My Retirement Project

Monday, July 31, 2017

July In A Sentence A Day

Turns out that the theme for July was settling-in, as we packed up our old house and moved coastal-close to a new home in beautiful South OC. After the first few crazy days of working to clear the mountains of cardboard boxes in our new home, we got to work and started venturing out into the surrounding communities in the hope of building a new life sooner rather than later. And increasingly had a lot of fun doing so, which I think is reflected in my sentences below.

Did some yardwork at our new home, then changed clothes and drove up the coast a couple of amazingly short miles to Laguna Beach to attend a wine club event at the gorgeous ocean-adjacent home of one of our members.
Attended services at our new Congregation, then returned to our 'old' home for a farewell pool party one of our neighbors threw for us.
Finalized and recorded the sale of our prior home, big, loud hooray!
Walked to the beach from our new home, enjoying the 4th of July crowds and general holiday craziness once we got there.
Moving Day #1, meaning we pretty much sat around while three brawny guys moved through our home like ants wrapping and packing all of our stuff.
Moving Day #2, meaning we again pretty much sat around waiting to clean while now four brawny guys loaded our aforementioned stuff into not one, but two moving vans(!).
Unpacking, lots and lots and lots of unpacking.
Unpacked all morning, then a very fun evening with our spiritual group enjoying Broadway singalongs and a Broadway-themed buffet.
Attended services at our new spiritual congregation then, yeah, furniture shopping!
After sleeping on it, returned to furniture store and bought this yummy sofa, plus two matching chairs, for our family room.
While our home was being re-piped we enjoyed a super fun day walking down to the beach, having lunch at the casual, but wonderful, Pain du Monde, and riding the free Coastal Trolley into Laguna Beach. Cheat sentence: Can't believe we really live in such a wonderful place!!!
Busy, productive day getting our re-piping inspected by city (it passed, yeah!), our sprinklers fixed, a new sprinkler timer installed, and our backyard trimmed up.
First day working out at our new gym, then a return trip to Home Depot for bathroom fixtures.
Our new family room furniture arrived, and it looks great in the room!
Designated driver for hubby at a Scotch and Bourbon tasting event.
Spiritual services in the morning, then trip #101 (or so it seems!) to Home Depot, this time to buy ceiling fans for our four bedrooms.
Unpacked boxes all day, then made bangin' bacon cheeseburgers for dinner . . . so good in that I placed the bacon inside of the burgers before grilling, rather than on top.
Finished unpacking the last cardboard box, hip hip hooray!
First official training hike for our upcoming August backpack through Point Reyes National Seashore, meaning we each carried 15 pounds as starting loads.
Got a bid to re-grout this rather revolting pinkish grout in our guest bedroom bath to a nice clean white instead, yes, please!
Found a new walking route that afforded lots of opportunities to see the ocean, got interviewed and cleared to become volunteers at the Dana Point Ocean Institute, then finished out the day at our nearby regional park enjoying a U2 tribute band and eating OMG-good The Cut Hand Crafted Burgers.
Joined a new local running club (I'm in the light blue tank and hat) and ran four miles pain free, fingers crossed in that I've been battling shin splints since last January 2016!!!
A gal can only do so much furniture shopping before the brain shuts down!
Lunch date with my girlfriend, Wendy, at, Javier's Cantina at the Irvine Spectrum, then this new color and cut by my wonderful stylist.
Attended a crafters social event in my continued efforts to sink roots and make new connections post-relocation, plus took delivery of five of these fabulous woven chairs, two of which I ordered in counter height for my new kitchen island.
Training hike #2 for our upcoming backpack, with my weight load boosted to 20 pounds, after which we shopped till we dropped for lighting fixtures at Home Depot.
Friends came over to assist with hanging some of the new lighting fixtures, and brought us this absolutely gorgeous bounty of home grown produce, plus homemade jam, which I subsequently shared with some of our neighbors.
An at-home day consisting of a four mile run, followed by hours of work in the garage getting it completely organized, a chore we had both been dreading, but were thrilled to complete.
Another four mile run, this time around Dana Point Harbor with my new running club, (hubby joined us after for coffee, hence why he looks so clean :-)

then home to make this Old Fashioned Banana Cake for a potluck we're attending tonight, plus a batch of Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream for a BBQ we're hosting for family on Sunday.
A great day consisting of an early morning fast walk with hubby, a visit from our oldest and dearest friends (who brought these pretty flowers :-), and a BBQ here with our family in the evening.
Longest month ever in that tonight, the last Monday of the month, is when our HOA board meets to review architectural requests, finally giving us a thumbs up to proceed with ordering new double-paned replacement sliders and windows for the entire house, the necessary first step before new flooring can go down.

In comparison to both May and June, July turned out to be a whole lot of fun even as we worked like crazy people to settle in and start fixing up our new home. And already I can see that August is shaping up to be a great combination of home improvements, fun in the sun, and RV travel, so do be sure to check back on September 1 for my update.

