Good Friends and Fresh Vegetables

On November 12, 2014 By DGThomaIn Food, Friends, Writing2 Comments

I participate in our local Farm to Work, a program of the Sustainable Food Center in Austin, TX. As defined on their website, Farm to Work is an employee wellness and Farm Direct marketing program that delivers farm-fresh, locally grown produce right to employees at partner worksites.

Every two weeks on Monday, we receive an email reminding us it’s time to order our produce. Last week, my email was delivered, but my reminder notification didn’t display. At 7:00 PM I was leaving the office for the day and remembered it was the week I needed to place my order.

Frantically searching I found my email and immediately realized I was too late. The stated deadline to order was 5:00 PM.

Not willing to give up quite so easily, I replied to the email with a message asking if it was too late to order and included the explanation of how I missed the deadline. I’m sure the order email is only monitored for payments and orders, so I received no response.

On Wednesday when the produce was delivered to our office building, I was feeling sad to have missed my vegetable delivery. My sweet friend Nena stopped by my office. She often has to remind me it’s time to pick up the order, so she asked me if I had picked up my vegetables. Of course I had to share the whole story of how and why I missed the deadline.

Smiling she said, “I’ll share. I have extra.” Responding that it was okay, I explained I was going out-of-town and it was probably better that I hadn’t placed my order.

“No”, she explained, “I really have extras. I was the last one to pick up and they gave me extra produce. I told them I would share.” Feeling blessed, I said, “Okay, I’ll take a bell pepper and maybe one zucchini.”

She sat her bag of vegetables on my desk and pulled out a zucchini and a pepper. But then asked, “Do you like potatoes?” When I replied yes, potatoes were added to my pile of veggies. At this point the pile was getting large enough to require a bag to carry it. As I searched for a bag, she added peaches, okra and a butternut squash.

I have to clarify. When Nena said she got extra veggies, she actually picked up a few extra pieces of produce but not more of everything.

At this point, I have as many vegetables as she does if not more. Honestly, it was like the biblical story of thee fishes and the loaves multiplying.

Although she did pick up a few extra vegetables, in truth she is really a dear friend who decided to share her vegetables with an absent-minded, forgetful friend who forgot to order timely. Good friends and vegetables what a lovely way to brighten a day.

Pinot’s Palette – Painting and so much more!

On November 5, 2014 By DGThomaIn Family, Food, Humor/Light Hearted, WritingLeave a comment

I’ve wanted to try one of those instructor led classes where you paint a picture in a couple of hours that is advertised as something “you aren’t embarrassed to hang on your wall”. I just haven’t made the effort to find out more information.

Thankfully, it wasn’t left up to me to follow through. My granddaughter, Jillian recently surprised me with registration to a class at Pinot’s Palette . She registered us for a class to paint a picture called “Rain Kisses”. I was completely on board for the class but I assured her, my picture wouldn’t look anything like the example in the email.

All I had to do was make flight arrangements and pack a bag. It was lovely that she made the effort to plan a weekend together for just the two of us. Jillian picked me up at the airport and after a wonderful lunch, we headed to the store to pick up snacks for our class. Our beverage of choice was sparkling water. They do offer a stocked bar, but we are too young for alcohol. Okay, at least Jillian is too young. We made it to the class and were immediately greeted by lively music and a smiling hostess/artist. We were directed to our seats where our names had been written in chalk by our canvases. Our paints were already out and a canvas sat on an easel waiting for our creativity to complete it. Jillian and I discussed grabbing our snacks early on, but I suggested we wait until half-time. Jillian indulgently explained it’s a painting class, there is no half-time.

The instructor was wonderful and did a great job guiding us through the process. Our first step was to paint the entire canvas gray. I believe I excelled at this point.

We laughed and joked and had an amazing time. There were two young ladies sitting beside us discussing the female figure and how one of her legs was raised as she kissed her guy under the umbrella. One of them said, who was it that started that leg thing? Wasn’t it in Princess Diaries? I smiled and said, “Actually, I believe it was Doris Day.” The girl smiled tolerantly and said, “Well yes, but we were talking about the 90’s.” I’m thinking she had never heard of Doris Day. Jillian on the other hand smiled and nodded her agreement. I should add that her favorite animation at around the age of three was Betty Boop!

The instructors are actual artists. They lead you through the process step by step and while it isn’t without a bit of effort and maybe some skill, it was much easier than I anticipated.

