Sat, 06/27/09: 15.67 miles - 25K worthy! We're ready! Daughter & I are participating in a 25K biking event in a couple weeks. 25 kilometer = 15.534 mile. Bring it! The dangling "carrot" for tonight's training ride was ice cream @ the 1/2 way point. The "carrot" in July will be the intrinsic triumph of completing an organized event. People who participate in these kinds of healthy events are good, healthy people. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people.


To get to the ice cream place, which BTW, is where the "good stuff" is if you're ever in this neck of the woods, we encountered many trials. Motorized vehicles were very kind to us; drivers generously shared the roads with us. When I ran, it was common to be literally "run off the road" by unhealthy looking and old people. I don't mean to discriminate, but there certainly was a theme among those who generally drove toward me when I was off the trail.


One trial, which repeated itself was the bugs - the blood sucking kind. Apparently there are unmarked crossways for swarms of mosquitos. You know, if that many ducks typically crossed the highway at about the same place, there'd be a warning sign. Not so for mosquitos. We must have interrupted a few dozen crossing paths of those hungry pests.




One of the busy roads in our area is being replaced by new everything, I guess. Not being a road design engineer, I have little idea what is being done. Except that, this reconstruction makes the otherwise busy & dangerous road perfect for triking/biking. Mostly, we had the road to ourselves. At one intersection, I discovered that my trike is not an ATV. I came to a quick & sudden stop in the sand. So, I had to push (as did my Daughter w/ her bike) the trike through the sand. All that sand behind my trike is immense. It's like The Dunes on the OBX.




About one mile past the dunes, we made it to Charley's. Daughter & I shared a hot fudge & caramel sundae. I don't care for ice cream and more importantly, it doesn't care for me, however Charley's ice cream doesn't bother me. Granted, I don't tempt fate (by eating too much); it was good. The portions are quite generous so we knew to share something since we had the other 1/2 of the trip to return home.

The bright sunshine was beginning to dim as we left Charley's. I felt something cool & moist hit my face and wondered if a bird had flown over me. And then it happened again. After consulting w/ Daughter, we determined we were gonna get rained on. Yep, but not too bad. It was great practice JIC it rains during the bike event day. Honestly, I'm not sure I really care to trike in the rain. Running in the rain was wonderful! It felt refreshing. And I had that competitive spirit which refused to succumb to moisture in the air on race day. I just don't feel competitive (at this moment anyway) re: this biking event. I want to enjoy the experience. Take my time. Pace w/ my Daughter. Enjoy conversation ("I wish I'd thought to wear something like that." "What do you want for dinner tonight?" "Did you see that?") Now, after the event I may declare that the bug bit me and I went all out for glory. It will be glory regardless. Sunday, July 12th, 8 am is event day. It's not a race, so far as I know. I've never even attended a biking event before so I have no idea what to expect. I sure hope they have t-shirts. One of the organizers emailed me today and I replied w/ an inquiry re: t-shirts. I ran for the t-shirt & FOOD! There's gotta be a "trophy" to take home from this biking event.

Well, there are probably just a few States where people post a sign year round advertising . . . . .

It just doesn't look right w/ green grass underneath it! Unemployment is ultra high in MI; I believe our County is in top position in the State. Well, if this person is one of the unemployed, I can see why they have no work right now! Or s/he could be an optimist. Call 'em up and see if they'd come move snow for you this coming week :-) Oh, the places my brain goes. I need to shut it down for the night and let it rest.

I think the concentrated cherry juice is helping my joints immensely. I feel no pain or stiffness tonight. I'll have to see if tomorrow brings complaints after the longest trike, to date. What a great night! Thanks, Daughter, for joining me in this venture. I'm sorry your butt & legs hurt tonight. Wanna drink some concentrated cherry juice? Well, it won't help your butt. Not sure what to do for that. Suggestions anyone??

Blessings Abound!

~A~

06/25/09: 5 miles. HOT day! Glad I got an "early" start :-) Today's triking pics and musings are a tad different from previous posts. I'll start w/ last night (Wed). Insert: all people pictured in my postings have consented to being in these blogs. Now, back to last night. My frd, L, invited me to join her at one of her ballroom dance class lessons (she is the female in yellow). Dude is her dance instructor. While we didn't ride b/trikes to the dance class, we did ride in my Element, which eats every bug w/i a 10' radius of the windshield. Can you imagine that many bugs splattering onto your face while triking at night -- ugh! Perhaps I should take a pic of my windshield b/f I wash it - it is nas-ty! But, isn't L beautiful & graceful??


