I guess checking in after a year without posting is pretty pointless

First things first, Lulu is a lot more poodly than she used to be, primarily because I'm grooming her myself these days. I think she looks nice. More importantly, she's developed mad social skills. She likes people. They like her.

Still tucked away in the same isolated corner of the Midwest.

Got a second tattoo. For the record, ribs hurt. Don't do it, guys. Stick with the meaty areas, I'm telling you. That said, worth it. For anyone who's read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the relationship between pain and wishes is obvious. For everyone else, screw you - read the book. I can confirm that this sometimes seems to work in real-life and will say no more on the matter.

I still take nature pictures from time to time, but honestly, it's bloody hot here and the bugs are just unreal. I am hoping that autumn improves things somewhat.

That said, it is really difficult to go and do things with just the dog. She's not as into the wild as Gracie was. I feel guilty going places without Lulu, even with that in mind, because I know she'd rather be with me than at home on the couch.

Oh, yes, I should also mention that I replaced my half-dead Jeep Liberty with a used 2013 Subaru Outback in a very charming dark blue color. The make/model came highly recommended. Having car payments again...that makes me sad.

I might as well fess up. My weight is at an all time high. I have mixed feelings about that. I hate not having comfortable clothes. I hate what my family will say whenever I get around to visiting again. Otherwise, I don't really feel anything about it. I am trying to eat healthier, but not enough for weight loss purposes. That takes a special kind of motivation. Not really sure if I should even think that way anymore.

And I leave you with one of my favorite pictures so far this year - a remote lake shore at gloaming in early spring. One of the last grand outings with my best friend before he moved. Totes gorgeous.

Cooking lamb

I have cooked lamb before, but as part of a cassoulle type dish, so it wasn't front-and-center. Today, I actually am cooking an English cooking-inspired lamb shoulder and vegetables dish in the slowcooker. Happy Slowcooker Sunday!

Beforehand, I did some research on lamb. I had originally intended to marinate it overnight, but read in several places that lamb is so tender that a marinade can ruin the integrity of the meat. So I opted against marination.

Because I live in a small town in the Midwest, I didn't have the choice of cuts that I might have back home near Atlanta in an over-privileged suburban community. In fact, it was shoulder-steak or nothing. In a way, that made it easier.

Lamb has quite a bit of fat on it, and not knowing very much about the shoulder's origins, I opted to remove the fat pad thing and quite a bit of the other fatty bits. More on this later. After extensive handling, I understand why cultures that value cleanness also value lamb. Unlike handling chicken or pork, it has a nicer texture. I am not big on touching raw meat, but the lamb did not bother me in the least. It felt clean.

I couldn't determine the direction in which to cut the shoulder. The grain in beef is usually easy enough to find, although I'm a complete neophyte here, but the lamb was baffling. If it turns out that I did so badly as to render the lamb unchewable, I'll edit this post later.

The excess fat, shoulder bone, and a bit of attached meat are currently in the oven for the dog. She was very nice while I did my cooking and prep work, so I'm giving her the extras as her reward. Plus, yesterday was her birthday, and it wasn't a great one. I had to go into the 'office' for a half-day, so she spent more time alone than I wanted her to. Solution: lamb!

Anyway, the lamb is cooking and will be ready in about five hours.

I didn't work from a specific recipe, but rather read many recipes and noted the similarities, such as the inclusion of onion, garlic, and rosemary along with red wine. Potatoes and carrots are also popular. I added leeks and celery, along with black pepper and a hint of thyme.

I don't keep alcohol in the house on account of my ex and still being messed up and angry about that, but I found a sweet onion and burgundy flavor pack. I tasted it before adding and found the flavor pretty wonderful. We shall see.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but the lighting in my kitchen is terrible right now.

Update!

Let's see...since my unplanned hiatus I have:

1. Finished graduate school
2. Uncoupled and lost my shepherd
3. Got a smaller dog
4. Got a new job in my field
5. Moved 500 miles away
6. Got a very small tattoo

What does any of that mean for this blog?

I don't know yet, but I feel like writing and posting pictures again.

