Cincinnati 2023

 The trip started with Mom asking me to stay a second week. So, the trip started with logistics that mostly worked out.  Though sitting here writing this I realize I forgot to send in my proxy for my HOA meeting.

Week 1: 

Tuesday through Friday I worked, so I was fairly boring during the week.  A neighbor/friend of the family asked me to help her with making play lists in Apple Music.  There's two ways that could've gone and I'm happy to report it was actually a ton of fun. 

I did start using my One Pass for a gym membership in Cincinnati.  I'm not using it to it's full potential, but I have big plans for when I get to MN. 

Saturday we went to Ault Park and looked at all the magnolias.  It was lovely.  For supper, I got to see a friend for Skyline.  She has 3 boys.  I loved the chaos. 

Sunday I got a surprise trip to the Apple Store.  My neighbor that I'd helped earlier had some catastrophic failure of her iPad and she needed a new one.  I went with her mostly for company and entertainment.  In the afternoon I hung out with my Aunt and her family again.

The most useful thing I did Sunday was put Mom in different stack height shoes on her different feet.  I'd begged her just to try it walking the length of the house and see how it felt.  9 hours later... 

Monday we went to Costco. Mom and I are still friends.

Tuesday was the only day this week I worked.  This was mostly by my choice.

Wednesday - Friday I had off and generally hung out with Mom and Dad.  There's lots of good sports on. Thursday night my cousin and his family came over. We made Moon Beams.  Moon Beams with a five year old is chaos in the best way.

Saturday was my last day of the trip.  I went down to my aunts house one last time.  Several family were over and we had a nice visit.

Sunday was driving day.  I left Cincinnati around sun up.  I ran in Wisconsin, at whatever rest stop is about 70 miles from the MN border.  It was my least favorite rest stop run.  

When I got home, Captain Smiley made me supper.

I'm gonna put this here now: It's currently Sunday night, March 19.  It's all over the internet that the former president anticipates being arrested on Tuesday March 21 and he's encouraging his supporters to riot or something.  Also on the internet are the news stories indicating the grand jury is still interviewing witnesses so there hasn't been a vote to indict, so who knows.  Dad made me promise to get food on Monday and hunker down on Tuesday just in case. He's taking it seriously but to me it sounds like such a joke.

I'll come back in a few days and read this and let you know what happened next.

Florida 2023 - Goodbye Florida

 Saturday March 4: 

I woke up, did my run, took a shower, and did a final cleaning of the house including washing sheets and towels.  I had a wonderful time and I'm sad to go.

But...

I headed over to the Atlantic Coast to see an old friend from Zumba. I'm sure she's been on the blog before, but I've never give her or her spouse a blog name.  Zumba Friend reminded me it's been about 5 years since she moved out of Minnesota.  

I got a driving tour of her town, including the historical sites and the inns.  Then we had dinner and stayed up talking until everyone was falling asleep mid sentence on the couch.  We had a great time both catching up and getting to know each other better.

Sunday March 5

Zumba Friend took me on a walk.  My last walk in Florida for this trip.  Then it was time to hit the road.

I drove up to Clinton TN, which took roughly 10 hours.  I did my mile run in a rest stop in Georgia.  This was my favorite of all of the rest stop runs on the trip. (There were several).

Monday March 6 

I drove from Clinton up to KY and then Cincinnati.

My first stop was in Berea, KY mostly to drive down memory lane (literally).  It was also where I had my favorite run of the trip.  Because it was such a pleasant surprise. 

Next it was up to see my aunt (it was her Florida house I was in).  We hung out for the afternoon.  I told her Mom would be working and Dad would be playing golf so she was stuck with me. 

If you're keeping track, yes, I did see my aunt before Mom and Dad.  It's fine.

Next up: Cincinnati.

Florida 2023 - Last Week

 After my excellent adventure day, the rest of the week was fairly tame.

Tuesday - Dungeon Master left for Minnesota and the house was just, extra empty without her. 

Wednesday - Friday were mostly prep for leaving the house.  I ate a lot of the random things to get rid of the food.  Note to my future self here: five dozen eggs lasted 'till Thursday of this week.

Friday was a lot of cleaning, and just wanting everything to be perfect for leaving. 

I was almost used to the heat by the time I left.

Florida 2023 - Adventure Day: Getting back on the horse (Feb 27)

 Today was a solo adventure day back at the CREW Flint Pen Stand Trails. 

I re-did the orange trail loop.  Correctly. I also had my location shared with Dungeon Master the whole time from my iPhone, should I try to do anything else exceptionally stupid.  Pictured is the crossroads where I started with the bad decisions last week.

On my way back to the car I met a couple from CO who are moving to MN this spring.  I thought the dude was going to hug me when I said "you know we're out door people right?  All year."  They were also happy to hear that there are hills.  "Like what's the highest that we can climb up and look around?"  No. Not those kind of hills, just regular bluffs.  Dungeon Master can tell you all about them.