Since we were going to be out late, (after 10:00 PM) I suggested to Jillian we go for breakfast instead of a late dinner. We chose the Village Inn for our late night breakfast of omelets, waffles, chocolate chip pancakes and hash browns. It was delicious and we had leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

As we ate and discussed our mutual pictures, I pointed out that Jillian had painted a much better “booty” for her guy than I had. Laughing at/with me, she informed me I was a “hoot!”

Friday was spent running errands and getting ready for a garage sale on Saturday. After purchasing a new shelving unit we spent several hours working on putting it together. Normally I’m pretty good at assembling modular furniture but this shelf was becoming quite a challenge. Maybe I was tired but I put the top piece on backwards and had to start over about halfway through the assembly. Finally I was ready to put the doors on only to discover the bottom was backwards, so maybe the sides were the actual problem, but we took it back apart and started over again. By now our hands were sore from the screwdriver and we couldn’t get the small screws to the doors to turn. Giving up temporarily we went to bed leaving the shelf to be tackled another day.

Early Saturday morning we went to my daughter’s to start the garage sale. It was a beautiful day for a sale and while we didn’t have a landslide of customers, we had a wonderful morning together and a freshly organized and cleaned garage! We also met some lovely people.

Saturday night was shelving unit round two. After a nice dinner with my son-in-law and daughter, Jillian and I went shopping for an electric screwdriver. What we came away with was a nice soft handled manual version with various sized ends. It is absolutely amazing what a night’s rest, good food and the right tool can accomplish. Jillian and Nana 1, shelving unit 0! It went together like peanut butter and jelly.

The weekend flew by and Sunday morning arrived way too soon. I am amazed at how much Jillian has grown up and what a caring responsible young lady she has become. I was encouraged that she is still my sweet little girl. She drove me to the airport in her sleep shirt and fuzzy Minnie Mouse sleep pants with the sound of Boston’s Greatest Hits playing in the background.

Spaghetti Squash – the Fun Vegetable

On October 29, 2014October 29, 2014 By DGThomaIn Food, WritingLeave a comment

“Spaghetti squash is a slightly oblong variety of winter squash. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash; when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti.”

Spaghetti squash defined courtesy of Wikipedia. It’s the “strands like spaghetti” that make it fun!

The first time I was introduced to spaghetti squash was about 30 years ago. My dad, who loves to garden, was intrigued enough by the concept to pick up some seeds and plant them alongside his zucchini. Like most things my dad grows, the spaghetti squash flourished.

Having no idea how to prepare spaghetti squash, I stuck it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes and starting poking it with a fork every 15 minutes or so until it was somewhat tender. We didn’t cut it in half until it was finished cooking.

Once we cut it, we scraped and discarded the seeds. My kids had a blast shredding the inside. However, shredding it was more fun than eating it. The flavor of a spaghetti squash is pretty bland and my preparation didn’t include any seasoning.

Now when I make spaghetti squash for dinner there is no comparison to the version I served 30 years ago. I like to cook the spaghetti squash a day or so in advance and store it in the refrigerator until I need it.

My “recipe” follows but I have to say, on this one, I don’t worry about exact measurements.

Slice a medium size squash in half and place the squash cut down side down in a baking dish. Add water to about one inch over the side of the squash and bake at 450° about 20 minutes, You should be able to pierce the skin with a fork relatively easily when done.

When the squash is cooked, scoop out the seeds and refrigerate if you plan on using it later.

Instruction for preparing:

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a skillet. I prefer coconut oil. Saute ½ of an onion chopped for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in a clove of garlic. While the onion and garlic are cooking, pull the squash from the fridge and use a fork to scrape the flesh into a bowl.

Stir the squash and a cup of tomatoes into the onions and garlic to warm them. Remove the mixture from the skillet, add ¼ cup of black olives and ¾ cup of feta cheese tossing lightly. Fresh basil leaves add a nice flavor if you have any on hand.

Delicious! For our meal, I paired it with some freshly baked sweet potato fries, lentils and a quinoa vegetable medley for a wonderfully fresh meal.

Cheerios and Shoelaces

On October 22, 2014December 14, 2014 By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Food, Humor/Light Hearted, Travel, WritingLeave a comment

For several years, the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco had been an elusive goal. It was on my “to do” list, but it seemed something always interfered. Either my training schedule was off or the timing of the race kept me from being able to participate.

After all who wouldn’t want a medal from Tiffany!

When I decided that I would take the time to train and would definitely run in 2008 I discovered the only way for me to participate was through a lottery.