Friday, June 30, 2017

June In A Sentence A Day

Greetings! Today, and each month going forward, I'm joining in with some other fab bloggers to share how we spent our month in just one sentence per day.

Turns out that the theme for June was transition, as we continued to work on turning our dream of living near the coast into actual reality. The beginning of the month was loaded with stress, but it tapered off as the month progressed and things fell into place. And our much needed dose of granddaughter time was just the wonderful anecdote we needed in order to return home recharged and ready to take on our actual move come July.

June In A Sentence A Day

Researched every single remaining possible home option available in our price range in our target city and sent the very long list to our realtor so that she could schedule showings.
Accepted an offer on our home here in the morning, then spent the remainder of the day viewing lots and lots of homes before finding 'the one' and, fingers crossed, submitting an offer.
Volunteered at a commercial wine competition organized by our wine society and took this booty home afterward as our 'thank you.'
We got the house, we got the house!
Made phone call after phone call to begin the process of shifting our lives over to a new community, then spent the evening with our book club discussing the first half of Wuthering Heights.
Early morning geology and home inspection appointment at the new home, which generated a lot of stress when we began receiving more information about our potential new home than we probably cared to know(!).
Another appointment at the new house, this time to meet our flooring guy and take measurements, after which we walked to the beach to check out our new stomping grounds.
Had our current home termite inspected (we passed!), reviewed the completed home inspection report on our new home, then made a rapid call to our agent to better understand just what we were getting ourselves into!
Got on the scale and realized I'd lost almost five pounds in the last two weeks from the stress of it all . . . I completely lose my appetite when stressed!
Decided to hold an impromptu party to drink all the open bottles of wine we brought home from the wine competition, so I messaged the neighbors, baked brownies and lemon squares, and fired up the front yard patio firepit in anticipation of a fun evening, which it definitely was!
Attended our spiritual congregation where we said another sad goodbye before heading to Costa Mesa to attend the Pacific Symphony and enjoy dinner afterward at Seasons 52 with our wonderful friends Ellie and Jim.
Went for a long walk while our current home was being appraised for our buyer's loan, fingers crossed!
Exhausting but productive day meeting with our new insurance agent, flooring vendor #2, repiping vendor #2, window replacement vendor #1, and a gardener, all at the new house.
Got my hair done, always relaxing in that I load up on the salon's copies of People magazine during the two and a half hour process . . . my stylist is very good (see photo from the 16th of June, below :-), but a wee bit slow!
Enjoyed a super fun lunch out with my girlfriend Mary, learning afterward that the appraisal came in spot on on our house, meaning our buyers were one step closer to closing, hooray!
Escaped the house here for a long hike while buyers had their inspection done, then partied hard in the evening to celebrate my girlfriend Faith's retirement.
A seven mile hike in mid-90's heat, which never does my body good . . . I wilt in heat!
Took my father to see our new house and walk trail to the beach and back, then enjoyed a Father's Day lunch at the lovely Cedar Creek Inn in San Juan Capistrano.
Cut my basil plant back, and made homemade pesto with the bounty.
Long, hilly hike with my girlfriend Mary, the last we'll do together until after our move.
Flew to Metro DC to visit our granddaughter . . . yeah!
Had a picnic lunch on the front lawn with our granddaughter, an instant hit along with the homemade bubbles I made using dish soap and water, plus the handle of a pair of scissors as the bubble blower - Nana points for creativity!
Repeat of yesterday, because, yes, both front lawn picnics and bubble blowing continued to enthrall, then watched our granddaughter overnight for the first time ever, gulp!
The parent-free evening went great . . . after an evening of play with Baba and Nana, she literally rolled over in bed and went to sleep after three songs!
Drove an hour to Fort McHenry National Historic Park in order to purchase a lifetime Golden Age National Park Pass now that my husband has finally reached the qualifying age of 62 - the best $10 we've ever spent!!!
Visited historic Fredericksburg, Virginia and learned about one of the Civil Wars bloodiest battles, which left us both quietly contemplative for a good long while afterward.
Said goodbye to our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter and flew back to California, boo hoo!
Started setting aside the items we wanted to take to the new house ahead of the movers, plus took delivery of a new set of pots and pans suitable for cooking on an induction cooktop, new-to-me technology.
Closed on our new coastal home!
Took our travel trailer over to the new house to make sure it fit into the garage (it did!), trimmed some overgrown foliage to open up our stunning view even more, met several of our neighbors, then walked down the hill to dinner in Dana Point before driving back to our current home, which doesn't really feel like home anymore!

Our buyers close here right after the weekend, which should make for a most memorable 4th of July if everything goes as planned.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

May In A Sentence A Day

So the month May, sigh - it turned out to be a rather emotional, tumultuous month. Sell, don't sell, sell, don't sell. May seemed to be all about evaluating our current lives here in inland north Orange County vs. what they could be like in coastal south Orange County. And after much, much, much agonizing, we finally decided that trading in our current lives for a cooler, ocean-adjacent community chock full of ocean-related activities was something we really, really wanted to do.

