need to make a decision soon

 

I need to make a decision about the walking Olympiad in Texas mid-February. Early registration closes September 30.

This is the 18th IVV Olympiad*, and it's the first time it's been held in America. That's big. I may never get the opportunity to do it again. Bonus, it's 2.5 hours from Mexico so I'll be able to walk over the pedestrian bridge and visit another country. If I had a bucket list, that would be on it. For those of you who fly that's no big deal. I don't fly. Other than Canada and Mexico, the only other countries I could visit would be by boat. That's really expensive.

 
I regress. The event is a total of eight days. The Olympiad is five days and the IML Texas Trail Roundup is three. I think the IVV has the Trail Roundup every year, like we have the IVV Freedom Festival in DC.I figure I'll need to have almost three weeks if I'm planning on grabbing a couple of states for my 50 States Book.  I have 17 out of 50. I know I will never get them all but since I'll be driving thru those states why not bump up my totals a bit. I think I can get six. Or was it seven.

So today, in my sketchbook I wrote a Pro-Con list. It also has potential "solutions". Some of them damn good if I must say so myself. I can start asking around if someone wants to take a 3-week road trip. I'll drive, do all the gas, pretty much everything. As a passenger you just need to find cheap motels and eats on an app. Angel would go. I'm sure of it. But getting three weeks off work would be nearly impossible. And I'm not sure her body could stand all the walking even if we took the train. I have other friends that might go as well, but again, at our age body parts are wearing out.

I'd need to get over my fear of extreme weather and random violence. Because it's just going to get worse. I need to get over the extreme right politics of Texas because depending on election results, Pennsylvania might actually be worse. 

Almost everything on this list can be overcome by being clever and resourceful except one. Finding a Pat-sitter for three weeks. I can't see how that would be even remotely possible. Unless a miracle drops from the sky, the conclusion is I stay home. It sucks. But that's the reality of being a caretaker.

*There are three groups involved this event: The AVA—The American Volkssport Association (based in Texas); the IVV—the International Association for Popular Sports (based in Germany); and the IML—the International Marching League. (I can't figure out where they are based.)  Volkssport walks around the world are marches, but we don't use that term here in America.

what is it?

 

 

As I was typing the last post I heard a truck drive up, pop something on my porch, ring the doorbell and leave. I hadn't ordered anything. It was my "prize" came from the winter challenge.

What is it?

Clearly is a bag. But what kind? It's 10.5x12, black vinyl (waterproof?), with a gusset on the bottom...but not the sides. One side has a clear panel that barely fits my small phone. It will not fit a regular size phone. It has a clip at the top which makes it look like a sun visor when hooked together. It also has a plastic hook. The top is stiff.

Pat thinks it's a lunch bag. I think it's too big. And that's a weird closing for a lunch bag.

I posted on the Tail on the Trail FB page and asked what it was. I think this might be destined to the hand-me-down pile.

------------------

6:46 The answer!

I've needed a dry bag once. Maybe 15 years ago when we went rafting on the "Willy Wonka Chocolate" Delaware River and I fell in and nearly killed everyone trying to rescue me. If anyone is into water sports and needs one, let me know. It's stuffed in the closet until someone has a used sporting goods yard sale.

splat

 Well, at least this time I didn't have my phone with me to break!

Pat and I went for groceries this morning so we walked around Giant. She had the world's squeakiest cart. I had our list and Sharon's list. A totally uneventful trip. I should have looked at our step count.

We dropped Sharon's groceries off  and I got back in the car. Pat says isn't there a bagel place nearby? I said yes. Since I was in a 20 minute parking zone and the parking authority was out ticketing I decided to move my car a little closer to a regular meter. Got out, walked down one side of the street and went to the bagel shop.

Crossed the street and started up the "hill" back to the car. Sidewalks on Main Street are brick and slate. They are uneven. Why, today of all days was I walking confidently with my head up? I always look down. It's my Achilles' heel.

I felt my toe hit the edge of the slate and I flew forward. Losing my sandals and landing first on my knees and then my wrists. My bag of bagels went into the street. My keys went the other direction. I was five feet from the car. Pat did not get out or open the door to check on my welfare. Thankfully a gentleman was walking up the street and set down his coffee and asked to help me up. I accepted. I actually needed both hands. He also helped me gather my stuff.

The bagels did not fly out of the bag. They were safe! Breakfast was saved.

