A Little Change Up

 

I blog about places we visit and trips we take.  Nothing too out of the norm or exciting, just a visit to another state or even another county.  That is all well and good, but not too exciting or adventurous.  Let me tell you that sometimes a change is in order to get the blood moving and the heart pumping with a little more enthusiasm.  The plan of action--rent a two up four wheeler and ride the endless trails in Island Park.

 
The rental agreement said no wheelies or jumps--so disappointing.  I understand there are those riders who abuse the equipment and bring them back in not a pristine condition.  Not being ones to ignore rules we opt to skip the wild stuff and just ride sanely down the trails.  Fun is possible without speed, careening down the hills and bouncing over boulders  Age may dictate that conclusion as well as the accumulation of common sense.  It was enough to cruse along taking the bumps and dips at a sensible speed. The summer heat had not touched the wild flowers and they still bloomed cheerily spreading color among the green foliage and pines.

This little change up experiment may or may not have been a good idea.  As with so many experiences,  things move from one to another and mushroom along the way. Needless to say the four wheeler day trip touched a spark and the thought of owner ship began to grow.  Too much fun!  After a few days of exploration and looking at our options a decision was made.  Anyone who know us will understand how incredibly difficult it was  to arrive at a decision.  In the end only one half  took the plunge.

 I am now the proud owner of a 110 Yamaha trail bike.  It was love at first sight.  Nolan hasn't fallen in love yet.  I just jumped harder and faster.  Perhaps this love affair is coming a little late in life, but   age never goes backward and I feel the best action is to run as fast as you can never stopping until you can run no longer.  At that point it is okay to sit down and put your fit up.  Until then go forward and never look back.  Find that wild side and take a ride.

There is always the option of personal creation when it comes to taking that wild ride.  If it doesn't fit your needs--adapt the equipment.      

 Anyone can find and old chair back.  Such resourcefulness--I am always impressed at man's ability to adapt and his creative expression.

Now and Then

I can still remember my first telephone number--2749M.  The phone sat on a desk in the corner of the dining room.  A big black heavy handed animal.  There was nothing small or sleek about this communication device.  It was large in a child's hand and awkward.  I only remember calling one person on the phone and that was Aunt Myrtle, my mother's youngest sister.  It was a treat to use the phone and since kids didn't call each other like they do today the only person I had a number for was Aunt Myrtle.  I didn't call to talk, but made the call for my mother.

When you picked the phone up off the cradle the operator's voice responded with, "number please, and you repeated the number of the person you wanted to speak with.  She made the connection and you waited for the your party to pick up.  The operator could tell if the line was already connected and would respond with, "that line is busy." 

Party lines were common with two people sharing the same line, but with different numbers.  You had to listen for your ring--two rings or one.  If the party you shared the line with was using the phone you couldn't receive or make calls.  Annoying!  But you could, if you were very careful, lift the phone and listen in.  Aunt Myrtle did that a lot much to my mother's horror. I tried that at home and was busted almost immediately.  Maybe that could be compared today's wiring tapping.

I suppose the technology of today is superior from a convenience standpoint, but it is time consuming. Now you have to remember to charge your phone or you are dead in the water which creates a state of panic.  Heaven forbid --you may be out of touch with your dozens and dozens of friends who made need to make an emergency call to you.  Nor can you send little senseless notes to your family and friends about nothing.  Oh wait--you can't take a picture of yourself standing in front of the library either.  Oops! I forgot your don't use the library because you have a book on your phone or your nook or your kindle or your computer.

I keep my notebook plugged in at all times.  Every three days I charge my nook,  phone and ipod.  I no longer remember phone numbers because they are in my contacts on my phone, I receive and send stupid messages and use the ipod as a camera since I don't have a conventional one.  When I travel I have to reserve a special luggage pocket for adaptors and chargers so I can stay in touch with everything and everyone  I am trying to leave behind.

 

When I concentrate very hard and remove myself from the clutter of my surroundings, I can still feel the magic of being a little girl living in a world with a big black monstrosity called a phone and a square box emitting voices and black and white figures.  I liked being that little girl in that quiet, simple world.

Grab the Day

  


 Summer  has been slow in getting going.  Some how she has forgotten her quick step and replaced it with a waltz.  Yesterday started gloomy and of course windy--not the best day to haul bikes out for a short trip.  After deliberation and some hesitation we decided to just go for it.  Jackson Hole was the planned destination  and from past experience we have learned that crossing to the other side of the mountains often opens up a window of better weather.  Dark grey clouds loomed in front of us guiding us through Antelope Flats and into Swan Valley, over the pass into Teton and on over the mountain to Jackson.  Sun and light wind greeted us as we followed the curve of the road into Wilson.    

It turned out to be a grab it day.  Perfect in so many ways: mild temperature, moderate breeze, few people and broken clouds.  There are experiences which just happen and grow as the day develops with little direction on our part and this was one of those days. 

Too much worry and the search for perfection throw up road blocks and discourage risk taking.  Not everything should be approached with perfection in mind.  That perfect sun, the blue sky, the right temp--just doesn't come together very often.  But who cares.  Time moves too fast during an Idaho summer and the days we are given are meant to be used. 