But it wasn't all home selling agony in May by a long shot, as a lot of really nice things occurred as well, so onward to my sentences.

May In A Sentence A Day

Did laundry, grocery shopped, cleaned house and just generally got things organized around the house after being away for so long.
Had dinner with a dear friend that gave me the sad news that she and her hubby were moving south upon retiring in June - boo hoo!
Attended a scholarship awards luncheon sponsored by my Art Alliance group, and so enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm that only college students can deliver.
Spoke to several realtors by phone in the areas we are targeting, then had fun going through the MLS links they subsequently provided to see if we could locate our coastal dream home.
The cabinet installer arrived to deliver and secure the final countertop in hubby's home office, only to realize that, oops, it needed to be cut down first, and he didn't have the correct tools to do so.
A second set of cabinet installers arrived, did successfully cut down the countertop, and, yeah, finally finished the job to update my husband's home office that had been started way back in March.
Met my oldest daughter for lunch at the Anaheim Packing District and had a really nice time together drinking Mexican-inspired cocktails, and noshing on chips and tacos.
Met with a realtor to discuss listing our home, which was more emotional than I'd thought it would be.
A long, completely fun day in Los Angeles taking a tour of the Music Center, visiting the Broad Museum, having dinner at the amazingly delicious Otium, and attending a performance at Disney Concert Hall.
Spent the entire day obsessing over whether or not to make this dang move!
Met with a second realtor to discuss listing our home, and decided that yes, he was the one, even if we weren't quite ready to commit.
Toured view homes in a nearby community to see if we might want to remain more local, then attended a very fun OC Wine Society event hosted by the owner of Jamieson Ranch Winery, where we tried to spend the evening not obsessing over where to live!
After a very restless night decided that, yes, we were really ready to do this, and contacted realtor #2 to let him know we'd like contract with him to sell our home.
Attended a Mother's Day cooking class with my oldest daughter at HipCooks Orange County, making and enjoying a scrumptious brunch comprised of pomegranite Bellinis, chevre-stuffed grapes with pistachio, smoked salmon potato pancakes, eggs benedict wrapped in ham, and hazelnut, lemon & ricotta cake.
Attended my monthly book club meeting even though I ended up boycotting the book, The Sellout by Paul Beatty, about a third of the way through - a brilliant book without question, but also so incredibly distasteful I simply could not carry on.
Met with our realtor to sign selling contract and bombard him with questions about the current status of the market, and what we might expect to occur as a result.
The realtor's For Sale sign arrived, which caused all kind of not-so-happy emotions to arise as I watched it being placed into my front yard.
Home stager arrived and said she had absolutely no suggestions to make because our home was already staged beautifully, and P.S., did I want a job? 😊
And yet another day spent ~~obsessing~~ looking at homes online to determine if we really wanted to go through all the work that was going to be needed to make this happen.
Attended a BBQ at my girlfriend's new home, a gorgeous, drool-worthy 1912 Craftsman home located in an adorable Pasadena historic area titled 'Bungalow Heaven.'
A diverse day, my favorite kind, which started with services at our UU congregation, lunch at The Gypsy Den in Santa Ana, then a fascinating after-dinner lecture about Israel's strategic challenges in the Middle East given by former Israeli television and print journalist, Alon Ben-David.
Entertained friends that dropped by both for lunch and to see our newly updated home, tiptoeing around the professional photographer that was shooting photos for our upcoming MLS listing as we did so.
Attended a theology seminar, which was uber-interesting even as I continue to ascribe to the John Muir way of thinking: "Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."
Our home went live this morning on the MLS, so we set up a meeting with our tax accountant and financial advisor to review all matters pertaining to the expected proceeds we'll receive from our home once it sells.
Woke up in a panic, convinced we were making a mistake by selling, which my husband (and this article on the internet) assured me we were not.
A terrific, busy day comprised of a Skype Spanish lesson with my Venezuelan-based teacher, yoga class, cycle spinning class, and a married-couples fellowship meeting.
Escaped an Open House here by doing our own house hunting at Open Houses down in South OC.
Got an offer on our house after just four days on the market!!!
Spent Memorial Day hiking, BBQ'ing and countering multiple offers on our home.
Countered more offers on our home here, then spent the rest of the day with our realtor in coastal OC looking 'for real' for the first time.
Spent the entire day with our realtor again, returning home utterly exhausted from trying to take in, absorb and imagine ourselves living in so many different homes!

My fervent wish for June is that we find a home, open escrow and are forward focused on our next chapter.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The Push-Pull of Long Distance Grandparenting

For the first two years of our granddaughter's life, we were but a 90 minute drive away. Not only that, we actually lived with my daughter before, during, and after delivery while our son-in-law was deployed out of the country, then provided day care for six months after he came home and my daughter returned to her teaching position. All of which is to say we were/are very, very close to our now 2 & 1/2 year old granddaughter.