Although I didn’t believe I would make it in, I decided to register and take my chances with the lottery. I immediately started soliciting family and friends to participate with me. My first call was to my daughter, who was in law school. I convinced her to train with me so we could submit for the lottery as a team. I soon had enlisted my sister and my son’s girlfriend as well. Of course the unexpected happened and our team was selected in the lottery! Now I was forced to train!

I was determined to stick to my training program. I am notorious for getting pulled off my training schedule by daily demands. As a result, when I went to visit my daughter and granddaughter in Tulsa, OK, I made sure to pack both my running bag and my commitment.

Tulsa has a very nice running trail not too far from my daughter’s apartment. I got up early on Saturday morning, and created one of my favorite running snacks, (Cheerios, pecans, dried fruit and bits of a bagel). Since I managed to forget my SPIbelt (a stretchy fabric pouch on a belt), I pinned a baggie to the back of my shorts and my husband and I set off for a quick 8 mile run. I chose to run out 4 miles and back and my husband soon left me behind as I settled in at a comfortable pace.

At about mile three, my shoelaces began to loosen and for some reason, they were hitting against the back of my legs. Frustrated, I stopped, retied my shoes and took off again. My new shoes had particularly long shoestrings and soon I could feel them blowing against the back of my legs again. Checking the shoes, I discovered the laces seemed fine. Puzzled, I finished my run.

As I waited for my husband to meet me I reached for my snack, only to discover the baggie was empty. Apparently, friction had worn a hole in the plastic and the snack mix had slowly dropped through until the bag was empty! It turns out it wasn’t the shoelaces hitting my leg, it was the snack mix. I wondered why everyone I passed had such big smiles! My husband confirmed that fact, when he said he followed the trail of Cheerios and pecans to find me.

I Remember…

On October 15, 2014October 15, 2014 By DGThomaIn Family, Writing1 Comment

Several years ago, I completed a writing exercise that began with the prompt “I remember when”. Looking back through my notes, I decided to reinvent it as a blog post, if possible. Working with one of the thoughts, the result is this week’s post.

I remember when yesterday was today. I remember climbing a tree and my older brother scolding me and insisting I come down. I remember tagging along after my brother and his friends. He was only 18 months older but always acted like he was in charge.

I also remember how he begged me to pitch to him so he could practice his batting. Terrified of being hit, I refused. After numerous pleadings and promises that he wouldn’t hit the ball at me, I finally acquiesced. I must be an amazing pitcher. I threw the ball over our makeshift home plate and my brother swung. I heard the ball hit the wooden bat as the bat and ball connected. Instinctively, I ducked, covered my head with my arms and felt the ball sail over my head.

Shocked, my brother dropped the bat and ran toward me. After making sure the ball didn’t hit me, he grinned and said, “That would have been a home run!” I wasn’t as impressed with his batting as he was. Although I never pitched to him again, in retrospect, I’m sure it was the pitch that was truly impressive!

Growing up, my brother and I were very close at least from my perspective. To him I was probably an annoyance and a pest. To his credit, he never actually said as much.

When we were in high school, I backed into his car, breaking both his headlights. At 16, I was terrified to tell him, but I knew I would have to face it. I went to find him and let him know what I had done. I expected his temper to flair but was pleasantly surprised with his response. He walked to his car, looked at the lights and grinned. Shaking his head, he simply said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” I remember being immensely relieved!

Not all memories regarding my brother are happy ones. Years after the batting incident, I recall a memory I will never forget. My plane landed in Washington DC and I turned my phone on to listen to messages. Returning my calls, I discovered my brother had been diagnosed with cancer. For several years he fought a tough battle valiantly before losing the fight.

But I don’t choose to remember those years. When I think about my brother, I remember climbing trees, pitching baseballs and long talks. Those are indeed very good memories.

Cows and Bananas

On October 11, 2014October 11, 2014 By DGThomaIn Animal Stories, Family, Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Writing2 Comments

I live in a somewhat rural area of a large Texas metropolis. On any given day, my visual experiences may include a view of farm animals at a doughnut shop or someone whose complete attire consists of a thong and stiletto’s walking down a major downtown street.

This week, on my way home from work, I had the pleasure of seeing a banana riding a bicycle. Yes, it was really an individual wearing a yellow banana costume while riding his bike but even that takes a fair amount of talent.

That smile invoking moment was followed about half an hour later by a cow chasing a calf chasing a family of deer. And no, sadly I didn’t get pictures of either of these.

