Anne Climbing Switchbacks in Bryce Canyon

I look up to this woman and not just figuratively. She is pictured here, ahead of me, as we climb out of Bryce Canyon. This was taken in the Wall Street section of the Navajo Loop and I can still remember that I was singing to myself, “We are climbing, climbing Jacob’s Ladder,” as we trudged uphill.

Her mini long-term sub stint as a reading interventionist is now drawing to a close and she will turn over her duties to the new person next week. In this gig she has eight small classes each day and as if that is not enough, she also has four recesses to monitor, making for a full day. This week was a little easier than last, due to mandatory testing that cancelled most of her sessions for a couple of day. This was of course balanced by a week of indoor recess, due to the weather.

Speaking of weather, more snow is forecasted for tomorrow. A waste of another perfectly good snow day, what with this second weekend in a row snowstorm. This storm doesn’t look like it will be as severe as the last, at least for us. New York and New England are expected to be slammed instead. Anyway, what with MLK day on Monday, we’ll have three days to dig out again, if need be.

Happy Winnie the Pooh Day

We had our third gyrotonics session last night and I must say that we are both really digging it. I must admit that initially I was somewhat skeptical, but it has really grown on me. The devices are still way over the top, but our individual lessons are to die for. At last year’s cookie party, someone recommended getting a personal trainer. He is a cancer survivor, so I was dismissive of his suggestion, but he was right. The personalized aspect of these sessions make all the difference. They make me feel pampered, if a little sore afterwards.

In other exercise news, I continue to walk everyday. Near the turnaround point, I stop off at Kaldi’s for a latte. This makes for a nice little break and gives me a chance to enjoy this establishment’s intellectual ambiance for a few minutes. On the way back home, I swing by the grocery store and do the daily shopping, even on days when I have the car. Yesterday, I was pleased to find that the streets department salted Ethel Walk. I hadn’t heard back from them, after I  complained, but here actions speak louder than words.

To pass the time, while walking this week, I’ve been listening to Barbara Tuchman’s history, A Distant Mirror, all about the calamitous 14th century.  I own and have read this book several times, but listening to it, has given me new insights into it. I’m getting close to the good part, the part about the black death. Macabre for sure, but there is nothing like a little pestilence to go with your war and famine. Especially, while you’re sipping a latte or fetching lunch.

Baby Moose 1

Regular readers of this blog will recognize these photos. Versions of them have been published before. I did reprocess these. Anne had asked for prints and I used a new and improved camera shake reduction technique. My Canon SX60, has a great zoom, but on a rainy day, its max zoom generates considerable camera shake. The main reason that I am reposting these pics, is that they are easily my best from last summer’s month-long western camping trip.

They are hardly National Geographic quality, but I’m still pleased with them. They are pictured on a gravel bar. In-between us is a roaring river. Mom is behind them, off camera, guarding the backdoor. They were taken last June in Glacier. The Going-to-the-Sun road was still closed at the pass. We were allowed to drive about halfway, to Avalanche Pass. From there we set off on foot. We were passed by bicyclist and we eventually hooked up with a single woman. Safety in numbers, what with the bears. We saw the moose on the way up and on the way back. These shots are from the return run. On the way up the calves didn’t appear to be doing to well. They sat on that bar for at least a couple of hours, occasionally nursing. When we showed these photos to rangers, they thought that the moose were about a week old. Only about a third of moose live births are twins. We feel especially blessed to have witness these.

Baby Moose 2

Baby Moose 3