PurpleHays

Got off work early today, so went to REI and got new hiking boots. I tried the Keen Targhee and Merrill Moab. I liked that the Moab was not waterproof and cheaper, but the Keen felt more like what I've been in already, in spite of waterproofing (which I didn't want). I went ahead and got the Keens along with a pair of lighter socks. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

The humidity is supposed to be lower, so there is that.

31#1Hubby didn't feel good this morning, so I went on a hike by myself. I pushed hard and did our one hour 2.8 mile hike in about 50 minutes, but I paid for it. My gluteus maximus/glutes are achy, but the good kind of achy. The dew point was 71, the temp in the low 70s. It was pretty miserable. I struggled to breathe the entire time.

OOTD: #1. Keen boots (that are falling apart), bike shorts, and royal blue technical shirt (in honor of DDay/Operation Overlord)

#2: "Making pour decisions" tank and Target shorts. *After* a shower. Felt ucky after that hike.

2 hours ago, awhfy said:

It’s such an awful thing

It is. He has brown spots in his sight and is losing peripheral vision. I do most of the driving, but he gets around by picking non-rush hour, dark, or rainy times.

On 5/28/2024 at 8:19 AM, awhfy said:

Definitely spend the extra time while vision will allow touring. That’s a miserable combo of macular with glaucoma. 

My husband also has both. His eyesight is failing, and we're trying to get in as many things he wants to see as we can.

@slidergirl I do not have rain pants yet, but will add them to my slowly acquiring list.

I was able to add the week prior, so we'll have two weeks in Grand Teton/Yellowstone. I'm still looking at airfare and vehicle rental, plus need to add more hotel/lodge nights.  It feels like we're spending a fortune on sightseeing, but we want to see as much as we can before DH loses his sight (he had both glaucoma and macular degeneration). We'll spend more, but we'll also have some more down time and see more things.

My Mom said we spent two weeks the summer we went as kids. (southern coastal GA to STL to Rushmore/Badlands/Yellowstone/Grand Teton). She reminded me to not try to do too much while we're there.

On 5/25/2024 at 3:38 PM, slidergirl said:

Purple - I was looking at the Osprey site this morning for some dimensions of a bag.  I saw that their website has the hydration bag for the Daylite on sale for $18.  

Hmmm. Not a bad price.

3 hours ago, awhfy said:

For Yellowstone the 3-1 should work well. Smartwool socks are my favorite. I second Kats boot choices. I have the Merrill Moab’s & love them. Lighter than Keens. Warm hat & an earband, warm gloves with liners, smartwool or merino wool quarter zip shirt. the tights should work well. Costco had trekking poles & camelbacks today at very good prices
 

FYI we had 11” of snow on Halloween last year.  Melody 

Gloves! I didn't even think about that.

5 hours ago, sjb317 said:

Great picture!  Your dad’s outfit made me laugh, I’m pretty sure my dad had a similar pair of pants!  Which girl is you?  I’m thinking the one in red shorts? 

I'm the redhead on the right. And Mom laughed about Dad's outfit when she sent me the picture.

1 hour ago, slidergirl said:

You're going to have to pack for layers for that Yellowstone trip.   Here in UT we were cold for Halloween but the weeks before it was still mild enough off/on to wear shorts and long sleeve Ts.   You didn't see a pack or bladder worth buying?   For boots, I'll recommend Merrell Moab or Keen Targhee to try first.  

Do you have campground reservations yet?  Hopefully it won't be bad then.  I've tried to get in Grand Teton for Fall in the past and couldn't get them.   

I was hoping you'd speak up since I know you're near SLC. We're flying in (since we can go non-stop) and renting a car. I understand it's a five hour drive.

We are planning to layer up. I have a North Face 3-in-one jacket that I think will work. I also have two pars of Athleta Ranier tights. They keep me warm in the winter-cold rinks. Do you think they'll work? I have a pair of Keen boots, but they are OLD and starting to fall apart. I think I'll superglue them for now, and get a new pair in July (we are buying things in phases so we don't break the bank at one time). I have several Athleta performance tops that will fit me again after I lose another 20 pounds. I have a wide-brimmed hat and will probably get a warmer one before we go.