My wrist hurts a tiny bit. Certain ways I move it. My left knee really doesn't hurt much. Thankfully I had pants on that covered my knees. One of the benefits of not wearing shorts! My right knee is red and has scratch lines but no blood was drawn. It hurts down to my ankle. It hurts even more when I walk. I have to remember to get up every half hour and move it. I'm waiting for the black and blue to start. I hope it's not like 2016 at the teens middle school when I fell and was black and blue to my toes. I was so scared that I wasted money and went to the doctor and for x-rays. I won't make that mistake this time.

Yesterday I went to chair yoga.

the money pit

 

I stopped buying gifts a long time ago. Instead I take people places. I believe the politically correct term is that I give "experiences". Whatever. Bottom line is that everybody just has too much stuff. So I make memories. For my nieces/nephews birthdays—until they turn 16—we go have fun someplace. Back in the day I had a trio going. A is the last one left. At 14, he's got 2 more adventures left.

He chose Hershey Park. Almost twice the cost of Dorney and almost two hours away on the worse stretch of Route 78. I said yes because he got stiffed the two years of the pandemic.

I took him and his cousin B. 

I ordered tickets on line at 35% off. Still more expensive than Dorney, but closer. I also bought my $25 general parking for $20 online. I did not pay for VIP parking which was an additional $15.

I should have know it was going to be a hell of a day when I thought the boys were being dropped off and their grandmother thought I was picking them up. We're headed out Rt. 22 and talking and the boys mention they don't like roller coasters. Why exactly are we going to Hershey Park then? Because they never were. 

We're approaching the first set of construction and I'm slowing down and concentrating on the signs and lane changes. On the shoulder are two tractor trailers. One suddenly pulls out in front of me and I threw on the brakes and tried to swerve. Thank goodness the people behind me saw what was happening. The person in the other lane went mostly on the shoulder and the car behind me mostly stopped. B would have taken the brunt of it, I think. 

We finally make it to Hershey. The Apple GPS (Google Maps was being a PIA) took me a different way. It was nice. I was barely on I-81 at all. The park opened at 11. We arrived at 11:20 and we were in lot 33. It was packed like sardines. I worried about Covid the whole time. I also worried about shooters. Even though we went thru metal detectors.

Everything looked different from the last time I was there. I'm thinking a Christmas event with some international students 2015, maybe 2016. I remember as you approached the gate Chocolate World was on the right and all the characters greeted you on the other side of the turnstiles. Not anymore. After hiking from the parking lot you enter Chocolatetown. Restaurants, shops, I think even an outlet mall. Brick entrance. No characters as you enter. I didn't see Chocolate World either.

You enter onto a "Main Street" which is more shopping and food. There are now restaurant chains inside the gate like Starbucks, Subway, and Chick-Fil-A. Areas are branded with sponsor corporations outside of the chocolate company. For example stroller parking was sponsored by Giant Food Stores for "future shoppers". I wanted to gag. At every turn there was a chance to be relieved of your money. Thankfully the boys were oblivious. Did I mention they don't take cash? It's a lot harder to stay on budget with a credit card.

We walked and walked and walked looking for rides that weren't roller coasters. And it turns out A doesn't like things high that spin. Limiting the choices even more.

After waiting in line and doing a couple rides, they were hungry. They downloaded the food app, studied their choices (I was impressed) and settled on a burger joint. Burgers, a soda, and fries for three was almost $70. The 20 ounce soda alone was $4.95. The fries were good. The burgers okay. At nearly $12 they weren't McDonald's quality.

We took water. But they ran out. We were almost done at the park. I told them if they could hold on a bit, out on the main highway I bet there is a Wawa/Sheetz/Turkey Hill where we can buy twice as much water for a 1/3 of the price. They agreed.

But on the way out we ended up getting Dipping Dots. My charge bill is going to come and look like the national debt.

Dog tired from the heat we took the Tram back to the parking lot.

The boys had a blast. Aunt Gayle, not so much.

PS: A huge bottle of Smart Water at Sheetz was 2/$3. We sucked those babies dry.

Miles/Steps:  9,987 steps
Weather:       high 80s, humid, overcast
Surface:         asphalt
SLF killed:     1
Wildlife:        geese, and mallards, and mutt variations of each.

not too old for girl scout camp!

 

I am not too old for Girl Scout camp. Although I have to tell you they seem so much larger than when I was a child. I needed to leave 15 minutes to get from point A to point B. And heaven forbid if I needed to get something from the car. It might as well have been in another state. HOWEVER, I carried my backpack and sleeping back from the lot to my unit. Unlike many others who drove to the unit, unloaded then went and parked.

