Day 332:

I woke early, thinking that the only way to get my exercise in today would be to do it early. A one mile swim is a pleasant way to start the day, even if it is a little out of focus. My eyes were too tired to try out my contacts so early, so I went boldly naked-eyed. This is something I have done plenty of times, but usually in different light. The end of the pool repeatedly came sooner than I was expecting, and a few times I jammed my already blackened fingernail into the cement wall. A bit of a shock, but no further harm done.

Work was good, I got loads done. But by the end of the day, that tiny tickle that teased for so long, blossomed into a full blown runny nose.

I left class early, and am now determined to get into my giant bed and sleep and sleep and sleep. I keep asking myself: what happened to all that mental toughness? These days, I just want to sleep.

Day 331:

We ran tonight, in a new and fun location on trail in Foothill Ranch. It was dark, so going was really slow. But we ran up hills, setting markers to work toward and keep us moving. 4.6 miles and it felt good.

Class tomorrow, long day ahead, starting with a 5:45 swim. Gotta get to bed.

Day 330: Rest day

This evening, just as the sun was about to set, JE took me to the beach for a little run. I have been feeling like I needed to move but also wanted to spend some time on the beach. It was a perfectly beautiful sunset, the kind that distorts perspective and magnifies color so that palm trees and buildings on Laguna Beach look like toys. It was a short run, undone by a dodgy high-tide and a multitude of tourists. We ran about a mile total, on the sand and rocks and through Heisler park. Fun.

I have a habit of taking photos, but not with my camera. When I see a man taking a photo of a woman with kids, I assume they are a family and offer my services as automated tripod. I have taken perhaps hundreds of photos this way. As we were finishing our walk/run, there was a huge family in one of the picnic areas taking photos. "Is this guy supposed to be in the picture?" I asked, coming up beside him. The whole group cheered. They were visiting family from Afghanistan. As we were leaving, they offered kabob. Meat on a stick? No need to ask twice! It was a bit of amazing, lamb, beef and chicken, all covered in garlicky green spiciness. They kept food coming at us and then it started getting awkward, we left with lots of thanks, smacking our lips. Such kindness!

Tonight, I broke my week down into hours. Provided I don't have to work overtime, I might be able to get everything done that I need too. This week, rather than breaking my workouts into AM/PM and on which days, I feel like I need to make a goal of distances. This class I am taking will be a lot easier after this show opens.

So my goals this week are:
Run: 20 miles
Swim: 3 miles
Bike: 26 miles
Circuit training: 2 half hour segments

JE won't be home this week--his project has been extended for a couple weeks. His work is incredibly deadline oriented, as is mine. The difference is that if I don't get something done, an actor goes on stage naked. Every deadline oriented job needs a live audience to improve the threat of impending doom... So, we made a huge baked pasta for JE to take to work so that I don't have to worry about him (I still will worry about him, I just won't have to take dinner to him).

I will make dinner that will also be lunch the next day for both of us.
Monday: Garlicky White beans and spring green salad
Tuesday: Sandwich (class night)
Wednesday: Tuscan Bread Soup
This is really hard right now to even think about. My week feels daunting, I need to finish a gift for my Gram's 92nd bday that is coming up really quick. We are making a book of Nuni and Sassathorne for her. She loves them and calls them the twins. Between that and drafting a pattern for JE's suit, making the mock up, I've got a really full plate. But I can do it, I have a goal that I'll not make public until I know for sure that I am heading that way. HEHEEE! It's a good one, and exciting! I just need to get through this week!

Day 329: Sweeping

Waking up was nice, no alarm clock, just the sun in the window. Really, I think it was the room warming up as the sun grew hotter. We spent a good portion of the day lazing and making the house guest worthy. Tonight was our Subway reunion dinner.

We had two couples from the hike and we shared a meal and then had a "slide-show" on our projector. It was good fun. I made a couple awesome things. Lemon bars that rocked the free-world and tomatillo chicken that I made up as I went along (daring when there are guests involved).

After our guests left, JE and I cleaned up and then went for a little 4 mile run. It felt so good to move and be out there in the dark. I love that! It feels like I swept away some of that pesky cold that was trying to take up residence.

