California Fantasy

This was the beginning of my ride on my brother's motorcycle. It was my birthday wish. I rode roller coasters for 50 and motorcycle for 65 - never too old to have some fun. I also have some video - approximately 2 minutes worth, you definitely can tell that it is me having a blast.

Notice that I have a black boot on my foot - a week before I came on this trip I lost the battle with my driveway. I thought that I had only sprained my ankle, but it turns out that I have a small fracture and I was put into a removable cast. Oh joy - what a way to spend my vacation right. I have managed very well considering.

The mountain cabin - in the background - was a tree bedroom, two bath, two-story home that worked out really well for us. It was me, my brother, his wife and son and my niece Erin and her family, husband and three kids. It was a joy and I am very glad that I decided to do it. The motorcycle ride was the highlight of my stay.

We brought that beautiful mountain weather (70s during the day, 50 at night and very low humidity) back to Cottonwood with us. I am going to miss this weather. I wish that I could bottle it and bring it home with me. That would be the perfect ending to this trip.

The Driveway Won!!!

This is a second attempt to post - the first was wiped out by the computer or blogspot or somewhere else along the line. Sometimes computers are the bane of my existence, especially when they mess things up. I am trying again......

This picture is the result of my battle with my driveway on Saturday. I was walking to the mailbox at the end of my driveway, my foot misplaced itself half on the drive and half on the ground. I was thrown off balance and before you know it I am face down in the dirt. Not a flattering position for a 65 year old woman. Welcome to my new status as "senior citizen" or at least the brink of said status - still a few weeks to go.

Anyway, I have the equivalence of a very nasty rug burn and some swelling. The color purple is also prevalent in the mix. All this just one week before traveling to California for a family reunion. This mug will make for some interesting stories when it comes to picture time. If my body reacts as it normally does I should be at the "green yellow" stage of bruising by the time I am ready to leave for home.

I also did something to my left foot, not a sprain per se just a minor amount of pain and a lot of swelling. Hopefully my regimin of propping up, ice and wrapping it in a magnetic knee brace at night is going to make it easier for me to navigate the BWI, Fort Worth/Dallas and Reno airports next Saturday when I am traveling. So far these precautions seem to be helping. First true test will be tomorrow when I go to lunch with a friend. I have been looking forward to this lunch for a long time and I am not going to miss it.

My husband would have said, "the Hudak luck caught up with you - if it weren't for bad luck we would have no luck at all". He was a pessimist - me I am an optimist and fully believe that the Hemping perseverance will prevail and I will have no problems.

Fourth of July, 2011

Second big holiday of the summer. People are now crowding the roadways on their way to the beaches or mountains, whichever floats their boats. Me, I am firmly ensconced in my home and intend to stay here. I do not have to go far to enjoy the pleasures of the weekend.

We will be grilling our holiday fare and awaiting the fireworks which are kindly provided by several people in the immediate neighborhood. The neighborhood shows provide just as much noise and spectacular flashes across the sky as the big shows do and we do not have to fight traffic or crowds to enjoy.

The weather promises to be nice - not too hot or too humid, which is great. The "walk, jog, run" club that I belong to will not be meeting Saturday morning as usual, but I will make up for it by going to the gym and walking a mile on the treadmill and riding the bike for a mile as well. After that I will go to Denny's for breakfast (I get a free Grand Slam breakfast because I went online and filled out a survey).

The energy that I garner from the walk and bike riding I am going to put to use to do some much needed cleanup that needs to be done outside. Never ends does it?

It won't be long and I will be getting on a plane to California. I fly into Reno and rent a car to travel around - the mountains and Central Northern California - and then back to Reno to fly home. I am looking forward to the trip.