Well we all need a nice vacation week now and then. With everything that has happened in June this year, it was definitely needed!
The Good
I pretty much gave social media a break.
Katie and Nate came out with the grandchildren. So we got to spend some time together and wander around Acadia National Park a little.
It was interesting to wander around Jordan Pond side of Acadia, I haven’t ever been on that side except to drive by. Not crazy about the long boardwalk for hiking on around the Pond, but understand the reasons – they are just a tad slippery when wet though. Still it was a gorgeous place to get outside with the grandkids.
Katie and Nate have their hands full with the four grandchildren, but the kids themselves are great kids and each has their very own personality
I got rid of a couple of my gently used laptops (Linux Mac & a Chromebook) that can be used in the family. Nate had been talking about wanting to play with the consumer side of Linux and I just happened to have an 2009 MacBookPro, I had turned into a Linux machine and one of the boys needed a Chromebook the other two already have one. Weeding them out slowly but surely. 🙂
We did go back to NH, to Phil’s house, put in a work day there and then went upta camp to get the lawn mowed (waist high in some places) and clearing some brush from the driveway, so we won’t scratch the paint jobs simply driving down it.
After looking at the maps a little closer, we did find a route that cuts off a pretty significant amount of time compared to getting up to Rt 2 and following that all the way over to NH. Now if there wasn’t so much construction going on it would be even faster. However, it is that time of year up heah. 🙂
Running
I did take five consecutive days off from running and it was the first time in a long time that I have taken that many days in a row off, without being injured. In other words lots of green in the log this week.
It doesn’t mean I sat on the couch and ate bon-bons (hiking, walking and playing with the grandkids, then doing maintenance, yardwork, etc.), but I didn’t run until Friday morning. Which gave the body a chance to heal a few of the niggles I have been dealing with lately and it gave my pea-brain a chance to get its mojo back for running.
One thing about running in the hot/high humidity is that I have to watch Bennie a lot more closely. He is ever willing to keep going, (all heart), but when his tongue is hanging too the ground, it is time for him to stop and walk – which we did on Saturday’s run.
Unfortunately, like me he is not as young as he used to be and I don’t want to stress him too much in that kind of weather or myself too much.
I did add something to my RunLog spreadsheet – the best times this year for the courses that I tend to run the most. It gives me an idea of where I am at and also how I compare as the year goes on.
Running Shoes
After lots of walking and hiking this week, the Hoka Infinite’s finally got outside and did a few runs. The toe box felt a little “off” for me, so I did make a minor adjustment by replacing the insole with a pair from my Pearl Izumi’s. The shoes fit a little better and are doing a good job when I run in them.
Overall
It is was a week that I needed — badly!
I needed some down-time to collect my thoughts, process a bunch of stuff, but most of all I got to spend time with Mary, Katie, Nathan and the kids. It was the first time in five years I have seen Katie and her family and the time I spent with them was precious to me and I think they enjoyed being around the old fart as well – it was a helluva Father’s Day gift.
Now to get ready to get back to my last week in the work force. To be honest, I have no desire to even go back, there is still too much going on and my mind has moved on from needing to be there at all. However, I will do the right thing, finish the week the best that I can and prepare to move on to the next chapter in my life.
Real retirement, not just “sort of retired” or any of those other terms I have used in the past to describe not leaving the house everyday for a particular job – I wasn’t ready to retire then.
I feel that I am comfortable with moving on at this time.
It doesn’t mean that I will just sit around on the couch watching TV…waiting to die, that ain’t in the plans anytime soon. However, it does mean that I will be busy and own my schedule, well as much of it as Mary lets me have – hehehe .
Hell I might even run a little bit. 🙂
Harold Being Harold 
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