Tomatillo chicken

Saute 1 medium onion in olive oil.
process 1.25 pounds of peeled and washed tomatillos in a food processor until it looks like chunky salsa. Add to the onion and simmer until the liquid begins to evaporate. Add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup chicken stock, and 4 chicken breasts cut into chunks. Cook covered until chicken is done, adding liquid as needed.

Day 328:

I have been struck by plague. Or just the common cold. feeling like crap, and to top it off, I closed my index finger in the door. My fingernail went purple instantly and is now black and pulsing.

the beanbag awaits...

Day 327: Mine all Mine

Mr. Bingly came for his fitting today, I am making his frock coat and vest. It was fun to see him in it, with very few alterations needed to make it fit--just the sleeves (my greatest nemesis in the pattern drafting world). Now for the finish work. I am also making Mr. Bennet's coat and vest. Paloma, our designer, chose a really interesting linen blend for it, it's fun to work with. I'll fit that tomorrow.

It is nearly one am and JE isn't home from work yet. Poor guy, he is sick and has to work overtime on this crazy project. I made him a bowl of nourishing noodles with vegetables and chicken breast, so when he gets home he doesn't have to resort to his usual bowl of Cheerios.

Last night as I was washing dishes, it felt and sounded as though something really big had hit the house. This morning, as I tried to open the garage, the automatic door opener would not roll the door open. JE came down and figured out that the spring had broken. It shook the house!

Tonight, I moved my getting-rid-of-it-pile to the other side of the garage, making way for the car to change sides of the garage. However, it left the entire garage open for a really fun workout. Nike training kicks butt, but not my butt tonight! With the entire two car garage wide open, I danced my way through the recovery periods. I moved a mirror out to the garage so I could focus on my form. It seemed like I was watching my legs get smaller through the 45 minute workout. I guess with the contracting of muscles, they possibly did get smaller.When things got hard for me, I told myself that no one else wants me to do it. I am the only one I am working for, NO shortcuts!

Day 326:

How does it get to be 1am already? I feel a bit wired.

Work is fun, now that I am dealing with real fabric and people. It's like a little reward for doing so much math. Restate: For doing math correctly... It is a truly lovely thing when everything starts working together and fits and looks smooth and beautiful. sigh... The process is really only just beginning. There is so much detail and finishing work.

I just learned that our Mr. Darcy keeps bees on the roof of his 8 story building in LA. Sooooooo jealous. I tried to offer a trade of pie for honey, but alas, I think he misunderstood and offered a sample. Oh well.

JE just got home about half an hour ago. Time goes so quick. Tonight, I got home and by the time I went running, it was after 8. After my quick 3 miler, I sat reading Runner's World on the landing for around an hour. Totally ready to do this again. I need to find a goal. I know I work so much better that way--outward accountability.

A friend posted on her Facebook page the other day: "The greatest step toward success is self-confidence. The greatest builder of self-confidence is self-esteem, and self-esteem comes from doing the daily things you know you should." -- Jim Rohn via Myles Martinson. I would substitute success for happiness. When I think about how good I feel when I am working hard physically in training, I know how hard I need to work to get there, but I don't always have the discipline to get there. Goals help me find that discipline. And I think this statement is true on a lot of other levels. There is such a fine balance of all things: emotional, mental, physical, spiritual. Before I started training, I didn't realize how much physicality contributes to happiness in those other areas. My little three miler today, was a stress reliever, a problem solver, and an invigorating. I came back wondering why I am skimping on my running lately. It seems that that crazy pain in my calf doesn't hit until I run into my 4th mile. Perhaps three is my magic number. And I wore different shoes...

Day 325: School

Last night I crashed before I could write that I swam a mile and a bit, thwarted a little by the kids in the pool who mostly cooperated with me asking for just one lane. The youngest of the group, probably around 11, missed my by inches as he jumped into the pool--twice! Good grief! School, where are you???

