Tag Exercise

Snow ART — Blink and you’ll miss it!

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The other day it was snowing. My daughter and I went walking and as we were talking, she suddenly said, “Look, Mickey Mouse.” We looked more closely and laughed, “YES, it sure looked like Mickey!!”

She was on a roll. As we walked, she kept noticing more snow art, it was so amusing. You can see from above, the left photo, if we blinked, we would not have seen Mickey, same with the other funny figures. We saw the figures at a distance, I zoomed in on them.

We “did” take the liberty of adding to some of the art, ie the snail, we added an antenna, the fish skeleton, we added the bones, that balloon, we added the string… but the balloon, you can see from left photo using our imagination, it was there… the added string, made it believable to “non-snow art-believers.”

Finally, for the GRAND FINALE, before we started to shovel snow… we saw this SMILEY FACE.

Ok… with this one… the EYES were THERE… my daughter added the mouth, but COVER the mouth and you can see how the EYES were talking to us in a “catch me if you dare,” kind of look.

What a fun walk. So, what snow art have you seen lately?

Lake Michigan, Fall weather – already?

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This weekend I was able to walk by Lake Michigan. We were having strange weather, it had gone from hot summer days earlier in the week to suddenly cooler temps like Fall. You can see a bit of the fury in the Lake.

Some people were swimming, it’s a bit dangerous with waves like this, the undertow is strong. As a child, I loved swimming in waves like this with my friends, it was scary and exciting at the same time. The undertow would suck us under tumbling us around in water and sand.

We held our breath forever hoping we’d get to the surface. Oh and when we did surface, hoped our bathing suit was still on properly. To give you a visual, imagine a dog with a soft play doll, violently shaking the doll in his mouth right and left. That’s how it feels to be in an undertow.

I really liked this photo. It was so windy, I took the photo quickly. I didn’t notice that there was a person in the picture; otherwise, it would have been perfect.

Most people don’t realize that Lake Michigan is really a large body of water. At first glance, you might think it is an ocean. It’s really quite vast.

Here’s to enjoying the last bit of summer. Labor Day is almost here.

Morning breakfast, a pipe, flowers…

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I went walking the other day. It was early in the morning with a bit of rain, just a drizzle.

I came across this group of pigeons eating breakfast.

Then I saw this pipe thing on a tree. What do you think it is for?

Then some flowers.

I enjoy mornings when everything is waking up and coming alive.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Mother’s Day!! Time for Dragon Boat Racing Practice…

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Today is Mother’s Day. My daughters had asked me earlier in the week, “What do you want to do for Mother’s Day!”

I chuckled… They were thinking breakfast, coffee, etc. I had another idea. For years, I’ve been talking to my daughters about Dragon Boat Racing. I was on a team in Seattle and also rowed in the San Francisco Bay Area. Teams are all over the world! It’s a lot of fun. Anyone can join. Yes, the teams want to win, but they also like to have fun. It’s similar to Ultimate Frisbee, the more the merrier. So, I told them I’d love for them to come to a new beginner practice.

Good news, they were on board. We’ve never been in a canoe together, so this should be a fun outing.

Oh, in the photo, you see that coyote on the dock?! He was added there to stop the birds from pooping. I’m told he does a very good job.

Have fun, make it a great day! Happy Mother’s Day!

Walking: Gardening – Observations

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Do you have funny thoughts when you are walking? I went to visit a friend. We were walking the neighborhood. As we were talking, I stopped, giggled and had to take this picture.

I’ve always enjoyed gardening. Trimming the hedges, raking leaves, etc. I saw this bush, and immediately wished I had my gardening sheers with me. All those funny shoots sticking out, needed trimming.

Further on our walk, we came across this gigantic sunflower. Isn’t it amazing?

All alone, it grew so tall in such glory. There is a daintiness in this sunflower’s stance too.

There is beauty all around us. We just have to slow down to see it.

Have a great weekend!

Sports: MMA Cage fight, Elon Musk & Mark Zuckerberg

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So, is this going to happen? An MMA fight between Twitter and Facebook.

At first, I thought it was someone making a joke or trying to fuel the flame between the two. However, it does seem that Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are in talks to take their competitiveness to the ring. It’s a good reason/goal to get in shape.

