93: Christmas Eve

Posted: December 24, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, holidays, home, nature, Photography, snow, Spirit, travel, Walking, water, weather, winter | Tags: , , , , , | 13 Comments

(Shelter Island Marina.  San Diego, CA.  November 2010)

I finally finished uploading the last batch of photos from San Diego.  Although this is not particularly Christmas-y, I do like the star effect.  I’ll bring you something a little more seasonal tomorrow.

(Shogun.  Shelter Island Marina.  San Diego, CA.)

Having had our family Christmas celebration last weekend, it’s quiet here today. ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature is stirring… etc., etc., etc.

(Vagabond.)

The Great Outdoor Adventure — Day 93

The cross-country skis are FAB.  And brilliant.  And hard work!!  M and I skied for about 20 minutes yesterday.  The nice thing about owning our own skis is that we don’t have to push ourselves to utter exhaustion just to get our money’s worth in one day.  We can take our time, get used to gliding and skiing, and maybe even learn how to turn.  And stop.  Stopping, it seems to me, is important.  This is especially true when you’re speeding downhill and there are brambles at the bottom.

I fell once yesterday (coming down a hill and running into said brambles).  My legs were a little sore today but not so much that it was uncomfortable.  Just enough to let me know I’d worked them yesterday.

(Warm & fuzzy in the snow.)

Today I watched a video about a few of the basics of cross-country skiing and then tried to put what I learned into practice.  Knowing the proper way to go uphill made it so much easier.  I practiced a few drills (such as skiing without the poles).  I still fell down.  This time I was speeding down a bigger hill than the one I was on yesterday and M was at the bottom.  I was sure I’d run right into him so I threw myself on the ground.  So maybe that doesn’t count as falling??

Yes, I think learning how to stop will be a very good thing.

We skied for about 35 minutes today.  I went out for a short walk after that, mostly to fill the bird feeders and to take a few photos.  The camera will not be taking ski trips with me.

The weather has stayed pretty much the same for the past two days.  A balmy 26 degrees, cloudy, with the occasional snow flurries and squalls.  We will have a white Christmas, for sure.  A storm with more snow is expected to arrive on Sunday.

Yay!  Fresh snow!

(Today’s view of the pond.)

I doesn’t seem right to leave you with such a cold view when I’m feeling all warm and glowy from the exercise.  How about a nice, warm sunset instead?

Merry Christmas Eve!

Row of boats

Posted: October 28, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Autumn, Photography, travel | Tags: , | 4 Comments

(158:  Dinghies in a row.)

Blue sky day

Posted: October 18, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Air, Autumn, Earth, food, Photography, reviews, travel, Walking, water, weather | Tags: , , , , , | 6 Comments

(Sailboat on Lake Michigan and the end of Navy Pier. Photo © 2009 by Robin)

The sun is shining on Chicago today.  It’s a glorious day with lovely blue skies and just the hint of the usual wind that blows through this city.

(149:  View from the Shedd Aquarium.  Photo © 2009 by Robin)

M and I were up early and went for a long walk.  We took a bus down to the Adler Planetarium to get some shots of the city skyline and took our time walking back to the hotel from there.  I think were out and about for about 2-1/2 hours.

(Sears Tower and other buildings from the lakeshore.  Photo © 2009 by Robin)

Part of our walk took us through Grant Park and Millennium Park.  We took our time going through Millennium Park so we could have a look at some of the sculptures that we missed during our first stroll through the park.

(Zaha Hadid pavilion and security guard.  Photo © 2009 by Robin)

We had to see the Bean, of course (along with hundreds of other tourists).

(The Cloud Gate.  Photo © 2009 by Robin)

The official name is the Cloud Gate, but it has been nicknamed The Bean because of its legume-like shape.

Last night we had dinner at Zocalo.  The food was excellent and they have a very nice selection of sipping tequilas.  The prices are reasonable as well.  If you’re in the mood for Mexican food (and/or tequila) while in Chicago, I highly recommend Zocalo.  (A big thanks to D for suggesting the place!)

As soon as I finish here I will end my afternoon break.  I think I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon just wandering around, taking pictures, and people watching.  We’ll be joining friends later this evening for Thai food.  One of the great things about this city (most cities, in my experience) is all the delicious food to be sampled and enjoyed.

Sailing

Posted: October 12, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Air, Autumn, Healthy Living Plan, home, nature, Photography, water | Tags: , | 8 Comments

(144:  Sailing on the pond.)

It is 39 degrees and cloudy here in the Bogs this morning.  Looks like rain is on its way.

A big thank you to CB and her husband for the gift of the (toy) sailboat.  M has been having fun playing with it on the few days when he’s had time and it hasn’t been exceptionally windy.  (For those not in the know — and how would you be? — it’s a remote-controlled sailboat.  Beautiful, isn’t it?)

Nothing much new here.  I started the day with a good strength training workout.  Now that I’ve done something to get my body in shape, time to do the same for the house.