Learning to Be in the Moment

There's a change in the view from the porch. The woods are full of color. From my perch in the loft, I look out at the treetops and they are thinning. There is much more sky peeking through the branches. The sourwoods' crimson has faded, the oaks are beginning their costume change from green to red or gold, and the Asian Pear (always the first to bloom and the last to shed its leaves) are still hanging on to their summer green.

Fall is probably my favorite time of year. This may come as a surprise to those of you who know my feelings about summer! I enjoy summer so much, that while everyone else is sweating through August and looking forward to September, I'm very careful not to think those thoughts. Summer will end, Fall will arrive, and then presto... it's winter...my not so favorite time of year.

Once fall arrives, however, I savor it. This fall has been wonderful. Summer gave up its grip, reluctantly, and we are still having warmer than normal weather. I am enjoying the best of both worlds; warm days, cool nights, and the mosquitoes have finally disappeared. This past summer was very hot and humid. For the first time in years, we never ate dinner on the porch. Between the heat and the mosquitoes, it just wasn't pleasant.

The leaf change is the part of the season that I savor the most. Even if the days were cold, they would still be pretty. Last fall was excessively wet, but the golds and the reds brightened up the gray days. There really is no way to do fall badly. We are in the midst of a severe drought this year, the opposite of last year. Everyone expected the colors to be dull, but against the cloudless blue sky nothing is dull.

Fall in Georgia is a season that lingers. Everyday, something has changed. One week it's the dogwoods, the next it's the sourwoods. As one group of trees lose their leaves, another group has begun the change from green to gold.

There is one downside to fall and I've had to learn how to deal with it. The more vibrant the colors, the clearer the unfortunate truth. What is most beautiful today will be gone next week.

Marigolds Present

Marigolds Past

There is a lot of talk these days about staying in the present. It is so easy for us to look ahead, or behind, either worrying about what is to come or thinking about what is past. Fall teaches me to just Be. I enjoy the cooler temperatures, the changes in color and the woods as it moves through this season in time. Good advice for every day. Now if I can only remember that lesson in Winter.

View From The Empty Saddle

In my last post, I wrote about my efforts to stay active and keep fit as I face aging. I enjoy walking, so a hike sounded like fun. I also like horse back riding, so two weeks after my hike, I decided to go riding at a friend's stable. I've had lessons in the past, but only for a short time and several years ago. I'm somewhere between novice and intermediate. Put me on a trail ride with a group that has no experience and I look pretty good. Last year I went on a ride and it wasn't long before I was helping them. But I'm really just above novice level. Knowing this, Lucy put me on Biscuit, a sweet mare that she uses to teach children. Biscuit was a nice size. I could look her in the eye as I groomed her. I prefer that size to the stallions I can walk under without ducking.

After Lucy helped me saddle her up, we went out to the paddock where Biscuit and I could get a feel for each other before heading up the trail. The sun was bright so I tucked my regular glasses into the collar of my t-shirt and put on my prescription sunglasses. There were six of us riding that day. I felt good, and tried to exude confidence to Biscuit. When everyone was ready, we took off. It was a beautiful day in the mountains and I was really looking forward to it. Lucy and I rode at the end of the pack, Lucy mostly sticking with me since it was my first time at her stable. As we rode up the mountain, Biscuit followed my lead as I moved her from side to side in the road, but she really preferred the outside edge so I let her walk there. I noticed a half buried log in the road ahead, but apparently Biscuit didn't! The next thing I knew she stumbled. I held on waiting for her to regain her footing. Except she didn't. Her other foot tripped as well and I saw her going down. Holding the reins, I leaned back and held my breath hoping 'this wasn't it'! Finally, she regained her balance and I was able to start breathing again. She had gone down on both knees before she could get up. Stumbling used to terrify me when I first learned how to ride. I felt really proud that I had held on and kept my balance, leaning backwards, which helped her regain her balance. Lucy was tickled. "Way to go, girl! Well done!"