I felt a bit disoriented upon waking this morning. I couldn't get my head in a groove to figure out what to do first. NO WHERE on my list of possibilities was triking! But, that's where my spirit led me - out into the garage and onto the trike. My frd, above, left a book in my vehicle so I decided to take it to her work place in town: my chiro's ofc. ON my trike vs in my Element. So, at 10:24 am ..........

............... the outside temp was already 93 degrees F!!!. Who in their right mind goes traipsing off on a trike in that kind of heat??? Me. I was the only person that I saw out on a trike. However, I encountered several people taking slow walks. Very slow walks.

Today's front desk lady, L, posed for proof that I was there :-)

Then I hopped back on the trail and went downtown to The Health Store to get my joint lubricating meds. They even have a new tea for joint health - I'm gonna try it out in the morning along w/ the glucosamine chondroitin & concentrated cherry juice. They have a new bedtime tea, also, which I'm going to try tonight w/ the glucosamine & cherry juice. M, the worker (perhaps he owns the store??), was intrigued how I got there, so I took him outside to show him my ......

........ trike. And off he went. His Dad was there, too and they were having a conversation about holiday gifts looking like trikes as I left. I shared terra trike's business cards w/ them. Dad suggested I set up stake in the front window and begin making commission from selling these machines. You never know, maybe I'll become a terra trike rep. GO M!!

Along my merry trike through downtown, I opened the door of the Chamber ofc and called out for my frd, K, to come visit me. I didn't even have to get up from my trike to open the door. How "handicap accessible" is that?? K's been ultra busy lately fielding calls about our local "illegal alien" (aka: Little Mermaid). The little one was still on her perch as I triked by her twice this morning. If you're ever in town, stop by the Chamber and say "howdy" to K. She knows our town inside & out.

As I was crossing the foot bridge this morning there were many tire tracks (from bikes) on the freshly stained boards. I noticed that I didn't like following someone else's tracks; I prefer setting my own track, so I rode along the edge where no one had dared to go before (like that's a new revelation to anyone who knows me!) Sometimes it is too easy to go w/ the flow: nothing ventured, nothing gained. Often times it seems "we" (the collective us) go about living "w/ the flow" - talking like others, walking like others, dressing like others, believing like others - not slowing down inside ourselves to see who the I AM is. I guess I mean that in two ways: 1) the me -- who am I? What do I really believe, think, want, need, etc? Not what necessarily "fits in" w/ the mainstream; and 2) the I AM - Jehovah Yaweh. How would we live if I AM was all that mattered? Could we get a bit adventureous and get out of the rut on the foot bridge? Could we jump off the edge of the cliff believing I AM is everywhere? Not only "could" we? But, WOULD we? Do you have that kind of faith? To walk to the beat of a different drummer? To travel the path less traveled. To take the high road while ye take the low road? To walk through the briars and high grasses versus walking the highway everyone else is on? Yeah, that's the kind of faith I want to live. If you want to find me, usually it's where few people are tredding (or triking). And it is pure joy when "we" encounter each other off the beaten path.

A path, I sure as heck, didn't plan to travel led me to meeting the lady in the final pic for today. She was my 1st speech therapist when I was in a rehab hospital last year. S spoke & understood my language. I felt validated today when she affirmed that she can detect lingering TBI effects in my facial muscles, which affects my speech. She gave me some new exercises to do (Sorry S, I only remember one - email the others to me). The one I remember is to make spit balls and blow them through a straw. How fun will that be?? I cannot wait to be around someone and tell them that they are my target for speech therapy!! If you walk into my house and see spit balls all over the walls please invite me to get outside a bit more. In fact, gently take me by my hand (left one hurts less) and guide me out into the sunshine. S & I planned to meet today (nope, I didn't trike there) - first time we've seen each other since in-patient days. See? Even when you go places you never imagine going, wonderful people enter your life. Sometimes just for a season. And that makes the season so much more endurable until we get THERE, all together, as we sing our song joyfully....

Blessings Abound!