Today was a bit of an exercise of patience. There was plenty to do at work in the afternoon, but my morning was slow until I decided to take an early lunch in anticipation of my 1pm fitting. All of a sudden, I was in high demand to answer questions and to fix a pair of pants for my 1pm fitting. Why could I not have fixed them earlier? No idea! I was eating my grapes, when the alleged pants were thrust in my face with a, "these are a size 38, we need them to be a 40." In the long run, it was a great thing that I only was able to take 15 minutes for lunch: I was able to leave early for Swantje's tailoring class at one of the community colleges. I am hoping it will help me polish my skills, help me create a book of samples for ready reference in the future, and motivate me to make JE's Christmas pressie.

This morning, I left home around 8:30 and didn't get back until 10. JE is also working ridiculous hours, and has the common cold... His words. When I did get home, I broke a sweat cleaning the garage. Not there is a huge space for a mini home gym--someplace to workout and not disturb the neighbors. I am excited about that!

Day 323: LA River and friends

Finally, my little exert from the LA river tour is done:
Los Angeles river

Jenny made her way down to the water, telling us that our job was to talk things up and get people into the water with us. It didn't take much. As other cars arrived, people made their way down into the river, a place surrounded by thirty feet concrete walls and bridges. The Los Angeles River has a Bad reputation for being an open sewer, a filthy wasteland and a place where gangs and thugs go to dump their victims. And yet, here we were, a group of forty or fifty individuals, wading out into the concrete trench.

What surprised me most, was the flora, that in some areas flourished so that it felt like being somewhere far less metropolitan. But even in that place, the confluence of the two rivers that promised to be a great place to settle, back in 1769, nature was revitalizing and throwing green shoots into the sandy bottom. Just up stream, there were concrete slabs someone had piled up; a rockstack for the twenty-first century.

A barefoot woman sat on a concrete slab, stroking her dog, Zoe. A plant covered in red flowers at her feet, and bright, clear water flowed around her small island. Lynn, of Hidden Los Angeles fame, has been working to make people more aware of the amazing things that go on in L.A. I stumbled across her website a while ago, and discovered an amazing city to explore. She helped organize this tour of the L.A. River.

As the group gathered in the river, Jenny Price, spoke of the rivers importance though the history of LA. In the thirties, the river flooded, which brought about the need to contain the river. The army Corp of engineers brought about the mighty change, by burying the river. Since then it has become forgotten and invisible; a catch basin for rain and anything that washes off the streets of Los Angeles during our winter storms. It all flows directly from street to gutter, river to the ocean; with almost no attempt to catch and reuse this water to irrigate out thirsty town.

There is a lot of effort to revitalize the river to make it green and a place for people (not just the homeless and miscreants) to gather. This effort seems to be slow to come to the downtown areas, that could benefit most by making these places public.

During one tour, Jenny's tour group was staked out by the LAPD who told Jenny that she was not allowed to bring tours to the river without a permit. Our tax dollars hard at work... No one could show Jenny the law saying that she needed the permit. In fact, our group gathered in a downtown portion of the river, (where the movie "Grease" was filmed) and was surprised to hear a fast approaching vehicle. Not sure who would be coming down the narrow ramp, we all scattered up the walls and out of the immediate path of what we soon realized was a sheriff's car.

As soon as boots hit the ground, the officer demanded that no photographs be take of him or his partner. Jenny showed her permits from two different agencies, which she had jumped through multiple hoops to obtain. But the sheriff was not interested in the permit, saying that she could do whatever she wanted in that location. Confusing. It turned out ok, with people making jokes and laughing to ease the tension.

We explored several places on the lower L.A. river that day, ate lunch in a little Mexican cantina and visited a bookshop that was begun as a lending library when the municipal library lost funding and cut it's hours.

Perhaps my favorite part of this day, was getting to peek inside the lives of a few individuals whose work is bringing about positive change in a place they love, by doing what they love. It was completely inspiring.


Yesterday, we spent the day wandering around LA looking for trouble and pastries with friend BC. We found Porto's and fell in love with their guava danishes (SMOKES!) Spent some time gawking at the Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA. It was amazing, I felt overwhelmed by his doodles upon doodles--just focus and drive.

Plan for the week:

Monday: am: swim
Bike commute
PM: Clean the darn house
Dinner: caprese!