Around the turn of the century they merged all the small Girl Scout Councils into one big one — GSEP (Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia counties). They closed and merged many camps. We were at Camp Laughing Waters in Gilbertsville. I was there twice with the twins, teen and Angel doing the Trefoil Challenge in 2017. 

It was me, Pam and her children, and her cousin Mary. I was going to invite Angel and her teen but they both work Sundays. Maybe another time we can plan ahead and they can arrange time off. The younger generation was not well represented at this event. My guess is because they are off at college or starting their own families. The majority of the people were empty-nesters — middle aged and older. There were three people that had been Girl Scouts since the early 1950s. And one post WWII. 

 

Most of the activities took place in the dining hall Friday night. It was hotter than hell in there. They needed warehouse fans. That's where I ran into Rachel Cubellis. Rachel was the founder and original leader of the Ranger Patrol. She was probably the only person there that I knew other than the people I was with. There was a half hour -- at least -- of announcements and boring stuff and then BYO dinner. Afterwards we broke into groups. I went to mosaic making with cousin Mary. Did I mention she is blind? She is. Mines the orange one above. Mary suggested a sun. It looks like a hash tag. Connie's is the shooting star above it. Everything about these are recycled. Including the terra cotta tiles they are on. That's why they are so uneven on the edges. 

I didn't sleep well Friday night. I was so hot. I should have taken a shower and rinsed off all the sweat from the dining hall before I went to bed.

Saturday Connie, Pam, and I were at the pool at 7am for "Polar Bear" swimming. The water was about 80 degrees. They swam, I walked the length of the pool and back, over and over. Did you know I can't really swim? I took lessons as a kid. I never got past Group 2. Group 1 was putting your face under water and blowing bubbles.

Then it was back to the tent to change. I didn't change since I was wearing exercise clothes. I just added a t-shirt.

 

After breakfast Connie, Hannah, Pam and Mary went to basket weaving. Pam's hip was hurting so they took the "alligator". 

Basket weaving took the whole morning. Actually, it lasted longer and into the pool party.

My letterboxing partner Carrie.)

Meanwhile, I was a little more physical. I need another basket like I need a hole in the head. I did letterboxing. It's the grandfather of geo-caching. All that's needed is a compass, something to leave a mark, and the first clue. We made rubber stamps out of this eraser-like material and super glued a cork handle. We used the compass on our phones. I would have brought a real one had they mentioned I needed one in the supplies list. My partner Carrie used her iPad for the camp map. The clues took us all over one section of camp until we "found the trefoil". Once we located the box we used the letters that we on all the clues to open the box.  After opening it, we pulled out the log and stamped it. Then you could take/leave a treasure. I left the treasures I made in my tent. I went back later and put them in.

Afterwards I I had to walk clear across camp to the pool for Aqua Zumba. I was late. Better late than never, right? After lunch we had some time to hang out at the tents. I choose to sit in this tree seat made from a felled tree.

Then it was back to the pool for the afternoon pool party. There was swimming, crafts and smoothies. The basket people finished their basket. Connie, Hannah and I all re-learned how to make the basic gimp lanyard. It had a hook on the end. Mine was only 2 feet long to start with. The young adults took long lengths and had them attached to their water bottles and worked on them all weekend. The gimp is plastic and it is difficult to keep it tight. I need to google how to finish it. Camp Mountain House was a long, long time ago.

 
After an afternoon of swimming we painted rocks and played Scattergories in the tent. I've never played before. It was fun. We were having so much fun we missed most of the nightly flag ceremony.

After dinner was the campfire inside in air conditioning. Puzzling to be sure. And it was mostly folk songs. No silly Girl Scout songs. We sang silly songs all the way back to our unit. Probably woke people up. Why were they sleeping at camp. You could stay home and do that!

Sunday Mary and I were packing by 6:15. Pam told us to be quiet and go for a walk. Mary didn't go. I found the stream and took a picture. 

After the cleanup and packing was over, we headed to the dining hall for breakfast. But first, every GS event ends with a Scouts Own and the theme was peace. This one was run by my old co-leader Rachel.

I was home by noon.

My breakdown will be a bit different this time because it's three days. The Fitbit Sharon bought me said I had zero days of exercise last week. Actually, I've only gotten three in the entire time I've had it.

This morning we did Milly. My legs yelled at me.

Miles/Steps: 
Friday 10,576 steps
Saturday 15,842 steps PLUS water walking at 7 am, Zumba at 10 am, and open swim (plying in water) from 2-4:30.
Sunday 10,018 steps
Weather:      high 80s, humid, sunny. Drizzle at night.
Surface:        lots of grass, gravel, dirt
SLF killed:    0
Wildlife:       Frog, vulture, crickets serenading at night. All night. Surprisingly not much wildlife. It was too noisy, I think.

i'm off to camp!

