Have a GREAT St. Patrick’s Day! YES, the Chicago River did go GREEN this weekend and we had many parades. It was nice to be back to normal. Although, I hear there are COVID spikes in Europe again. SIGH – let’s pray our new found mask freedom is not short lived.
FOR TODAY — GO IRISH! The University of Notre Dame – Fighting Irish won their basketball game after 2 overtimes. Yes — THAT is something to celebrate! The crowd went wild!
Have a great day!
I like walking/hiking. This year, I needed some new hiking socks. Due to COVID restrictions, I was lazy and did not go to a sporting goods store. I was at Costco in November and I was in luck. They had these great looking bundle of socks, 4 in a pack, great price. As you see from photo, they looked like a good quality pair of socks and the color was pleasing. So, I bought them. They’ve been comfortable.
Fast forward three months. This is how my socks look now. Really worn out. I thought if I need to see a foot doctor, I would just show him the bottom of my sock. He could determine from that how I am walking, and where foot pain is coming from.
In the past, I leaned toward Smartwool and Darn Tough brand of socks. They are very pricey, no question, but they last for years. Personally, I think the Smartwool run a little narrow.
Well, this year I’ve learned a valuable lesson. Quality of socks does make a difference if you want to use them for walking/hiking. These socks from Costco are nice socks, but they were meant for every day minimal walking.
So, GUESS where I am headed today? YES, Smartwool shopping!!
Spring is here, ready to get back out there and walk. The weather is finally warming up. I’m also searching for some good podcasts to listen to as well. Any suggestions, please share.
Happy Spring!
If you are looking for one last summer book to read, I recommend Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer, her memoir. I’m listening to it on audio. The Mongol Derby, in Mongolia, is said to be the toughest horse race in the world. Riding 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) for 10 days, using 25 horses along the way. Lara Prior-Palmer, won at 19 years old in 2013, she is the youngest person to have won the race.
Fast forward to 2019, when the oldest person, Bob Long from Idaho, won the race at 70 years old. He said that age is just a number. True; however, he grew up riding horses, so he felt comfortable with this type of rugged race. Still, at 70 years, that kind of race is hard on the body. He made it to all of his pit stops without over riding his horses in any way.
So, I’ve got to say, this was a good summer find.
I’d love to read another memoir like this, one of endurance. Any good reads, share them.
Enjoy the day!
I was heading out the door to exercise. I needed a pouch to put my headphones in. Look what I found. I knew one day I’d have a use for this crab pouch. My daughter gave me this pouch. I immediately liked it, but wondered when I would use it. TODAY was the day!
I’m on the hunt for good workout headphones. They are hard to find. The simple ear bud ones, don’t work for me. They keep falling out of my ear. So, I found these Powerbeats headphones. They stay in my ear, but they are a little too snug – like a suction cup once they are in. I worry about the volume with them being so snug.
For now, they do work, no question about that. Off to walk.
ENJOY the weekend!
January 2021 – The start of a new year, it’s time for a fitness challenge.
My girlfriend was on Facebook and found this Run West Ireland – Cancer Fundraiser – Virtual Challenge. It was a no brainer to sign up. We love Ireland, happy to donate to cancer and need to exercise. A win/win all around.
Here’s how it works. Race Duration: January 18 – May 31. Miles: 502; however, you can sign up to do less. Doing the math, as I signed up for the 502 miles, it seems I need to walk about 5 miles a day. It’s hard to find 1.5 hours a day to devote to exercise, but that will be the challenge.
They have a Facebook group page, which is nice. So, there is some camaraderie and then other perks along the way. I clocked my 5.6 miles in today. Feeling good.
So the race begins!
I came across this new paddle board / kayak invention by Tim Neimeir. He’s been in the kayak industry for years. Visit his site, Origami Paddler, to learn more about him. He’s had great success on Kickstarter.
I’d like to learn paddle boarding and kayaking this year. I’ve kayaked, but haven’t tried paddle boarding. I’m exploring what boards are out there to purchase that are easy to put in my car and carry.
I just bought two wonderful Paddling magazines. Life is interesting. When we put something that we want out to the Universe, suddenly we attract information on it.
Right now, it’s too COLD for boating in Chicago, but I’ve got to formulate a plan for Spring.
How about YOU? What is your big outdoor goal for this year?
With COVID, I was reading that bikes and kayaks were sold out. Even indoor bikes and treadmills have been back ordered. So, the sporting / exercising industry is changing, getting a boost and coming up with NEW ideas for how we can eat healthy and exercise in or outdoors.