Tuesday: am: run
Bike commute
PM: Nike Training Club with weights
Dinner: beet salad with goat cheese and pickled onions

Wednesday: am: Swim
Bike commute
Dinner: pesto with whole wheat pasta and green salad

Thursday: am: Run
PM: Back Bay loop
Dinner: Chinese chicken and rice soup.

Friday am: club Nike fit
Bike commute
PM: swim
Dinner out

Sat: Run and prep for Zion Subway reunion dinner at our house! Yeepah! Lots of ideas about menu, but nothing really cemented yet. Pie might be in order.

Day 322: Peter Pan

Nope, I'm never gonna grow up...
Yup, it was a musical...
And I loved it!
Peter Pan is actually played by a grandma, but don't let that fact fool you. She flew with fantastic aerial acrobatics and bounced around the nursery doing handstands and pixie-tricks. Hook was over the top funny and the vim and vigor of the Indians and lost boys was fresh and alive. Totally entertaining. Two rows in front of us, a little girl with blonde pigtails raised her hand above her head in conjunction to the lively (live) music which included a drum session with Peter and Tiger Lilly, as well as a Tango with Hook and his crew as well as many others.

It tours tomorrow, but will be back in the area in June of next year. Go see it!

Squishy in the middle and still limping from my calf. Someday I will grow up and have to go to bed on time...

Day 321:

Ran 3 of my 4 miles, calf is wonky, again. Need sleep

Day 320: Math

Whoever said I wouldn't need math when I grew up was a big fat liar. Oh, wait... I think I said that. Oops.

Monday and Tuesday, I spent the days patterning period jackets and vests for men. It is all math and proportions and how those proportions relate to each other. The work can be mentally exhausting. By the end of the day, I need several dance breaks just to keep me on my mental toes. When I left work last night, I was cross and irritated; it seemed that none of my patterning was going to work, that my proportions were all wrong and there was no balance nor beauty in my work. Today, I cut muslin mock-ups of the vest and jacket and sewed them together. Ten minutes before I left, I threw it on a form and saw--a jacket, well balanced and ready for a first fitting. That felt great.

Tonight at the pool, there was an older couple floating on pool noodles, chatting. Once I had my swim cap, goggles and chronometer on, I waded out into my lane closest to the wall. I ducked my head under and started my warm up. It was so quiet under the water, peaceful and thoughtful. Then I noticed the older couple, their bodies were plush and round, full and beautiful. They floated vertically, feet flailing, arms stretched out treading water. Their bodies were perfectly proportioned and balanced, there was ease and comfort in their movements. Later they were joined by what I think were a few adult children and a grandbaby. Under the water, I was free to look over at them and see their artful bodies in their modest swimsuits and shorts, and see how they related to each other. Such sweetness.

2,000 yard, 1 to 4 speed intervals.

Day 319: conundrum

It is already eleven PM and I'm stuck in a mode where I need sleep and exercise equally. I'm not sure what to do with myself. JE is working a lot of overtime, so that leaves me scrambling to get dinner to him soon after I'm done at work. Tonight, I didn't get home until almost 9, and then had to bake a pie for a coworker. There just are not enough hours in the day, some days... Feeling mighty gooey, right now and really need to move. Maybe I'll just stretch a little, go to bed and wake up early to run and swim tomorrow night.

My week plans are a bit backward: Running at night and swimming in the morning. The last thing I want to do after I've been on my feet all day is run. Swimming forces me to stretch and move and get into positions that are not the same as those I have been standing/sitting in all day at work. The only problem is: It is still summer. Once the kids are reintroduced to homework, this should lighten up and allow me to get some pool time at night.

And my cycling has been on hold for a while. No reason, just not feeling it, not for commuting anyway...

Day 318: Spider Season

Each August, all those tiny little spiders who are still left after spring, start gaining size and girth. Their webs become both beautiful and huge. At times, the most obvious place for a spider to build a web is smack, in the middle of a human walking space.

This morning we awoke just before dawn and made our way to the pool. As I entered the gate, I was stopped short by a huge web that spread from the hedges across the walk way and to the building on the left. A big garden spider sat directly in the center of the web.

