Anyway. With Di gone, it's a bit harder to come up with happy-making things, but I'll give it a go. First, marching-band season is officially over today. I know people who love marching band love it with their whole entire being, and go you! But for our family, concert season is where it's at, and I am really looking forward to those performances, as is the young musician herself.
Secondly, I did a fantastic hike with a friend on Wednesday, one I've been wanting to do for a while. It's called "TWA Canyon," because hike leads to some wreckage from a plane that crashed in the canyon in 1955. I realize that is a grim thing to be happy about, but the hike itself is stunning. It's a 7.17 mile hike through pretty rugged terrain—easy to get lost, so I was glad to have a guide. Our total elevation gain was some 2200 feet, so we definitely got a good workout. The wreckage is well preserved, thanks to our arid climate, and you do feel you're in a sacred space when you are there with it. As my friend said, "I always feel I need to whisper when I get close."
Lastly, turkey season has started. Apparently you're not supposed to like turkey: chefs complain about it all the time. (Too lean, too bland.) But we love it, possibly because it's all wrapped up in the warmth and wonderfulness of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday of the year: all the good stuff associated with Christmas (family, food, fun, friends) with none of the commercialism. I cooked my kids a pre-meal a few days ago: a turkey breast in the slow cooker (it makes its own yummy gravy) with sweet potatoes and green beans on the side. Yum.
That plane crash site would fill me with existential dread.
ReplyDeleteI am happy this week to still be breathing.
I am normally primed for any kind of existential dread, but this site doesn't feel creepy or morto-phobia inducing. Maybe because it's so old, more than half a century now. Is there some particular reason you are glad to still be breathing? That sounds slightly alarming! Or are you always just thankful for the little things?
DeleteWe always appreciate more the things we almost lose.
DeleteWowzer, I call a hike like that a butt-buster. That's a lot of elevation change.
ReplyDeleteAnd my family always gets lots of practice meals in before Thanksgiving. We want to make sure we have the procedure down to a fine art when the big day comes. As soon as the weather changes we start having dress rehearsals with turkey, stuffing, pie and mashed potatoes. It's pretty much the month of Thanksgiving for us. :))
It is indeed a butt buster, and in my case even more a knee buster. I like the sound of your house in November! It must smell like heaven every day. :)
Delete"I always feel I need to whisper when I get close."
ReplyDeleteWow. I really like that, Steph.
We've had one pre-Thanksgiving meal. Invited one of little one's friends over for it. It was super yum. Any plans for you to go visit Di?
Not yet: I would love to go in 2014 but we have to put this darned new roof on our house (since the current one is a sieve) so that will probably wipe us out for a bit. :( In 2015 we move. I really hope somehow I can sneak a trip in there somehow ... I will be keeping my eyes peeled for amazing fares!
DeleteA little pelvis thrust, huh? Too funny.
ReplyDeleteThat hike sounds wonderful, but it's a little surprising the plane wreckage has been left there all these years. I guess it must be too difficult to remove it. Like Suze already said, I, too, like the comment about feeling the need to whisper as you approach it.
LOTS of things making me happy this week. Every morning I open my eyes and see that my hubby and I are still here is a good one.
I could have posted those marching band memes all day. They are hilarious!
DeleteWe were wondering about the wreckage too. Maybe it's been left there as a sort of memorial? Somehow they got the bodies out (fifteen people died) so they could have removed the wreckage at that time; they must have left it there for a reason.
Your happy-making week sounds lovely! Good attitude, Susan. :)
After many days in a row of busy family stuff, I carved out a few hours for myself yesterday. "Hmmmm, where to go?" I wondered. Up to the mountain or down to the Rio Grande? I ended up down in the bosque (had to type that 4 times before spell-check stopped changing it to bisque BTW). It was fabulous. My favorite parts of the walk were eating my lunch by the river and watching about 50 sandhill cranes wheeling around mid-air, and reorganizing into one large flock. The sun, the blue heron I got to spy on up close, it was perfect.
ReplyDeleteOh Liz, that sounds just lovely. If I take you to the waterfall, can you show me a blue heron? Pleeeease?
DeleteI marched in high school - trombone. Can't say I cared for it too much, no interest whatsoever in continuing in college. My college didn't even have one. And yet, for the people I knew who did carry on with it, the college marching band experience was a lot more fun. One of my friends met his future wife that way.
ReplyDeleteOne of my neighbors met his wife through college marching band, too. And yet one of last year's drum majors, who loved marching band with her whole heart (you have to, to be a drum major) went on to college and quickly dropped out of that marching band. Too stressful, and too big a distraction from academics. I get why people love it, and I know many adults look back with great fondness on their marching-band days. It's just not for everyone. I wish at my kid's school it was optional, so the kids who don't have that particular passion aren't put through the wringer.
DeleteI will always love turkey anyway. And marching bands!
ReplyDeleteMarching bands can be so much fun to watch. Do you follow Ohio State's? Check this one out, it's truly amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTca2nrIn4U
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