When we turned off the highway, the traffic noise immediately fell away and the home trees came into view.

As we neared the turn to our house, I realized the pond which had been bone dry was now filled, thanks to our feast of recent rain showers. Thinking happy thoughts, I suddenly noticed a calf sprinting, (yes sprinting) along the fence line headed in the general direction of the pond. The calf was followed by his mother (I can only assume) lumbering after him at something close to a sprint. Thinking they thought we were coming to feed them, my husband and I were startled when a family of deer, burst out of the trees along the fence line and sprinted across the road in front of our car. No one was harmed and all made it home safely.

I know I am easily entertained, but I love living where I get to experience such a diversity of entertainment. It mostly makes up for the lack of cable and the faltering internet service.

Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon – Part 2

On October 8, 2014November 17, 2014 By DGThomaIn Family, Travel, WritingLeave a comment

The Seattle marathon started June 21, 2014 at 7:00 AM sharp on a cool Saturday morning. After grabbing coffee and a bagel from our hotel, we walked the few blocks to the start line. The temperature was in the low 60’s; perfect running weather for me.

As I waited outside the portable toilets, commonly known as Port-a-Potties, I met a fellow runner from Seattle. We visited and spent about 15 minutes discussing the best angle to take a picture of the space needle when you are directly below it. As we said goodbye and left to find our corrals, she asked where I lived. I responded, “Texas.” Laughing she said, “I could tell you weren’t local, you have a strong accent.” I laughed too and said, “I was just about to say I knew you were local because you have an accent!” Smiling, we both headed to our corrals where we lined up with more than 14,500 eager athletes.

One of my favorite parts of running a marathon is meeting new people and making new friends. After you’ve run a few marathons, you start seeing familiar faces.

Lining up in Seattle, I stood near a group of Team and Training (TNT) participants from the San Francisco area. TNT is an organization, that in exchange for training and support, you raise money towards cures for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. As an alumni participant I am always watching for the bright purple shirts. Participants are always so upbeat and energetic.

The starting gun sounded at 7:00 AM and the first wave of runners were off. Since I was in a corral several blocks from the start line, my start was about 30 minutes after the elite lead runners.

My plan was to run 4 minutes and walk 1 minute, a method developed by Jeff Galloway. I finally made it to the start line, and John Bingham, also known as the Penguin, started us on our way after announcing this would be his farewell tour. He is a champion of the non-elite runners. I set my Garmin (watch) on intervals and pushed the start button. I was officially off! I was able to maintain the 4:1 ratio for the first 18 or so miles and still felt reasonably okay.

At about mile three, I met more TNT runners from Texas. There were two ladies from San Antonio, whose name I didn’t get. Then I met Tom from Dallas. Tom was run/walking for Team in Training and on the out and back paths where we passed each other, Tom would call out to me “Go Texas!”

The course took us down Ranier Ave and through Seward Park both offering a beautiful view of Mount Ranier. By the time I hit mile 15 it was starting to warm up significantly.

At mile 20 when I was starting to wonder if I had enough cash for a taxi, Tom spotted me again and yelled, “Go Texas!” so I did.

I finished about 45 minutes after my husband based on time, but since he started almost 20 minutes before me, he had quite a wait for me to finish. Still moving forward, I crossed the finish line much faster than I had expected. I was thrilled to have the finishers’ medal placed around my neck and a cold bottle of chocolate milk to drink. I wanted food and rest, in that order! Marathon number 16 was done.

Finisher’s medal

We were too tired to participate in the post marathon festivities, so we opted for a bath, a nice meal and pajamas for the evening.

On Sunday, we scheduled a tour of the Pike Place Market. The tour started at 10:00 AM. We booked the tour through Public Market Tours. We walked about 12 blocks to meet our tour guide so we could stretch our muscles after the run on Saturday. We were a few minutes early and went for coffee while we waited. We skipped the line at the “original” Starbucks and ducked into Tully’s for a delicious cup of coffee. We were the only two signed up, so we had a personalized tour. I won’t spoil the tour for you in case you ever make it to Seattle, but it was a great guided tour with a lot of historical information and laughter. It was just what we were looking for and the highlight of my day. I even managed to view the gum wall without getting too grossed out!

We ate lunch at Maximilien which sits in the heart of downtown Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Maximilien is a charming restaurant located with a view of Puget Sound, Elliott Bay, West Seattle & the Olympic Mountain.