2021 – On to the big adventure.
Tiger Woods win in the Masters yesterday was a real victory for him and for us. It shows us that life gives us set backs (personal, physical, etc.), but through perseverance, hard work, constant belief in our goals that victory can be obtained. His last win was in 2005, this is quite a come back.
Champions never give up believing, Tiger Woods proved that!
Wonderful to see him hugging his son, his mother…
By the way, there is a story out there that says when you win the green jacket, you only get to keep it at your home for a year, then you need to give it back. WHAT? Also, that the green jacket they put on him was his old jacket, not a new one. WHAT AGAIN? I’m not a golfing fan, need to read more about this. Surprised, of course.
Congratulations!
Photo courtesy of “Afghan Cycles,” http://www.afghancycles.com
A few years ago, I heard about a group of women in Afghanistan who were learning to cycle. They were starting a documentary about this, but it was going to take time to produce. Good news, last year the movie Afghan Cycles, produced by Let Media made it’s debut. I want to spread the word about it.
The Bicycle Story wrote an article, “Shannon Galpin: Riding to Revolution in Afghanistan” back in 2014 to share the start of this story. Shannon Galpin is from Colorado. She is the founder and President of Mountain2Mountain, which is a non-profit focused on global women’s rights.
Galpin’s focus on Afghani women and bikes started in 2009 when she brought her mountain bike to Afghanistan. As she rode around on her bike, it sparked conversation and interest from women about riding. In 2013, she started working and training with the Afghan National Women’s Cycling Team, as well as bike clubs that had started. On her website (Shannon Galpin), she has pictures of this journey and the women cyclists!
Photo courtesy of “Afghan Cycles,” http://www.afghancycles.com
Sarah Menzies, Let Media, is a Producer, Editor, Filmmaker and brilliant story teller. It has taken her five years to produce this film with many rounds of fundraising, research, and trips to Afghanistan involved. You can see this documentary was long coming. I hope you will take a moment to read their story and view the film!
Let Media is asking us to spread the word. They welcome people to contact them to set up a screening of the film in their cities.
Here is how you can watch the film:
The film is available for purchase on the following platforms:
US: iTunes, Microsoft, Google Play, Vudu and Amazon.
Canada: iTunes, Microsoft, Google Play
UK: iTunes, Amazon Microsoft, Google Play
Ireland: iTunes, Microsoft, Google Play
When I was young and learned to ride a bike… IT’S TRUE, it gave me confidence, after I fell a zillion times, of course! A few scraped knees and elbows never stopped me. I had freedom and independence to go where I wanted in our neighborhood. I had a newspaper route where I made money, riding the bike also taught discipline and respect for my vehicle. How many times did I learn to put the chain back on, oil the chain, put the bell and basket on my bike and fix a flat tire (too many to count).
I loved the feel of the “fresh air” (spring, summer & fall) as I rode along Lake Michigan. Riding a bike was, and is, a powerful feeling. I can understand woman around the world wanting the same freedom and independence that I had.
If any of you (male or female) have had these same feelings of bike riding than you can understand how important this documentary is, so please… don’t be shy… share with others!
For those of you who follow football, this weekend (November 3, 2018) the University of Notre Dame plays Northwestern University in Evanston (North of Chicago). It supposed to be a BIG game, we have not played them in 40 years and we lost last time. Of course, I am an ND fan. Game Day t-shirts are on sale now. ND fans, wear your blue/gold with PRIDE!
Go IRISH!
The race from Chicago to Mackinac Island starts tomorrow (Saturday, July 21, 2018). If you are in the area, head down to Navy Pier. It’s exciting and beautiful to see all the boats lining up to take off. They have different sized boats, so they leave at different times to make the race fair.
The reason this is exciting is because this is the oldest freshwater race in the world, it started in 1898. If you enjoy sailing, you might like to see this online tracking of the race. If you click on the “online tracking link,” you can see a picture of Lake Michigan with a line showing you how they will sail from Chicago to Mackinac Island. They sail nonstop, so they use spotlights at night. I believe there are about 340 boats and approximately 3,000 sailors.
Weather forecast not looking so good, rain and high winds.
So, you see, Chicago is known for a little bit more than just “Al Capone / gangsters.” Ah, I’m kidding, but did you know that Walt Disney was born in Chicago, 1901, and grew up here? He studied drawing at the Institute of Fine Arts. I leave you with Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Kind of Town (Chicago is)!” AND The Blues Brothers with “Sweet Home Chicago.”
Let the race begin!
Brilliant Viewpoint 