When we first got the news that my son-in-law was being transferred to the Pentagon in Metro-DC, literally the other side of the country, we were devastated. We understood, of course, and absolutely wanted them to do what was best for their family, but personally we went into mini-mourning, though we kept it just between us.

When they actually moved, I flew east with my daughter and granddaughter to assist with the physical move-in, and my husband drove one of their two cars east in tandem with my son-in-law, plus two dogs. It was both exciting and painful to help them get established in their spacious new home, about three times the size of what they could afford previously in very, very pricey San Diego. Their new Metro-DC home even had a fully finished out basement with a private apartment where we could stay when visiting.

Since then, we have returned four times, roughly every two months, for two to four week visits. Even though we Skype religiously each week (even two times a week the first couple months after they moved), we were constantly worried between visits that our granddaughter would forget us. This did not seem to occur, although there was always a short warming-up period before she'd be on our laps with a pile of books for us to read. And now that she's closer to three years than two, her memory capability is clearly sufficient to hold onto Nana and Baba between visits, so we're no longer as worried as we first were.

Still, it is so hard to say goodbye, as we'll have to do tomorrow morning. Even as being with her for long periods of time is exhausting (she's two and 1/2 . . . ), it's also utterly precious. So many words, phrases and actions to hold onto; "I cook with Nana!," "Baba, play piano!," "Nana, sit here and color with me," twirling my hair when I hold her close, patting us both on the back as a way of expressing her contentment at being held, squeals of laughter when I blow up a balloon and release it to go careening around the room, dancing together to Sia, doing 'pieces' together, her word for puzzles. And so much more.

And yet, we are also looking forward to our lovely empty nest lives back in California, and all that goes with that. Our many social circles and activities, our very long and satisfying daily workouts, hikes and bike rides, reading on our front yard patio, our very clean and tide house (oh how messy two year olds are! :-).

So while neither end of the spectrum fills 100% of the gaps, we're making due, and so far it is working OK. Our granddaughter continues to love us, we 'fill in' very quickly when we are together again, and the older she gets the better and quicker the re-connects are becoming.

What makes our world go round these days.

Plans And Goals For Today
Fast walk six miles.
Begin trip planning for our return visit in June, which will include a week of traveling through Delaware.
Old Town Alexandria for lunch.
Return in time to grab our Southwest line up order exactly 24 hours in advance of our flight.
Pick up our granddaughter from daycare.
Stop at the park on the way home.
Make dinner for everyone.
Pack for our departure tomorrow.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

2014 (Jan - Feb)

Friday, February 14, 2014

A Wild And Woolly WTC Week

This has been a wild week. Our Wilderness Training Course (WTC) has, quite frankly, taken over our lives. Who knew one little two and a half hour weekly class could create so much stress? I've barely left the house for days it seems, as Mike and I obsess over the assigned readings, the assigned homework, gathering the necessary equipment, and prepping for our second WTC trip.

First the bad: Navigation is tough, really tough! Mike and I have spent hours, and I do mean hours, on our navigation homework. We're beginning to see the light at the end of tunnel, and working with a compass and map is starting to make some sense, but I'm still struggling to put everything together in order to grasp how this will actually work out in the backcountry. There are five tests that we have to be checked off on before graduating the class - conditioning, rock climbing, snow travel, snow camp and navigation. I've already been checked of on conditioning, and I'm confident that the next three are well within my abilities, but I'm not yet confident at all about the navigation piece.

Also bad: Backpacking is expensive, at least initially. I earmarked what I thought was a reasonable amount - $2,000 - to outfit us both, and although we'll make it, it will be, literally, with just pennies to spare. Ideally we would have had many months to gather things slowly, looking for deals on both new and used items, however, the rapid pace of our class simply doesn't afford us that luxury.

As a result, we have made so many trips to REI over the last five weeks, and spent so much time talking with their enthusiastic employees that I feel like I'm majoring in WTC, and minoring in REI!

Now the good: Initially I was freaked by the idea of spending eight long, cold hours sleeping (or not!) on the hard ground. However, after attending several WTC classes that discussed proper insulation and equipment, plus testing out some surprisingly comfy sleeping pads and and sleeping bags at REI, my concerns are pretty quickly diminishing. We've spent a considerable chunk of our backpacking funds on just these two components, but in my opinion they are the make-or-break items for ensuring this hobby becomes a significant portion of our early retirement lifestyle, so I believe it will be money well spent.

My new 2 lb, 2 oz, 19 degree sleeping bag. Kinda cute, yes?
And warm . . . really warm!

Also good: I'm feeling increasingly confident about my physical abilities. Adding the Stairmaster to my weekly workout routine has definitely enhanced my overall conditioning, as has upping my strength training.

And finally: It's pretty awesome to be learning something so new, and that we are so excited about, at the ripe old ages of 51 and 58. I can't wait for all the wonderful adventures that will soon be coming our way as a result of making this effort.

This weekend we'll be heading to Joshua Tree National Park for our first overnight WTC trip, where we'll be using and testing out all of our new equipment. I am packing Tylenol PM just in case, but have fingers crossed that I won't need it to get through the night.