I did also go back over to the Rookery trails and sit and watch the birds for a bit.  There was significantly less shade than I remembered so I didn't stay a super long time. 

After supper, Dungeon Master and I went over to Target and then to the BNN that is moving from one part of the mall to another.  They're almost out of books so they won't have a lot to move.

Florida 2023 - February 26 Adventure Day Part 2

We had an equally big adventure planned for today.  So again, I got up and ran first thing, then had breakfast.

Manatees: Stop one was a manatee boat ride.  This was super cool.  We saw a ton of manatees in shallow river water (not in the gulf).  We also saw alligators, bull sharks, and jumping fish.  The bull sharks were not full grown.  We did see a mom and her calf.  Our guide was actually pretty captivated by that.  He made it sound like it's super rare even for him to see that. 

Boardwalk: Next up was a half mile walk on Briggs Boardwalk  Happily, this place did not have a lot of hurricane damage and the boardwalk was open.  We saw some birds, talked to a guide, and went on our way.  (Yes, I'm wearing a buff around my neck because that was the best way to protect the sunburn from getting worse.)

After that I felt like my body was just cooking itself from the inside out.  I took a nice nap on the couch and Dungeon Master went to the pool. 

For supper, Dungeon Master felt strongly that we needed to patronize a Waffle House while we're down south.  I had an all star breakfast including grits.  The food was legit, as always.  And we had shakes for dessert. 

Florida 2023 - February 25 Adventure Day

 Saturday was definitely an adventure day.  It was also the day my sunburn started to peel from my previous adventure day.

I woke up and got my run out of the way.

Dungeon Master and I headed over to Mom's Restaurant which is currently a food truck only.  It was our first real look at the damage from Hurricane Ian.  Even though Ian happened in late September, there's still a lot of damage that hasn't been repaired.  Close to the water there's a lot of debris.  Further inland it appears to be mostly roofs. 

Next up we headed to Sanibel Island for a tour that was almost exclusively in the car. Dungeon Master wanted to see it.  I'd guessed everything would be closed.  Some local shops were open on the Captiva side, and Starbucks is coming back on February 28. 

After Sanibel we went to the Edison Ford Winter Estates which was my suggestion.  I did tell Dungeon Master it would be hot with little to no air conditioning.  I don't think I undersold that part.  It's also amazing, and beautiful.  We did a self guided tour.  I love the grounds and the nature.  Dungeon Master loves the history, so it was good for both of us.

We made one more stop for Dungeon Master to get a souvenir. Then we got fried seafood and headed home.

Florida 2023 - February 21-24

 Let's be real - I didn't do a lot during the week. 

Tuesday I ran one mile and worked the rest of the day.  I took an evening stroll.

Wednesday I did a longer run and then worked for the day.

Thursday I ran my mile, and then went to the gym in the middle of the day for a workout. 

Friday it was hot.  I did an early run and then hid in the air conditioning as much as possible. 

One day this week, the sprinklers came on randomly in the middle of the day while I was working.  I got up surprisingly fast and came inside.

Florida 2023 - February 20 Adventure Day

I woke up, ran my mile, and had a small breakfast.  (Eggs and toast.)

Then I headed out on my adventure. 

Stop 1 was the Cypress Dome Trail, which is the furthest north of the stops I'd make.  I expected to like this one a lot.  I wound up doing a quick loop and heading on.  The paths are well kept and well marked, but the footing is super sandy and lousy.  It wasn't my thing.

 

Stop 2 - was easily my favorite of all the CREW trails, but also my biggest screw up of the trip as of this writing. Flint Pen Stand Trails are also well marked.  When I stay on them.  Sigh.  I meant to take the orange loop for a nice 2.9 mile walk.  Instead, I walked 8.5 miles.  Around mile 3, I thought I was getting close.  Around mile 4 I knew I had a problem.  

 It really was an amazing place. I saw all kinds of birds, some enormous (and far far away gators), and a snake skin.  Mercifully, I did not see the real thing. It was a little scary getting lost, or more like, I wasn't freaked out 'till I realized I was lost.  Once I got my wits about me, I was able to find my way back. That's when I stopped plodding along, and really did an exercise walking speed. I did have water and a little food with me, and it was all gone by the time I made it back to the car. Luckily, the only thing I had to show for it was a bit of a sunburn on my neck.  It could've been a lot worse.

Florida 2023 - February 19

 Sunday - I had the house to myself again.  I was good with it. I got a lot of drawing done.

 

I actually waited 'till evening to get my run in as the sun was going down.  Can confirm, it was the right decision.  Can anyone identify this bird? 

Florida 2023 - February 18

I woke up early and took Dungeon Master to the car rental place.  She's headed to a different part of the state to see friends this weekend.

