susartandfood posted: " The air in many U.S. cities is currently polluted with smoke pouring in from the ongoing Canadian wildfires. The situation is so dire, New Yorkers were suffering from the worst air quality in the world the other day, according to the local news. N" Susartandfood's Blog
The air in many U.S. cities is currently polluted with smoke pouring in from the ongoing Canadian wildfires. The situation is so dire, New Yorkers were suffering from the worst air quality in the world the other day, according to the local news. Nova Scotia, where I hail from, is one of the provinces apparently under siege, fires devastating parts of the area. Makes me sad to think of my homeland, with all the beautiful trees decorating the landscape, awash with smoke and flames. Fire, to me, is the most devastating of nature's tools. I have often thought I would rather die almost any way then by fire. Well, almost. I suppose there are worse ways to go out, but I'd rather not conjure those up in for my highly imaginative brain to chew on. I wonder often why some of us have to die in such horrific ways, while others simply lie down one day and drift off into the hereafter. I think, like leaves on a tree, as age overcomes us we should slowly begin to wither and die. Finally, when the process is complete, we could then drop off the tree peacefully, floating to the ground to join others at the end of their journey to make a rich mulch of learning for upcoming generations. I'm putting that one in the suggestion box for future use.
Moving on to lighter subjects, Richard and my travel plans for September's road trip continue to firm up. All our reservations at RV parks along our route are now in place. I was surprised to find available spots were quite tight, even that far out on the calendar. I don't know, but surmise, with so many years of being stuck inside dealing with COVID, people are happy to be on the move again. Thankfully, with a little work, we found spots with our name on it in each location we were trying to book.
The return loop of our trip will bring us to Southern California through the San Diego area. This stop will include a visit to the zoo, and if time allows, a trip across the border to Tijuana. I have not been to that wonderful zoo in many, many years, so really looking forward to that. TJ, as we referred to Tijuana in high school, isn't a must, but it would be interesting to see again. I remember the first time I visited there, I had no idea what to expect. It was a popular destination for teens in my area. Boys took their cars down there to be tuck and rolled, and brought their dates to browse through the tourist driven shops coming home with colorful bull piggy banks or sombreros as mementos. There is nothing to write home about when it comes it the town itself. When I visited, it was a scruffy little border town, with a lot of poverty evident everywhere you looked. As far as I could see the town was nearly totally supported by U.S. citizens pouring across the border to do business or shop there. You could pick up leather clothing, silver and linens for great prices.
Heading north up the coast on the last leg of our trip, we will make a brief pause in San Simeon. Hopefully, while there, we'll be able to take in one of the tours at Hearst Castle.
Summer promises to be busy in 2023. Over the July 4th weekend, we are heading down to Morro Bay for a family affair my son and his wife have organized. Twenty-seven people from both sides of their families will be descending on the vacation compound they have reserved for a six day period over the holiday. I have a pet sitter in place for Miss Boo in our absence. Richard has never met my son or his wife and their combined tribe of five children, nor has he met any members of my daughter-in-law's family. Talk about a trial by fire. My people are a force of nature, not to be taken lightly. They love to have fun, and generally do so with great abandon. Should make for an interesting trip. As it is a beach location, there will be swim wear involved. Sigh. Because of the threat of skin cancer, and to prevent further wrinkling of the surface of my skin, I don't "lie out" anymore. The lovely blush of summer color I used to wear this time of year now a thing of the past, I'm afraid the sight of so much of my lily white skin exposed to the air might frighten the local children. I have thought of rubbing tanning cream all over me and seeing how that works out, but worry about what color I might turn using those concoctions. When I was a kid, the tanning products were far less refined, with the color you ended up with leaning more towards tangerine than golden brown.
I was reading recently, with the ozone layer in the shape it's in, anyone over the age of six months should be slathering sunscreen over every inch of their exposed skin each day before leaving the house. This would be another layer added to my list before going out for the day. I have so many personal health routines in place now, by the time I get them all completed in the morning, it is time to come home from wherever I'm heading out to go to. Perhaps we should be handed protective shells like turtles when we arrive and eliminate all the preventative measures? Another thought for the suggestion box.
