7 November, 2011             The Week After

I had a great week following my race this year. The week after my race is always pleasant; I’ve spent the past three months fixated on my race goal and it becomes all-consuming. I heard an expression once that the race begins to “block out the sun” and that’s what it feels like. It’s wonderful to see the sun again. It feels like I have my life back.

I worked a regular day (for me) the day after I got home. Monday, 31 October was my first day back, Halloween, and it was great to see my friends again. And to not have my next training session in the back of my mind. I had spare time Tuesday and so did Alex so she and Roux and Mackey and Turner and I went to guess where. We were so happy to be back:

Happy to be home and happy to not be swimming, biking or running or THINKING about it!

The Fall colors are coming along:

Hues

The autumn light gives the water a different shimmer:

Isn't that astonishing? Doesn't it look like glass or jelly or a turtle or what do you think? Incredible.

Clark took me down to see trains on Wednesday. That’s the Belvidere St. bridge in the background:

Railroad bridge. Sort of.

It’s that time of year; I’ve had my wood stove burning for a while. Tim’s brought me three gorgeous loads of wood. This is the first load; I’m getting them all stacked up behind the garage and splitting up a big pile of kindling. There’s nothing like a wood fire:

This will be keeping me warm soon. My cats look at it and purr.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised but I am – this flower was among many blooming on a rhododendron of some sort in my backyard on Saturday. They’re as big as the palm of my hand. First week of November. Crazy:

A backyard bloom in November. Beautiful.

Do all these river pictures look the same? I guess depending on my mood or something, it looks different every time I’m there. It was all green and blue and gray a few months ago. Now on clear days it’s as blue as it’s ever been, plus there will always be green, and gray from the rocks, and now the fall colors are in. In a month or so they’ll all drop. There will be greens from the evergreens, and the river will reflect the sky’s blue on what Willie Nelson calls an “Uncloudy Day”. (Click that link for a delicious little treat). When it’s a cloudy day the river and the sky and the rocks will all be different shades of the same color. Or lack of color. And soon enough it will be white and icy down there, yay. It’s always the same river but it’s always different.

And I like trains and dogs, what can I say.

But here’s the picture I was thinking of just now:

Spectacular river

Have a great day; I may get another post up soon. Until then,

Jay