Days 93, 94: Weather walks

I did the Miller's to Old Mill Pedestrian bridge, to McKay and back to Miller's, which is Mill Loop A (I have no idea where Mill Loop B is) yesterday. At the Schwab, I did the "full fatho five" bit from "The Tempest."  Dour piece of poetry, that.

  1.5 according to the little posts.

Today I did Logger's Loop, which is the Farewell Bend, Riverbend, Old Mill Pedestrian bridge.  1.33 miles.

Each walk I worked in some extra footage.  Of the two, I like Mill Loop A.  I guess it's because I go over the river at White Water Park, and there's more of a variety of views in the walk, plus the Schwab.

Both times the weather was iffy, but I went anyway, and at the worse, got a bit of  mist sprayed on me for a few minutes.

Not a day

The day has been grey and I've been melancholy.  I knew little pieces of something were falling from the sky, and then there were more, but the quantity seemed to stay small.  If it's rain, it's not very wet.  If it's hail, it's really small and melts when it hits any surface.

After I picked up a book at the library, I decided to swing over to Miller's Landing and take a stroll.  I had my hat, and I wore my appropriately dark fleece, which was enough for the time to walk around the park and stand at the water and watch the small currents and the little ripples from whatever the wet stuff was as it fell.

My concern about doing Logger's Loop was the possibility of a downpour while I was out and about.  I thought about taking another walk around the park, and maybe I should have.  However, I just went back home.  I'm putting together a kit for the future:  gloves, a cap, a compact umbrella, a scarf, an extra tee shirt for warmth, a timer for my half hour, and if I find one, a rain poncho.  And maybe a folding beach or lawn chair, so I can sit at the dock and watch the time flow away.

Day 92: Meanwhile, Back to the Schwab

I walked from Miller's Landing to the flagged bridge in Old Mill, then back by the Schwab.  This time there were three generations of women who watched and applauded by rendition of "Lobster Quadrille".

I don't do all the chorus lines, "will you/won't you, would not/could not", just half of them. I know how short my attention span is, and I wouldn't expect my audience to have more.

After I left the stage, the six year old granddaughter got up and her mom turned on some rousing rock music for her to dance to.

Forty degrees with a slight breeze.  Note to self: Bring gloves.

Not a day

I weigh myself every morning.  The scale is an old-fashioned Sunbeam spring, and the numbers fluctuate from day to day, and hour to hour, for those times that I check twice.

Today I weighed the same as after my twins were born, which is less than when I went to work at Fred Meyer.

Not going to double-check/double weigh today!

Next goal:  How much I weighed on my first Mother's Day as a mom.

Day 91: Shakespeare at the Schwab

While walking back from McKay Park, I noticed that the back parking gate to the Les Schwab Amphitheater was open and people were walking the path between the stage and the river, so I decided to take the adventure.

The steps up to the bare stage were inviting, and so I accepted.  I went to the center of the stage and looked out at the sunny green slope of lawn in front of me.

I doffed my green fedora, gave a deep bow, and and then began  "If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended...."

At the end of my magnificent performance ("...Give me your hands if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends.") I bowed again to the spirits there that had melted into air, into thin air, put my hat back on, and, exiting stage left, resumed my walk.

_______________________________________________________

On the drive home, I observed that someone had put a Pennyworth clown mask and wig on The Logger statue.

Day 90: Looking back and forward

Wow, 2 years and nine days since I started this.

Today I did the loop walk from Farewell Bend Park and over to the flagged pedestrian bridge in The Old Mill District, and back over the Riverbend/Farewell Bend parks, 1.3 miles.

I will be continuing this blog.

I just can't think of anything more to say right now, just that I'm glad that I'm working at making myself healthier.  I have seen improvements, and hope to continue to do so.

More in the next posts.

To help perserve in yoga practice

https://www.quora.com/How-does-yoga-help-in-weight-loss-Does-it-help-build-muscle-mass-like-weight-training-does-Or-does-it-help-burn-calories-during-exercise-like-cardio-does

89: A wrinkle in the time-space continuum.

