Florida - January 2014 Part 1

I recently returned from a trip to Florida and it was a trip packed with activities. As is often the case on my trips when I fly I stayed at a hotel in Sacramento where I can leave my car and take the shuttle to and from the airport. I made a point of seeing some parts of Sacramento that I hadn't seen before on my way up and that made it like an extra day of vacation. I stopped to visit William Land Park and walked for a while then I drove to a beach park on the river that I had never been to.

Another bit of good news is that they finally have a decent place to eat within walking distance of the hotel I stay in.

The main purpose of the trip was to watch my granddaughters compete in their cheer and dance competitions and I got to see Alyssa cheer in Daytona Beach and Allison dance in Sanford. They both did a good job and while their teams didn't finish on the podium they performed very well. One of the highlights was seeing Alyssa's team come back from a less than stellar performance on Saturday to knock it out of the park on Sunday. The parents and other supporters were beyond excited. It was fun to be a part of.

Mallory, Jeff, Alyssa (front), Allison (back), Rochelle

Allison's Dance Performance in Sanford, Florida

While the majority of my time was spent in Daytona Beach my trip actually started in Jacksonville. The morning after I flew in I was fortunate enough to meet an old friend and his wife for breakfast. Fred and his wife Leah drove down from Georgia and we had a great visit. Even though Fred and I have known each other since high school and he and Leah have been married since 1971 it was the first time that we met. Fred was one of the five who enlisted in the Navy together back in 1968 and he's one of the 2 who never returned to live in California when he got out. Over the years I've tried looking for him without luck but as you may have read in a prior post when I was visiting Clarence late last year in Georgia we were fortunate enough to find his information on line, call and we've been in touch since.

It was fun meeting Leah and great catching up with Fred. It felt as though we had just seen one another recently, not over 40 years ago. One of the coolest things that happened is when Leah said, "Okay let me see it". I immediately knew of course that she meant my "Hot Stuff" devil tattoo that so many of us have. One of the many fun things and memories that we shared as a group of friends from the 60's.

Fred & Leah Mershon

After breakfast I headed south to Daytona Beach but I had to make one stop on the way at a place I always visit when I go back east. Not this specific one mind you but always a Dunkin' Donuts.

Even though it was cold, I sat right under that umbrella and enjoyed my donut and coffee. I'm thankful that I have learned to slow down and enjoy the journey and not always be in a rush to get to the end.

My first day in Daytona Beach I walked around and familiarized myself with the area. I found a pub close to the hotel that I had to visit just because of the name.

Unfortunately in Florida you can still smoke in bars so I didn't stay very long. I was also disappointed that they didn't have any tee shirts or glasses for sale. I enjoyed visiting with the bartender who was also former Navy.

That's where I'll leave this post is my arrival in Daytona Beach.

A Walk in the Fog - January 8, 2014

Probably one of my least favorite weather conditions is fog. It's cold and damp. It's certainly dreary. And worst, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact that it is so difficult to drive in. And dangerous. This morning the fog actually got worse as the day went on so I decided that if I was going to get any kind of workout in early I would take the dogs for a walk. I'm still having to make separate trips with Sassy and Sly after being dragged to the ground on two previous walks with them harnessed together. They could care less about the weather conditions; they are always ready to go. There's probably a lesson in there for me.

I really enjoyed the walk. It was peaceful in the thick fog and because I couldn't see very far my other senses seemed to be sharpened. The traffic out on West Main sounded like wind in the trees in an evergreen forest. The water running over a little check dam in the irrigation canal sounded like a mountain stream. And the smell of someone's fireplace reminded me of the many campfires I have sat around in the past. The fact that we are under a burn restriction because of poor air quality didn't diminish the nostalgia it evoked.

Even the sound of the light wind just from walking seemed to be magnified in my ears. Just stopping would make it go completely silent. The train whistle from several miles away seemed much closer in the fog. I could hear the flock of domestic geese from the neighbors long before I saw them and the sounds of other birds that I never saw. A small herd of cattle near the canal didn't see us coming until the last minute and took off running across the pasture when they did. These are cows that are used to me running or walking with the dogs but apparently not used to someone coming out of the fog.

Finally just as I was returning to the house a sound that I also associate all too often with the fog, sirens on the highway up near town. Hopefully it was just a fender bender.

As you can see in the sky and from the reflection on the canal the sun was trying to get through but right after I took those pictures it gave up and didn't burn the fog off until an hour or more later.

2014 - New Year - New Places - New Races

It's hard to believe that it is already a week into another new year. It'll be fun to see what this year brings for myself, for friends and for family. While I have some races already scheduled and registered for and flights booked and reservations made I know that a plan is just that a plan. I'll take it one day, one race, one trip at a time and see what happens. I've learned that plans are like goals, you should have them so that there is some direction in your life but they should be flexible so if you have to make changes, your world doesn't come tumbling down.

Four days into the new year and I managed to get two races in. It was interesting because for a week or so before I ran them I wasn't looking forward to them. I think part of it is just the time of year. While the holidays bring a lot of good times and new memories they also bring up a lot of things that may or may not contribute to feeling good. The other thing about this time of year that often affects my motivation or lack of same is the shorter hours of daylight, the earlier darkness that in my case usually also means an earlier bedtime and the cooler temperatures. The good news however is that I ran and enjoyed both races and I'm looking forward to my next one in Florida later this month.

The first race was run on New Year's Day and I ran with my niece Brandy. It was her first 5k since high school and she did a great job and had a good time; we are already talking about maybe doing another together in February. The race we ran was in Tracy and was called the Polar Run and Dunk 5K. There was an option, we both passed, to jump in the lake for a brief swim at the end of the race. No thanks! Although I believe the lake water temperature was warmer than the air temperature. They kept a nice bonfire burning before and after and provided hot coffee, hot chocolate and cookies for the runners. Another nice perk were the mimosas that they offered to those over 21 to toast the new year. It was a fun event and one that we would both go back for.

Then home to a nice cheese and meat platter and fufu drink that my sister made for New Years!

It was colder at the next race that I ran partly because it started an hour earlier. It was another 5K and was run to support adolescent cancer treatment. The family who sponsors the race lost their son to cancer and started the race four years ago as a way to honor his memory. It was a fun, well run event and one I will plan to do again next year if things work out.

People might want to think twice before complaining about port-a-potties!

AM I HAVING FUN YET???

The races proved that you don't always have to feel great before you decided to do something if you can just make yourself get to the event you may surprise yourself and have a really good time. I definitely gained a lot more for having done the races than I would have done sleeping in or just doing nothing.

Between the two races I spent one night at Brandy's house dog sitting while she and Donna took a quick overnight trip to Oregon and back. Big dogs.

DOT

STOLI

Next up, a trip to Florida that will include a race in New Smyrna Beach, seeing my son and his family in Daytona Beach and hopefully a reunion with a friend from the 60's in Jacksonville. We'll see!