I ordered my day pack today-an Osprey Daylite Plus. Hubby is planning to be the pack mule and carry the bulk of the supplies so I can carry my camera supplies. He's working on building up strength and is loving this excuse to get in shape after his hip replacement.

What I still need:

new boots/wool socks.

water bladder,

trekking poles

long sleeve wool shirt(s), and

?bear spray? (rent).

I have a small folding knife and DH has a bigger knife (that he'll check). We also both qualify for lifetime NPS passes and will get those too. What else do we need?

PS: Love the shirt!

PPS: Recorded the recommended boots so I can look at them when I'm ready to buy some.

7 minutes ago, sjb317 said:

That will be a great trip, Christy!  We drove to Yellowstone from Indiana  with our three sons back in 1990.  No hotels, just did primitive camping for two weeks and hiked all over the park.  One of our best trips ever! Yellowstone is beautiful!

 

Sherri🙂

We went when I was a kid. I asked Mom for pictures, and the outfit I'm wearing in a couple was from Christmas '72. We apparently went in '73. *However,* we drove from southern coastal GA, to St. Louis to visit relatives, then to the Badlands/Mt. Rushmore/Yellowstone, camping all the way.  I. Hate. Camping. We'll have a week (unless I look at the vacation book and can get more time and line up the house/petsitter).

On 5/19/2024 at 6:08 PM, zackiedawg said:

Some wetlands activity from yesterday's VERY hot walk (just a hair under 100 degrees with 85% humidity)

 

Yikes! Already? It's too early, though we're supposed to be in the 90s later this week.

On 5/18/2024 at 7:18 AM, ontheweb said:

On the NCL Epic in 2012 I remember paying extra to see Ciirque d' Soliel. It was dinner theater.

We did too. It was our only NCL cruise. That act was amazing!

We went to REI Saturday and got trekking poles for the hubby. We're starting to hike for Yellowstone in October (brrr) and he needed some. I still need a day pack, water bladder, and new boots (mine are at least 15 years old). Last week, we did an easy 1.3 mile trail twice. Today, we bumped up to a moderate 2.8 mile trail that didn't feel as challenging, but my calves are telling me about it. We want to build up to about 10 or so miles by October. We're going to local parks twice a week now, and are planning a couple of fall trips to the NC mountains before then.

On 4/30/2024 at 11:11 PM, dockman said:

I am so happy that many cruisers gravitate to the bigger more glitzy newer ships.

 

Hopefully means less demand and better deals on the smaller and older ships for me.

Me too! I've seen a lot of news about the new Sun, and I'm just not interested. It's too big and too busy. Just give me a balcony cabin and a good itinerary, and I'm good. We're on the Emerald next year for Norway. Caribe deck with the larger balcony. We can't wait.

@zackiedawg Welcome back! I've missed your birds.

2 hours ago, awhfy said:

Had my shoulder postop today. Doc was impressed with my progress & dropped me from giant padded sling to just a close to body sling for another month. I have 6 more weeks of therapy & I’ll have to wear new sling on flights (not while in Hawaii). He said my shoulder has zero swelling & looks like I’m at 4-5 weeks postop instead of 2 weeks. I told him I’m motivated. Melody

That's awesome!

3 hours ago, LoisRJax said:

I finally got my results of my kidney stones........they were made from URIC ACID.....I spoke with the nurse on the phone and I have a follow up appt with the Dr later this month.  They have a "suggestion" on a print out for foods that are on a low Purine Diet........what is purine you may ask? It is a substance that is found in foods AND is produced naturally in the body. They are broken down by the body and and changed to uric acid. Normally the kidneys  filter it and then it leaves the body through the urine.  Seems I am in the category where the uric acid had a build up and that is what caused the stones. Modern medicine.....they don't know why I all of a sudden got stones😮

 

Anyway, there are certain foods that are low in purine and other foods that are high so they need to be limited.....at least there are plenty of foods on the good list that I already eat. So, lets see what happens..........

I learned (decades ago in nursing school) that kidney stones are fairly common in the southern US due to all the tea we tend to drink. I don't know if that applies to you or if tea contains purines. Either way, at least you have a plan now and will hopefully have fewer stones in the future.

On 4/30/2024 at 2:37 PM, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Don't know if this wine get's to the US. But I really like a red called 19 crimes imported from Australia.