When I got home I ran my mile.

And then, I loafed.  And it was wonderful. Apparently I loaf differently when I'm alone compared to with other people.  At the end of the day I did get a couple tasks done including dishes.  I also changed a lightbulb.  These ceilings down here are no joke.  Maybe nine feet? I needed a real ladder to do it.  I almost called Dungeon Master for a safety check to let her know I'd be going up for a minute.  That ladder was a bit wobbly. 

In the evening, I took a walk and listened to a podcast.  I'm enjoying Levar Burton Reads and I find the stories he picks fascinating. The only issue I'm having is the sound effects are a little too good, so I often think someones coming up behind me or an alarm is going off or...  This may be better listened to in the gym vs outside while on transparency mode.

Florida 2023 - February 17

 Happy Friday to me. 

I recently rediscovered this great video so that's what I did as my warm up before I went out to run. 

Work today, I had my first annual review.  It went okay I thought.  The percent of the 'merit raise' was lower than what I'd expected, compared to past employers where I'd gotten similar ratings.  I think there's a lot going on right now at a higher level in the company than I could ever touch so I'm moving on and enjoying the job. 

In the evening, Dungeon Master and I went out and had milk shakes.  The new guy made our shakes and his technique is not perfected yet.  Strawberry with a hit of mootella was an excellent choice.

Florida 2023 - Febraury 16

Gym day is becoming one of my favorite days of the week. 

I woke up and ran my mile outside where I'm staying. 

In the afternoon I went over to the Y and did all the exercises.  It's been a while since I did all the exercises from this video

I also learned that I can do the mobility drills, and lift weights.  Or mobility drills and rowing machine. But I shouldn't have done the rowing machine before the weights. 

Florida 2023 - February 15

 After the trauma of a new phone yesterday, Wednesday was a chill day.

I went for one of my longer runs of the week, and that was nice. 

I'm behind on my blogs, and my photo uploads, so I'm not sure what else happened.  Sigh.

Florida 2023 - February 14

After I wrote my post for Feb 13, I crunched my phone in a reclining chair at my aunts house.  So Valentines Day started with a new iPhone.  I got the 13mini, because that was the smallest newest phone I could find.  

Instead of staying in the apple store, which was busy, I browsed Barnes N Noble while my phones did their data transfer thing.  BNN is having a fire sale at this location because they're moving to a different place in the same mall?  I'm unclear.  I wound up with a Python for Kids book. 

I also learned that the 12 mini case does not fit the 13 mini because the camera lenses are different.  So I went on Amazon and got a new case and also a privacy screen protector for obvious reasons. 

Now, hilariously, all my photos are trying to upload to Flickr.  Again.  So I may not be posting photos for a while.

Florida 2023 - February 13

 I woke up late today.  Because it's Monday and I can.

First place I hit was a running stop.  I did the trifecta of Cullums Trail Park, Bonita Nature Place, and Pine Lake Preserve.  I knew Pine Lake had the longest trail system.  Sadly, it was also the least runner friendly.  You know the sloppy sand at the top of the beach?  Yeah, lots of that. 

I wasn't in the Nature Place very long, due to poor navigation?  Or it just wasn't that big. But the time I got to Cullums, I was done with the run and walked back to my car.

Second adventure of the day was the CREW Rookery outside Naples.  That was such a pleasant surprise.  The greatest bird watching is actually in the parking lot.  Like, I want to go back with a chair and binoculars. 

I walked about a mile in.  This trail was the most runner friendly, but I wouldn't run it.  Too many humans with telephoto cameras, it just doesn't have that exercise vibe. 

I saw lots of wild life.  Including, yes, gators.  They were all in the water and not interested in me.  To my surprise I did not see any snakes.  In either place.  And that was really fine with me. 

On my way out I got a call from the neighbor/care taker. 

Next up, I headed over to Barefoot Beach Preserve because I was getting very mixed signals about its status.  Actual status: closed.  I didn't even turn off the main road.  Instead, I googled "seafood shack"...

I wound up at a place called Dougs seafood.  The sign for the restaurant literally says "fried seafood".  My kind of place.  I had whole belly clams.  I liked them slightly better than the strips.  But it was 2pm and I'd barely eaten, so my car bumper may have tasted good too at that point. 

And to end the day, I got home and found the mail box damage.  That's what the call from the neighbor was about.  The recycling guy got the mailbox along with the rest of our recycling cart somehow?  Apparently they'll replace it.  I called my aunt and my cousin in shame.  "Did I set the recycling too close to the mail box?  Did I do something wrong?"  I was reassured there's no way this could've been my fault, which I really appreciated hearing.

Florida 2023 - February 12

 I slept in y'all.  Late.

I made breakfast at like, lunch time. Which was fine. 

In the late afternoon I tried to run.  I did make my mile.  I then had an emergency pit stop that ended my run. Sigh.  I made plans for tomorrow instead.