~A~

06/21/09: 5.5 miles: HOT trike

Welcome to a sunny, warm day!
Today's triking venture was odiferous - whew! Wonderful and not so wonderful scents. For a while I wondered if I was downdraft of my own scent. Perhaps my olfactory glands were in over-drive. Or b/c of the low clouds all the aromas just hung in the air close to the ground, which is where I was positioned.


This is the Welcome sign to my house. It brightens my day every time I see it.

Following are pics of the flowers on the sides of my driveway. The colors are so vibrant I wanted to share them w/ you. I'm sending a bounty of flowers to you that will not die (in these pictures, that is). My daughter says that the man who captures her heart will not send her flowers b/c they die; that man will send her pizza!

I don't know whether you can see the bees swarming around these bushes, but there must have been 50 or so of them. I'm glad I didn't smell like a spiraea. The bees are busy making the flowers beautiful.

The day lillies burst forth just the other day. They look so happy to be awake. I'm always amazed that they return every year. A gardener I am not. GOD takes care of my foliage.

Purple coneflower - makes echinacea. Today's the 1st day I noticed the bloom. We've had lots of rain lately; my flowers are very happy!

I do not recall the name of this flower or the next, which are the same, just different shades. Delphinia. That's it. I love this shade of blue! I need to stake this upright - they literally grew over the last couple days.

And here's another brand of Delphinia - purple.

This summer my strawberries are for the birds and animals. I have not picked any. Not sure why exactly. I guess I just want to share this year.

The next pics are from the trail scenes today:

Old man and young boy fishing in the river. They seemed to be having a good time.

Four canoes swiftly manueuvered down the river. Their colors were a beautiful contrast to the dark water and greens all around. The river had a strong scent today - not very pleasant.

Also, I think every goose in MI flew over a portion of the trail I was on and deposited their lunch or breakfast left-overs right on the pavement.


These flowers are alongside one portion of the trail. These pictures do not capture the artistry of these colors. I'm really sad I cannot capture the 3-D reality of this stretch of the trail. Whoever thought to do this is genius!

Another portion of the trail that I love is the foot bridge. If you've been following my triking blog you'll recognize that I mention the foot bridge in most trikes. I think one of the reasons I enjoy it so much is that I was the 1st car in line when traffic was stopped as a huge crane began placing the bridge into place. I was on one end of the road bridge and was mesmerized by the amount of precise engineering that made a talked about dream become a reality. Believe me, I rushed home from wherever I was going to put on my running shoes. I'm guessing I may have been one of the 1st people to run across the foot bridge. Today as I approached the foot bridge I noticed a powerful scent. At the other end I could see where someone had stopped the water sealing project for the day. (I don't know how to rearrange pics so the foot bridge pic follows the road bridge picture. Sorry. Finally, sort of, figured out how to download the pictures backwards. What a mental challenge that is. I welcome any tips on how to make this process easier.)

This next picture is a view of the road bridge through the rails of the foot bridge.

And here's the foot bridge.

Perhaps you've heard about our town's woes re: "illegal" reproduction of The Little Mermaid. Here's our infamous icon. I hope the town works out a deal to keep her by the river. She's been stolen and vandalized a number of times, always to return to her perch by the river.

See the stop sign. That's about 1/2 way up the last little hill from the trail to my driveway, which is the garage you see across the road behind the white van. I can coast out of my garage all the way to the trail.

And here I return to "home sweet home".

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Blessings Abound!

~A~

Friday, 06/19/09: Following are my recent trekking adventures. Just downloaded pics from the camera. Immediately below is pic of my friend, W, triking around the lobby of a university residential hall, of which she is the Director. Fortunately, no students were on campus at the time so the secret is safe. I don't believe she will ever be satisfied w/ riding a traditional bike again.

See the glee...... All you want to do when on this trike is SMILE (you have to be careful w/ the wanton smiling when triking outside: bugs. 'nuff said).

-------------

My daughter is living w/ me this summer. She graduated from college in May and is looking for employment, preferably in CO in the probation officer field. Recently, she said she "just wants to shoot something." I contacted a friend whose son is a local expert on gunnery. We arranged to enjoy a dinner of home-made lasagna and then "shoot something." T, the son, arranged a myriad of targets just off their back deck. Oh, my, this was incredible! I think my daughter's blood has changed.

