My side of town

Swan’s developing love of hiking is getting a little scary. Will I be able to keep up with her? It seems like the more challenging the trail, the better she likes it. Yesterday, we took a climb up to the Kalaklan Ridge, then down into the Bantay Bayan village, and a long beach walk back to Barretto. There is no easy up to Kalaklan, but the path we took was one I’d taken a couple of years ago, and I remembered it being not so bad. I remembered wrong. It didn’t help that I missed the correct trail to the top, which made things even steeper and more challenging than they should have been. Swan’s response? “I love this hike!”

We started from here. I commented on that big brown house, and Swan told me a friend of hers lives there.
Steppin’ on up!
The way ahead
Into the woods
The wrong way to go
A home in the hills
Getting to the top was a sweet success
Easy going on the ridgeline
The view from here
Cookie kids
A trashy trail on the way down
The new road to Bantay Bayan is almost done
On the beach at last
That’s Barretto on the opposite shore
A lovely day on the bay
This way is not always passable when the tide is high
A deserted island. Maybe because of inflation?
The hardest part of the beach walk is overcoming some rock obstacles
She came, she saw, she conquered
Not so long (about 6K) but not so easy

On the way back home, I suggested to Swan that we stay in last night. Alas, I had forgotten my chelation appointment with Dr. Jo. So we headed back into town at the appointed hour. The injection went fine, and I discussed my downward blood pressure trend with the doctor. I’m not at a worrisome level, nor am I experiencing symptoms like dizziness or light-headedness. Dr. Jo suggested I reduce my blood pressure meds dosage by half, and we will see what impact that has. Lower BP is one positive aspect of chelation therapy. After this round is completed, I’ll get updated blood work to see if I’m improving in other areas, like blood sugar.

After leaving Dr. Jo, we decided to visit one of the newer places in town. I’d gone once when they first opened, but Swan had never been. We just don’t spend much time on this side of town when we are out, so we took advantage of being there.

A place we don’t normally hang out.

When we arrived, it was four o’clock, and they had literally just opened the door. We were the first and only customers. The inside hadn’t cooled off yet, so we sat on the outdoor balcony as we imbibed.

A nice enough highway view on the side of town that is closest to home but that we seldom see.

Once Swan had finished her wine, we moved down the highway to the Outback Resort pool bar, where Swan could enjoy some beach views.

As seen from our perch

And for your viewing enjoyment, here’s a three-minute video capturing the Outback vibe.

The dinner hour was fast approaching, so I asked Swan if she was up to cooking a batch of her spaghetti and meatballs at home. She agreed, and off we went. While Swan busied herself in the kitchen, I headed upstairs to The Rite Spot.

I arrived just in time to witness this
I liked what I was seeing
Nicely done, Mr. Sun
A sweet finish to the day

After a great plate of pasta and sauce, my sweet tooth cried out, “What about me?” So, I satiated its hunger with some ice cream. It was good—so good that I went back for seconds.

The good news is I’m out of ice cream now.

Facebook took me back in time to this day in history:

Fifteen years ago, I welcomed my nephew Justin on his first visit to Korea. He is still there.
Eight years ago, I was a tourist in Barretto, enjoying myself on the double-decked Blue Rock floating bar. It became my favorite after the move, but alas, it got washed ashore and destroyed during a freak storm a couple of years later.
One year ago, I was experiencing some severe breathing issues. Thankfully, I have now recovered.

Speaking of breathing, this meme I posted on Facebook yesterday caused some heavy sighs from friends who don’t have clear enough vision to see the world as I do, including the aforementioned nephew.

A bit harsher than I would have said it, but still true.
That’s pretty much how I roll

Today’s YouTube video comes from a vlogger I’ve never watched previously. He makes some valid points about living life on your terms and not listening to the naysayers. Yeah, I got a lot of my buckets out of order along the way, and I’d do some things differently if God grants me a do-over, but still, here and now, I am not unhappy with my life. And it ain’t over yet!

(is that ice cream in the background there to tempt me?)

Today’s lame humor attempt:

That’s what I’m talking about: rearranging those buckets!
Sometimes the truth hurts, Captain Prickhard
And what a way to go! (sorry about that “you’de,” which even I found irritating)

And so it goes on and on, and that’s just fine with me. I’ll be back!

6 thoughts on “My side of town

  1. Besides hiking, are there any other sports/activities Swan is into? I am sure you two would have loads of fun doing something like yoga together, too.

    Not sure how anyone can think Trump is doing anything good for America, but that’s the problem, isn’t it, and why we’re in such a dire state right now.

    Enjoy your weekend.

  2. Next time your harshest Hare, Vienna Sausage, makes a trail, you take the easy route and let Swan take the harder route. See who finishes first.

  3. I’m with Swan in that I like my hikes pretty challenging. Looks like it was a nice walk through some of your less traveled areas.

    Interesting (at least for me LOL) to see what foods make up your daily intake. Good on you for keeping your daily calorie count low, even with the beer intake.

  4. Brian, next time you are in the Philippines, we’ll get together for a hike.

    I post photos of some of my dinners (wait until you see what I had last night!), but most of what I eat are just stomach-fillers: salads, burger patties, etc.

  5. Devin, Swan loves to travel and we’ll be doing more of that together in the coming months.

    I’m not sure how anyone can think that Biden/Harris did anything good for America, but that problem has been resolved by the voters, and we are on the road to being great again.

    Everyday is the weekend when you are retired! Thanks for the comment.

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