 

One of the many butterfly bushes in the parking lot.

This week I was back to being a slug. Clearly I need to have an appointment or be with other people to exercise. Then I'd be out there every day. I have to stop this, but how? I know, just do it. But that's easier said then done.

This week I did the Monday class with Pat and "Milly". Wednesday I did chair yoga and the senior chair class at Sharon's high rise. This week they had us sign wavers. Odd. It's been weeks. Today I needed to drop something off to Angel's car but didn't know which one was hers. I probably got 3000 steps in while pacing the parking lot. BTW, I guessed right.  Oh, and every day I walked the half mile with Pat. Okay. I guess I'm not a total slug.

Now I'm off to Girl Scout Camp with Pam and her children and cousin Mary. It will be interesting because cousin Mary is blind.

Tonight I plan to take the camp tour. That should give me a decent walk. tomorrow I plan to do the geocaching and the letterboxing as well as Aqua Zumba. I should have a full day of exercise. Can't wait to see my FitBit total for the day. Sunday is mostly cleanup, eat and get out by 11:30. I plan to go for a hike on one of the camp trails. I'm taking the scenic route home and picking up the Perky and Green Lane for the Montco Challenge. In all honesty I'll probably just do 15-20 minutes out and then back. I need to be home by 1.

Hopefully when I arrive home there will be no spilled blood. I'm not sure leaving the twins together was such a fab idea. They get along so well.

two real walks in a row!

About two weeks ago I was contacted by someone who I used to walk with. I met her thru volkssport walking. She is a native Jamaican, and is a teacher's aide in the Easton School District. We were supposed to walk last week but it was just too hot. Today we went to the Karl Stirner Arts Trail. The best part was she never new it existed. 

She wasn't sure where the trail head was but she knew where the ice cream shop was at the Silk Mill. We began there.

We walked thru the lots and over the pedestrian bridge and turned left. Then we turned left again onto the "nature trail" and followed that back to the main trail. It comes out around the Easton Cemetery Gate. I took her down the musical path near the dog park and over the blue bridge. The blue bridge is now the young peoples art wall. We followed the path thru to the stairs at Lafayette College and turned around and came back.

Top: The gate by Lafayette. You can see the barracades down by the house. Bottom: the gate at 13th street. Mural on wall says "keep Going" multiple times with people in the background.  The same gate is at the blue bridge.

At the blue bridge is a new arch. The same one is at the 13th Street entrance. There is also one at Lafayette but it's different. There are also cement barriers on the street by Lafayette. Not at the entrances, but behind the Don Juan's parking lot, and then on the other end, right past the house. It is clearly no longer a through street

This time we didn't use the nature trail to come back. We kept on the art's trail. It was there that I found these words in the fence. Sorry, the pics are shitty. The first is Believe, then Love, then Create with a spiral, and finally Peace. I think that these are added by someone, not part of the regular art.

We went past the pedestrian bridge so she could see the 13th Street trailhead. (My arm was buzzing. Sharon's FitBit was having some sort of hissy fit. I ignored it.) Looking up 13th she knew exactly where it is located. Then we walked back to the bridge and the parking lots.

It turns out I hit 10K steps and apparently the FitBit celebrates.

Miles/Steps: 11K
Weather:      84s, sunny, breezy, not as humid
Surface:        gravel, dirt
SLF killed:    4
Wildlife:       Heard geese. Saw a doe driving home. She looked thin.

the week so far

 It's no secret that it's been hotter than Hell for the past few weeks. We've had four heat waves, the latest -- 8 days -- broke during the night. My house has been a balmy 90 degrees. Today when I woke up it was 82. I nearly cried I was so happy.

Even though the house was 90 degrees, we still did Milly on Monday. I was pretty wet when we were done. I did not stick to my chair because my pants covered my knees. Thank goodness.

Wednesday I met Pam for chair yoga. There was only three of us. This week we used tennis balls under our feet. Afterwards I went up to Newhard's Corn Shed for corn. Damn that place is busy. I took my bag back from last year thinking I could reuse it. But that's not how it works. All the corn is packaged in plastic net drawstring half dozens (7) or dozens (13) bags. No shucking here! You put the return bags in a bin. I checked with the clerk to be sure they reused the bags. Because if they were headed for the dumpster I'd take it home and find a use for it. 