In addition to seeing how sleeping on the ground as full-grown adults feels, we'll be doing some minor level rock climbing, and spending lots of time putting our newly earned navigation skills to work. If all goes well, we'll be passed on both elements. If it doesn't, well, lets just hope they don't have to send out search and rescue!

Monday, February 10, 2014

Summer Northern Plains RV Trip Preview

Drum roll please . . .

The planning for our 70-day summer RV trip, all 21 legs of it, is done! I have to say it was a significant undertaking to do the planning for both this trip and our spring southwest RV trip at pretty much the same time, but now that they are done, I can sit back and relax.

Below is an outline of where we're going, where we're be staying, and the primary attractions at each location. We'll fill in the gaps with oodles of state parks, museums, national monuments, recreation areas and historic sites, plus lots of, I hope, unique dining experiences.

Click on the links below for more information on any of the parks will be staying in. The average cost per night came in at $45.00, a bit higher than our southwest trip lodging expenses. Ironically, the most expensive parks we'll be staying in are the ones run by third party concessionaires within our national parks, which is what pushed up the per night overall cost average.

Virgin, UT
Zion River Resort
- Zion National Park
- River Tubing

Park City, UT
Park City RV Resort
- Hiking
- Mountain Biking

Jackson Hole, WY
The Virginian Lodge RV Resort
- Hiking
- Jackson Hole Rodeo
- Cowboy Cookout

Grand Teton, WY
Colter Bay Village RV Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Snake River Float Trip

Yellowstone Lake, WY
Yellowstone Fishing Bridge RV Resort
- Yellowstone National Park

Cody, WY

Cody KOA
- Buffalo Bill State Park
- Buffalo Bill Center of the West
- Museum of the Plains Indians

Casper, WY
Casper KOA
- Covered wagon trek & cook-out
- Ft. Casper Historic Site

Custer, SD
Beaver Lake Campground
- Mt. Rushmore National Memorial
- Wind Cave National Park

- Crazy Horse National Monument
- Jewel Cave National Monument

Interior, SD
Badlands/White River KOA
- Badlands National Park

Medora, ND
Medora Campground
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Great Falls, MT
Dick's RV Park

- Layover enroute to next stop

St. Mary, MT
St. Mary/E Glacier KOA
- Glacier National Park (East side)

W. Glacier, MT
Glacier Campground
- Glacier National Park (West side)

Coeur D'Alene, ID
River Walk RV Park
- Hiking
- Biking

- Paddleboarding

Walla, Walla, WA
RV Resort Four Seasons
- Wine tasting

White Salmon, WA
Bridge RV Park Campground
- The Dalles
- Mt. Hood
- Columbia River

Bend, OR
Scandia RV Park
- Hiking
- Mountain Biking
- Newberry Volcanic National Monument

Ashland, OR
Emigrant Lake County Park
- Ashland Shakespeare Festival

Redwoods National Park, CA
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
- Hiking
- Tree of Mystery

Cloverdale, CA
Cloverdale/Healdsburg KOA
- Wine tasting

Big Sur, CA
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
- Hiking
- Ocean kayaking

Home

I'm so excited to kick off both of these trips come mid-April! Fortunately, we have lots and lots to keep us busy here at home in the meantime, otherwise I suspect the wait would be torture.

Speaking of which; we're off to Joshua Tree National Park this weekend for our first overnight camping trip with our wilderness training class. Stay tuned, as I'm expecting it to be quite the experience. We'll be doing navigation 'noodling' which I think may be synonymous with "Ha! You're lost, so good luck finding your way back!"

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Spring Southwest RV Trip Preview

It recently occurred to me that our upcoming 45-day spring RV trip is going to get here before I know it, given how frantic life is currently. Between our Wilderness Training class, our many ongoing 'normal' activities, plus the upcoming eight weeks of computer classes I'm preparing to teach at our Lifelong Learning program, time is racing by. So, I've been hard at work since Monday nailing down the final details of our trip, which I'm happy to share here in the event others have interest in any of the places we'll be visiting.

I utilized MapQuest and my national parks book collection to determine what places we should visit, RVParkReviews to determine where we should stay, TripAdvisor to determine what we should do, and Yelp to determine where we should eat. I then transferred everything to a series of worksheets that I'll print out and keep with me. We utilize WiFi as we go, but it can be intermittent depending on where are, and I've learned that it's always a good plan to have paper backups.

Having done all that, I'm very, very excited about what we'll be seeing and doing on this trip. Below are some of the highlights, including links to the parks where we'll be staying. Average lodging cost per night is coming in at $38, with most places affording full hookups, WiFi, laundry and swimming pool, plus spas and fitness centers in some locations. We'll be very comfortable!

