Day 974: Rock climbing!

Such an exhilarating day!  Our first rock climbing experience was thrilling! We traveled to the Scioto Park where there is a 35 foot tall climbing wall.  Brad hooked up the rope line to use to belay the climbers and then taught us the basics.  Sarah demonstrated and then coached from the sidelines.  Unfortunately, Steve's knees would not cooperate so he did not get very high.  The titanium knees do not provide much flexibility.  Nancy did not try it this time, but maybe in the future.

My brother Steve was amazing on his first try.  He quickly learned and was able to scramble to the top quickly. Jason and Laurie have climbed this wall many times, so they also zoomed to the top.

From the ground, the holds looked fairly close together, but one in the wall, I struggled to reach each one.  My first ascent took eight and a half minutes.  The peanut gallery kept shouting advice and directions.  "Put your right hand where your left hand is.  There's a little ledge to your left. Push up with your right foot.  Take a breather.  You're almost there!  Way to go!"

My second ascent was on a different rock face and  took only three and a half minutes!  My brother and I agreed that we have to find a facility in Buffalo!  Steve learned how to belay us

When we arrived at this free, public facility,  we were alone, then gradually young families arrived.  Dads and moms coached their kids in free climbs and when using the automatic belayer that had a break mechanism inside.  They displayed remarkable agility and strength!

Laurie made our traditional roast beef, Yorkshie Pudding and gravy dinner when we returned to her home .  It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend!

Day 973: the hottest day

The hottest day of the year and no pool access!  A private party at the pool in Laurie's complex kept me from a short dip on this day of 90 plus temps.  And no one was swimming !  So, the streak ended at 79 days straight of swimming!

Nevertheless,  we had a terrific day as Brad and Sarah showed us the hip side if downtown Columbus.  We ate far too much.  I started with creamy black raspberry chip custard in waffle come.  Steve had a black cow which is a root beer float with chocolate.  We visited the North Market where Caitlin works and discovered an international bazaar of food selections.  There we got a Vietnamese sandwich.  Fabulous!

At the Greek festival, we picked up a tray of Greek pastries, including baklava.  Then, after walking miles, we stopped to rest at the original Max and Erma's in Germantown where we had a pitcher of  blackberry sangria.  All before dinner at Milestone 229!  All through the day, we chatted together and reconnected after all the months apart.

Brad, Steve, Laurie, Sarah, Nancy and Steve

 At the river front park

Chareth

The stray cat my sister and nephew adopted.  He's deaf and about 12 years old.  He had to have all his teeth removed because of the intense infection they discovered when he showed up at their door.  He's had three surgeries because of different health problems.  Remarkably, he was welcome to join their family because they have big hearts and their three old cats died within the last year.

Day 972: Family time!

Day 79:
Air temp: 75
Water temp: 70
Lengths: 200
Total miles: 81.15

The girls of our family about ten years ago

Jennifer, Nancy holding MacKenzie, Me holding Caitlin who turned 21 this week, and her mom, Laurie

Day 971: Tomatoes galore!

Day 78:
Air temp: 68-70 ish
Water temp: 71 degrees
Lengths: 250
Total miles: 80.1   Woohoo!

The streak will come to an end tomorrow because we will be away in Columbus for the holiday weekend.  Even though we may have access to a pool at Laurie's house, it's not likely there will be time to swim.  And really, 79 straight days is enough!  It's time to other things and be a bit more productive.  Although, I really would have preferred to hit 80 days in a row.

Hundreds of tomatoes ripened all at once.  Golden yellow tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, firm plum tomatoes and beefy slicing tomatoes!

Lean, nutritious and yummy lunch!

The creek is almost entirely dried up.  Only a trickle of water is cutting through the rock.  What a contrast to earlier in the summer when water six feet deep raged and rolled. 

Day 970: Laura

Day 77:

Water temp: 73 degrees

Air temp: 75 ish

Lengths: 250 

Total miles: 78.85!  

Last night I got a wonderful surprise call from my childhood friend, Laura.  We haven't seen each other in about two years.  We picked up where we left off as if we had never been apart.  This morning we spent a few more hours talking about their travels across the US, our travels around the world, interesting people they've met, books we've read or want to read, our book clubs, fond memories, roofs and furnaces,  her four sons and six grandsons, our sons.

Her family lived just a few houses away from us on Berry Rd. so every day we walked to middle school together and then later we sat side by side on the bus to the high school.   We were in Girl Scouts  and traveled to camp and Washington, DC.  Gosh, I have missed her.  