When I first arrived in California from Nova Scotia, the first thing that caught my eye was the golden bronze color of most of the population's skin. Comparing my color to theirs was like placing a turnip next to a pumpkin. Nova Scotia is not a place where tanning is revered. Not that there weren't tan people there. Fisherman certainly sported tans, or farmers and construction workers, but people didn't put much stock in it. A "hot" day in the Maritimes would be in the high eighties or possibly a ninety here or there, but they are rare. In spite of the cooler climate, this did not mean swimming wasn't popular. As a kid I swam in the ocean at the country club my grandparents were members of, and often availed myself of their unheated salt water pool. The water was hardly bathtub temperature, but children don't seem to experience cold the way adults do. I can picture my two, when little, blue lips shivering, assuring me they were not cold when I suggested it was time to get out of the water.
Swimming and walking are my two favorite forms of exercise. Richard, interestingly enough, never learned to swim. Neither he nor his younger brother can come up with so much as a lap between them. More interesting yet, the man chose fishing as his favorite way to relax, a sport involving sitting in a metal boat parked in the middle of a large body of water all day. There's a therapy session in those statements somewhere. Neither man drinks coffee either. Don't know if this should be a red flag or not. Perhaps it's a personality defect. Can't imagine my world without either.
I love all things about the water, and have spent a good deal of my life seeking refuge in or by it. Back in the day, I was a pretty fair water skier. My first time being pulled behind a boat on two skis came in Lake Tahoe when I was fourteen. Tahoe is an alpine lake, making the water there is like slipping into a glass of ice water. Makes me cold just thinking of it. My parents rented a chalet that summer on the water's edge, at a resort called Chambers Lodge. Looking over the brochure provide by the lodge, it detailed all the various activities available for guests to participate in. I decided learning to ski might be fun. The day of my lesson, I stood alongside six or so other "students" of varying ages lined up along the lodge's old wooden pier. A very well put together young man wearing a tee shirt reading SKI INSTRUCTOR, delivered a brief instructional lecture on what we were to expect once in the water. When it was my turn, I was strapped into a ski vest. Once secured, I was told to hop in the frigid water and when ready, grab hold of the handle of the yellow ski rope floating on top of it. Jumping in, I felt my chest constrict as my body connected with the icy water. The impact felt like a slap in the face. Surfacing, I waited for the oxygen to return my lungs, and then, as instructed, tucked my feet into the rubber bindings secured to the top of the skis. I turned in the direction of the boat sitting idling off in the distance as the instructor yelled commands to me. As told, I positioned the ski rope in between the tips of my skis holding the tips above the water as evenly as I could get them. It was amazing how difficult it was to keep my knees bent and the toes of my skis straight when my whole body was chattering.
I heard the words "hit it" emanate from somewhere behind me. The command directly correlated with the gunning of the motor and a surging forward movement by the boat. Feeling the torque on the rope, I struggled to remember what to do next. All I recall about that moment was trying to stand up as I'd been told, and instead remaining stuck under water sucking in half the lake water into my open mouth before finally giving up and letting go of the rope. It took me three times until I succeeded in pulling myself up into to a standing position. Skimming along the top of the water was absolutely glorious. Feeling more comfortable as the minutes passed, I began to tentatively move to the left and right of the wake. One thing I know for sure, being aware of how cold that water was was a huge incentive for me to remain on top of the water in those skis.
Twice in my lifetime I've owned a boat, once when my kids were teens and the second time when Rick and I owned the restaurant. I don't ski anymore, but have lovely memories of summers on the lake and swishing back and forth behind the boats. There are different times and phases in your life. Though I still love to swim, I'm not as physically agile as I once was. My bones are more fragile than in younger years, and my stamina perhaps not as long lived. Ah well. I am thankful every day all my working parts are functional and remain very pliable. I sit on the floor and get up without needing a crane, and I walk or run every day it is possible. Pickle ball is on my list of things to learn over the summer, so that is happening at one time or another.
Zip lining is definitely a must do while we're on the road. I understand there is a place to do this around the Grand Canyon which I would definitely hop on board. Adventure awaits, I sense it, and I am ready for the experience. Have a great weekend!!
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