Spent a couple of hours imbibing beers at one of my favorite hangouts. Which one? It Doesn’t Matter. I enjoyed the company of my favorite waitress there, Roan. She’s got a great sense of humor, by which I mean she laughs at my jokes. Unlike a lot of the bargirls I meet, she can actually carry on an intelligent conversation. Makes the investment in her lady drinks worthwhile.
The brown knees in the bar all seemed to enjoy my brownies. They were still warm from the oven when I shared them. I also bought Roan an inhaler. She’s a smoker and told me she’s had bouts of not being able to catch her breath. Said she even blacked out briefly the other night at work after a coughing fit. She’s a grownup and has to make her own decisions, but I warned her from the perspective of personal experience that she needs to take care of her lungs. The damage she is doing can’t be repaired and will only get worse over time. She took a couple of puffs on one of my vapes and said she liked the flavor. I told her when she was serious about giving up cigs, I’d set her up with her own vaping equipment. Vaping is much less harmful than smoking and has been shown to be the most effective method to break the cigarette habit. Anyway, it is up to her.
It being Wednesday night, when I left It Doesn’t Matter I headed over to The Pub for my weekly ration of Korean-style chicken wings. I had to laugh when I arrived and was greeted with “welcome, sir John. It’s Wingsday!” They called out my standard order of sixteen wings to go and brought me a San Miguel Zero to help pass the time while my meal was being prepared. It’s nice to be a regular!
That leaves Wednesday’s walk to tell you about. We did a 9K loop around Easter mountain, just a couple of short hills, nothing really challenging. We had a sunny day to enjoy and made the most of it. To the pictures then.
That’s my life and I ain’t complaining. Thanks for stopping by!
Those maps always make the hikes seem much longer than the distances you report. Then again, I imagine the inclines along the way also make the hikes seem longer!
Cute kids.
Great pics as always John. Nice to vicariously follow along on your hikes.
And I agree with Kevin, the topography of the map makes it seems like the hike is much longer, but the elevation changes make up for that.
BTW, is “Mama” still around? Still happy to be living rough on the streets?
Glad you like the pics, guys. We have several in the group taking photos during the hike these days, so I’ve got better variety and higher quality shots to share.
It’s funny you both mention the distance. I was telling Scott during this hike about Kevin routinely doing 20+K hikes; Scott was incredulous–“without a break?” I’m needing a rest after 10K. And yes, the elevation makes a big difference. The other day we did a long hard climb that took over 30 minutes. I heard someone’s tracker say ‘total distance, 1K”, but it felt like 3 at least.
Yes, mama is still around. I see her almost every day. She gets her “allowance” and I get my “I love you, papa.” One of the nicest routines in my life here…
When I did the 26K hike last weekend—in the rain and wind—my buddy JW insisted on resting several times. He’s experiencing foot pain that I don’t think he’s admitting to.* Were I hiking alone, yes, I’d go without a break for 26K. That’s really too short a distance to justify resting. And keep in mind the trails I walk are mostly level; I doubt I could hack what you guys do, especially in all the heat and humidity.
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*He was also wearing cotton socks on a rainy day. Idiot. Cotton is the worst for distance walking.
I did 21K yesterday. That includes my dog walk and the steps getting to the beginning of our group hike. After that hike, I “rested” at Dynamite Dicks before walking home and taking a nap. Later, I walked back into town and played darts which also involves some moving around. Anyway, no way I could do all that walking continuously.
Yeah, the hills are a different kind of challenge, but I’m more impressed with your marathon-like hikes.