More February

Thurs 2/17

Another hike today up to Thacher Park. I needed it as I spent all of yesterday painting the kitchen & dining area. I thought it was going to be a 2 hour paint job, but when I was done it was 5:30 and I was exhausted. I also bought new curtains and I'm searching for 2 chairs so I can ditch the love seat that just doesn't fit my aesthetic anymore. It felt so good to settle in with a glass of wine and a good book after a day up and down the ladder. Dean Koontz's Quicksilver will be finished tonight. As per his style, I started reading and got pulled into the fast paced, mounting crisis to the exclusion of all else. 

The hike was a fun 3.7 miles on the red trail at Thacher. Lots of laughter, maple doughnuts, and no rain!

Hang glider overlook at the midpoint of the hike:
Allison, Denise, Jim, Esther, Mark, Me, Paul, photo by Geri
                         
                         At the big rock pile:

Sunday 2/20

I'm working on making my deck experience even better once warm weather hits, so first priority is painting the furniture. The coffee table (a 30 yr old one) took a beating last summer being exposed to the elements, so I'm fixing cracks, painting, and sealing it to give it at least another year of life. Next I'll tackle the (free) chairs I got on the Buy Nothing Project FaceBook page. 

Before (I already sanded off much of the mold):


Midway - I just need to polyurethane it to facilitate its outdoor exposure.

I took a break to walk (3 mi) in the Sage Estates Preserve in Menands, with Annette. The ice is still there, but mostly just a dusting of snow from yesterday's snow squall. It's an urban park amid housing developments that I never knew existed. I'll add it to the nearby walks repertoire. We are pretty sure we saw bear tracks...



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