River Rafting in Boise and My New Swing = My Blood Thinner

Written on 6-29-2020.

B, Kody, and I are camping at Willard Bay State Park in Utah, and we will be on our way to Boise later this afternoon to go see Danielle.  We just took Kody for a walk out on the North Eagle Beach, and we will leave close to the 1:00 checkout time here.  He was so funny, because he had never seen little waves coming in at the shore, and he didn’t know what to make of them.  He jumped back when some of them lapped up to the shore, and he bit at them, too.  It was funny to see him react to those for the first time.  

Yesterday was my one of my birthdays, the brain tumor one.  I now have three birthdays, since I had a stroke on September 8th.  So, the dates for all of my birthdays are 1-29-67 (birth), 6-28-11 (survived brain surgery), and 9-8-19 (survived a stroke).  Hopefully, I won’t have any more.  That’s enough.  No more, please.  

Today is Matt Frings’ 26th birthday, too.  That’s just past the quarter life crisis age, according to James.  I am sure he will survive it.  That is soooo young.

I will write more later during this trip, I am certain.  It is 3 minutes past 12:00, so we are going to pack up.  I am so excited!  We get to see our daughter today!

Until later…

Written on 7-3-2020.

I am sitting at the dining room table in Baker Street, and it’s on the cusp of dusk here (8:42 PM) at the Green River State Park.  Just like in Canada at the Algonquin Provincial Park, we had to move over to a different site today.  Belinda looked for a place where we could camp somewhere on the way back home, and she found this place.  Linda Crone also recommended it.

We managed to snag last night’s spot online a couple of nights ago, #32, but it was reserved by someone else tonight (a Bambi Airstream with a matching silver Toyota truck), but we were able to get spot #22 tonight.  Somebody had cancelled their...

More on Moe and My First Lesson with Luke

 Written on 6-23-2020.

        I am watching another YouTube video on Moe, and this one it titled Moe Norman Documentary Full Demo Reel/Sample.  I’ve waited to watch this one, but it piqued my interest, especially because of the frame that shows Moe wearing a black mask introducing the video.  

It says that Moe could hit 800 golf balls in a day without a problem.  Is that what I am about to do?  I rather doubt it.  I’ve still been unable to make full swings, because my clubs are in the shop.  I called Don today to check on their status, and he said they will be ready by tomorrow at 11:00.  I am thrilled to get going with this, and I have my lesson with Luke on Thursday, but I want to go to the range first and give this new swing a go.

Somebody on this video just said, “Golf was a refuge for him.  Through golf, he just found this place of serenity and peace.”

Todd Graves said, “You should watch him hit a golf ball.  It’s freakish how good he is.”

Tim O’Connor said, “I believe it is the most efficient, simple way to hit a golf ball ever devised.”

Inspiring stuff.

Written on 6-25-2020.

I just had my first lesson with Luke (last name) this morning, and it was great!  I told him that I had really only used the newer swing the night before at the Pinon Hills range.  This was only the second time, so I wasn’t sure how it would go, but it helps that...

Chimney and Companion Rock with My Companion

Written on 6-19-2020.

I am sitting at the dining room table inside our Alto, and I just got a little bit of Ben and Jerry’s Salted Caramel Core ice cream on my left index finger.  I didn’t bother to lick it off, so it has made the letters f, r, t, and g a bit sticky.  We got some ice cream for both of us today at the Wal-Mart in Pagosa, and we saved it for tonight.  Belinda chose Chocolate Fudge Brownie.    

We are staying here for our second night at the Ute Campground, spot #24, outside of Pagosa Springs and near Chimney Rock.  We went to Chimney Rock and Companion Rock (we didn’t know until today that Companion Rock even had a name) for the first time today, and it was marvelous.  They had a kennel for Kody to stay in down below with plenty of shade while we explored the site and the ruins.  It took us about an hour and a half to view the upper and the lower sites, and we wondered, as we walked along, how many times have we driven by without ever stopping.  Always admiring it from Hwy. 160, but never stopping.  Now, we can say we have done it.  We stopped.

This trip happened spontaneously, and that’s the way I had hoped to use our Alto.  I didn’t want to take a lot of time planning and prepping to go somewhere; I just wanted to go.  It took us less than an hour to pack up this time, and we were on the road.  We threw together some food in bags and brought it down to the fridge and freezer.  We packed our clothes and our shave kits quickly and easily.  We gathered the dog’s stuff together and got the cat ready for our absence.  We are getting faster at hooking up the trailer.  It was magnificent, I thought, how fast we got ready, and I don’t think we forgot anything.  B just reminded me that we did go back for the map of our southwest area, but we chose to go get it.  We didn’t really need it.  

And, here we are.  We ate at Rosie’s Pizzeria for lunch after the tour of Chimney Rock, and we had leftovers for dinner.  Oh, and the ice cream.   

On to golf…

I have my lesson with Luke this Thursday.  Those lessons will be a...

Perpetual Practice, Patience, and Perspective

 Written on 6-16-2020.

        It’s a Tuesday afternoon, and Belinda is back from her cabin trip with her lady teacher friends.  They had a wonderful time, despite a new fire that was 14 miles away.  B called this group Steel Magnolias this time, and it is because they have been meeting consistently for nearly two decades now.  Just a bunch of old ladies getting together for conversation, food, gossip, and therapy.  

Kody and I had a swell time together while B was away.  “Bach”ing it, as it is called.  I was his nurse, though, giving him his meds and wrapping his leg in bandages.  We walked more than we have since the accident, too, and he was really pulling on the extendable leash to go after lizards, a sure sign of his recovery.  The leash would make a high zipping sound as it let out, and I had to say, “Easy!” as it got close to its full length, so he wouldn’t snap the line…or his neck.  

Even with my vigilance, he still managed to...