Spring 45-Day Southwest RV Trip Itinerary

Tucson, AZ
Catalina State Park
- Saguaro National Park

Las Cruces, NM
Las Cruces KOA
- Old Mesilla Village
- White Sands Missile Range
- Dripping Springs Natural Area

Carlsbad, NM
Carlsbad RV Park
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Roswell, NM
Red Barn RV Park
- Roswell UFO Tour

Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque North/Bernalillo KOA
- International Hot Air Balloon Museum
- Petroglyph National Monument
- Sandia Peak Tramway
- Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Santa Fe, NM

Los Suenos RV Park
- Georgia O'Keefe Museum
- Bandelier National Monument
- Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
- Pecos National Historical Site
- Llama trekking along the Rio Grande

Holbrook, AZ
Holbrook/Petrified Forest KOA
- Petrified Forest National Park

Sedona, AZ
Rancho Sedona RV Park
- Backcountry jeep tour
- Slide Rock State Park
- Flagstaff day trip

Las Vegas, NV
Oasis RV Park
- Sun, fun, and lounging by the pool
- Cirque du Soleil's 'One' at Mandalay Bay
- Red Rocks State Park

Paso Robles, CA,
Wine Country RV Resort
- Great Western Bike Rally

- Wine tasting

Morro Bay, CA
Morro Bay State Park
- Hiking
- Kayaking

Home

If you recall, last summer I was regretting that I hadn't put more time into planning each leg of our Pacific Northwest trip, because it left me scrambling to plan out our itinerary each time we relocated to a new area. Lesson learned, I've been plotting out a detailed itinerary, which has allowed me to plan activities to maximize both our time and money. By doing the research ahead of time, I've been able to take advantage of many free and discounted activities I've found, working them into our plans as it makes sense.

And now that this trip has been pretty much put to bed, I'm moving on to our 70-day summer RV trip, which will take us through the grasslands and badlands of the northern plain states.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

A Fabulous February Start - Bagging Santiago Peak

That's the Santiago Peak marker above. Not terribly impressive as peak markers go, but still a major feat to be able to see it and take a photo in person. It took us 8 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain to reach 5,689 ft Santiago Peak, the highest point in Orange Country, while carrying 20 pound backpacks, then another 8 miles to return to our start point.

At 16 miles roundtrip, that's our longest day hike ever.

What a day, and what an output of energy it took. Our day started bright and early at 3:30 AM, as our alarms went off and we climbed out of our warm bed. I think I've previously mentioned that this is always my least favorite part of any endurance activity, but once I suck it up and toss back the covers, it's pretty much all good going forward.

We dressed in our already-laid out hiking layers, went downstairs to re-check our already-loaded backpacks, filled our water bladders, poured hot coffee into travel mugs, picked up our sack breakfast and lunch, and left for the 40 minute drive to the initial starting point. There, along with the other 27 people in our WTC class, we grouped together and got into several high clearance vehicles for the very bumpy ride to the trail head. Seriously, the dirt road we had to drive up was rutted, muddy, and about as bad as I've ever been on. And so much fun.

We were parked and gathered together in front of the trail head by 6:30 AM, ready to listen to some last minute instructions from our leader Edd . . .

. . . plus one quick, "Hi guys, look where we are!" photo before taking off:

So how did it go? Well, it went 1) great, then 2) not so great, then 3) great again!

Great

We hiked for seven miles, continuously gaining elevation, and stopping every mile or so to utilize our compass and trail map to ascertain where we were. Learning to locate true north, take a bearing on a landmark, then use both to determine where we were on our trail maps was challenging. If I had to take a test today I'd probably fail navigation, but I'm making progress, and we still have many weeks to go, so I'm optimistic I'll nail it eventually.

Not So Great

At the start of mile eight, which, ironically, was almost the easiest part of the hike as we followed a dirt road for the last mile to the peak, I bonked.

What is bonking exactly? Here's a definition from Active.com:

What Causes a Bonk? A bonk can be described as total glycogen depletion from the muscles and liver. Glycogen is the primary fuel source for endurance athletes. This severe glycogen depletion does not occur during short duration, high intensity efforts, rather it occurs during continuous exercise at some 70- to 85-percent of VO2 max that is sustained for periods of more than about two hours.

I've bonked before, so I knew I needed to eat something with salt, and do so pretty quickly. I pulled out a small pack of trail mix, ate it, sipped lots of water, kept trudging along, and just about the time we hit the peak some twenty minutes later, I was pretty much back to normal.

Great Again!

Shots from the peak, which was colder and windier than expected at a brisk 36 degrees. Not something we experience very often here in temperate Orange County, California.

Yeah, I made it!

We shared the peak with these radio towers, which provide radio coverage for most of S. California.

The views looking out in the other direction were a bit more dramatic.

Apparently I wasn't the only one in the group that struggled to reach the peak!

Cold, but happy to have made it.

Heading back down a descending trail is always great for me. The hard work is over, and I can rely on my solid cardio conditioning to get me back to the start point. The only part that threw a bit of a wrench in the works this time though, is that our leader for this leg, Ron, decided that our leisurely ascent had eaten up to much daylight, and we now needed to book it back down if we wanted to finish before sunset.