I did go to Costco.  I got there around 5:30p. It closes at 6p.  I got five dozen eggs.  I should've got more bacon.   Sigh.  When I got home I did clean up my car a bit. That was satisfying. 

Dungeon Master and I sort of watching and sort of ignoring the super bowl.  Both of us really wanted to enjoy the half time show more than we did.

Florida 2023 - February 11

Run: I woke up late and still ran.  That was mostly good but also kind of a mistake because it was hot.  HOT. 

Dungeon Master and I had a bit of an adventure.  

First we tried a farmer market.  The farmer market was prepared food (tamales and empanadas, salsas) gifts, lots of a recently legalized substance, and one stall with actual produce.  I did get cebollitas, peppers that are hot but not that hot, and pea pods. The produce down here is so good.

Then we went to a place called Wonder Garden.  Dungeon Master was initially amused when I was a grump about sitting in traffic on a Saturday.  But, yo, there's an art festival down the road and a street is closed so this is NOT normal. Wonder Garden was definitely worth the stop.  Lots of rescued parrots and other birds. Some gators. And flamingos.

I was about melting by the time we were done.  We did take a peak at the art show.  For my Minnesota people, imagine the Edina art show but somehow more. I didn't feel like I could afford to even look at the art.  We didn't stay long.

We went back to the shake place.  I swear I paid a different price today. 

And then I stayed inside in the air conditioning as long as humanly possible the rest of the day.

Florida 2023 - February 10

I woke up and ran. I did a booty burner workout before the run.  Because I'm trying to help my knee.

Work had a meeting first thing. And then I had a few phone calls. 

After work, Dungeon Master and I took a walk.

It was two days ago, so I genuinely can't remember what else I did. It couldn't have been too entertaining because I didn't even take pictures.

Florida 2023 - February 9

 I tried this post a couple times.

I'm enjoying it here but the internet provider is leaving something to be desired. The signal just, like, drops.  Every so often.

Anyways.  I woke up and ran my mile.

In the afternoon I went to the gym for a rowing and weights workout. 

Somehow I think I wound up with a shake for supper.  It's bad that milk shakes are so close.

Florida 2023 - February 8

Sleep in: I woke up and then went back to sleep. And then I woke up for work.

Food: I had oatmeal with strawberries, nuts, and chocolate chips for breakfast.  I had chayote salad, gyros, hummus, and pita for lunch.  Both were excellent. In a surprise move, Dungeon Master had supper with me.  I did a veggie stir fry with rice.  I had an egg (or three) on mine but she just had regular.

Work: Work was positive but it absolutely won for the day.  On good days I feel like I'm able to be helpful to the people I serve, which I enjoy immensely. 

Running: I ran 3 loops of the complex.  I had a brief interlude between loops 1 and 2 for a pit stop.  At home.  With plumbing.

Florida 2023 - February 7

Wake up: I was up by 8am local and logged into the computer for work.  I made myself breakfast at some point.

Work: I did the thing. It was a nice day and I think I was able to be helpful to some people.

Adventures in house sitting: First adventure came when workmen showed up.  They assured me they're supposed to be here to work on the roof.  Sounds legit.  Who am I to say no. 

Second adventure was when I asked the neighbor/caretaker if he could look at the dishwasher and make sure that water was running to it. He moved some valves.  Then I ran the dishwasher's rinse cycle and water was running to it.  I know that because all the water stayed in the bottom of the dishwasher.  When I called neighbor back to see if he could continue his problem solving, he suggested I just let it be.  With some divine intervention the sucker did finally drain.  We'll be washing our dishes by hand on this trip. 

 Run: I ran at my lunch time, which is 3pm local, and then I did a few weights. It was the one part of the day when it was super hot, but it felt good. 

After work, Dungeon Master and I ran some errands.

Pivot Tables: I am now a wizard at Pivot Tables in Excel.  That's not true.  I know they exist and am excited to play with them.

Florida 2023 - February 6

Run: I woke up and ran around the island of Key West.  I did an out and back on a road with a sidewalk that runs along the shore.  I watched the sun come up.  It was amazing.  It was also stupid humid so I did this as a run walk. 

I was on my own for site seeing in the morning.  So I hit all the nature places. 

Key West Butterflies: This exhibit was magical, and I say that having experienced the Krohn butterflies several times. One of the things that helped is I got there super early in the day (before 10am) so it was not at all crowded.  The place was really filling up by the time I left.

West Martello Tower and Key West Garden Club: this is an outdoor garden that's built into what used to be a fort.  Parking is free.  Admission is free, but donations are requested. This was also a special place.  If Mom had come with me, she really would've enjoyed it. 