Continuum is one of 3 words containing "uu" that are commonly used in English,15 altogether, 16 if "Duusu" is included.  One of my favorite high school band pieces was called "Continuum for Winds," which I never hear on KWAX, although "Pictures at an Exhibition" seems to be a daily requirement.

I went to the gym room later today than I ever have:  3 p.m.  Had a not-so-great attitude, but decided to go anyway.  Did a 35 minute work-out, as the program ("Manual" which I did not select) had a five minute cool-down attached to it. It seemed to take forever, even as the "percent done" updates flashed on the screen every 5 to 10 minutes.

When I still had about 6 minutes left, a guy came into the room and looked at the clock.  It took me a moment to realize that he was staff.  After a brief hello he proceed to wipe down the treadmills and the other machines.  The machine and time itself, of course, ran slower as I wished to hurry up and get out of his way.  The "Jimmy Neutron" DVD was at the point of *SPOILERS!* the chicken dance when the finished screen finally appeared: 5.98 miles, 116 heart rate, 140 calories, rotations per minute--who cares?

I got it done, and that's what matters.

Day 88: Nice time

One of the rewards of doing my yoga routine is how much taller I seem when I finally stand up at the end. I notice it when I look out the window and around the computer room.  I also like how energetic I feel after my workouts, and some times when I'm walking, I feel like running, but I think that people in Fred Meyer would be annoyed if I started sprinting up and down the aisles.

For today's gym workout, I brought a DVD to watch ("Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius") during my workout.  Thankfully, I was the only one in the gym. I figured out the television and the player, the set-up screen for the cycle, and went at it, breaking into a sweat within 5 minutes.  The cycle screen kept reminding me what my heart rate should be, and adjusted the resistance to slow me down.  The program ended *SPOILER!* just as Jimmy's parents were abducted by green aliens.

Distance was over 5 miles, 178 calories, heart rate, I don't remember, nor rate of pedaling.

After the 30 minute program was over (what? the 3 minutes of cool down were in the program? no extra 5 minutes tacked on at the end?) I wiped down the machine and put on a pair of gloves and worked a short bit with the 3 and 10 pound weights.

I did have my cool-down, as I walked to Fred Meyer to get the ingredients for dinner tonight:  Cider braised chicken with apples and kale.  The recipe was in the Natural Grocers good4u magazine that came in the mail, and here it is too:

https://www.naturalgrocers.com/recipe/cider-braised-chicken-with-apples-and-kale/

Not a day

Numbers on the scale haven't changed for a while, but when I put my church clothes on yesterday, the tights slid on nicely and the clothes were loose.

Not a day

After a morning of serious procrastination, I finally put my big girl gym pants on, picked up my Minion party bag, put into it a CD ("Guardians of the Galaxy" soundtrack) and a DVD ("Jimmy Neutron:Boy Genius"), a bottle of water, and a pair of gloves for the free weights and walked to the gym.

"Dave" in the gym, already on the cycle, so I used the Precor treadmill for ten minutes.  I'm not comfortable with it, having not used one previously, so all I did was walk at an easy pace while chatting with Dave.  He's about the age of my daughters, and is a gentle soul.  I didn't suggest putting anything on, as I've done it in the past when he's been there, and he seems to find having the television on confusing.

Dave wiped down the cycle and moved to the elliptical machine.  I got on the bike, set it for my age and weight, and ended up with a hill workout somehow.  It was suppose to go for 45 minutes, but at 20 minutes my bum was aching and I was racked with guilt about stuff not done.  I put the program into a cool down, resistance level one, for a few more moments.   

So, I got my thirty minutes in, and I broke a sweat, but I didn't feel that I'd accomplished what I'd set out to do, of getting a good work-out.  I did report to the apartment manager that one of the treadmills had a non-functioning clip (fancy term for "it's missing its spring").

On the way back, I saw "Jean".  She lives on the ground floor of my building, is about a hundred years old, and walks with a walker.  (She even goes over the field to Fred Meyer to go shopping.)  Jean walks a loop every day around the complex.  We visited for a few minutes as she was headed out.  "My daughter was here this morning, and we went for a walk.  She wants me to walk more."

Lord, forgive me when I whine....