Before heading back to our hotel, we visited the Lionheart Bookstore, located in Pikes Market. The owner likes to respond to questions by singing his answers. He told us he wasn’t just an owner but was the sixth custodian of the bookstore.

I love bookstores and Lionheart did not disappoint. We wandered in and out of the shops of Pike Place market exploring the shops at each level. In the afternoon we headed back toward our hotel, tackling the steep hills leading away from Pike Place Market.

We stopped in at Cherry Street Coffee House where I had a piece of Ginger Peach, Gluten free bread with a Coffee Latte. It was a lovely treat!

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When we reached our hotel, we put our feet up, and snacked on some fresh cherries we purchased at the Market.

All in all it was a wonderful trip!

Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon – Part 1

On October 1, 2014 By DGThomaIn Musings, Travel, Writing1 Comment

A lot of people think running marathons is absolutely crazy and some days I agree.
Other days, it keeps me sane. My husband and I normally run one or two marathons a
year. I may run or I may walk, but there is something about completing a 26.2
mile course that makes me think I can do anything.

However, my dedication to running this past year has been almost nonexistent. I was
sidelined with some health issues for a while and had difficulty regaining my motivation to restart my training.

Nevertheless, when my husband suggested we should run the Seattle Rock and Roll
Marathon in June, I decided to give it a shot. Seattle would be
marathon number 16 for me and the first for Washington State. I was hoping
registering to run 26.2 miles would motivate me and maybe it did, just a bit. We
registered for the marathon, made flight arrangements and reserved our hotel. The big “C”, (commitment) did get me out of bed on weekends. I managed to get in some runs with
my running group and even a few runs on the treadmill.

Finally marathon weekend arrived and we headed to the airport for our evening flight. The marathon was scheduled for Saturday, but we were hoping to maximize our relaxation time and minimize any last minute stress by leaving on Thursday.

Our trip started out a little rocky. When we pulled up to our regular car park, we were stopped at the gate by a very nice young man. “Reservation?” he asked. Of course we didn’t make a reservation. In response to our “No”, he replied, “Sorry, we are completely full.” Well, a bump in the road, but nothing major, right? We headed for the airport in search of terminal parking. Still on schedule, we arrived at the airport and discovered that due to construction, all parking was full except the overflow parking lot. Off we went to find a space in overflow parking which was out in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, we were able to find (uncovered) parking quickly, catch a bus back to the terminal, and finally make it through security.

Knowing we would arrive late in Seattle, we grabbed some food and made it to our gate with a little time to spare. Hoping the rest of the trip would be uneventful, we boarded on time and with the exception of the crazy lady on the plane (but that’s another story! Planes, misgivings and singing), we had a pleasant trip.

When we landed we exited the plane, made our way through the chaos of airport security and retrieved our luggage. Discovering our hotel didn’t provide a shuttle, we opted to rent a car. Dragging our bags behind us, we followed the rental car signs to reach the rental counter and negotiated a vehicle. Finally, worn out, we headed to our hotel.

Checking into our hotel turned out to be the best part of the day. It was late when we arrived, but the night manager was awesome. He was already working with a guest, so there was a small wait to check in. It was almost midnight, but the manager was upbeat, smiling and apologetic, even though the wait was only a few extra minutes. We even scored free parking!

The hotel was a suite with two bedrooms, a kitchenette and a separate living room area. Much more space than we needed, but staying there for four days was wonderful. The Space Needle was one block from our hotel and could be seen from the window. Everything we needed was within walking distance. Seattle Space Needle

After a great night’s sleep, Friday morning, we headed to the Seattle Health & Fitness Expo. The expo was a huge market where exhibitors offer free samples, showcase the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health & nutritional information and more. We walked a block to the Seattle Center Monorail station and rode the monorail to Westlake Center where we caught a bus to Century Field Event Center for packet pickup. (shirts, race bibs, timing chip, etc.).

We spent several hours wandering around the expo before leaving a few dollars lighter, juggling our packets and multiple purchases. Weary and hungry we went in search of lunch before heading back to the hotel to relax and prepare for our early morning event on Saturday. More on the Seattle trip next post……..

In search of a Piñata…..

On September 24, 2014 By DGThomaIn Family, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Writing1 Comment

Sometimes there just isn’t enough silly in the world.

When I found out my adult children were both going to be home (in my home) for their birthdays, I decided to create a party reminiscent of one of their childhood celebrations. My son and daughter were born 2 years and 5 days apart. Until the age of 11 and 13, they always shared a birthday party. One year the party was a Sesame street theme, and another year it was a skating party. No matter what the theme, we always had a great family celebration and lots of fun.