Bahia Honda State Park: Was hard on my bucket list and one of the things I was super excited for (along with eating seafood out of a shack). I love that beach.  And the water.  The water is really shallow and has a lot of sea grass and other non-stingy, non-scary things to see.  I swam, I walked along the shore and looked for shells, and then I napped a minute. 

One last shack: We hit the Cracked Conch on Marathon Key.  Totally worth a stop.  I think Dungeon Master was done with my seafood shack needs by then, but this place had a lot of other really nice food so all was well.

And then we drive: I finally just gave up worrying what anyone things and listened to my weird podcasts on this drive home.  In Defense of Plants told me about orchid bees, which are a thing.  No Stupid Questions told me about working on an airplane.  And I think that's all I heard before Dungeon Master got on a conference call.  

We got in before 10pm local time and headed to bed.

Florida 2023 - February 5

 Travel to the keys day.

In a surprise move, I actually used the hotel treadmill.  Because it was raining cats and dogs when I woke up.  There was technically a sidewalk by my hotel, but not really.  It just wasn't worth it. 

Then, we drove.  The ride from the mainland to Key West is just slow.  The speed limit in a lot of places is 45mph, and there's very few opportunities for passing.  Luckily, it's gorgeous.  Dungeon Master was curious how I'd do but the bridges didn't bother me at all.  I'd been over them before so I had an idea in my mind of what to expect.

Ft Zachary Taylor: First stop in Key West was a state park.  Luckily it was culture day so everyone was dressed up in costumes telling us about their life in the civil war.  It was fascinating.  Long story short: Florida did secede from the union, but the Union always held the Florida Keys. 

Southern Most Point: It was very important to Dungeon Master to have a picture next to the buoy.  So we waited in line and did the thing.  I totally missed all the iguanas on the rocks the first time around.

Fried seafood: I was on a mission to basically eat all the fried seafood I could find, and bonus points if it's from a building that looks like a shack.  It was at about this time we discovered that several shacks are closed on Sundays and Mondays.  Boo.  DJs clam shack was open and they did me a solid. 

Shopping: We got some souvenirs, including for the person who's watching my plants, and my most favorite 3 year old.  (Side note here, I really only know one 3 year old well.  Thanks Pooky.) 

Sunset on the beach: We had such a good time we went back to Ft Zachary Taylor state park, sat on the beach, and watched the sun set.  It was amazing.

Hotel drama: Then we checked in to a super expensive hotel, not for amenities but just for existing on Key West.  Okay. So, we walk around to our rooms and the hotel keys don't work.  Dungeon Master walks back to the front desk to get that sorted out. Then we get in the room and there is a millipede just chilling on what would have been my bed.  This sucker was enormous.  It's a first floor room in Florida.  It was one of our preference to ask for another room.  This time the keys did work.  There were no visible bugs.

After that excitement I sat outside in my shorts and talked to Mom and Dad for a while

Florida 2023 - February 4

 Travel day. 

I woke up and ran a couple miles.  Then, Dungeon Master and I hit the road.

Big Cyprus National Preserve: we did a nature loop in the car.  We saw all of the alligators and birds.  And nature.  We did not see snakes.  Which was fine. 

Coral Gables: on the other side of the penninsula, we saw some historical sites.  And had coffee.  And seafood. I was on a seafood adventure.

Then we hit the hotel.  In the rain. 

Florida 2023 - February 3

 Friday was also known as packing day.

I had some packing fails for my upcoming trip; specifically no sports bras for running.  Good thing I packed some running bras for swimming (long story) so I had a back up plan. 

I tried evening running with my flashlight and that was great. 

Florida 2023 - Feb 2

Morning: I did not get up and run.  Because sleeping in sounded better.

Lunch: I did head out to the gym around lunch.  On weights days, I like to run outside, and then head into the gym for a workout.  Outside here there is a county park and a nature preserve on the same road.  So I'm pretty much in heaven.  Also, saw my spirit animals on this run, the gopher tortoise.

The gym down here is not part of my YMCA nationwide network, but they do give me five free visits, and then every visit after that is $5/visit. 

Evening: Dungeon Master and I continue to discover all the ways we are different.  This is like the day I took Olive grocery shopping and she get her nick name. Do you cook at home a lot or go out.  Do you talk to housemates about what you have planned for the day?  That was a fascinating discussion. 

Weather: It's stupid cold in MN.  I'm trying not to rub the weather in anyone's faces.

Florida 2023 - February 2

It's been a minute since I tried to keep up with my blog.

I'm pretty sure this was the day I found my indoor gym and my nature preserve. 

I enjoyed them both.  The nature preserve has gopher tortoises which are my spirit animal on multiple levels. 

Florida 2023 - February 1

Wednesday 

Run: I did a run/walk, then a run/jog, then a run/walk workout.  It was a lot of fun. I saw several neighbors.

Work: I had a nice work day.  Yesterday was my one year anniversary. I've learned a lot since I started. I'm catching things from right when I started now, and mostly have myself sorted out. 