She's aiming at a target (water filled 2 ltr bottle) that was on the ground (picture above w/ the rifle). And she hit it! Dead on -- the water gurgled out until it could gurgle no more.

Notice the ear protection. KA-BOOM! Just pumping this gun should scare the be-jesus outta anyone. That's what she wants should anyone attempt to enter her dwelling place w/o an invitation. I forgot to ask T whether you put your ear protection on b/f cranking this thing when someone's breaking through your door: "Excuse me, intruder, I want to shoot you, but first I have to protect my ears from the thunder of this rifle. Please stop right there and at least let's level the playing field.

Look at the determination on her face. I think after trying a couple styles of handguns she preferred a longer gun. I know there's a name for that; T told me; a rifle or shotgun. Not recalling the difference if there is one. I'm sure my daughter remembers. She's a good shooter w/ a handgun, but likes the sighting set-up on the longer barrel gun.

Here's an example of one of the targets. She decimated those orange disks. There were also paper targets and 2 ltr bottles filled w/ H2O. Of course, she will take classes should she decide to purchase a self-defense gun. At least now she knows what they feel like to touch and use. T is an excellent and patient instructor. He handled all my quirky questions w/ professionalism and sensitivity.

Thanks, T, for sharing your enthusiasm for responsible weapon management. We learned a LOT (Sorry I don't recall whether there's a difference b/t a rifle and shotgun. This is not a result of your teaching; it's a result of me..... read below re: TBI; add to that peri-menopause & that guns don't really intrigue me the way they do other people).

--------------

I had 4 dr appts and 3 days of PT this week. I also volunteered at a homeless event. Very wonderful ministry helping homeless people w/ free foot care provided by RNs, free hair cuts provided by cos students, free dinner, and free listeners (that was my role). I think next week looks like a boring week compared to the past 2 wks. I'm looking forward to staying in bed for a long, long time tomorrow. I may even bring my Rx and water to my bedroom tonight so I don't even have to get out of bed tomorrow. Sounds like a good idea, especially if it's still raining.

Tonight I ate salmon w/ mango salsa. The flavors were intense and memorable. I intentionally savored nearly every tasty bite. Have you been intentional lately about tasting your food WHILE you're eating it (not the after-taste)? Usually, I eat so fast I barely remember eating. Not tonight. I thanked GOD for the ability to taste the food and enjoy the contrast of flavors: sweet, tart, salty. Delicious! The rice was near the top of the list of "best I've ever had". I think it was jasmine flavored. Add that to the salmon and mango salsa -- I was sad to finish my meal (@ Bonefish Grill). This was my treat to myself for enduring a 2 hr "mental exam".

Due to the TBI (traumatic brain injury) from the accident I had to go through a series of mental tests to see if my brain is functional. I kept telling the psychologist, "I'm a Counselor, not a mathematician." I guess numbers are important. They hurt my brain. Make me very tired. I know I would have done better if I'd had paper, pencil, calculator, no time limit, and I could've called my younger son as a "help line". I know I would have done better. Oh well, it is what it is. I recall that Albert Einstein was an answer to one of the questions. And there were history questions... when he began one of those, I raised my hands and told him to not bother b/c I had no idea. He had to look up some things I told him b/c my answers were not in his keyed responses, but my responses were correct, also. I do not wish that experience on anyone. I told my daugher about it and she asked if I'will receive a sign that says, "I'm mental". I sure hope so. Then I'll have an excuse to ask people to just be nice to me b/c I know not what I say or do.

Remember to slow down and taste your food. Thank GOD for it as you eat it.

Blessings Abound!

~A~

06/14/09: 9 miles. Another BLESSING realized from that auto accident. Were it not for that accident, I'd still be running and never know the thrill of triking, and better yet, the unimaginable joy of triking w/ my daughter. Actually, she was biking.