19 Crimes is my husband's wine of choice. He like the one aged in rum barrels best. I prefer whites.

Hubby found a new (to him) favorite last month on the Sky. It's Errazuris Estate Carmenere Aconcagua Valley, Chile, GIs. We don't even know how to pronounce it, but he consumed quite a few.

49 minutes ago, awhfy said:

Chainsaw is an apt analogy this has been significantly less painful, just the irritating brace 24/7

Plus, you said it was your dominant side too? Are you able to use your fingers/hand for minor tasks yet?

25 minutes ago, awhfy said:

I had the lovely nerve block & pain ball because I’m allergic to so many pain meds. I’ve had 4 Tylenol & and Phenergen (nausea) since surgery last Weds. so far this is much less pain than a rotator cuff. Pt & ice are my friends

I have heard that rotator cuff surgery feels like a chainsaw to the shoulder, it's good to hear that replacement isn't as bad.

Keep healing well!

On 4/20/2024 at 7:48 PM, awhfy said:

It’s been too cold for tshirt. I’ve got a couple of waffle weave shirts that are working great. Much easier now that the painball catheter is gone. Now I can slide into a shirt. It’s my dominant right arm. Destroyed my biceps tendon too. Pt at home yesterday was interesting. She was surprised at my range of motion. 

You could do the same with a long sleeve shirt. I just rarely wear them.

We don't use pain balls at our out surgery center-we use nerve blocks, and lots with Exparel. It's a long acting medication. It can last up to 96 hours.

Keep up the PT-it's your best bet right now.

On 4/21/2024 at 5:13 PM, geocruiser said:

WOW the blouse looks wonderful.  Great fit.    Very nice picture of both of you.

Thank you! The best part about sewing is that no one else had anything even a bit similar.

On 4/17/2024 at 12:59 PM, slidergirl said:

Welcome home!  What did you do in Bordeaux?  I found it was a nice city to just wander around.  

We must cruise the same way - I lose weight, too!!

We only had about three hours, but we walked around (I managed to get us lost, then unlost) and ate a meal. We walked in and I told the host "we're American tourists that don't speak a word of French, but we'd like a meal. Can you help us?" He laughed at me and we ate a danged good meal. The menu was an initial challenge-it was in French, duh-but there was a QR code to scan for several foreign languages. We stopped at the store recommended by our guide to get some wine on the way back to the bus.

On 4/18/2024 at 11:19 AM, awhfy said:

Home from shoulder replacement yesterday. Long day, 7am checkin. 9-1230 surgery & got home at 6pm. Long time in recovery. Worst part is finding clothes to fit!!  Pt starts tomorrow at home as neither of us can drive

When I broke my shoulder, I wore t-shirts. I'd put the injured arm on first, then use the good arm to stretch it over my neck and other shoulder. I took the injured arm off first. I wore bra and shirt for two days too, showering ever second day. Hair washing was the worst, especially since mine is long.

We went to France and Spain this week. 

Sunset out of Southampton

 Bee in wisteria in Bilbao

 Monument aux Girondins in Bordeaux

"The Higgins Boat" at Utah Beach

The American Cemetery at Omaha each/Collesville-sur-mer

We are back from our cruise. We had pretty good weather, but crossing the Channel was pretty rocky.  Dave and I both felt it. We went outside our comfort zones in Bilbao and Bordeaux and went somewhat on our own. Kind of scary since we were guideless and didn't speak either language. Food was excellent in both countries. D-Day sites (especially Utah Beach and the American Cemetery) were emotional. Neither of us had family members die in WWII, but his dad was a WWII vet. I can't imagine how it would feel to someone who lost a family member there.

And, amazingly, both of us lost a couple of pounds. I guess we didn't cruise correctly?  😆

Here's the final project. I made hubby's shirt a year or two ago.

On 4/8/2024 at 5:17 PM, geocruiser said:

Was the gold thread metallic?

No, it was regular thread, just gold colored. I didn't want to mess with metallic since the fabric had been such a pain to work with.

I did understitch the neck facing, but decided I wanted the slight decorative look of top stitching. I did not attempt underscoring the scallops. I definitely would have pulled my hair out trying that.