August in Vermont

Photo credits: Carolina Sunshine

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

log rolling with LoMein

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ron, Cynthia and salads

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

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

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

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

Queen Anne's Lace

Glodenrod

Ron wearing gloves for Cynthia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cynthia can make shoes muddy

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

Cynthia selfie, lake in background

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

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

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

Ron crosing stream, a daily event

5 Aug:  Fabulous day, great hike! 

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

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

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

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