  We took a chance and the day paid us back in full.  Lucky us!  The lesson learned--don't be a foot dragger.

 

 

Gee I got a medal
 

Smiles, a great attitude and positive approach to a major bump in the road.

 

Twelve thousand  people joined in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Boise Mother's Day weekend.  Seven hundred of the participants were survivors.  You see families in the white t-shirts walking with a family member wearing a pink shirt which lets everyone know that she is a survivor. 

 

These women have battled a private war and have come through much stronger and more self assured for what they have experienced.  Not only is the race about raising money for breast cancer research, but it is a celebration of life and individual victories. 

 

The logo on the white shirts--INSPIRED-- is representative of the attitude shared by all walkers wearing them.  They support and praise those in pink who have journeyed farther than just the 1k or the 5k. 

She is the survivor and I am inspired!

Never too young

 

The Harley ladies--Leaders of the Pack

A fun atmosphere almost like a carnival

If you show up be prepared to have a good time and even be a little silly.  A good costume helps

 

 

 the sillier the better   

   Will Kathy and I be back next year?  You bet we will.

Oh So Good

Long before we knew that some of our favorite comfort foods were not really all that comforting we were a happy people.  We blissful ate at our local drive in and indulged in such horrible things as hand dipped corn dogs deep fried in GREASE which was saved and used over and over again.  Sides like onion rings and French fries, also cooked in that same grease accompanied the dog.  All the fat contained in this delicious combo was washed down with a thick chocolate shake. 

 

Sometimes you just have to relive the days of ignorance and marvel at how blissfully uncomplicated life was.  If it tasted good we ate it with no guilt or calorie counter.  Many of our memories are associated with food.  As a child going to the drive in for a hamburger, fries and coke was a special treat.  The 50's introduced us to the fast food.  You pulled into the parking lot and walked to the window to order and waited while everything was freshly cooked.  You sat outside at a table or ate in your car.  When I was in Jr. High my friends an I walked to the Jumbo Drive Inn with a dollar and ordered a 50 cent hamburger, 25 cent coke and a small order of fries also 25 cents.  What a treat.

 

We had no idea we were eating unhealthy fat depositing food.  The trip for hamburgers was not a daily or even weekly experience.  It was a special treat with days and weeks passing before the next grease surge.  We had no idea we were eating junk food.  There was no quilt associated with consuming onion rings, a shake, chocolate sundae, or hamburger; only joy and satisfaction.

 

Occasionally it is good to resurrect the fond memories of drive in food; to just eat it because you want it and because it tastes darn good.  Evidently others feel that way too because when we visit the Fanci Freeze in Boise we stand in line to order.  During the winter we eat outside in a large heated tent, and in warm weather we sit at outside tables with umbrellas.  There has to be something about the over used grease that feeds the soul and calls us back because Fanci Freeze  has served comfort food since 1947. I figure several times a year I can visit and eat whatever I want.  No quilt, remorse or calorie counting is allowed to come along and spoil the experience. Just give me a hand full of napkins and I am a happy camper.

A Spring Day

 After months of gray skies, wind and

cold temps, I am hungry for the color green.  The grass is changing from brown to emerald green and 
the soft green of new leaves brings a lightness to the air.  Spirits begin to lift and everything and everyone comes alive.  It is time to breath deeply and enjoy the clean new season of spring.


This season called spring creates a new energy--the need to get outside. Today we took  our favorite bikes, the cruisers to Blackfoot to ride the path along the river.  It was a beautiful quite morning a fresh new day with sun just waiting to be soaked up.  The trees are bursting with new growth and the river bank is still free of brush and tangled vines. A heron fly low along the bank and landed ahead of us.  We quietly searched until we found him hidden in the willows.  On a perfect spring day even the ever present dandelion shines.  Today I welcomed its bright yellow buttons and thought of it as a flower and not a weed. 

   

 

 

 

 

 

So Much To See

So Much Too See

Little Italy farmers market----San Diego

I have a restless soul, a soul that needs to move and stretch, a soul that needs to be fed. 
There is always something more to see and experience further a field.  Here is not enough.
Sometimes I have to leave the wide open spaces and seek the larger, more crowded arena.
People I don't know and have never seen before and will never see again intrigue me.
I like the color of noise and crowds and tall buildings stretching toward the sky.  The
activities of lives pushed together in a shared space makes me feel energetic, invigorated
and large.  I don't mind. sharing the sidewalk with people who bump my shoulder or ridding in
a bus rather than a car and even the grinding subway train is musical.

out door cafe Little Italy (phot shopped)

succulents big and luscious

My day to day space is small, brown and tiny.  I like coming back to it, but I also like leaving it.
Perhaps, I want too much of the world and should be content with what I have at hand.  I can plant my feet for only so long and  they begin to itch with wander lust, and soon my thoughts turn
toward some place diffeent.  There is more beyond here and now.  Someday I may be content to
rest and watch things move past me and not be a participant.  I hope not, but until then I will not think about it and allow my curiosity to propel me forward.