Food: I didn't leave the house but I did make a nice meal for dinner for Dungeon Master and myself.  I used a chicken karage marinade, but I didn't bread the chicken.  Chicken and then green beans went into the air fryer.  We also had mushrooms.  I have a zillion mushrooms left over.

Florida 2023 - January 31

Run: Wow is it early! I did wake up and run today.  And then I did some 'strength' exercises so that I could sort out my Garmin badge for January.  I needed 18 minutes on the day and I did get there.

Work: I had a nice day at work.  A few meetings that I took from the lanai, and a few calls that I made from the privacy of my inside office.

Errands: Over lunch, we went to the grocery store.  We decided to never do that again.  I'm going to learn about Shipt on this trip. 

Evening: We headed over to my cousin's house again for Taco Tuesday. Dungeon Master and Hoosier Cousin are now best friends.

Florida 2023 - 1/29/2023

Sunday: arrival day. 

Run: I woke up in Georgia and considered a treadmill run but thought better of it.  Even laps in a parking lot would be better.  I didn't have to run just in the parking lot.  Not far up the road I found a sidewalk.  I did have to run in circles, sort of. The sidewalk went for some way, but not super far, so I had to make a couple laps. 

 Drive: I did the morning drive this time and Dungeon Master did the rest.  We had a few rest stops in Florida.  Including one costume change when I realized that compression socks were absolutely ridiculous. 

Arrive and unpack: We got to the house, unpacked the car, and 'opened the place up' a bit.  We plugged some things back in, took the cover sheets off the couch, put the patio table back outside, etc. I was surprised no neighbors came to say hi right away. 

Supper: We went out.  I was emotionally unprepared to cook the food I brought, or to go to the grocery store for actual food.  I didn't know it in a real way yet, but Dungeon Master doesn't cook. She bakes. But she doesn't cook.

Internet: Want to know what kind of human you're dealing with?  Take away their internet access and see what happens.  I knew the local cable/internet service was out and needed a repair or a new wire to the house or some such thing. I'd assumed I could just hotspot off my personal cell for fun internet use, and off my work hotspot for work use.  Well. My cell carrier absolutely craps the bed for coverage down here.  Their maps swears I'm in a 5G coverage zone but I mostly have one bar of LTE service. 

Even though we're away from home, both Dungeon Master and I are working too, so I had one day to get the internet sorted out.  I spent most of the night thinking of options, and then thinking about how much they would cost.  Oooh, look at all the money flowing out of my wallet. 

 

Florida 2023 - 1/30/2023

 Monday 

First full day in FL.

Wake up: I woke up at 7am exactly, because I needed to call a Toyota Dealer and see if they could give my car an oil change before the weekend.  "I don't have any appointments this week, except I have a cancellation this morning at 10:30am"  I grabbed that appointment so fast. 

Run: I did a run/walk tour of the neighborhood where I'm staying. I aimed for 3-4 miles and got to 3.5 

Oil change: This Toyota dealer is PACKED. They were able to get my car's regular maintenance. This is the first time my brakes changed from green to yellow on the inspection.  (Yellow means 'this doesn't need to be fixed today, but this repair is coming up in life')  I've most commonly seen yellow for my tires, when they near the end of their mileage. They did some service on my a/c system as well.  It needed to be flushed, or cleaned out, or something.  

It was during this service that Dungeon Master started texting me the cable guys might have the real internet fixed today.  So I did not stop at either Xfinity to talk about their mobile service, nor Verizon to get a hotspot from them, as I'd imagined I'd have to do today.

Grocery shopping, trip 1: I went to Costco.  The Costco is actually very close to where I've stayed several times with a different family member.  I foolishly was like "oh, I'll get this stuff that Dungeon Master said she likes too, and we can share it" It was a kindness, but I can see we are just going to eat seperately for breakfast and lunch.  We haven't cooked a supper yet, so we'll see how that goes. 

Internet: Glory, hallelujah.  When I got home, the local cable people were still here, working on fixing the service.  I only had to step in once when the caretaker wanted to see if our TVs were working and the cable guy was not done fixing the problem yet, but was not explaining that in a way the caretaker understood. I got the cable guy a coke and a glass of water, and he solved all my problems.  I love him too. 

Dungeon Master: Keep in mind, Dungeon Master was already working today.  Through the cable guy and the neighbor and all of that. 

Family: In the evening we headed over to see my cousin.  We took a nice walk around a pond/garden that I enjoy, and had pizza for dinner.  The Dungeon Master and my cousin made friends and we didn't leave 'till almost 11pm. It was a lot of fun.

Florida 2023 1/28/2023

 So.  Much.  Driving.