It was a trip to her wedding in Poughkeepsie that solidified my relationship with Steve.  Although we had only known each other a few weeks, he volunteered to drive me to her wedding.  We talked non stop for the eight hour trip.  I made baked chicken and macaroni salad for us to eat on the way and that became a standard for every trip we took for our first fifteen years or so together.    

She and her husband traveled from Iowa to visit with her 92 year old father who still alone in the same house.  They are struggling now to figure out what to do to keep him safe.  He has no family nearby.  Laura is 12 hours away and her siblings live in Arizona.  Worried and uncertain, they are struggling to help him remain independent, but safe.

Day 969: Violet Etching

Day 76:
Air temp: 84 ish
Water temp: 73!  Probably the highest of the season
Lengths: 300   It's the first time I swam 300 two days in a row.
Total miles: 77.57
Condition: Starving all the time, shoulder healed, grateful for the pool and the strength to keep going!

Violet Etching

Day 968: Long shadows

Day 75:
Water temp: 72!  Yay!
Air temp: 80 ish
Lengths: 300!
Total miles: 76!
Very happy that my shoulder cooperated so that I could do backstroke again.

This gorgeous lily, Angels Around Us, continues to awe.  It must have produced fifty or sixty flowers over the course of six weeks.   Deeply ruffled and intensely colored, it's lush and lovely.  

 The sun was low in the sky when I finished swimming about 6:20.  Piercing the willow leaves, it cast long shadows across the back yard.  

Day 967: 68th Birthday

As Steve says, he's happy he got up this morning.  It may not seem like much, but we are grateful for each day, every birthday, our good health and vigor.  Although he was less vigorous today.  The high adventure course was fun but trying on his knees and my shoulders.

Finally, I made barbecued baby back ribs for his birthday celebration.  It's his favorite meal and I had never tried to make them.  We always went out to get ribs.  The key, apparently, is to bake them covered for a few hours at a very low heat and then put them on the grill for the last few minutes with lots of sauce.  They were delicious!  Better than most we've had in restaurants.  I also made a pasta salad, corn on the cob, zucchini with tomatoes and baked salmon.

For his gift, Mary found pear cider at Wegman's and brought him two six packs!  We had it in Scotland and loved it.  She also brought a fabulous chocolate ice cream cake.  Wow!  Lots of calories today.

Glads

Spacecoast Gone Bulldoggin'

This is the gift that Mr. and Mrs. Nass gave us on our last visit.

Spectacular!

I managed to swim 220 lengths, but with a modified backstroke only every tenth lap.  My right shoulder is better, but still needs rest.  It's ironic, isn't it?  I swam on all kinds of crappy days in freezing water.  The water and weather are finally warm and now it hurts too much to do lots of swimming.

Day 966: Celtic Festival

Water temp: 70
Air temp: 78
Lengths: 130
Total Miles: 73.4

My shoulders were too tired and sore to swim any more.  I could not do any backstroke because of the pain, so instead we went for a long walk on this lovely evening.

The Amish have a distinctive way of stacking their hay based on old traditions .

As we travel to Mayville via Thayer Hill Rd, we are always moved by the images the Amish community offers.  Today, beyond the harvested field, was a stunning view of the valley below.  

The Chautauqua Belle

The Vietnam Veterans honor guard

One of the marching units

Tossing the caber

New construction

Yesterday, I noticed that the leaves of the sweet potato vines in my containers had been eaten.  What on earth could have consumed so many up on the decks?   In the past deer have eaten from the pots when the vines were hanging over the edge of the deck, but that was not the case.  Plants on the house level had been eaten as well.  Early this morning, Steve got up and went to the back door to let Molly in.  And there on the deck looking inside was a woodchuck!  It was nibbling on my flowers when Steve startled it so it darted down the side stairs into a new burrow that it must have dug yesterday.  Now what?  Steve called a pest control service about a live trap, but no one called back.  We'll figure something out.  

Day 965: New adventure course

We've had a long, physically strenuous, but delightful day.  In addition to our adventures at Peak N Peak, I also swam 220 lengths when we got home.   I'll write more tomorrow about the high adventure course at Peak N Peak after a rest.

On the lift traveling to the top of the mountain, and our first trip down the Big Zip!

Climbing on  the obstacles!

