Swimming with Friends

        It's been a wonderful season...had to heal from double TKR 🦵🏼 in March before returning to the water in May...no problem! A Swedish Fish back in the Water!!  Pool swims first were glorious, sunlight streamed through the windows to welcome my return...healing waters. Because of the virus, we were all so aware to be careful. One person per lane...love it! Reservations!! How cool, you know you will have a lane! 

        Flowing through the water, embracing the feeling of it's embrace...extending my joints and relaxing my whole body, supported by the steady stream... I'm in love again....

Onto open water...can I? should I? of course! June brought me back to the Lake....OH how I missed this!

Water

Touch my feet, legs

Cool splash, feel it!  Arms, face, chest

Dive,,, start the engine...

Is there anything more wonderful?.....I will find it.

Made a new swimming friend this season Taught them to enjoy the water,,,hope is works for them!

October...back to the pool. Swimming with friends. 

New folk Art!! Needle Felting

Happened upon a Knitting and Spinning Exhibit at Ace Hotel a few weeks ago...who knew?? It was happy hour!Many friendly vendors who were generous... got loads of swag! Even a pink sheep pen!
I was hooked!! LOL. Dropped some coin too....  a bag of 'Rove' yarn (dyed wool before it is spun into yarn) and I was off...felting. First project: pumpkins! Purchased a kit from Cupid Falls Farm.

Watched a tutorial (it's not a piece of cake!!) and made two pumpkins which I took to a visit to my SiL for
 T'giving. They were a hit!!

Onto Winter....and more felting! Give it a try...but be forward...don't take your

eye off your work or you may have a new pierced finger!!

First Quarter....Down on The Beach, Oakaloosa Island

The earth gave us a cool 2014 summer, thankfully I'm not a hot weather lover...However, Last January when George and I escaped to Florida I was looking for a month of warmth.  When we left it was -12 on the car digital thermometer.  Time to get out of Dodge...er Pittsburgh, that is.

Found a deer antler on a snowy January trail run in North Park...

Taylor Swift provides artistic outlet for young visitors at the Country Music HoF

Stopped in Nashville for a couple days to ease into vacation, and avoid that awful southern snowstorm in Georgia.. got a Jack White fix along with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame!  Hello Reeba and Johnny!  Taylor Swift, PA native, has a cool exhibit for school children who visit the museum.

Cool cars for the Country Music stars!

Jack White's studio parking

Sunset over Oakaloosa!

We got over feeling guilty   leaving our friends and family in the deep freeze (in about a minute) and began our early training adventure shortly after arriving in Oakaloosa Island.

View of the Gulf of Mexico...'Emerald Island' appropriately named!

First on the racing docket, The Double Bridge 15K Run in Pensacola for George. He makes it look so EZ, although I know better. Train hard, race harder is his motto!  Second year in a row he won the Senior Grand Master's...go George!!  The race was followed up with beans and rice!! We had arrived!!

My racing season started a few weeks later at the Bluewater Bay Duathlon.  Run, bike, run!!  What a great race, followed by... beans and rice! A beautiful setting too! Took an AG award, and started my season off with a bang. Met some sweet Emerald City Triathlon Club folks too.  Hope to go back to do some OW swimming with them soon.

Off to a chilly start on the first run!

Back at the ranch for breakfast on the balcony, daily!  What a life.  So thankful for this change of scenery... and the opportunity to get some early season training in!  Hope it pays off... stay tuned!

Down on the beach at Oakaloosa Island!