The Bible says "Pride Goeth Before the Fall". Yep! I am here to tell you, the Bible doesn't lie! And the fall isn't fun!

A short distance further up the road, Lucy's horse started acting up. Within seconds, Biscuit was shaking her head and jumping sideways. "BEES!" Lucy cried out. Biscuit started to run as I reached for the horn on the saddle. I grabbed the reins in one hand and the horn in the other and held on. Suddenly she started to kick. She was pretty much moving in four directions at once, and I knew I wasn't going to survive this one.

At this point, I would like to borrow a definition from Capt. Sully, of the famed Landing in the Hudson. In the movie, Sully, when he was interrogated by the NTSB, he is asked about the plane crash. At this point, Sully speaks up and says, "Excuse me. The plane didn't crash. It was a 'forced water landing'."

I have never fallen off a horse, and I like to believe I still haven't. However, I have now experienced a forced aerial dismount. And in all honesty, I'll be happy to never experience one again. As I felt myself go sideways, I wasn't afraid. I was rather curious as to what was going to happen next. Looking back, it's possible my sense of self preservation isn't very acute. 'What happened next' was a shock, and in retrospect, I was really, really, lucky!

The landing was hard. I landed flat on my back at my shoulder blades. The thud knocked the air out of every cell in my body, and I rolled over in the leaves on the embankment. While Biscuit stood with the rest of the group nursing her bee stings, I lay stretched out, nose to nose with a pile of dead leaves. Laying face down, I could hear Lucy calling to me, but I absolutely couldn't move a finger to signal I was ok. It took her a few moments to get back to me and I felt badly for her as she kept calling, "Connie, are you ok?"

I was sure I hadn't really broken anything. I knew I'd had the wind knocked out of me, but I was surprised that I truly couldn't move anything. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my back. Finally, I managed to get out "No air." She breathed a sigh of relief that I was conscious and she now knew the problem.

Several minutes later, I managed to stand up. Taking an inventory, I was surprised by several things.
1) How stiff my back was and how hard it was to move it. It felt very tight, and heavy. The elephant was still there. And yet, there was little pain and my arms and legs and head and neck and fingers and toes all seemed to move fine. #1 Blessing! I mean, REALLY!!! NO BROKEN BONES!!! THAT'S A BLESSING!
2) My sunglasses remained on my head, unbroken. #2 Blessing!!
3) My regular glasses were found lying neatly folded on top of the leaves! #3 Blessing!!!
4) My iphone was still in my butt pocket, unbroken! #4 Blessing!!!! But in the days to come, the phone shaped bruise that appeared on my posterior proved that extra padding in that area can be a good thing at least for the phone.

As the aches and pains settled in over the next several days, I realized one area that never experienced any signs of impact or force. My head and neck! While bruises appeared here and there, I never found any sign of whiplash, let alone concussion. My helmet was truly #5 BLESSING!!!!!

It's been a couple of weeks now. My massage therapist worked out most of the kinks, but one was remaining, so I've had my first Chiropractor appointment ever. That shoulder blade area was never meant to handle 150 lbs of flying momentum. However, it did it admirably so I can't complain about a little residual tightness. And then there was the dermatologist appointment to help explain the rash that appeared several days later on my arms and torso. Something was lurking in the leaves, I expect.

One thing stands out in my mind after this experience. I have no doubts, that had I been less active, not working out, walking, and taking yoga, my fall would have been a lot harder to recover from. Staying active has kept me limber, and my bones strong.

The downside to this whole experience is that I'm re-looking at this whole 'Stay Active, Stay Young' mindset. I still believe in it. But I have to admit, there may be some things that you have to acknowledge may no longer be in your wheelhouse.

If Larry were to decide to climb around on our steep roof to do some repairs, or to climb a tree to chop down some dead limbs, I'd be the first to say, NO WAY! We can hire someone (younger and more agile--words thought, but unspoken) to do that sort of thing!