Day 87: Back in the saddle

To help motivate me at my apartment gym workouts, I bought a couple of CDs, both soundtracks from the two "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, and forgot and left both of them at the apartment.  The Las Vegas shootings are still in the forefront of almost every show expect PBS, and for all I know, pledge week is probably going on, so I left the television off. 

Today I got a 50 minute workout with cool down, burning 201 calories (there went either this morning's pretzels or Cheerios), heart rate average 114 (still don't know if that's good or not)*, and covered 7.87 miles (for what it's worth).  If there was another benchmark, I don't remember what it was.

Without music or other entertainment, I looked out the window to my left, watched clouds float by and traffic drive by.  I would at times look to the right, where the wall is one big mirror and see why I was there.

____________________________________

My season at Parks ended September 30.

My fitness goals for this winter season: to "run and not be weary; walk and not faint."

____________________________________

* Looks like it's good for moderate exercise at my age:  http://www.healthly.io/en/heart/exercise-pulse-rate-age/61-years/

Not a day

Still doing the yoga routine, and I've found a way to do the plank, which might be Pilates, but oh well.

I'd been trying to do it as if it were a push-up from the floor, fighting gravity.

The way I've learned is to go into the position from the downward dog pose, hold the pose, and then return.

My feet still aren't flat on the floor in the downward dog, but I'm still heading there.
 

Day 86: I get smarter

After looking through the internet and asking the apartment manager, I came up empty handed on how to program the exercise bike.  So I did things differently: I went through the touch screen before I got on the bike, picking the aerobic workout and putting in my age and weight.  Wow, who knew! Less stress, and a nice, butt aching workout, burning 172 calories, and heart rate at 131, and going 7.94 miles.  I watched a Legos Star Wars television show during the half hour, and the program had the five minutes cool-down included in the half-hour.

I did some 10 pound weights afterwards, just one set.

So what was the show like?  Remember the Lego Movie?

Day 85: Going the extra time

I turned on the television to the Underground Weather Channel--or maybe it was just The Weather Channel--and mounted the cycle.  The cycle's screen had changed, and now had a whole array of options to chose from, but I couldn't find the time set, nor where to put in my age and weight. 

The program was set for forty-five minutes, so for forty-five minutes I went, standing briefly every minute to ease my poor achy bum.  On the cycle's screen was a grassy slope with a path going through it, and the interval program time and resistance bar, again the slowest thing of my day, and the equally excruciating times to go, time elapsed. On the television screen, there was an episode of Hurricane Sandy, part of the "Eye of the Storm" series.  I was mildly interested in the people's misfortunes, and I guessed that everyone covered survived, as they were part of the program, telling again what the narrator had said immediately before, when actors portraying their younger selves were bobbing and screaming in the water.  I don't know if the ninety year old brother did or not.

I shouted out my countdown.  (I was the only on in the building at this point.) My cool down time of five minutes ended, and I saw on the screen that I had burned some 200 calories, rode 7.94 miles, and had an average heart rate of 112.  The story line on the television was following a different story, about a live wire in a tree, and that was when I turned off it off.

In the future, I'd rather watch this "Eye of the Storm":

https://youtu.be/H1mX8ptsmBM

(copy and paste--I haven't figured out how to get it to show up.  Can't show the images, either.  Bummer.)

For fun

Something I found on Facebook.

Days 81, 82, 83, 84: Cycling back

I've been doing yoga, and got the reward of increased flexibility. My work is very physical and the weather has been very hot, so I haven't been doing the thirty minutes.  However, my work shirt is getting looser, as are my pants.  When I put on one of my long sleeve tops, my arms slide in easily and the sleeves are loose.

Best of all, when my husband and I flew to Utah, I fit easily in the airplane seat.

The motel we were visiting had an exercise room and a swimming pool and hot tub.  The pool was usually full of families splashing around, so I went with the exercise room.

The cycle had a television screen, so the first day of thirty minutes plus the five of slow down, I watched a black and white episode of "The Rifleman," as I didn't know about the bowl full of packets of earbuds at the time.  I was glad for doing the cycling, as I did a lot of walking through IKEA, and I did fine. 