Again, I forgot my camera. We had a lovely ride this evening around the 7 o'clock hour. From our driveway we hit the trail, traveled along the river, across the foot bridge, following the lazy & Flat River. We crossed 91, then rode through the woods, and then around the lake. As we were pedaling along, I heard my daughter scream in terror. When she calmed enough for me to understand her, this is when I realized another blessing from the accident, because she was coasting along on the outside edge of the road with me more toward the center of the road. Anyway, a chipmunk darted into her front tire and then jumped back to the grass on the edge of the road. When I am nervous or scared I laugh. Well, I was laughing at her and at the same time trying to console her (yes, she's an adult) b/c that had to be scary, but at the same time, whew! I was glad I wasn't on the outside edge of that road and out alone. People would've thought I was nuts, to just suddenly scream in terror (and I would have had I been the one the chipmunk tried to attack), and keep riding. Fortunately, for her, she had me to verify that she isn't nuts. Can you imagine? Just riding along, enjoying the beauty of the lake and them BAM! a chipmunk runs into your bicycle tire. I'm so glad it didn't die. We would have vomited right there.

When we made it back home we sat down at the counter w/ forks in hand and dug into a "Happy Birthday" cake, from our local grocery store, in honor of my daughter's former college room-mate. Happy B'day C!! Nope, b'day girl wasn't here, but we ate nearly 3/4 of that 1/4 sheetcake. We didn't eat all of it b/c we decided to only eat 8 miles worth of calories. That way, we actually lost one mile of calories. I know you make up dumb reasons and ways to count calories and eat what you shouldn't, also. My daughter and I create any reason to celebrate w/ cake. Last summer, we had a cake specially made. It was the size of the top layer of a wedding cake. It was decorated as a wedding cake - however, we called it the "un-wedding" cake. There's a long story, which has a short version, but I haven't requested permission to share it yet. Just suffice it to say, it was delicious and fit the occasion very splendidly. It is graduation open house season where we live. On the drive home from church, I was so tempted to stop at one of the sign posted parties and give a check to the graduate and sit down to enjoy the cake. That's how much I love those cakes. My Mom allowed me to eat cake for breakfast when I was a kid. My cousins thought that was the coolest thing. I allowed my kids to eat cake for breakfast, now and then. It has all the food groups: protein (egg), grain (flour), dairy (cream cheese frosting), fruit (cherry cream cheese frosting on a cherry cake), & fat/oil/sweets (butter, oil, sugar). ALL the necessary elements for a strong, healthy body. They all exercise as young adults so I don't think I harmed them too much. Or maybe that's why they exercise so well now ----- so they can still eat cake for breakfast (?).

Count your blessings. I didn't pay as close attention to daily blessings pre Jan 22, 08 as I do now. Little things that matter so much now. Like being able to stand up from the couch. Last summer, it took me, what seemed like, half a day to muster the energy and wherewithall (compound word?) to get myself off the couch. Physically, my body did not function in that manner. Tonight, I just got up and reflected back on last summer. I wasn't graceful tonight, but I didn't have to diligently work to twist my body in all directions trying to figure out how to make the different parts cooperate & coordinate with each other. I just got up w/o thinking about how to get up. A blessing. Another blessing.

I swept my tile floors today. Another blessing. It was a very, very slow endeavor. I wanted to do it, just to see if I could do it. My R thumb is a mess. At some point (when I can no longer tolerate the pain), it will receive a joint replacement. Due to its limitations in movement (it remains opposable, thank you) that sweeping motion creates quite a disturbance in the joint. Auto insurance pays for someone else to clean my house, for now. Another blessing. See how these blessings just stack higher and higher? This is progress, too. Last summer, I could barely stand up, let alone try to figure out how to hold a broom and make it sweep. I can sweep, but it is better for my thumb joint that I don't sweep. My hand dr wants me to care for that joint and postpone surgery as long as possible. He says a "young" woman, like me (bless his heart) who has many active years ahead shouldn't have this kind of surgery yet. So, I won't sweep again (for now). The house cleaner can do it next time :-)

This is a good summer. It is providing opportunity for me to see the incredible progress gained over the past year. And yet, I'm already anticipating MI winter :-( In spite of the splendor of summer, I sense winter's arrival. I can see it in the tree leaves. Even though they are beaming with green-ness right now, the fact that the leaves are growing means they will die, too soon. Like us, too, eh? Every breath we take is one breath closer to Eternity. Now, that's a great outcome! Even so, Lord Jesus, come! Back to nearly summer. This is gonna be a great summer. I feel it in my bones & in the metal that supports my bones :-)

Another blessing is less swelling in my legs. This allows the metal to be a bit more prominent. I can feel the metal in my legs. Odd sensation. When pedaling, I'm assuming that intermittent pain is muscle working around metal. That will be on my list of questions for my physiatrist visit tomorrow. Remember that kind of dr? He (in my case he is a "he") oversees all my rehabilitative care. He will likely say "not really sure, it could be". Then I'll ask my PT who will say "that is one of the variables." So, I'll determine for myself that that sensation is muscle trying to move around the fixed metal. I could be wrong on all counts. If anyone reading this has an opinion or similar experience please let me know.