We walked around the hedge, bypassing the web. But how many times have I walked or ran right into a monstrous web, in the dark? It's that season again!

2,400 yards in 44 minutes

Day 317: Rest Day

We traveled to my Gram's house today. It was fun to see her. She is looking good and perky, though more and more stooped.

We sat on her bed, me hemming a pair of pale yellow floral print pants (she said she shrank 6 inches since she has been sick) she plans on wearing to a luau this week, her chatting away about her upcoming party; how Andy (my Gramp) would take her to nice stores to shop with their friends while on vacation, so the two old tomcats could gaze at the pretty shop girls--but eventually the men had to buy something for their wives; the pirate party she had just attended; what piece of furniture I would like from her home (I'm stalling there, I hate the thought of actually having to haul that piece of furniture from her vacant home); and finally finding someone acceptable to fill her shoes in the hospitality committee. She lives each moment, and has the future in mind--she knows she won't be around forever but won't let that keep her down. We also talked about her very alert and sharp mind--at nearly 92, she is a firecracker. She tells me that she remembers things from her early childhood as vividly as though it were yesterday. I should have sewn slower...

After our visit, JE and I drove to San Onofre and took a nap on the beach. The tide was out further than usual and the waves rolled in in long succession. There were more surfers at Trestles than I have ever seen. Marine layer stood thick between the sky and the sea. That was a sweet sleep.

I am feeling fat and lazy. My poor body really needs a to sweat and move. (as my sweet husband serves me a slice of peach galette with ice cream)

Plan for the week

The power went out before I could finish and post this, last night.

Day 316: LA River

We spent the day on the LA River with Jenny Price and Lynn from Hidden LA, along with about 50 other people...

It was an amazing day, a really interesting and fun tour of what I now know to be a really key part of Los Angeles.

I will write more about this, but I really want to work a bit more on this entry. It is worth some time and effort. Loved it!

Not so much training today, but had a lot of adventure: The Cops were involved!

Day 315: Honey, take me dancing...

But we ended up sleeping in a doorway... Paul Simon

Hopes of a night out dancing faded as I hobbled back to the car after our evening run. The Irvine Great Park has a summer concert series, tonight was to be a salsa dance night. But we preceded date night with a run through the the wilderness reserve by UCI.

It was a fun run, we ran from a pack of zombies (in actuality a group of night hikers who were so loudly gathered, we wondered what they could possibly hope to see), almost got eaten by gators (Not sure what we startled as we approached the pond edge, but it made me scream as it splashed under the water and swam away), and actually saw 5 coyotes. That is a really neat place to run: long, straight, tree-lined, dirt trails that circle ponds. For some reason, I was able to sprint, hard and fast, for quite a while tonight--despite my stupid calf. (This calf thing may actually send me to the doctor's office. I hate the doctor's office--I hate pills.)

Our friends, The Clemens, met us at our home, giving up the opportunity for a dance concert. We drove back to Irvine for ramen. It has been a fun night.

At work, I am almost finished with a mid 19th century coat for Fred in a Christmas Carol. Sometimes I have so little faith in my skills as a tailor, I surprise myself when something turns out so well as this little jacket. It is mostly the fine wool uniform twill I was given to work with, and a miracle that my patterning turned out. Almost done, just need to set sleeves and a hemline. At work this arvo, we were able to watch Sondheim's Into the Woods, as performed by a whole heaping helping of youths. They did a great job--one of the perks of my job is getting to watch theater for free. Next show is Pride and Prejudice. Should be interesting. And I am building another frock coat. I want to be good and fast at this...

Day 314: Nada

Sewed most of the day. The few moments when I could have done something, I played Words with Friends with my friend (Put a Y on squint to make squinty and lovely, on a triple word tile for 70someodd points...). I was stuck at work for over an hour waiting for JE to pick me up. Bad day to not have my bike, a project or my running shoes. But fun to play.

So today for exercise, I stretched and dreamed of tomorrow. I finished my projects tonight, so my weekend will be clean and free. LA river tour on Saturday--super excited!