We started the day in Janesville WI.  We hit southern IL around lunch time.  Dungeon Master wanted to take me to a special place with very special pork rinds.  (I was fine with that.) We got to the restaurant, ordered, and then I ran my mile. I got back in to the restaurant when our food came out. 

After lunch, I drove through IL, KY, and TN. Apparently the owner of the car always does the mountains. Nashville was not my favorite place due to traffic. By Chattanooga, I was done driving.

Dungeon Master actually wanted to drive through Georgia and Atlanta, so that worked well. We rolled into Macon GA around 11pm local time.  Emotionally it was only 10pm.

Florida 2023 - 1/27/2023

8am - Dungeon Master texts me that she's trying to arrange her meeting so we can leave town before the snow tomorrow.  Me: What snow!?!  Shortly after that I start checking the driving weather.

9am - We've decided to leave today at 6pm.  Hotel reservations are updated.  I have the whole day to panic pack and panic clean except it's also a work day so not really. 

5pm - I am the CHAMPION of panic packing.  I know there's something in here I won't use.  But I don't know what. I saw Captain Smiley who gave me a big hug, took my left over local food and sent me on my way.

5:30pm - Just leave the house.

6pm - Pick up Dungeon Master.  We had to make one stop on the way out of town.  Dungeon Master needed to drop off some paperwork for the person who was finally able to convince her to leave today.  (I did not meet this person, but I love her.) 

Driving across WI in the dark was not my favorite thing in the world.  But it was actually fine. There were some trucks, but not a ton of traffic. Dungeon Master doesn't like podcasts or audio books.  This will be an interesting trip. 

Mom and Dad aren't answering their cell phones, so  they don't know I left yet.

Flying Pig (Virtual) Half Marathon

So, I was actually registered either for the Flying Pig 3 Way, or the 3 Way with Extra Cheese.  I genuinely can't remember.  Thursday and Friday I'd done my mile runs, so I had those down.  Saturday was the Get in Gear 10K. The next day I'd run a 5K indoor on the track at the gym.  And then I was all "crap, when am I going to run a half marathon".  As with most things, thinking about it was much worse than doing it.

Race Day
Start time: My alarm was set for 5am.  I actually woke up around 4:40am and took it as a sign.
Weather: So much better than Get in Gear.  Wind was in my face going north, but otherwise around 45*.
Wardrobe: Shirt and pull over on top, shorts and compression socks on the bottom.  I used my race vest to carry my phone plus a portable charger due to a technical fail last night.
Transportation to start line:  LOL.  No.
Route: I started in my neighborhood and ran along Victory Memorial Parkway.  I went around Crystal Lake in Robbinsdale, then back east along the parkway over to the river.  To emulate the Flying Pig I crossed the river (first time) and headed north on the Fridley side.  With the wind in my face.  Then I crossed back over the river (also like the Pig) and headed south with the wind at my back.  That was much better.
Plan/Goals: I'd ultimately decided on a run 1:00, walk 1:00 plan.  My goal was to beat my last super untrained half marathon excursion which was around 3:36. I really wanted to be under 3:30. I was kind of a technical disaster.  My phone didn't charge right so I had that battery.  I'd changed some of the screen settings on my watch so I was worried the screen brightness plus run/walk alerts would drain that battery....
Execution: I generally stuck to the 1/1 plan.  I walked a couple super steep up hills during my 'run' time, and ran some down hills during my 'walk' time.  Adjustments like that were key to my secondary plan of "don't blow up"
Nutrition: I stuffed a salted avocado in my mouth at 4:40am before I got dressed.  I carried sour patch kids with me and I had enough for 100 calories every 3-4 miles.  I ate about a third of what I brought.  I took two salt tabs (carried four).  I had one bottle of water with me, and that was enough but if I'd had my second bottle I would've started in on it.
Results: Significantly better than expected. I was able to wrap up in 3:25, with most of my miles around 15:00/mile, which is about 1:00 faster than I expected. 

From today, I learned: This was a pleasant surprise.  I'm in better shape than I expected.  I couldn't get my results properly loaded in the website, so I sent an email and the race team helped me out very quickly.
SWAG: I haven't seen it yet, but it's the Pig so I expect I'll enjoy it.
Remember for next time: That course was almost exactly half marathon distance.  I hope I don't need that info too often.
Bonus: Done on a work day.  I didn't actually blow up today.  I expect that to happen tomorrow.  Post race day is what I usually call "eat all the things" day because that's when it hits me.

Get in Gear 10K

 Day(s) before: 

Expo: Expo is too strong a word, but there was a packet pick up at Minnehaha Falls the day before the race. It was kind of weird actually.  The bibs were in one place and the shirts were in another far away place and I did not get a gear check bag.  The volunteer thought they'd have them the next day.
 Transportation to/from expo: I liked that parking in the lots was included for packet pick up.
 Expo SWAG: Technical t-shirt, and a fleece hat.  My Minnesota peeps will understand why this is so cool.