Today I hosted a volkssport walk on the Saucon Rail Trail. We met at Upper Saucon Park. Two people arrived early and biked part of the trail. Then those same two, plus another, finished the trial after the walk. We only did a 5K

I was really hoping we could do the new section of the trail. It looks finished, but it is still blocked off. I personally would not go thru the barrier it is lined in poison ivy. Instead we just walked toward Hellertown.

We haven't had much rain in weeks. The storms always go somewhere else. This shows you how dry the creek was.

I only did a 5K but I kept up with everyone, at the end of the pack. I was tired. It just shows how out of shape I am.

Miles/Steps: 5k
Weather:      low 80s, sunny, still very humid
Surface:        gravel
Bathrooms:  I-3.5
Wildlife:       I'm not sure. A black bird with white tail tips. It was beautiful. But when I looked for it online it only lives in New Zealand. Impossible.

seated zumba

 

A former neighbor and friend lives in the Moravian Apartments on Wood Street. A few weeks ago I was there and we got talking about exercise and she mentioned she went to chair Zumba. What? So I came home and started googling. Nothing. I found Senior Zumba but none that said they used a chair. My friend said she'd check if she could have a guest.

Last week she emailed and said it was a go. We picked today. She had a few other things she needed help with, as did her husband. We decided I'd come over and help out/chat, then go to class and return to her apartment. This morning she called and asked if I wanted to stay for lunch. It was a date.

I arrived a little late because of the south side road construction. But we were plenty early for class. There might have been a dozen people there. The instructor, Danny, knew everyone. I was clearly the odd man out.  

It was quite the workout.

It was Zumba so the music all had a quick beat. He also used more familiar music which was kind of nice.  And since it was Musikfest week he added the Pennsylvania Polka and the Chicken Dance. I think I did the chicken dance once. It's way easier on your feet. And doing a polka seated it dang hard!

Everything was waist up, so it was 75% arms. My arms were sore at the end of the class. I'd go again.

When we got back to her apartment she showed me a sheet with all the exercise classes on it. All seated. There is at least one every day. Sometimes two. Chair yoga, stretching, Zumba, exercise, you name it. My friend said they want them to be healthy. Clearly.

wth? i clearly attract weird illnesses.

 In previous posts you've heard about my odd diseases. For example who in first world countries get scabies besides me? Twice. And test positive for Covid 3xs. And a latissimus dorsi muscle strain. The straw that broke the camel's back  is the person who is always out in the sun has a bottom dwelling Vitamin D number. So much has happened I don't even remember. Nothing serious but never the less a PIA.

The mega doses of Vitamin D gave me explosive diarrhea. I manage that by taking the D at night giving it 12 hours before I put food in my system. I no longer trust my body and like the mother of a toddler, I know where all the public restrooms are.

The explosive diarrhea led to what I thought was a UTI. All the symptoms were there. I sent a message to the doctor and she sent orders for a urine analysis. No biggie. The initial one said that there was bacteria and they were growing a culture. She ordered an antibiotic. I didn't even get to pick it up before she called with a new prescription. The culture indicated salmonella.

 

 

WTF? Where did I get salmonella at? This test result arrived today. The Health Department called yesterday. I must be on their hot sheet. They also called when I had positive covid tests.  Clearly I am a public health risk.

I called the health bureau back today. They had questions. Now all this began maybe July 13 or 14. I had the test the next week. They've been growing this thing since then. First she asked me when I got sick and how I feel now. I told her I haven't been sick so I feel fine. 

 

They questions were from the two weeks prior to the outbreak? What outbreak? Then she asked about different foods. Some surprised me. Leafy greens for example. Or nuts. Where I brought my groceries. Where I went out to eat. Those kinds of things. My answers were no, maybe, perhaps, probably for the most part. Only once did I say yes. Eggs. I go thru at least a dozen a week. My favorite question was what water do I drink. The answer? Bethlehem city.

The medicine is horse pills. They are huge. I take them twice a day and have all kinds of restrictions. I can't take a vitamin within 6 hours of taking it. That's hard with mega doses of D. I also can't be out in the sun unless I wear long sleeves. I don't have any fancy sun clothes so I'm staying in the house or car. I'm not wearing long sleeves and pants in 90+ weather.

I have been cheating a little. We've been walking at 6 am, Pat's half mile. But sometimes we walk at stores when they first open. I took her to Costco to walk on Monday. We went to Giant on Saturday. She didn't like Costco.  Tomorrow is yoga and senior exercise. Friday I'll be trying chair Zumba with Mary Liz. Thursday my medicine ends and I'll be able to go outside again. 

 

And only four more weeks of mega 50K vitamin D. The weekly 4K shouldn't give me diarrhea.