I enlisted my granddaughter, Jill and her mother to help with the planning. We set off to our local big box store to buy some party favors. As we filled our cart with bubbles, noise makers and more party favors, Jill looked up and said “We have to get a piñata!” There were several piñatas on the shelf; a traditional donkey, a Teen-aged Mutant Ninja Turtle (the new version) and a few miscellaneous others.

But, hanging from a wire overhead, there were a dozen or more colorful piñatas. Right in the center was a brightly colored bull piñata. It was perfect and exactly what we wanted. My daughter, Kat, went to find a sales associate to assist us in retrieving the piñata.

Kat returned with an associate who informed us Martha was on the way. Ten minutes later we were debating how to make a human pyramid so we could get the piñata ourselves. We couldn’t agree who should be the base of the pyramid or we might have attempted it. My vote was to stand in the cart and try to reach for it. I was vetoed for safety reasons.

About this time Martha showed up and started rummaging around at the ends of the aisles. Grumbling and frowning, she mumbled something about a piñata stick. She continued to pace back and forth, up and down the aisle as if the infamous piñata stick might appear by osmosis. We on the other hand were still planning a pyramid strategy when she left the aisle.

Suddenly, over the loud speaker we heard “Who has taken the piñata stick? Someone please return the piñata stick immediately”. By now, I had started to bounce on my feet a bit wondering if I could jump up and knock the piñata down. A manager wandered by and I launched into the quandary of the missing piñata stick and explained that I was thinking I could almost reach it if I jumped up. Now the manager looked up and I could tell he was wondering if he could jump up and grab the piñata, but instead he said he would go find Penny, because she could fix anything.

Now another 10 minutes went by before the manager and Penny returned. The manager smiled and told us we were in good hands as he wandered away. Martha returned and continued walking aimlessly up and down while Penny searched secret hideaways behind the end-caps. Still no one had recovered the elusive piñata stick. Penny left and I’m thinking “Who needs a piñata anyway”, when suddenly she returned triumphantly holding the piñata stick. The entire aisle broke into cheers, (even though it was only the three of us and the returning manager), it was still awesome.

One manager, and three associates later, we had a Piñata in hand and were off to plan a birthday party!

Biking and Other Happy Rembrances

On September 17, 2014 By DGThomaIn Friends, Musings, Writing2 Comments

Flipping through some old journals recently, I found an entry about my introduction to bike riding. It invoked a wonderfully pleasant memory.

About 20 years ago, I was recently divorced and trying to determine who I was supposed to be and who I wanted to become. One of my newly acquired interests was cycling. I’d made a new friend who was an avid cyclist and was not only teaching me to love riding but also loaned me a bike.

One of our first cycling trips was to Caprock Canyons State Park just outside Quitaque, Texas. We started the trip on Friday, arriving late and spending the night at a campsite. Early the next morning we awoke to a herd of deer outside our campsite. The deer were shrouded in fog and milling about on the grass completely unaffected by our presence. After a quick breakfast of granola bars, we set out on our bicycles.

6:00 AM and ready to ride - maybe! — 6:00 AM and ready to ride – maybe!

We rode on the park roads to help me get comfortable on the bike. The roads were very hilly and I remember flying down the hills, building speed and then having to get off the bike and push it up the next hill, so I could soar down again! I felt like I was six years old! Of course my friend had no problem biking up or down. We logged seven miles that morning and I was quite proud of the accomplishment.

In the afternoon, we drove to Quitaque Canyon Trail. The trail is a nature trail formed along the path of an old railroad route.

The Quitaque Canyon Trail is about 17 miles long and according to Rails to Trails “This area is one of the most picturesque and interesting throughout the entire Trailway due in part to Clarity Tunnel at mile 12.”

I wouldn’t know about that. I only made about 1/2 mile through the sand when I realized I wasn’t quite ready to tackle bicycling through sand. I chose instead to sit at the trail head and write in my journal. It was a beautiful and restful afternoon.

A few things that stand out in my mind from that day are: Friends are invaluable, laughter really is the best medicine and the Rails-to-Trails Conservatory is a great organization.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a non-profit organization. They have repurposed over 20,000 miles of trail. If you enjoy nature and the idea of recycling the rail network to provide a trail system appeals to you, I highly recommend searching one of the Rails to Trails across the United States to hike or bike. Relax, rediscover nature and maybe smile a bit.