Well, this has been a great day. Happy B'day to my friend, N! I'll eat more of that cake tomorrow in your honor! Thanks for a reason to continue the feast :-)

COUNT your blessings. Sometimes they are disguised. As always,
Blessings ABOUND!
~A~

Fri, 06/12/09: 13 miles Now I know I can finish a 25K "biking" event. My 1st one is scheduled for July 12th.

I forgot my camera today :-( There was a variety of tree pollens floating through the air and accumulating on the grounds. I kept my mouth closed tightly to avoid inhaling those irritants. Even though an allergy irritant, the scene was pretty. Reminded me of blowing snow at times.

Today's ride was one of serenity. Everything was so beautiful. I kept reminding myself to "just notice," "pay attention" to the colors, such vibrant colors. I guess this afternoon was a partly sunny day. A rain front was moving into the area, but between the clouds the sky was amazingly blue. I hope you make time in your day to "notice" and "pay attention" to the colors, sounds, & scents. Things I take for granted, often breeze right by, and never notice how much GOD blesses us with art.

There were a few people out & about on the trails today. I exchanged "hellos" with strangers and friends. From my house, I entered the trail and went over the foot bridge, then under the Washington St bridge, through the woods, around the lake, back along the trail all the way to the bypass, around the streets by the apartments, along 57, then zoomed down Luray hill (24 mph) to home. That was a good outing.

On the return trip crossing the foot bridge, my R ankle started whining. I noticed that it felt like metal. I have no idea what metal really feels like in my ankle, but that sensation is what I imagine metal feels like underneath skin and screwed into bones. It seemed like the metal was doing the motion on the pedal, not my foot muscles. Odd. I promised it drugs when we got home and then took the longer way b/c I need to train for this upcoming 25K event. Plus, my concession was to promise my ankle not to have to climb any hills on the way home, which meant taking the longer route. We made it. Funny how my ankle, well that entire right leg actually, feels separate from me. I guess that's how I view it. Sometimes it requires thought and effort to coordinate me w/ that leg.

By taking the longer route I saw Peter Rabbit again. I believe this is the same one mentioned previously. The vicinity is between the river and a street I use to frequently run. Perhaps there is a family of rabbits who reside in the stretch of woods b/t the street & river.

Here's a joke I heard today. Do you know what psychopharmacology means? The suffix - ology, means "the study of". The prefix - psycho, means "dealing w/ the psyche/mind" or in slang, "just plain weird". The root word - pharm, usually means "medication". Hence, the study of medicines for the mind. However, if one is hearing this word for the first time and not actually seeing it written, the root word sounds like "FARM", meaning where animals are raised. In that case, psychofarmacology could mean "the study of just plain weird farm animals". If you're not laughing hysterically, I guess you just had to be there when I heard two girls having this conversation this morning. I roared w/ laughter - couldn't contain it. It still cracks me up everytime.

I worked hard in PT this morning. A lot of upper body & core strengthening. One of my play goals in PT is to balance completely on the physioball keeping all limbs and fingers/toes off the ground while I lay face down, curled around the ball. One on my aides can do it, so I'm gonna conquer it, too.

I had a great day! I kept a visit going all day w/ GOD. I guess I don't have to know the outcome of life events; I just have to have faith, keep moving forward to that prize, and offering praise to GOD in all things. Even the difficult things. When life stinks. I've been through enough stinky life to know that when I step out of GOD's way, the outcome is better than I ever imagined. I also know that faith gets stronger through the stinky days IF you CHOOSE.