By the same token, if I was an experienced rider, and knew how to handle a horse in most situations, riding at my age might make sense. But for someone who likes to pretend she can ride, the word 'foolhardy' might apply. And for someone who has Osteoporosis in her history, 'foolhardy'  paired with adventurous activities, is not a good combination.

The view from the empty saddle has me re-examining some sayings to separate truth from ideology.

"Stay Active, Stay young!" Good words to live by. "You only live once!" Also good words to live by. "You're only as old as you feel." Truer words were rarely spoken.

On the other hand, "You're never too old.".... Well maybe sometimes it's better to just accept that, for some things, you might be...  after all.

Stay Active, Stay Young!

View of the lake at Vogel State Park from the top of the hiking trail. I made it up. Now I have to make it back down.

The title says it all. I may be getting older, and I may be slowing down, but I'm going into old age fighting, and kicking. And, on occasion, limping and hobbling. I've been very fortunate that I've had a healthy body, and, as far as I'm concerned, a sane mind. My mind may not always be as quick as it once was, and it was never sharp as a tack as the expression goes, but its holding it's own.

When I was in my 40's I signed up for aerobics classes. I enjoyed them and knew I was helping myself stay in shape. I remember wondering how long I would keep them up? Would I still be doing this when I was 60? By the time I'd reached the old age of 60, would I have given up staying in shape? At what age does one give up keeping in shape? Such were the thoughts running through my, still young, mind.

Well, I'm well past 60 and I've learned something. The adage, "Use it or Lose it" is never more important or true than NOW! It only takes a couple of weeks of playing the couch potato before I find that just walking up the slight incline at the end of my road has me huffing and puffing. Yes, I've reached the point where the more I slow down, the slower I get.

As an antidote to aging, I've been working hard at not slowing down. Between yoga, workouts, and walking (usually 2 miles a day) I've come to realize, as long as I can move I'll keep doing something to make sure I CAN still move!

There are definite health benefits to this. Several years ago I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis. After working out, taking yoga and walking, the diagnosis changed to Osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis). According to the radiologists analysis my efforts had made a 22% difference! My bones were strengthening. Three years later, the diagnosis remained the same and I was taken off some medication!! My mother and aunt both had osteoporosis. However, my dad had great bones. He drank milk faithfully, even though he really didn't like it. In his declining days he fell several times, but never broke a bone. I aim to be like him. To keep life interesting, I look for new ways to stay active.

A month ago I went on a 5-mile mountain hike with my yoga instructor, and her friends. Last year I did 4 miles with her, on a relatively level section of the Appalachian Trail. I did OK. So this year I figured I could handle five miles. My yoga instructor, a master hiker, neglected to inform me that the first 2 1/2 miles were uphill. And that my hiking companions traditionally hiked 8-10 miles a day.

I made a few observations from my view at the back of the pack.

1) I seemed to be the only one panting and gasping for air, while I clung to my walking stick with the tenacity of baby clinging to its mother as I peered up at the mountainside.

2) It's possible that I just couldn't see their sweat drenched faces through the water running down my face and blurring my vision,but they all looked amazingly dry and unfazed by the heat and humidity. Towards the end of the hike one person's sweat band looked slightly damp, but by then there wasn't a dry spot on me.

3) I realized this was normal to them as I watched one girl hop from rock to rock down the hillside, while I and my walking stick carefully picked our way down the path. In fact they all looked as though they were out for a Sunday stroll. I realized I was in over my head with this crew.

After I got home I told my husband that the next time I wanted to do a 5-mile mountain hike to remind me I was crazy. However, I was pleased to notice that overall, I didn't feel tired. I had survived!

As I crawled out of bed the next morning I was pleased to notice I felt really good, not stiff and sore. That is until my old lady feet hit the floor, and I stood up. Then my arches started screaming! I wear orthotics in my shoes to support my flat feet, and my flat feet wanted me to know, in no uncertain terms, they were not appreciative of my efforts to stay active and stay young.

