What no cell phone!

Each day we walked or hiked in the morning and then later in the day. Minutes piled up and the trails were easy on the feet. On our walks we ran into one couple on the trails. It was nice to stop and listen to the sounds of the forest. 

In the evening we sat out reading and watching twilight. Lady bugs were still out, bats flying around, small birds, two or three fires shared by the campers. While I enjoyed the quite, I thought it funny when two teens were trying to find a phone single to no avail. The shock of not being able to use their cell phones had to be difficult for them. 

Our morning walk was 93 minutes, adding up our two walks at White Pines and we already walked our 150 minutes for the week. Our trail had lots of hills which added intensity to the walk. We also did push-ups at the benches we past. The trails here weave through the pine forest and there was only one couple on the two trails we walked today. It rained last night so people did not take the trails. At one point we sat and listened to the quiet of the forest.

Psalms 50:10 “for every animal of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11   I know every bird of the mountains,   and the creatures of the field are Mine.”

We saw evidence of moles, a few squirrels, a small canary and heard various birds. Mostly we enjoyed the soft sand trail and the cool overcast day. I did not prevent me from sweating. Keep walking!

Seniors say the darnedest things...

A husband and wife both 60 years old were celebrating their 35^th anniversary. During their party, a fairy appeared to congratulate them and grant them each one wish. The wife said, “I would like to travel around the world.” The fairy waved her wand and …poof! The wife had tickets in her hand for a world cruise. Next, the fairy asked the husband what he wanted. He said, “I wish I had a wife thirty years younger than me.” So the fairy picked up her wand and …Poof! The husband was 90.

Ta da da boom!

Barb was reading me, you know you’re getting old when, and that hit my funny bone.  At the inn I am not kidding you; all I heard around me were couples talking about taking this medical test, this scope, this MRI …Romantic AAAA! The talk of the room was like late night commercials. if your in a restaurant with old guys like me, listen to the conversations, "Seniors say the darnedest things."

The inn itself is a log structure with a fireplace and plank and log roof.

The tables were set in close proximity to each other. I got up to let a couple out and he said to me, “I wished I had you in front of me when I played football.” I told you I was the fat man walking. There was no way he could squeeze past past me. When I played football myself, I was a lot smaller. All of a sudden “poof! I look like an offensive lineman.  Funny thing when I see teammates they now look more like ex linemen as well. We all would fit in to a John Madden Thanksgiving with 8 turkey legs. Jerry Raino has done well to stay in playing weight. Earl Crisp looked pretty good reff’in a basketball game. His girl was quite an athlete at the collegiate. But me, poof!

Keep walking

I couldn't get Will up on the platform to pose with these life size giants.

Life size Lincoln and Douglas were an odd pair. here is
where they debated in Freeport, Il. 1858. 

There debate lasted three hours with each candidate given 1 1/2 hours apiece. They had seven of these debates and dependent on the newspaper if they liked you, your speech got edited and if they didn't like you, your speech stayed unedited. You have to love the consistency of Illinois politics. Neither side would admit to their hand in preventing fair coverage.
It is amazing to see the contrast in size of these two men. Douglass small in frame had a large voice to speak to 15000 gathered here with out a mike. Lincoln long and angular would use his body language  and movement to communicate his ideas. Douglas won the election but he lost the National support for his presidency. That happened here in this speech and changed the outcome of the Presidency. Actors have recorded the speeches and the one for Lincoln is my Son's neighbor.
Usually Lincoln is the good guy and Douglas the bad guy, but I believe we see here two intelligent political

 opponents who understood the National pulse at this time. These two country hicks took center stage. The artist who created the pair really worked out the looks of our 16th president.
The real sell of the park is a great ice cream shop near the park. Definitively a 5 star ice cream parlor.
Did an indoor walk this morning and enjoyed two other small walks on a perfect day in the 70's.Keep finding ways to keep moving. 

Preparing for travels, don't forget to walk

Wayne Styles teaching on the Life of Christ 

Wayne Styles shares on his blog one of things that is good to do is to get in shape if you are planning a trip to the Holy Land. I have noticed the older traveler because of motivation can endure the effort to view the mountain tops when the younger traveler may stay in on the air-conditioning bus. But is a good idea to start a walk program to prepare for a study trip in Israel. http://www.waynestiles.com/

Walking to prepare for any dream trip is a good idea. Practical fitness can help you get more on your travel experience. Motivation to see the trees in Northern California, the wine country in Napa Valley, the castles in Europe, or the Great Wall of China can give you a side benefit of daily fitness as you ready yourself for your trip. Sightseeing usually involves walking we don't take account for. Next time you visit a zoo or museum bring a pedometer along. You will be surprised how many steps you take. Happy journey, keep walking

Fun in the sun

Each day I have had a double work out with a walk and a swim and later with body and band work outs. Throw in reading on the beach, going to movies, and watching sunsets, top off the Olympics, not bad.
Watching the sea birds on the gulf is fun. Tonight we saw our first skimmers this year. Brown pelicans are amazing to watch them fly and dive fishing. Last night we saw dolphins. All of it plays to the wind and the waves that today was refreshing.
It is fun watching people as well. On the gulf the people are a little older. They remind of the trails where you see the walkers. People walking enjoying the water, wind, birds, shells, one another.
Reading Dust & Shadows a mystery involving Holmes and Watson with the Ripper. The author really has a feel for the time and I like the way she has Holmes involve regular people in the mystery. I give the book a thumbs up.
To top all of this off is Barb who makes all of this pleasant. Having the time to enjoy all this is such a blessing.
Walking, biking, swimming are all great things to add to vacation experiences. They may give confidence to us when we retire. Enjoying these simple things we can do for a long time. Keep walking.