The next day, I had ear buds in, and watched the Weather Channel.  Barrow, Alaska and Death Valley, California were the featured stories. 

And then the next day, I went again, and thought, "I can do this."

Then we returned home.

So after work today, I went to the exercise room at the apartment complex.  The cycling machine was changed, and it lacked a back, so there went the relaxing-while-moving-my-knees element was gone.  I couldn't figure out how to get the screen to change over to one of the channels that was offered, so I looked at a photo of a dry clump of scenic grasses with the slowest timebar yet (where are the friendly little dots?) but I did get through the half hour and the cool down (photo of green watery glade), even though my rear hurt.  Looking at my body in the mirror, it looks like there should be some cushioning there, but sitting on that cycle, nope.

Not a day

Tried on one of the Girl Genius tee-shirts I got myself last month....

 I got it on!

Not a day

The clothes are swinging looser. My upper arms are no longer smooth but puckery.

Best, my annual blood test results came today.  (My employment provides a free one for each employee, including summer seasonals.)

This was the box marked:  "Your results are all normal."

Not a day

*steps on bathroom scale*

*looks*

*blink, blink*

SQUEE!

Not a day

I haven't lost any weight since beginning work, but my clothes are looser than they were at the beginning of the season.  I went through a slough where I was exhausted, but now I'm feeling more energy by the time I get home.  Last month the Wellness Committee had a walking program.  My part in it was to pick up a flyer and drop it in a paper pile when I got home.  This month is cycling, with employees encouraged to bike to work, or go biking at certain parks.  I asked if cycling in the gym counts, and it does! 

So here's the website I just registered at:  www.lovetoride.net.  I created an account, registered with Bend Park and Rec, in the department Park Services. 


There are 787 organizations participating, and at this point 9,530 people registered.  Park Services is currently at 122 points, at the 175th position in the 50-199 employees slot.  Bend Parks and Rec, 200-499 employees, is 804 points and in the 33rd position.  What I add to the program will help boost my teams.

So, now I have another reason or an excuse or a goal or a team or whatever to go over to the gym and cycle.

Anyway, I'm on.

Not a day

I am back to my summer seasonal job, two weeks before I had expected to be, so I'm not in the tip-top shape I thought I had time to create, but so it goes. 

I am glad, though, for what I did, especially the exercise bike.  Weight-wise, I started where I usually am at the end of the seasons, so I'm happy about that, and indeed, I have gone down a pant size from last year.

Everyone looks older, greyer there.  Because the summer season hasn't started and people took off for spring break, there were fewer people in the building, maybe only thirty cars in the parking lot, but only ten to fifteen people on site at any given time, as some come in earlier, are out in the field most of the day, and go home sooner.  Two weeks from now, the breakroom will be so filled in the Thursday mornings meetings that it will be almost impossible not to hit someone while doing the stretching exercises, but as I have Thursdays and Fridays off, that's not going to be my problem.

This isn't the poster that we follow, but many of the exercises are the same or similar.

https://www.occupationalathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-checkout/images/magnet-1382029170.png

Not a day

A couple of years ago, more or less, I went to a yoga/Pilates class and struggled to sit up.  I was so out of shape, I rolled up on one arm and had to push myself up.

Now when I do my yoga, I can go from lying flat on my back to sitting up, with just a slight nudge with both elbows.

I appreciate knowing that people are reading this blog, and I hope that it is a source of encouragement.

Day 80: More resistance

I don't know what I inputted into the cycle, except I wanted "varied."  I was expecting the same resistance I'd had before, which was one and two dots, resistance 1 and 4, but the screen was almost full of dots, and as I discovered, the course the the 35 minute program went up to 12 and the five minute cool-down was at 8.

So, yeah, cycling to cool jazz on the television (I'll figure it out someday, how to get something on that doesn't take 5 minutes to program), and the two girls come in to exercise and they're fine with it, and so we share the space.  My summary was average heart rate, 107, high rate 147,  1:37 at the 88-135 range, 6.2 miles total.

After they left, I used the ten pound weights for a small work-out, going over my sets two or three times.