I grabbed the aspirin and rubbed some pain relieving gel into my feet. Once my feet got going, I was fine. I had survived the hike in good shape. Just the same, I decided two miles in my neighborhood will have to suffice to keep me young...that is as young as a person who's not a spring chicken, can be.

South Dakota: Badlands, Deadwood and the Presidents

The slogan for the National Park system, that is celebrating 100 years this year, is Find Your Park. We traveled through 21 states on our RV trip and visited at least 12 national parks and monuments! The big finish of our western tour was in South Dakota. We camped in Rapid City for a few days and spent three days checking out the sights. (By this time I needed a laundry and cleanup day, so we stayed one extra day just to take care of household chores.)

South Dakota isn't as awe-inspiring as Utah, but the corner we were in had some amazing places and beautiful sights, from wildflowers by a stream,

to rugged, barren rock.

We spent one day driving through the Badlands, and ending at a well-known tourist spot, Wall Drug.

The story behind Wall Drug was unknown to me. I am always in search of inspiring stores, so I found this one very interesting.

The town of Wall, SD is so-named because it lies at the base of rocky cliffs that rise from the prairie like a wall.

The Husteads moved there in 1931 hoping to make a go of running a drug store. Business was slow, but they hoped when Mt. Rushmore opened business would boom. Unfortunately, it didn't. 5 years later they were listening to the cars on the highway driving right by, without stopping in town. One afternoon, Dorothy had an idea---to advertise free ice water. They put signs on the highway, like the little Burma Shave signs, that directed people to Wall Drug for a FREE glass of ice water.

They've been busy ever since and they still offer free ice water. The drug store has grown way beyond it's original size. Once inside the 76,000 square foot complex there are many smaller stores selling everything from t-shirts to lovely paintings.

A restaurant, arcade, and a chapel for those needing a quiet respite, are just a few of the things you will find there.

Wall, SD is at the western end of the Badlands. I've always heard about the Badlands but I had never been there so I was intrigued. In truth, I've seen many places on this trip that would be most intimidating to me as a traveler in the 1800's. The name came from the Lakota people who called this area, "Mako Sica", which translated, meant Land Bad. And if I had to travel through here on horseback or wagon, I would have agreed!

These formations looked like sand castles.

As we drove through the Badlands, we were able to see the beauty. I doubt the pioneers had the same perspective, though.

 During the day the colors are rather muted, but the rocks almost glow and the colors are beautiful in early or late day when the sun is low in the sky.

The second day we were in Rapid City, we took the northern route and traveled up to Deadwood, a reinvented ghost town.

Deadwood was originally a mining town that stood along a creek. I am always intrigued by the names of developments that spring up today, with names like "Cypress Creek", or "Whispering Pines" (where there is no creek to be found and any tree that existed has long since been removed in order to build homes). The name Deadwood derives not from someone's imagination, but because the gulch where gold was found was lined with dead trees. Miners in search of gold would know right away they had found the right area when they saw all the dead wood. The hills come right down to the creek's edge and the town simply climbed its sides. The town had one of the most productive gold mines for over 100 years. In the 1980's as the town store fronts lay vacant the residents decided to redefine the town. Town promoters were able to get a state constitutional amendment that allowed limited stakes gambling. Many of the old saloons have been rebuilt and refurbished to be saloons with casinos. To further celebrate their history, they reenact gun fights daily and hold frontier celebrations throughout the year.

On our last day in this area we drove the scenic routes around Mt. Rushmore, which is located just outside Rapid City. The Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway, which includes Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway, forms a loop that grants views of Mt. Rushmore and encompasses some of the most awe-inspiring vistas. Probably the most creative and unsuual road we've ever driven was the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway. As described in its website, "South Dakota conservationist, Governor and U.S. Senator Peter Norbeck wanted to share the unspoiled beauty of the Black Hills with others. But it was of utmost importance to him to do it responsibly. The result is a 68-mile series of twisting roads that carefully tiptoe through the Harney Range of the central Black Hills, leaving very little impact on the surrounding environment. You won’t find a comparable scenic byway anywhere else in the country because Peter Norbeck was the only person bold enough to challenge the engineers of the time who said it couldn’t be done."