Race Day
 Start time: Race starts at 9am.
 Weather: Absolute crap.  Wind and rain.
 Wardrobe:  I had throw away clothes over running shorts, running shirt, and arm sleeves. I also pulled out an old race belt that I thought would do better in the rain with my car key and phone.
 Transportation to start line: Did we talk about the rain?  Because I drove to the race.  I aimed to leave my house around 7am, get parked close by about 7:30am, and then sit in my car until 8:30am.  That's about what I did.  When I entered the rain storm, I went to the bathroom, hung out in the super cramped enclosed pavilion with everyone else, and did tai chi but no walking or running to warm up.  Turned out better than expected. 

Route: Get in Gear follows roughly the Ford/Lake loop.  North in Minneapolis, over the Lake Street bridge, South in St Paul and then back over the Ford bridge.
Plan/Goals: I had a few ideas in my head.  Maybe run and don't blow up.  Maybe run/walk.  Mostly don't blow up.
Execution: I started running and I felt good, so I decided to go with a strongly controlled "don't die at the end please" pace and just kept it even.  It was fast for me in my current fitness level.
 Nutrition: I woke up and had half a salted avocdao smashed on a small bagel.  I didn't want much.
 Results: The most surprising stat on the race page was the participation.  It's waaay up from last year but super way down from where it normally is. 
 From today, I learned: The "do not blow up" plan worked well.  The race is surprisingly difficult at the end.  It's just one little stupid hill after another.  So I was worn out at the finish, but I had the energy to get there.
 Remember for next time: 7:30am arrival time worked well.  I got super great parking.
 Bonus: I also counted this as my virtual Flying Pig 10K which I feel is legit.

COVID Diaries Update

 

18 months since lock down, with vaccines in hand, it's not necessarily good.

TCM is still going to run the marathon.  To protect us and prevent crowding, they made pack pick up one day instead of two.  Because that makes sense.  

Meanwhile we're running out of hospital beds, kids are back in school spreading COVID and RSV, and we're waiting for flu season.

Heartbroken during the drought

 This made things real for me like no other.

How the Mississippi River should look at Coon Rapids Dam (this is normal flow, not flood stage) 

How the Mississippi River looks today, in the worst drought since 1988, and the worst drought in the modern history of how droughts are recorded.

Current situation

 When someone asks me what it's like to live to this point in a global pandemic, this is what I'mma show them.

Vax That Thang Up

I have questions for YouTube about why CC autogenerates to Dutch though.

Before and After: Drought Edition

 We're having a very real drought here in Minnesota.  The rest of the country is at flood stage of almost everything.  Here's pics taken in the same place at Sherburne Wildlife Refuge, at the side of the road on the same stopping point.  One was taken April 28 and the other was taken July 1 this year.

Water is so low. 

Ft Snelling State Park

Well, we needed one that was super close today.  That or the activity at the state park had to be swimming.  Those were my conditions.  We picked close so that we could go early.  Why did we need to go early?  And how is that a thing either one of us would've picked?  Because the high today was projected to be around 100* and that was just not our thing.

We parked near the swimming beach.  This was not necessarily the WRONG place to park, but it meant that most of our walk was not on Pike Island.  But, I got to see a part of the park I'd never seen before, so I thought that was legit.

 

We hiked past the swimming beach to Pike Island and tooled around there for a bit before turning around and heading back to the car.  We got there around 9am and needed to be gone by 10:30am for Dungeon Master's later plans that day. 

This turned out to be much more fun than I expected.  I was like "we'll just go so we can get to 8 parks, right?"  I wound up enjoying myself and was glad to get out before the heat.  When I came home I ran my mile and watered my garden.  Then I hid inside in the a/c the rest of the day. This heat is no joke.

Frontenac State Park

This summer we are engaging in L and L's excellent adventure.

Dungeon Master's work is doing a wellness challenge.  If you visit a certain number of state parks, you are entered in a drawing for lots of goodies at the end of the summer.  So she's doing the thing with state parks and I get to come along for the fun.

We picked Frontenac to start because it's one that does not require overnight planning.  I'd been here once before (with my favorite nun in tow, that's a story all it's own) but I didn't remember much.  Dungeon Master talked to the rangers and identified a route for us.  All in all we walked about three miles, up and down hills, through prairies and forests, and saw all kinds of overlooks.  I identified half the plants in the park (not) and re-learned that blood root is bad for you.  (I learned this via google.) 

After the park we headed in to Red Wing to see the big boot and grab some food.  The boot was fun, as always.  The food was meh but the server was super sweet, so it was ultimately a nice time. We also went up to Memorial Park (the big look out) in Red Wing.

In a surprise move, when I got home, I went out and got all of the plants.  I went big on perennials this year, with only one small flat of begonias.  I also went big on herbs, and re-potted my shishito peppers.