And book it he did. Seriously, we descended so rapidly that most of us in the front group (yep, I was in the front group with the 20-somethings on the way down) had to jog to keep up. While wearing 20 pound backpacks mind you.

It was fun. A bit tough, yes, but fun. The only issue was one of the gals in the group took a swan dive just before we reached the cars. It scared the heck out of me as I watched her go down, because her arms got caught under her body leaving her with absolutely nothing to break her fall. There was a collective holding of breath until she popped up smiling, dirt all over her face, and in her teeth, announcing she was fine.

After that, it was an easy, bumpy drive back down to our cars, followed by a group pizza fest at a nearby restaurant.

Surprisingly, I feel pretty darn good this morning, and Mike and I will be heading over to a nearby trail shortly to do a five mile easy trek so I can continue breaking in my new boots.

And although it made me laugh at the time, yesterday, as we were finishing up, one of the young guys turned to one of the gals that was sprawled on the ground, exhausted, and called out "Hey, you can rest when you're dead!"

It's possible that truer words have never been spoken.

Friday, January 31, 2014

The Impact of Exercise On Weight . . . Mine At Least!

I was fooling around on SparkPeople this morning, the really terrific, free, online site I've been using to track my exercise and food as I continue to work on losing those last few pounds, and ending up creating some charts which I found to be very interesting.

Chart One

The first line of the chart below shows the number of calories I can take in if I wish to continue losing about 1.5 pounds a week, based on no exercise whatsoever. Somewhere between 1200-1550 a day, which is pretty austere.

The second line of the chart shows how many calories I burned today at the gym.

The last line shows the impact those calories I burned exercising have on my total caloric intake for the day. I have to say I like the total calories displayed in the last line a whole lot more than the calories displayed in the first!

Chart Two

Chart two shows what will happen once I hit my goal weight and switch to maintenance. At that point, it appears I'll be able to increase my daily caloric intake by about 100 calories a day.

Not as much as I would have hoped!

Once I thought about it, however, it actually made sense. I'd gained roughly six pounds a year for the last three years, 18 in total, which breaks out to just 57 excess calories a day.

Chart Three

This was the chart that put me back in my happy place. On days like tomorrow, when I'm going to be hiking 15 miles, plus gaining elevation, plus carrying a 20 pound backpack, thus burning some 2600+ calories, I'll pretty much have license to eat whatever I want.

The moral of this story? I may not be able to do anything about my baseline metabolism, but exercise really does make everything a whole lot better!

Who says 51 is over the hill?!?

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Being Creative, Nutritious and Economical In The Kitchen

I love trying out new recipes, and it's a rare week that I don't work at least one new item into my weekly menu. Aside from being fun and allowing me to believe that maybe I really am creative, it's extremely economical as well - our weekly grocery spend continues to come in around $80.00 for two as we head into year three of our early retirement. And although there have been a few notable exceptions over the years, everything generally ends up tasting considerably better than if it had been purchased ready-made.

Here are a few of the more interesting things that came out of my kitchen this week -

Wheat Berry Salad with Feta Cheese

This Cooking Light recipe actually called for goat cheese, but I am so not a fan, so I used lowfat feta instead. This was my first time cooking with wheat berries, and the hardest part was simply remembering to start them soaking in the morning since it takes a full eight hours to do so, followed by an hour on the stove, then a final 30 minutes cooling them down. Putting the salad together after that was a snap. I served it with some of my homemade, toasted potato bread and it was delish.

Spinach Sundried Tomato Pizza With Feta

Another Cooking Light recipe, which includes instructions for making the pizza crust, sauce, and toppings all from scratch. I'm particularly proud of the way the pizza crust turned out - soft and airy. Nicely, the pizza crust recipe calls for utilizing a stand up mixer fitted with a bread dough hook for the majority of the kneading process, with just a couple of minutes of hand kneading at the end. I followed the pizza crust and pizza sauce recipes verbatim, but modified the pizza toppings slightly - I substituted feta for goat cheese (I really do not like goat cheese!), left off the ricotta and used some mozzarella I hand on hand instead, and added sun dried tomatoes. Almost everything tastes better with sun dried tomatoes I think!

Grilled Pepper and Onion Calzones

I used leftover pizza dough and pizza sauce from the above recipe as starter ingredients in this final Cooking Light recipe, substituting mushrooms for the sausage called for in the recipe. Unfortunately, I'm going to need to cheat and use the online photo, since I forgot to take a photo of this before we dug in.

Photo courtesy of www.CookingLight.com

Low Sugar Blackberry Lime Jam

This Sunset recipe is a super easy, super delicious, low sugar refrigerator jam that I make whenever berries go on sale. Recently I picked up blackberries on sale at Sprouts for $0.77 per 6 oz package. I used 3 and 1/3 packages, which when added to the cost of the rest of the ingredients, came to a total of $3.44 for 36 oz of jam, or $0.09 per oz*. I normally spend $2.79 for 15.2 oz of Trader Joe's low sugar jam, which at $0.18 per oz, is twice as expensive as homemade. And nowhere near as tasty!