The byway is full of narrow, tight turns and tunnels through the mountain. Among Norbeck's achievements in developing this road was the alignment of three one-lane tunnels through the mountain so that they were positioned to give the traveler a clear view of Mt. Rushmore.

Coming through this tunnel, Mt. Rushmore can be viewed through the trees.

Same view as above.

Norbeck was also known for designing 'Pigtail' bridges, in which the road looped over itself.

From the scenic byway, the road continues on to the Iron Mountain Road, and then loops around Custer National Park. The end of the loop drive is through the Needles region, which showcases tall spires and columns of rock.

One of the tunnels just fits a full size tourist bus. The tunnel is 8'4" wide. The bus is 8' wide! We were behind one bus as it approached the tunnel and I was hoping to see it as it squeezed through the tunnel. However, the driver pulled over to let the line of traffic behind him, through first. The next day I spoke with a woman who had been on the bus and she described the driver as he hammed it up for the cameras, holding up a bottle of maalox and a sign that said Learner Driver. Two videos on YouTube show this unique drive. The first one ,3 minutes long, is a nice view of Needles area. The second one shows the bus growing through the tunnel. It is 8 minutes long, but fun to watch.

It was this area that was the original brainstorm of Mt. Rushmore. A local historian, Doane Robinson, had the idea of carving Wild West heroes into the tall granite columns as a tourist attraction. However, when the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, inspected the rocks he said they were too fragile for such an undertaking. At the time, Borglum was working on Stone Mountain in Georgia. He believed that the project should be grander than Robinson's vision. He wanted to create a shrine to democracy and presented the idea of the Presidents. After exploring the area he settled on Mt. Rushmore as having the right type of rock and the best viewing. He chose Washington as the father of the country. Jefferson represented growth because when he purchased the Louisiana Territory it doubled the size of our country. Lincoln preserved the union (because he fought to keep it whole), and Roosevelt represented its conservation and development.

View of Washington's profile from the Needles Highway

At the end of this remarkable drive, we visited Mt. Rushmore.

A path goes from the amphitheater, to the base of the monument, affording a variety of different views. It continues on past the sculptor's studio, which was closed when we were there.

We visited as the sun was setting and stayed for the evening program. Every night, a program presents the history of the National Monument and tells about its creation. The faces are lit by floodlights, and all servicemen, retired or active, are invited onto the stage where they are introduced by name, and branch of service. It is a wonderful way to honor those who have stood for the liberty we have been blessed with.

We had an amazing time in South Dakota. We saw a lot, and yet there is so much more there to see. In fact, that pretty well sums up our whole trip. We saw so much of this wonderful country, but we only took in a fraction of what was there. Aside from the history of our own people, I became so much more aware of the history of the original North Americans. The Native American heritage is woven through the history of every state in our country and we were reminded of that.

Find My Park? Well, let's just say we found a bunch of them! Thank you Teddy Roosevelt, and all of the other forward thinking preservationists that recognized "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children". (Unknown)

"Leave it as it is, the ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it." Teddy Roosevelt

Scenes from the Wild West

Our springtime RV trip took us to many of the National Parks in the southwest and the northwest, but when we left Yellowstone we entered a different part of the west, the Wild West. Tales of Wild Bill Hickok, Butch Cassidy, Buffalo Bill Cody and others, are the stories that made the wild west famous. We visited Cody, Wyoming, the Badlands of South Dakota, and the Battle of Little Big Horn where Custer made his famous last stand. All of these places gave us a fresher perspective of our country's history.