The post-workout walk to Fred Meyer's was fast and easy, and I carried both sacks of groceries with no problem back and up the stairs to the apartment.

Not a day

I pulled a yellow knit shirt out of my closet, never worn. 

I hesitated wearing it, as it was too small every other time I'd tried it--it had been a gratefully received gift that could not be returned, and I'd kept it through the move with some hope.

The top slid on easily, even over my arms, and didn't cling anywhere.

It's nice to have this indicator that the work-outs a the gym are paying off.

Day 79: It gets crowded

There was a young man finishing his elliptical while wearing ear buds.  He had just a bit more to go, but was fine with my playing the DVD.  He knew of the Beatles, but not who they were, and watched the first few moments of "A Hard Day's Night."

He left and I fast forwarded through to the musical numbers.  I cycled 35 minutes, plus the five minute cool down.  My fastest heart rate was 165, with 95 being the average(?), I broke a lovely sweat halfway through, and my miles at the end was 6.23.  I'm still figuring out the machine.

As I finished, two young women came in and ignored me as I removed the DVD and wiped down the cycle.  One went on the treadmill and started running, while the other got down on a large pad that is in front of the mirrored wall and started doing sit-ups.  I was conscience of my age and weight as they were young and thin.  I did a minimum round of the ten-pound free weights, packed up the DVD, and fled the building and then walked over to the store to get some stuff for dinner.

The Fab Four, back in the day.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/47105314@N06/4325725782?ytcheck=1

78: A Hard Day's Night

How many people does it take to figure out the complicated setup of television and DVD player and three/four remotes. (Why are there two identical ones, one which is sitting on top of the DVD player, when it doesn't have anything to do with the DVD player?)

Three.  Two from the manager's office, and me.  Written directions are right there on the wall, we're all literate, so why is it harder to follow than the Technical Challenge on The Great British Baking Show?

Anyway, we eventually got it figured out.  I set the timer on the cycle machine for an extra five minutes to get more from my workout, and plugged away to the classical movie A Hard Day's Night. The movie plot line consists of the Fab Four and Paul's grandfather having their adventures while preparing for a televised performance.  My workout ends about the same time as the post-casino scene.  (Movie Geek Info:  It's the same casino in the first James Bond movie.)

The exercise room eventually got crowded with three others coming in to use the equipment, including one who came in when I was ten minutes into the program (and probably heard me singing as beautifully as Florence Foster Jenkins)  and decided to wait out the twenty-five minutes.  The other two, a father and his kid son, came in just before the machine started cool-down mode, and they went directly to other machines.

I made five miles in half an hour, ended up with 6.78 at the end, heart rate average 94, highest 149, or so I recall on the summary.  I broke a sweat about halfway through (TMI, I know, I know.)

Good movie.  Now I can check off that one from the various "have you seen these movies?" lists on Facebook.

Days 75, 76, 77: Grit

I've been reading Angela Duckworth's book   "Grit."  And here's this.

The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is:  I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill.  I will not be outworked, period.  You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me.  You might be all of those things. You got it on me in nine categories.  But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two thing:  You're getting off first, or I'm going to die.  It's really that simple.  (page 46)

I am one of those who goes, "Treadmill?"

So I've been on the cycle for the past three days, four if you count Day 74.  Whoopee.  But I've been there, for half an hour, plus the five minute cool-down, and now I'm up to 4.6 miles on distance.  And I've been doing my yoga and free weights. 

Day 74: Music makes a workout better

As I was in the room by myself, I took the liberty of turning on the television.

Someone already had a music channel on, and there was an Adele song playing.  The channel showed "stingray.com" from time to time.  The music included other singers, including a low-key Justin Bieber and some others I didn't know.  I'm not even sure if the flawless faces on the screen even matched the musicians. 

I cycled 4.2 miles in half an hour, plus the five minute cool down,  and finished off the workout with free weights and stretching.

It's a good workout when you don't want it to end.
 

Adele

http://www.josepvinaixa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ADELE-25-2015-1200x1200.jpeg

Day 73: The apartment complex's gym

When the apartments were being built, the fact that there was a gym included was a point in conversations.  After all, it was the first (and for a long while, only) apartment complex going up in forever it seemed, and it had a pool and hot tub and a gym!  I used to imagine living in the place, going to the gym to work out on a regular--daily!--basis.

