Stuff and Things

As promised last time, here are some photos 

from the adventures of the last few months. 

And some music because you can never have too much music.

Nike and I walking the Freedom Trail in Boston. Together again after two years!

Our first campground. Seawall in Acadia National Park.  (There's nothing like falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.)

 

The view on our morning commute.

My apologies, but I could (and did) watch the ocean for hours.

A foggy hike up Cadillac Mountain.

It started to clear up when we reached the top. We were not prepared for that.

After a few days in Maine, we moved on to Nova Scotia and spent some time with our friend Dusty.

The night life. (And much more of it than either Nike or I were accustomed too. It was fun!)

A hike on the coast near Halifax.

If you look closely you can see Nike and Dusty crossing the rocks.

If only every day could be like this.

And oh- the silliness!

Can you see the seals I spotted on the way back to the car?

After Halifax, we headed toward home- but spent two more nights camping along the way, this time in New Brunswick.

And we went on the best whale watching tour ever. This is Cap'n Dave.

These are seals.

These are the fashionable outfits that would have kept us safe in the event of our suddenly being tossed overboard. (Also- it should be noted that our boat was not the big one directly behind us. It's the little one behind and to the left of the big one.)

And the most magnificent lobster roll ever.

Given that I ended with boating things, this seems appropriate. Enjoy! Lisa Hannigan

And how about another wonderful tune? The Decemberists

On the other hand...

...maybe that was just the excess weight talking. Since my last post I have increased my overall workout habits, hiked two more high peaks (and a bit in Maine and Nova Scotia), driven nearly two thousand miles in a two week period, slightly altered my eating habits (particularly breakfast which now often includes cucumber slices), and dropped a good 20-25 pounds. 

And this morning I went for a four mile run. Because the belly dancing class that usually occupies my Sunday mornings was cancelled.
And because I needed the fresh air. 

It felt good. 

I went at what seemed like an easy pace. I checked my time at the end and discovered that I had run at 10 minute miles.
(And an easy 10 minute mile is very good for me.)

I don't think I'll ever love running. But I expect that there will be other days when I need the solitude and the air. When I need time to clear my head or think things through without the distractions of a dozen other people and loud music. 

There are two important points for me here: 

#1- Exercise, in whatever form I choose to do it, is now the primary way in which I relax, think, and evaluate things. And that's pretty cool for me. 

And #2- If I want to run, I can do it. I won't do it because I feel like I have to. 

But sometimes I might just want to.

(And next time around I'll post some of the
photos from my adventures of the last few months.)