The Years To Remember

 On my walk around the lake I usually stop at the stream to look at the fish, but this day the snapping turtle was swimming by. Going by its size, this may be the same turtle I've been watching for years. I conservatively estimate it was more than 2 feet long from nose to tail, but probably longer.  Practically a dinosaur. The next evening, I hopped in my kayak and had my first paddle of the year. The carp are spawning and the birds are feeding so it was quite nice to enjoy all the nature. Just before sunset. A kingfisher family was darting about. Work on the town beach is proceeding again, but still a long way from opening. I got to try out the Wave Launch and approve. I love not having to get my feet wet when I kayak. Last weekend my sisters came for a visit and we spent a lot of time just chatting and enjoying my garden. We did go to the Troy Farmers Market and they were amazed at its size and ALL THE FOOD. Then to work that off we headed over to the Barberville Falls trail...

  The clouds! It's been cool here, barely reaching the 60's, but that is great biking weather. And gardening weather too. Saturday, Ann Marie and I did a leisurely 20 miles on the Electric Trail, and passed several runners wearing SB400 bibs. We asked some folks in a support van what the event was, and were told the South Bound 400  is a 400 mile relay from Montreal to NYC. Over 2 days. Yikes. We did admire the physiques of the mostly male (1 female) runners.  These two came right up to the fence to say hello. A critter sunning on the asphalt. I came across a northern water snake sunning itself on the trail, and we admired the many mares and their foals on the horse farms. It was a picturesque day with nice puffy clouds. An obligatory stop at the Orchard for lunch was a bit crowded with the Mother's Day flowers and plants being purchased from the greenhouses.  Mother's Day started with an unexpected crying session as I missed my own dear mom once again. I got busy wi...

 The last two days at the cape went quickly as we filled them with enjoyable activities. We explored the Cape Cod Rail Trail, which was beautifully maintained along the thirteen miles we experienced. There were kettle ponds and forests, but construction yards too. Along the trail. My favorite activity by far, was walking the beach at low tide and exploring the mile+ wide Brewster Flats that were exposed when the water receded. I stumbled upon the horseshoe crab mating zone where dozens of these dinosaurs were procreating. This larger female was easily more than a foot wide. While four of the five days were fair and sunny, one day was somewhat rainy in the afternoon. We explored Chatham shops, the Chatham lighthouse, then had a glass of wine in a very upscale hotel lobby. We also visited the Salt Pond Museum and learned a bit about the Coast Guard rescue stations.  That night we watched The Finest Hours, a 2018 movie about the rescue of 32 men from a tanker that split in two, b...

I went to my first vestibular physical therapy session and was very pleased with the outcome. For the first time in four months my vertigo went away completely. The therapist, who specializes in treating vertigo, did the Epley Maneuver three times and my symptoms vanished. I'm going back for more sessions, because the symptoms have slowly started showing up again.  In preparation for the Cape Cod getaway, we met at Peggy's to discuss details which were very few and loose. Then we wandered down to the clubhouse at her complex and played pickle ball for awhile. I really enjoyed it and must look into lessons somewhere. The weather has been so lovely and warm that the outside of the house looks great and the inside a little neglected. Spring is one of my favorite times of year. I splurged at the garden center and bought two 16 inch pots of flowers for the front porch. Plants seem very expensive this year, so these pots, which were crammed full of plants, were probably very reasonab...

A beaver dam flooded this area to make a little lake. I spotted a muskrat and a beaver here.  Friday 4/26/24 I left the house at 7 am to meet the hiking group for a bike ride from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake way up in the Adirondacks. Normally I wouldn't drive that far for a mere 20 mile ride, but I've been anticipating this bike trail's construction and opening for the past two years. It will eventually be thirty some miles long in the next couple of years. It was a really nice trail with that ADK feel of rocks and fir trees, lakes and streams on the relatively flat trail. The group had over 30 people signed up, but we ended up with a lovely group of 6. I'm guessing the temperature of twenty some degrees at the start may have something to do with the lower turnout. We had a delightful meal in Lake Placid afterwards and a stop for ice cream in Keene Valley. I got home at 7 pm, took a shower and decided to call it a day and just hop into bed at 8 pm with a book. Our very...