 

Day 964: Forty-third anniversary

You know it's a real vacation when Steve turns off his county phone!  It was wonderful to be free of the emails, texts and calls.  We spent the afternoon at Presque Isle.  Years ago, when the kids were small, we visited the peninsula a few times, but we haven't returned for many years.  It's very picturesque, has about a dozen beaches, trails, boat launches, and picnic areas.  A few hours was not enough to explore much, so we will have to return.

Dinner was at a Mediterranean restaurant called Casablanca Grill that was recommended by a friend from Facebook.

Casablanca platter

Baklava, my favorite dessert!

I did 50 lengths before we departed, just to keep the streak alive.

Day 963: Glads

My dear friend Laraine arrived today with a huge bouquet of gladiolas as a gift for our anniversary.  It is always a bittersweet celebration, but she wishes us nothing but the best.  We were married just two weeks apart in 1971.  She and Mike were married on August 7 and I stood up for her.  Then Mike returned to active duty since he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.  Two weeks later, she was by my side.  We've been through everything together for more than fifty years.  The worst time, of course, was when Mike was killed by a drunk driver in April, 2000.  There have been many dark, sad days since then, but she is grateful that she had a loving, devoted husband for 29 years.  And I am incredibly grateful to have her in my life.

So, Steve is off on another night time rescue.  He got a report that two girls are lost near Arkwright Falls.  We know that gorge and it's dangerous at night.  They have GPS coordinates so maybe it won't take all night to find this group.

Day 70
Water temp: 67  We're picking up a new solar cover tomorrow.
Air temp: 75
Lengths: 250   I should have done 300 cause then I would have had 14000 lengths.
Total miles: 71.3

Day 962: Annie's senior year

Day 69:
Water temp: 67!  What a difference 2 degrees can make!
Air temp: 75
Lengths today: 260
Total lengths: 13,700
Total miles: 70!  Hooray, hooray!

We visited with our neighbors across the street who also have a backyard, above ground pool.  There's is 70-75 degrees!  So why on earth would ours be so much cooler.  A close examination of our solar cover revealed that it is worthless.  There is no air left in the bubbles.  Tomorrow, we'll replace it and perhaps we can warm the water to a more comfortable level.

It was Annie's last night with us at the Big Dipper.  She departs on Saturday for her senior year at Oswego.  The years have flown by since we met her during her eighth grade Quest.  She spent four years working with us as assistant stage manager and then as a student leader.  She's had some tough times, but things are better now and we hope she has an amazing final year.

Annie, me, Amy and Steve

Mildred Simpson

Day 961: 68 miles

The water is not any warmer. Steve came in to float on the raft and was shocked at how cold it felt.   I did 250 lengths, so I'm up to 68.7 miles for day 68.  After dinner, I started shivering, so I wrapped up in a fleece and fell asleep instantly.  It will be good to take a day off on Thursday.

The EMT class started tonight.  It's Steve's last first class.  He was so irritated just before he left the house because a student emailed him at the last minute to say "something came up" and she couldn't attend class.  How does that happen on registration night?   Next year at this time, we'll be preparing for our western trip!

Day 960: Ruttenbur trail in August

The pool really warmed up!  65 degrees!  Sunny and warm today, I hardly noticed the water temp on the first half mile, but the second was much harder to handle.  220 lengths took me to 67.4 miles on day 67.

Fat Lady Sings - its first bloom

A perfect day to hike our favorite section of the Ruttenbur trail

The middle pond

Pond  reflections

Our boy Paddy, sleeping amid the lilies!

Day 959: Crazy woman

My husband calls me a crazy woman.  The pool was 63 degrees today. The cold nights keep sapping the warmth from the water.   I eased myself in and gasped.  Holding at each step for a few minutes, gradually I got accustomed to the cold.  It's always hardest to dunk my chest and shoulders.  Some believe in jumping in all at once, but not me.  As soon as it's tolerable, I just ignore the cold.  I did 60, got out to warm up, then another 60.  So, on day 66, I'm at 66.3 miles.  It started sprinkling just as I exited.  Perfect timing, I thought.  But, by the time I was done with my hot shower, the sun was shining for the first time today.

I should have had Steve take a picture of the thermometer, not me.  

Day 958: Wings and things

The air was warmer, but the water colder.  I only swam 50 lengths, just enough to keep the streak alive.  The next week is going to be more normal summer temperatures.  I will break the streak on Thursday, when we go away for our 43rd anniversary, but not before!  Then we will try out a new mountain adventure park at Peak and Peak Ski Resort on Friday.  Should be a blast cause they have a few long zip lines.