If this fight happens, wherever it happens, it would bring billions in revenue. So, greed would win over humanity?

Isn’t there enough violence in the world without adding a spectacle like this?

Would you watch it?

Summer FUN, a Pub Cruiser!

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Have you heard of Pub Cruisers? Lots of cities have them. A fun 2-3 hour tour of the city, accommodates 16 people. Drink beer, get exercise and stop at bars/restaurants along the way.

I happened to see this group going by in Michigan. They were having a great time.

What are you/we waiting for?

Exercising – Window cleaning with an audio book!

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People ask me, how do you get things done? I look at them in surprise. Why, I multi-task, of course. I can do a zillion things at one time. Like a video in full speed. It’s true.

This weekend, for example, I needed to clean my windows, but I also needed to go walking. The weather was so nice, I wanted to read my book at the park. As I was thinking about what “choice” to make, I realized I could listen to an audio book while I cleaned the windows and when I walked. BRILLIANT IDEA!

The key is the narrators . I started searching the library for books. Luckily, we can play a sample, so it was an immediate thumbs up or thumbs down.

By chance, I found The Crimson Thread by Kate Forsyth. The storyline is good, set in Crete during WWII, so I could learn a little bit about their culture. I was pleasantly surprised with a multi cast of narrators. Normally, there is just one narrator. I’m always amused how narrators are fantastic at portraying a woman’s voice, a man, a child, a grandparent, etc. — it’s really entertaining — and that they remember throughout the book what voice they need to use for each character.

If you’re not a fan of audio, you should give it a try. Gee, you can garden, wash your car, chop vegetables while listening to a good book. Definitely worth it!

Share what you’ve been reading. I’m always on the lookout for something new to read.

The Sneaker Battle: Adidas vs. Puma

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Last night, I was looking for a show to watch on MHz Choice, an international streaming app. As I was browsing, I saw this movie, “Rivals Forever – The Sneaker Battle.” You can tell from the photo that this looked interesting. German subtitles.

Imagine my surprise when the story turns out to be about the sneaker brands, Adidas and Puma. I had no idea these brands were German and created by two brothers. If you don’t know the story, I don’t want to give it away. Definitely, interesting and eye opening. A great, but sad story.

Highly recommend it!

I feel like Roger Ebert, two thumbs up.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

Exercise – Hiking socks for those TOUGH days! Grrrr…

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Let’s face it, winter can challenge our exercise routine. Below zero temps outside force us to stay inside. Some people can walk in place to a video, for me that is B-O-R-I-N-G. I just can’t do it. I’d go insane.

I introduce you to the perfect sock I found for TOUGH days. Yes, when I saw this sock, I thought – it is the answer. Wearing a mean scary bear on my feet would motivate me to weather the storm, right?!

One of my daughters was on board, she loved it. The other one said, “But he looks so scary.”

To which I replied, “That’s the point! Sometimes we need to push ourselves. Take control, “tough it out,” motivate ourselves in a funny way to brave the cold weather. These bear socks do that – LOL.”

Have you ever worn the Darn Tough brand of sock? Made in Vermont, U.S.A. They are the Mercedes of socks. Yes, smooth, light, slick and high end. Oh, and colorful. As soon as I put them on I could tell the difference from my less expensive socks. I was ready to climb the mountain.

However, something was wrong, seriously wrong. They were so narrow. Yes, so tight fitting. I double checked the package. It’s the right size. Why so narrow. I imagined how the Chinese women felt years ago when they bound their feet. So, I need to call the company and sort this out.

Some good news. If you look at the packaging, it says, “Guaranteed for Life!” That means there is hope for an exchange. Maybe a Men’s Medium? By the way, my feet are normal size, nothing unusual.

Their website is amusing. Funny that they need to say they don’t guarantee one sock lost in the laundry, a sock being burned or animal destruction. I’m sure there are other disclaimers. They do show some of the returned socks. Definitely worn – with love – not sure about that, but worn, for sure.

We have great weather for walking, but snow is headed our way. No more time to write. I’ve got to call the company, get a new pair of socks – PRONTO!

Listen to David Goggins on Spotify, he gets you motivated!

Happy Exercising!