So here I am.  I finally went, after days of writing in on my "to do" book lists, weeks of urging myself to walk over there ("I might slip and fall in the parking lot!") months of nagging.

I was coming back from running errands and saw that the one spot for us apartment dwellers was open in the front of the office (other two for maintenance crew and "future residents").  I walked in, walked right over to the gym and looked around.

There was another person using the universal gym, the television was off and so were the overhead lights.  There were the free weights, jump ropes, yoga mats, two treadmills, an elliptical machine, and a recumbent cycle machine.  I took the last, set it up for my feet, and followed the red dotted instructions for my age and weight and time.

Half an hour later, I was cheering myself for having completed my goal of thirty minutes.  And then the thing went into "cool down" for an extra five minutes.  My heart rate was generally about 132, with 160 being the maximum, and I "traveled" 3.64 miles.  The machine was very nice, showing me my time progress on a time line as well as "10% complete....25% complete....30% complete...."  You get the picture.

Afterwards, I wiped down the machine where my body had touched it, and ended my session with a set of arm lifts and squats using two ten pound free weights.

I feel smugly virtuous, although I'm sure it will quickly wear off.

The one I used was not this exact model, but close enough.  

http://newlifecardioequipment.com/precor-c842i-recumbent-bike-commercial.html

Not a day

More snow yesterday and last night with freezing temperatures.There was maybe two inches on the ground from this storm, the previous snows being gone from the pavements but still piled in corners and vacant lots

About 3 a.m., a couple of people had car trouble of some sort, trying to get out of the parking spot below our bedroom windows.  Revving an engine was one thing, another was compounding it with what sounded like a Bollywood soundtrack played at top volume with the boom box throb. ("Rajesh--Rajesh-thub-thub-Raaaa-jesh-thub Ramayan-ayan-ayan-ayan-thub-thub-ayan Koo-Koo-doo-thub-thub Koothrappali-aaAAli-aaAAli!")  I watched from a window as they got out to scrape ice from their windows, marveling that there was ice when the car had been running for at least ten minutes. Either the tires were incredibly bald, or the engine wasn't engaging with the axles, but either way, I knew it was beyond my help when I saw that they both got back and sat in the car while revving the engine.  I wondered if they would give up and get a tow truck.  They eventually did get the car moving, but then it sounded like they were stuck every ten feet as they left the parking lot.


I'm still doing yoga and incorporating free weights into my post-floor routine.  Still seeing incremental improvements. 

One of my moves for core strength, but that's not me in the photo. And I point my upper toes straight back.

  photo from http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/yoga.html?WT.ac=ctg

Day 72: Wading at Riverbend, sliding at Farewell Bend

After church I took my walk to Riverbend Park.  Sunny, blowy, breezy above freezing weather.  The snow on the grass was about six inches deep still, no ice on the main part of the river, but the banks were still snow covered.  Also in the park were dog walkers, small families, some dry pavement and lots of watery places on the paths, bordered by snow and ice.

I went over the footbridge, circled around the restrooms at Farewell Bend, and back over the footbridge.  While I was at Farewell Bend, I noticed one of the memorial rocks, placed by a bench, had an plastic angel and some artificial fir boughs and poinsettia blossoms, as if it were a tombstone. I don't know what the parks protocol is regarding such items.  The paths at Farewell Bend were still for the most part covered with thick solid ice, and I was relieved to get back to the other side of the bridge.

I tried to avoid the water on the path, but after a few times of picking through crusty snow and slush over soggy lawn.  Towards the end, I gave up and walked though the large puddles that were as deep as my shoes, until my shoes and feet were thoroughly soaked and my half-hour alarm went off.
 

Just knock the snow off the trees, the statue and the upper surfaces.  As for the rest,we still have that much snow.

 

Photo from https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7445/11260601106_cc8edce74a_z.jpg

Day 71: Ducks

Back to Miller's Landing, air temp about 44 degrees, partly blue sky, strong breeze.  The iced over car is about half way to freedom, the restrooms are still closed, and part of the path that lies near the river is itself a shallow pond.

