved a total of 7.7 miles.
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| Jon and Tina are engaged !! |
5 Jul: Thank God! Another day, just like the other days, of exercise, oatmeal, bananas and berries, followed by a morning walk and work on our electronic devices. DNA and genealogy are never-ending. We eat the same dinner at Boss Hogg’s and repeat the same evening walk. Tonight we cut it a bit short with today’s total mileage 7.5 miles. And all of our same old days are plenty of reason for thanksgiving.
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| Baby Blaire in Forth of July red |
4 Jul: Blessings on your Independence Day weekend and celebration! We Thank God for this incredible creation, for the freedoms that we cherish and for life in this 21st century America. We accomplished our daily hike to the lake twice for a total of nine miles, witnessed by three deer and a multicolored fox. Cynthia is counting days until she sees the doctor again, hoping for freedom to move her fingers again: Day seven of seven… Blaire: Our best dressed Independence Belle.
3 Jul: Cynthia's legs and feet woke her up in the night, so we were unable to get started walking until after the temperature reached 75 degrees at 11 AM. Uggh. Now it is 12:26 PM and 78 degrees and off we go. What a surprise to discover cloud cover and a threat/promise of rain. Today's highlight was a 6- or 8-point buck browsing within 15 feet of us at one of the corners in the subdivision. We walked through light rain to Boss Hoggs for lunch. At 7:15 PM we repeated the walk to the lake and back accomplishing 7.5 miles by evening and steering clear of a big bushy-tailed momma skunk and her cute little baby.
2 Jul: Since yesrerday was too hot, we "rushed" to get our morning walk started as early as possible today: 10:30 or so. And we were rewarded by seeing a forest of antlers in one of the forested vacant lots where the bucks like to relax. We also saw several individual does in various places this morning. Cynthia added photos below from last month. Ron is proud of himself that he is finally attending to his mending - before spending inordinate times daily on genealogy and DNA. Our evening walk was pleasant and cool and gave us a total of 8 miles today!
1 Jul: Birthday Month is kicked off, and we are already celebrating by dressing Cynthia in her favorites ... anything that fits over her cast. As we returned from our "morning" walk, we saw two fine young bucks with good velvet-covered antlers a block from the motel. And tonight’s walk gave us a 7.9 total mileage, and we saw another two or three deer.
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| Pagosa Springs, our daily walks end at this lake |
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| Baby Blair, Mommy Rachel, Jon and Lauren |
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| Handiwoman Lauren |