Day 313: Sewing

My life is sewing and sleep, with brief stolen moments of food and exercise. Those moments when I get to stretch and bend in motions other than in front of a sewing machine, cutting table, or ironing table, are cherished. Tonight, was swimming. I did several laps of back stroke to make up for my hunching over needle and thread. I am limiting my distance to a mile, until I get this side project done. Almost there, all the little stuff is done, now one big ugly left. Ugh... I love what I do, but sometimes it seems that alterations will take more time and energy than building a whole new costume, especially when the alteration is to an old something that should have been retired decades ago (this one isn't that bad, but I have done some doozies!)

This morning, I stole some time and did a Nike club fit session. It was amazing, I was pouring sweat. Love that, I always feel so much happier when I work out like that.

I love the women with whom I work. It is such a pleasure to go there and listen to the chatter in the room, and be part of people's lives. Monday I learned about a place I am now dying to go. Here is the conversation I had with JE about it.

I: I just learned about someplace that I really want to take you on a date.
JE: Cool.
I: I don't want to tell you because I want it to be a surprise.
JE: Cool.
I: I want to tell you soo bad! This is killing me!
JE: Cool.
I: Let me give you one clue...
JE: Please don't, keep it a surprise.
I: But I have too! One clue! Here it is: It is in a giant room!
JE: Filled with Trampolines?
I: How did you know?!!?
JE: I just tried to think what I would want a giant room to be filled with...

Last night was a stolen moment for sleep. At 10, I crawled to bed and slept, waking to vivid 'movie dreams' of swimming in a pool with far too many people vying for lanes. In my dream, my swimsuit had all but disintegrated... Glad it was just a dream!

I ran yesterday, just 3 miles, but it felt so good to jostle everything back into an upright position!

Day 311: Trickier

This week may be trickier than I thought. I forgot how exhausting it is to start work, fresh. It was a productive day, swam in the morning, but knew I would not have time to ease on down the road on my bike. Besides, with so much equipment to carry, it would have been hard to travel by bike.

Realistically, I need to draw up some priorities and abide by them. Right now, work is pressing and I need more energy to do it. However, I do have time for at least an hour of workout/training per day: I have to, it is the best way I know to reduce stress and allow myself to refocus and allow for more restful nights. Also, when I sew, my body is usually in one of three positions, exercise allows me to move freely and shake out all the kinks. It also helps my outlook on life be more positive.

Day 311: Rest Day

Still tired and sore from the exertion this weekend--that was so fun. We are planning a dinner with those families who went, to show off our photos and share the memories. Fun.

We just got back from our friend's home. They are preparing for their third child to go to college, in two weeks. It is going to be a tough one, and they will need a bit more JE and Iris time soon.

My summer is over: I begin work tomorrow, away from home. And I will still be working on another project at home. It is going to be a tricky week. At some point, I will need to grocery shop--or maybe JE will do it...

Plan for the week:
Monday: AM: Swim-recovery and bike commute to work
PM: Bike commute and Sets
Dinner: Chipotle if we have FHE with Labrue family.

Tuesday: AM: Bike commute
PM: Run-4mile recovery And bike commute, work on project
Dinner: Salad-Chinese chicken salad

Wednesday: AM: Swim--speed and Bike commute
PM: Bike commute and work on project
Dinner: Thai Curry

Thursday: Am: Bike commute
PM: Bike commute and Run-speed-hill repeats?
Dinner: spaghetti and green salad

Friday: AM swim--distance Bike commute
PM: Bike commute
Dinner: Caprese with good bread and grilled chicken breast.

Day 310: Subway

We left Thursday morning and drove to Cedar City, Utah where we met good friends and dined with them. At one time, they lived in Orange County and we became friends through church. They moved back to Cedar to a couple years ago, but come to visit regularly to visit friends, keep work contacts and to stock up on all things Trader Joe's.

We drove up USR 14, along windy road that travels to the tops the Navajo Sandstone strata. Quaking aspen, lodge pole pine and grassy meadows line the road. When the cliffs open up, the views are of Escalante and Bryce and the surrounding grandeur which is Southern Utah.