Blessings Abound!
~A~

06/03/09: 4 1/2 miles tonight. This is the 1st time I've triked at night. I'm visiting friends on the mainland of NC. After an incredibly delicious, homemade Mexican dinner we went pedaling around the neighborhood. I forgot my camera and it was too dark for pics anyway. Our goal is to ride again tomorrow. Friend's husband and I pedaled as hard as we could. They live in a flat town (geographically, speaking); we got up to 17 mph. He was sweating; I was merely warming up :-)

There are many beautiful old Southern houses in this town. All those stories you read about the old South. Well, most of it is true. Mansions. Belief systems. Hospitality. Friendliness. Generosity. Humor.

I am a blessed person. At last count, I've lived in 19 houses. I have friends in many places. No wonder I'm healing so well from that accident. People everywhere petitioned GOD for my healing. Spiritually, many blessings have been poured upon me as a result of this accident: chiefly, meeting & talking w/ people I would not have otherwise met and talking about GOD's providential care in our lives. Grace.

Blessings Abound!
~A~

06/01/09: Not sure which language is read bottom to top, but that's the way these pictures showed up. Bear w/ me as I learn how to order pics the way I want to tell the story. For this entry, please scroll down to the bottom and read from the bottom pic up to this pic of a boy & his dog.

And here's the boy and his dog. My brother took the dog for a walk while we were out pedaling. We met up w/ him so the boy could play w/ the dog. I guess some things are the same regardless of which State you're in - love between a boy and his dog. Perhaps I should apologize to my kids (2 sons & 1 daughter) for never having a dog. Honestly, at that time, it came down to providing snacks for the kids or dog food for a dog. I gave the choice to the kids. They always chose snacks. My oldest received a dog along w/ taking a bride. My last 2 say they are going to get a dog. If they do I know they will be good pet owners.

And here's me w/ the crew sans Dad, who's taking the pic. Again, thank you, Andy.

Here's the crew standing in Andy Griffith's driveway on the OBX. I kid you not! We all are related to him (cousins) so we took family liberty of making this pic in his drive. THANKS, ANDY! I met him once. In a pharmacy on the OBX. He was not as pleasant as he seems on "The Andy Griffith Show". Maybe he was having a bad day.

Self protrait made by my Dad.

Here's the view from my rear view mirror: bringing up the rear. Hey, I can see my camera in the mirror, too. Kind of like life, eh? I can see where I've been, but have to have faith for where I'm heading.

This is us pedaling down the street. You've met the back of my daughter in an earlier post :-) We had a great trip. I wanted to take a pic of a full sailed sail boat on the Sound, but couldn't locate public property to make a stop on this jaunt. All in all we traveled 7 miles. I feel sad for the bottoms of my family members. I would not be able to ride one of those bicycle seats that far.

Here's Papaw on MY trike. My Dad. I believe he will either build one of these or purchase one. He's definitely hooked and thinking about all the ways to tweak this machine.

Here's Mamaw on my trike. My Mom. I think this fits her very well. She looks happy and comfortable!

Here's the boy on MY trike. The boy/man will be 16 yo in 2 mos. He's not excited about turning 16 b/c that means he "has to go back to school b/c summer vacation will be over". Smart kid. The boy led our triking venture this eve. At the end of the outing he took me deep into the woods where he and frds go quading (this is officially a new word now). OMW, it was totally cool! My trike was too wide to fit through some passes, so the boy dismounted his bike and manuevered me around on my trike to safety. Then he chose to push me through the other recesses of the quad paths. At one point a fallen tree stopped us. The boy said he'd move it. Yeah, right, I mean this was a TREE, not a branch off a tree. I guess all the weight lifting for football paid off. The boy moved the tree, then proceeded pushing me, on my trike, around the quad course. I hope we can return there before I head out of NC.

START HERE! My daughter and I are in NC. This is the inside of my Element packed w/ our luggage & trike/bike. We ended up having room for the front passenger seat to recline enough for resting during traveling. I drove the 1st day since daughter was sick. We stopped twice, soon after leaving our home, to allow her to vomit (I can't find a more descriptive word) on the tall grasses on the side of the interstate. She alway felt much better afterwards. On Mon afternoon we arrived at my parents' place on the OBX (Outer Banks of NC). Daughter will spend time visiting w/ her grandparents (& uncle & cousin) while I spend time w/a dear friend just over an hour away. This trip was daughter's idea. She wants opportunity to get to know her g'rents and for them to get to know her more before she moves away. This young woman has a wonderful heart.