I walked to the Old Mill District and found myself at the tail end of a parade of ducks.  There must have been fifty going single file along the asphalt path, tail to bill.  There were other lines of ducks coming up from the river, coming over from the neighboring field, making a couple hundred or more.  They were all headed up to an embankment of bald earth and rock and landscape pavers, where the ducks that got there first were between a wall of a building and a row of paver stones, facing west to what little sunlight there was while the other ducks scrambled their way up the slope, tugging with their bills at what grass remained on the lower flanks.  I wondered if someone fed them, but as all the ducks were so silent, I decided that there must be some other mysterious reason for their meeting.

I walked past the line, upsetting the ducks who eyed me as I went by.  I briefly recalled the Hitchcock movie "The Birds" but there weren't any scenes of people being warily eyed by ducks, so I relaxed and safely made it to the Columbia pedestrian underpass, and turned around instead of wading through.

There was a brief shower of rain at the orange flagged footbridge and some snow bikers on fat tires on the western bank.  I decided not to try the amphitheater way, and went back the way I came.

On my way back, the top area was empty, and the ducks were down in the river, and starting their approach up the slope again.  Some were marching forward while others looked back and watched their mates, their fellows swarm out of the water to meet up with them.

Ana Orellano's
"Ducks in the snow"

Day 70: Miller's in the snow

Miller's Landing, like everywhere else in Bend, is still covered in six inches or so of snow.  Next to the park is a buried car, covered in ice from repeated donations from the snow plow.

The paths had been cleared down to packed snow, with some sidewalk and pavers peeping through. No ice, thank goodness.  I walked for over a half an hour and decided not to go down the path to the Old Mill District, as the slope looked like a slip and slide spot, although the underpass, being somewhat protected, had bare pavement. 

Maybe in a day or two, I'll risk it, but today, I mainly walked loops around the parks' trails.

I went over Whitewater Park's pedestrian bridge and looked down to black river water, iced over and frosted with snowflakes, a bit like looking into a galaxy.  The paths in McKay Park was about the same as Miller's.  I did notice that the restrooms at Miller's were closed, one sign giving the reason as needing repairs, while two of the four doors at McKay were still open.

A couple of the parks' people were out on the river, checking Whitewater's western arm.  They had a footbridge out to the area, with a plywood door that slides into place, with "Keep Out" spray painted on it.

The park needs more work done on it, one of them explained to me.  Perfect weather for it, he wryly added.

Of course it is; no one is whining to get in it! I replied.

In my walk, I saw families and dog walkers, other individuals and couples with layers of coats and hats to keep warm, and one guy in a red tee-shirt and dark sports shorts and soft looking track shoes who was running along the path as though it were summer.

The grey clouds overhead got darker and greyer with a slight breeze from the west, and by the time I returned to my car, little beads of ice came down in a short scattered shower.

pedestrian underpass along river trail, under Simpson Bridge
photo from the Bend Bulletin

Not a day

Winter storm Iras is going on.

I drove through it to the church building to help clean the place.  Being the first (and for a while, only) one there,(the basketball players were in the gym) I chose to pull the garbage from the classrooms, restrooms and kitchen.  Before I complete my circuit, others started showing up.  It took an hour and more for us to get done.  I also wiped down the classroom tables, and did the entry doors and the nose prints on the classrooms hall windows.

When I went out to take the garbage to the dumpster, the snow depth varied from two inches on the sidewalk to halfway up my shins.

"I'm getting a work-out," said Susie as she vacuumed the classrooms.

I'm still not sure if I did, but I did bend, lift, reach and walk for the whole time.

Not a day

I've been doing yoga and walking to and from Fred Meyer for the past two days.  The walk is a workout, as there is snow on the ground--powder--and more continues to fall.  Very few have made the trip across the field that separates my apartment building from the store, and I fell yesterday when I didn't lift my foot high enough over the curb, but I got right back up again!  I am careful to buy only what I can easily carry in my reusable bags; I don't trust the store's plastic ones not to have holes in them.

The holidays are over. I have goals in mind.