I almost forgot that we saw the heron last night fishing in Canadaway Creek at 8 pm.  We've never seen one that late in the day.  And it was upstream from the bridge, which was also unusual.  It was too dark to capture a good shot of it, but I'll try again.  I did capture the sad sight of a maple turning red along the creek bank.  Another sign of autumn.

We moved most of the furniture outside and cleaned all the carpets this morning.  Then I trimmed back many of the lily stems and hosta seed pods to keep the garden neat.  We topped off the day with dinner at Whiskey Hill.  Their garbage charred wings are the best ever!

Chautauqua Strawberry Parfait

Canadaway Creek

Ziegfeld Follies

Day 957: Taste of autumn

Signs of autumn:

Day 64
Water temp: 65
Air temp: 63
Lengths: 110
Miles: 64.8
Reaction: Icy fingers and toes that required a hot shower and spending an hour wrapped in quilt and fleece.

Dinner: roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, yellow beans and fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden.  Definitely a fall meal.

Late lilies:

Harvest: Cherry tomatoes, yellow beans, a golden tomato, four banana peppers and two slicing tomatoes!

Day 956: Up all night

So, who got lost in Chautauqua Gorge yesterday?  Who decided to hike in a creek gorge despite predictions of heavy rain?  Who continued to hike after dark with water rising, no jackets or food?  Five kids from the same group of 96 students that were lost in the same gorge last month.

Four fire departments, the search team,  the tactical rescue team, and fire coordinators, spent the whole night working to locate them, and then get safety lines and blankets to them.  It was too dark and dangerous to extract them from a high ledge during the night, so that operation took place at first light.  When they were safely on level land, they left without thanks to anyone who gave up their night and risked their own safety.

I couldn't help worrying, but his texts were reassuring.  He was at the command center, not wandering the creek bed.  So, I went to bed at 1:30 and texted with Steve off and on till 3:00 then slept till 6:30.  Steve slept from 7 to 10 when the phone rang.  So, tonight, we are very sleepy.

A funnel cloud was spotted over Fredonia at 5:30 today.   I had just gotten out of the pool and was making dinner, so we never noticed it.  The temperature seemed too cool for a tornado, it was only 65 degrees.  Since the pool was 67, it actually felt warm!  I did 120 lengths under dark clouds with intermittent sunny periods.  I guess I am now immune to the cold.  So on day 63, my total miles are 64.8!  Tomorrow will be even cooler.

Today was my brother Steve's birthday as well Glenn's.  I asked him if he wanted to have dinner with us and he said no.  He was going to get an oil change and take a nap.  A thrilling birthday!  That guys works too much!

Ezekial

Day 955: Night search

It is so very sad that Robin Williams committed suicide yesterday, but I find it profoundly sad whenever someone takes their own life.  It means they have been enduring extreme pain, despair and fear and then finally couldn't stand the agony any longer.  Overwhelmed by pain and torment, the only solution they could see was to end it all.   Much of the country is in mourning, but others have offered insensitive, cruel remarks.  One referred to the publicity his death earned while soldiers die without any attention.   However, Williams had served the troops for many years, offering his gifts to help soldiers deal with the challenges of combat and being away from their families.  I feel for his family as I have for the families of my friends who were also left behind to grapple with terrible loss.

Now,  at 10:30, Steve was called to a search for five hikers lost in Chautauqua Gorge.   No, No, No!  Such a dangerous job!  How can they conduct a search now?  Just getting into that deep gorge is too difficult at night.  They should wait till first light.  Hopefully, he'll be back in a few hours and then resume the search in the morning.  It's a good thing I took a nap today, cause there will be no sleep tonight.

Last night, he announced to his EMT instructors that this will be his last EMT class as CIC (certified instructor coordinator).  For thirty years, he's been in charge and for 39 years he has taught young, eager students how to save lives.  It's a remarkable achievement and an incredible gift to our entire community.   Two four hour classes each week and three every other week from mid August to mid December, plus the planning, hiring, completing forms, scheduling, counseling, purchasing, studying.  Of course, he has to take the exams, too.   Wow!

So, next fall, we will take our month long trip out west.  Close the pool up by mid September and take off to see the national parks.  We have always wanted to see "the middle" of the country.  Now, we will have our chance.

This is why our furniture is covered with sheets.  Paddy has broken with his tradition of sleeping all day in the basement.  Now, he surprises us with a new choice each day and Steve's chair has captured his attention.

Royal Finale