Cody was our first stop after Yellowstone. It is on the gateway to the east entrance to Yellowstone. Since we were coming from West Yellowstone, we drove through the park, out the east entrance and through the canyon to Cody. This is one of the most scenic drives in the park and we had some of our best wildlife sightings on that road; coyote, deer, elk and a herd of goats walking right along the edge of the road!

Driving around Cody has its own share of wildlife.

 There may be a leash law for dogs, but the deer come and go as they want!

Cody is located on the Shoshone River at the end of the Shoshone Canyon. Cody is named for one of it's earliest settlers, William F. Cody, a.k.a. Buffalo Bill. In the heart of town is the Buffalo Bill Center of the West Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliated museum. There were 5 museums in 1 building as well as a Research Library and 2 days were recommended to see it all. We spent one day there and only explored about half of it, but it was well worth it.

Entering the Buffalo Bill Museum you meet the old pioneer in a hologram.

Known for his show, "The Buffalo Bill Wild West Show" Buffalo Bill became an American Folk Hero, but his beginnings were as a real participant in life in the old west. Bill began as a rider for the Pony Express, before he fought in the Civil War, was an army scout, and then a showman. 

Much of the displays in the Buffalo Bill Museum are dedicated to sharing the many facets of this man as well how his views changed as his experiences changed him. 

He was a proponent of Women's Equality and the women (like Annie Oakley) that performed in his show were paid the same as the men. 

There were also interactive displays like this one.

Another one pointed out the job of a wagon train or military scout and directed viewers to find signs that people or animals had traveled through an area.

There were several things for viewers to locate in this scene.

In between his stints on the road with his show, which toured world-wide, he settled on a ranch in the Shoshone Canyon, and was responsible for much of the town's development. Among the things he is remembered for today, is the founding of the Irma Hotel in Cody, named for his daughter, as well as founding the newspaper that still serves the community of Cody. But perhaps the most important gift he gave the area was the land his ranch was on in order to build a dam on the river to provide water for the community, and irrigation for other ranches and farms. He was a leading proponent of the dam and although most thought a dam couldn't be built but he fought to see the project completed.

The Cody Dam was an amazing feat of "man over mountain", or in this case, Man over River. It took 5 years to build because of poor management and impossible working conditions. Each year work would progress until the rainy season would begin and inevitably wash away a section of the completed work. Three different companies attempted the project until one finally figured out how to complete it. At the time it was built (from 1905-1910) it was the highest dam in the world at 328 feet.

The Shoshone River runs between rugged cliffs 

The Reservoir now guarantees water for the farms, ranches and communities year round.

Another of our Wild West stops was at the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument in Montana.

 The park guide was a history buff who told the story of Custer and Sitting Bull. By the time we got to Little Big Horn we were familiar with the story of the United States plan to move the Indians to Reservations and we had seen numerous places where different tribes had pushed back. The battle at Little Big Horn was between the Lakota, Cheyenne and the Federal Military Forces as the nomadic Indians resisted efforts to be confined to a reservation.

Most battlefields try to tell the story, but the open fields and waving grass leave the scene totally to your imagination. Little Big Horn was no different, except for one big change. At this battlefield there are markers where each soldier or Indian fell; white for an American soldier, and red for an Indian.

 And if the person was important enough the marker was engraved with his name.

It gives the battle a different feel when you see a single marker here, and another there, and then a big cluster of them in one spot where the furious fighting took place.

Last Stand Hill

 Last Stand Hill is the site of Custer's Last Stand.

Marker where Custer died

Indian Memorial

 A beautiful Indian memorial commemorating their part in the battle is built into the hillside.

Indian Memorial

The Battlefield of Little Big Horn is also a national cemetery that until recently was still receiving burials. 

After seeing all of this western country, from Utah rocks and canyons, to prairies and battlefields, I will be viewing westerns and historical movies with a different eye, one that takes in the scenery . 

has walked on those rocks and felt the wind blowing across the prairie. Sometimes the vastness of this land amazes me.

But we weren't done. Next installment; The Badlands of South Dakota!