After Duck Creek, we turned onto a dirt road, that wrapped around a semi-developed forest. Cabins of varying price points could be seen through the trees, some sweet, little houses, others massive log cabins. Some friends of ours own a beautiful cabin in the trees. They were kind to let us come stay a couple nights with them. We arrived fairly late, much later than we had anticipated. We stayed up briefly to pack our things to be ready for the next morning. When I finally crawled into bed, my hip was killing and played sentinel against any invading sleep. After 2 hours, I woke and could not get back to sleep, which made for a long night.

Finally, we got up to travel into Laverkin to meet the rest of our group at the local market. There was the Shaft family, mom-Christine and dad-Mark and two of their kids-Rebecca and Andrew. The two kids brought friends from college with them Tyler and Marshall. There were a couple of people from church-Debbie and Riley, here and one woman-Kelly, who is the daughter of a family from our church, but lives in Utah and is the hiking instructor at a weight-loss camp.

We drove up the hill to the trail head, a place where several years ago, JE and I had been dropped off to complete the Wildcat Canyon trail into Zion. The trail started out over the wide, flat land on the top of the butte, and soon splintered into many crevasses and canyon. Part of the trail ran over a huge sandstone bowl, with only cairns to mark the way. There was a bit of up and down hiking, and eventually, we ended up on a very rugged "trail" down the side of a canyon wall. There was a lot of loose debris and stones to send flying, so the descent was very cautious. When the rock became to steep to walk down, we harnessed up and repelled by rope to the canyon floor.

Once on the floor, the only way to go was even further down. Our path was a slit in the stone, into a pool below. When my turn came, my shoes slipped, as I was standing on the edge, ready to back into the hole. It scared me half to death, but I was roped in. I recovered quickly and finished my descent into the dark, cold water below.

When I first set my goal of hiking the Subway, I was only familiar with Zion's Narrows, a sweet little 16 mile hike that runs a length of the Virgin River. The three times I have hiked this trail, the river has been in constant motion. The Virgin River is a sweet, clear, flowing thing with deep pockets of cool, green water. The Subway trail, it the left fork of North Creek, which does not flow constantly and has huge, cold pools of debris filled water. Not complaining--I was there, doing something I have been wanting to do for years! But lowering down into water that seemed murky and questionable, was unnerving. Falling into it was perhaps a relief: my adrenalin protected me from feeling the worst of the cold. There was a long, bottomless swim after the descent. It was exhilarating. We laughed at each others discomfort.

There were several repels and a lot of water hiking. At one spot, we had to repel down about 12 feet into a pool of water in a tiny slot canyon, then swim through the canyon and under a log which diagonally blocked the way. It was such a fun challenge.

When the river started to flow in earnest, we came to some amazingly beautiful places. The sweet spot the the Subway, is a 3/4 mile stretch that has a sharp channel through the middle of it where the river flows: it looks much like a train platform. The rock takes on weird and beautiful form.

There was a place with a waterfall room, which required a swim to get to. JE had dropped his camera in the dip, and was off drying it out. On my own, I swam to the falls and into the room. It was shaped like an urn, with a crack running up the back. Water spilled from that crack and through the top. The sound was bright with volume: so loud! I stood there for a while, playing in the falls and glorying in being alive. Eventually, I swam back to the rest of the group, who had just decided to go see the waterfall room. I'm so glad I had that tiny bit of time there to explore it on my own!

There were times on the hike, that our lips were blue with cold and our teeth chattered. Sometimes the wind blew cold, and sometimes we could find tiny sections of warm air and/or sun. Just past the waterfall room, the canyon walls opened up and the shade was mostly lost. The remainder of the hike was in and around the river. It was the most difficult part of the journey.

To get out of the canyon, and back to the cars, we climbed back up the canyon wall. It was an actual trail, but not by much. As we climbed, and the air got thinner, I relied on my training: my rhythm, my pace, my cadence, my new found ability to just keep going even when I do not think I can. When the trail began to level a little, I slowed my pace to give myself a break so that I would be ready for the next ascent. I had heard the way out was really really difficult, and I was bracing for it. But after a short while, the trail continued to level and I realized the worst was over. Such a good feeling.