Click here for my Low Sugar Strawberry Raspberry Jam and Click here for my Low Sugar Spiced Plum Jam, which I alternate between depending on what's on sale at Sprouts.

*I didn't include the cost of the canning jars, because I've been reusing them for years to make this jam.

Dried Cherry and Almond Biscotti

OK, so this is my one, token, non-nutritious item for the week. This recipe, from Food Network's Anne Burrell, is relatively easy to make as well. I added some white chocolate chips to the recipe, which I think pair well with the dried cherries and almonds. This recipe makes about three dozen cookies, all of which go immediately into my freezer for safe keeping. If you make them for yourself you'll quickly discover why . . . they are far too yummy to leave just lying around asking to be eaten!

Also on the menu, but not photographed:

- Cooking Light's Bowtie pasta with tomato, feta, cucumber and capers. I substituted cucumber for the grapes listed in the recipe. Grapes just seemed odd to me given the other ingredients in this recipe!

- Vegetarian enchiladas: whole wheat tortillas, vegetarian refried beans, sliced black olives, canned green chiles, and some shredded lowfat cheddar cheese. Fill, roll, place seam side down in pan, cover with enchilada sauce of choice, and bake for 30 minutes uncovered at 350.

- I also serve a big crunchy salad with almost every meal, add a slice of toasted or grilled bread for Mike, plus big glasses of ice water for us both.

So there you have it . . . some creative, economical, mostly nutritious recipes from my kitchen to yours!

Weight loss update: Down another pound this week, for a total of 12 pounds lost, with another six to go before I hit my goal. Photos once that occurs you can be sure!

Sugar note update: Although it may seem counter-intuitive to make things like biscotti when I'm in the process of losing weight, it's really not as long as I manage my intake. I allow myself 150 - 200 calories a day of treats. :-)

Monday, January 27, 2014

And Finally She Rested!

One of the things that makes me deeply joyous is to push my physical limits. I sincerely enjoy the experience as I'm doing it, but I may be more addicted to the way I feel afterward . . . sort of like slow moving molasses. It's the most wonderful sensation, and I can only go so many days without it before I start to go a little crazy.

Because of the upcoming physical demands of our Wilderness Training Course (WTC); one 12-14 mile, 3000 ft elevation gaining hike, one cross-country hike that will include 2nd and 3rd class rock climbing/scrabbling, one snow traveling hike, and two nights/three days of snow backpacking; we've been upping our physical conditioning significantly. I started working out on the Stairmaster last week, and am already able to stay on for 45 minutes at a decent level, which I'm really pleased about. I'm also adding resistance each time I strength training, and yesterday we were able to knock off a 40 mile bicycle ride without too much effort, even after about six weeks of being off of our bikes.

Today's goal was to complete our normal 12 mile Monday hike with the addition of WTC-load approved backpacks. Per our WTC class, WTC-load approved meant we were carrying the ten essentials in addition to our normal day hiking items: three liters of water, a compass, map, extra backup emergency food, all necessary insulation layers of clothing, including heavy fleece jacket and rain gear, waterproof matches, a back up fire starter, gloves and glove liners, a knit hat, headlamp, pocket knife, duct tape, and a whistle. Plus extra boots - I'm breaking in a new pair and needed to change into my old boots a few miles in, in order to avoid bruising my feet or bones by forcing them to try and acclimate to the new, stiffer and heavier boots, too quickly.

The ice cooler in the background stayed behind,
but pretty much everything else went with me!

After all that, my backpack weighed in at 18 pounds, as did Mike's. I was also using walking poles for the first time, which I knew would add an additional level of exertion, and I was wearing my brand new leather boots for the first part of the hike, so I was more than a little nervous as we headed off.

Cool as a cucumber Mike

More than a bit nervous me.

As we headed out of the parking lot and up the first hill, I quickly realized we weren't in Kansas anymore! Carrying 18 extra pounds while climbing was a lot, lot harder than climbing with my normal day hiking load of just water and food. As we crested the hill I honestly wondered if I'd be able to finish. But, fortunately, what I forgot was that that first hill comes right at the beginning, meaning my heart rate was working overtime to get up to speed, and once it got to that 70%-80% exertion level, starting right around the start of mile two, I actually felt fine, and stayed fine for pretty much the rest of the hike.

Where our hike took us today.

I will say, though I was very happy when we started on mile eleven, our last. And even happier when we started down the last hill and I saw our car waiting for us below. And finally taking off that heavy backpack once we reached the car? Absolute bliss!

The reward for putting out so much effort, about 1,600 calories per my best guess, is that I feel no need to justify not moving for the remainder of the day. All I've pretty much done since we got back home is shower, eat, nap, eat a bit more, read, watch a little TV, and work on this blog.

Tomorrow morning I'll likely be back to being full of energy and a desire to be productive, but for right now I'm thoroughly enjoying my well earned rest.

"When you do that which is hard, life becomes very easy."