All in all, the hike was only 9.5 miles and took about 10 hours. But that 9.5 miles was filled with obstacles and intense beauty. So worthwhile!

That night, I barely made it through dinner. When I got back to the cabin, I showered and started by blog about the hike. I got 2 paragraphs and couldn't keep my eyes open. I crashed.

Apparently, the sump pump had stopped working and to get it going again, JE had to bang on the pipes with a hammer. The pipes were on the same wall that my bed rested against. I have no recollection of any of the goings on after I took off my glasses-including the hammering of pipes. Mine was the sleep of the dead.

We drove home this arvo. Our bodies are stiff with the exertion of yesterday's hike. What a brilliant way to spend a weekend!

Day 307: Answers

Swam this morning, 2,400 yards in about 48 minutes. My laps match my time, these days: 48 laps=48 minutes, give or take. I was out there so late, it surprises me that I had the pool to myself for the first 44 laps. Nice.

Oh, yes. The quiz you took yesterday:
Color=How you feel about yourself
Pet=What you look for in a friend or mate
Ocean=How you feel about life
Coffee/Chocolate= Sex
White Room=Death

How did you do? How are you feeling about things? :o)

I have been writing in my head all day, not on paper. Should have written it all down, there were some great thoughts. Lost now with the sun.

Maybe I can find some time this weekend to just sit for a few minutes and be.

Day 306: Decisions, Decisions...

This morning, I rode my route around the Back Bay and up to Huntington Beach (52 miles). Some days are far more productive mentally than physically. I came to rest in several decisions I have been needing to make. (in honesty, I have been feeling stuck, lately. I do not believe in being stuck, there are always options.

1. To race in another Triathlon in September or not.
Not, at least not one which requires what feels like vast sums of money to someone who has been unemployed a great deal recently. JE and I have been toying with the idea of just setting up a course and picking a day to do it. So, about 1 year from the start of this blog, on October 1st, 2011, JE and I will be competing against our times from our race last May.

2. That decided, I need to figure out my trip for my 40th and save that money I would have spent there. Three grand choices seem to be in front of me. Australia, Cuba, or Belize. Australia: go see the family there and my friends from when I lived there in 1993/4. Cuba: just need to go there while it is still purely Cuba. Belize: swim with whale sharks. All of these are on my fat and ever growing bucket list (hate that word, what did I used to call it? Lifelist).

3. Seek work, full time and possibly attend night school as an English major. I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to do this before. I have so many credits in English, and having deadlines is a great way for me to stay focused on my goals. Nothing is more deadline oriented than theater and school.

4. Continue working on my book.

A couple other more personal thing were decided today as well. Feeling good, feeling happy, feeling whole, feeling well loved and grateful.

OK, friends. Grab a piece of paper and write down 5 or 6 words to describe each of these things:

1. Favorite color (for me: turquoise= calm, vivid, fluid (like water), energetic, vibrant)

2. Attributes of your favorite pet (OD(my dog when I was a kid) fun, cuddly, loving, empathic, physical (as in likes to play, walk and wrestle)

3. How you feel about the ocean (Constant, rhythmic, gargantuan, beautiful, moody)

4. Describe hot chocolate or coffee

5. You are in a white, well lit room. There is no door out. Describe how you feel.

Just do it. No peeking. I'll post more on this topic tomorrow. You will not regret it (I hope...)

Day 305:

Lovely swim this morning, in the early hours as the sun was coming up. I forget how much I love those hours.

Sewed most of the day on pirate costumes for a touring production of Peter Pan.

Running tonight. 50 yards in, I thought to myself: hey! I'm running and my calf is fine! And then my calf began balling up. Within three steps, I could no longer run on my toes. I ran flat footed the rest of the 5 miles, though to be completely honest, I walked about half of it.

My legs are zingling tonight, tired and achy. I'm hoping I wore myself out some, so that sleep will find me easier tonight.

Tonight was very clear and dark, with very little moon. I lay on the asphalt and looked up at the stars. I think I need to get lost in the woods this weekend...