Anyway, don't expect me to name the city I'm living in these days. I want to keep that as much on the QT as possible. See #2 above and let your imagination run wild, kids. You won't be far off.

Spring is on its way. Expect pictures. Hope for ranting, if you dare.

Thanks for all the visits during the unscheduled break in programming!

For the loss - first sunburn of the season

Somehow, I managed to get a wicked neck-arm sunburn at the dog park today. Yes, even though it is in fact only just March.

Ouch.

I also had the great displeasure of seeing a large mixed breed mongrel dog absolutely maul a very, very tiny Corgi puppy. The owner of the big dog did NOTHING. Only an English bulldog and her owner managed to save the puppy. I hope the little Corgi is okay...but I really don't know.

At least one person got bit. :(

Gracie, unlike many other dogs, watched from a safe distance of about twenty feet or so.

Like a Bad Neighbor

I have a ton of things I would rather post about, including the Winter Olympics, local restaurants, and of course, my dog; however, here I am, stuck writing an unpleasant sort of post about the place I live and the people there.

Tangentially, this is about my dog. As a puppy of about 8.5 weeks old, she ran up to my neighbor's shrew wife, barking her head off, after jumping out of the car and darting away from me. Gracie is nothing if not enthusiastic and people-oriented. My neighbors threw a huge bitch-fit about being scared of dogs. I have sympathy for people who are scared of dogs. I was one of them for the first three decades of my life! But even at my worst, I was never scared of puppies. Seriously, people, a puppy? Actually, I doubt they are afraid of dogs at all, but are rather disapproving of something else...

Anyway, that was right at two years ago now. I do my best to keep her on a leash, even if it is a bit longer than the oh-so traditional six-footer. My partner is has at times been markedly less compliant in this, primarily in the name of training, recall, and exercise. He wants her to learn. I would rather him consider where we are.

My neighbor has repeatedly accused us of allowing Gracie into his yard. Other than a couple loose-puppy forays, all well over a year and a half ago now, that's a lie. We do have several roving dogs in the neighborhood - an American bulldog, two medium-sized pitbulls, and a pit-Labrador (pitador) mix - but Gracie doesn't go toward their yard even when she does manage to seize a few minutes of freedom from her too-trusting handlers. She heads for the woods where the deer are, more often than not dragging her leash behind her (and laughing, I'm sure). End of story.

Several months ago my partner had a clash with the neighbor about some Sunday evening yard noise, which ended with the neighbor hurling some racist slurs at my partner and calling the police to report our dog for trespassing - again, like I said, he's a liar and I would print his name if only I knew it for sure.

Early this evening, we had Gracie tethered at the back door for about ten minutes because we both got in too late this afternoon to take her anywhere to play or go on a long walk. She barked a couple times, so partner stepped out. Dickhead next door was standing at the property line with his cell phone, recording her. We think he must have done something to antagonize her, as Gracie isn't a huge barker, except in the car. We also saw him outside at the curb in front of our house, taking pictures or recording, about twenty minutes later.

Now, here's something really odd. One day this week - either Tuesday or Wednesday, I think - something upset Gracie enough for her to paw at the front blinds. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out when we aren't home, so I'm wondering if the neighbor came into the yard or maybe even peered in through our windows. But if so, why? We have a great security system, for which Gracie is an adequate back-up, and no obvious signs of undue affluence. It's a poorer neighbor with periodic crime issues. What would have been the motive? She was still very upset when partner got home.

I can't prove the guy next door did anything. It's only our word against his for the filming and pictures. I could quietly file a report, or I could in a decent area, but I'm not sure about here. Partner is mega-upset, but after dealing with the police last time, their treatment has made him reluctant to go to them for assistance, especially given the racial issues at play in our neighborhood and community as a whole.

The reason I'm posting this is primarily to have some record of our concerns in case the neighbor does anything rash. I don't know that it would ever be found, if we were killed or something, but the Internet has long been the repository of everything. Let it keep this account too.

Advice is welcome.

The less fun side of winter

I live south of Atlanta, so not surprisingly I'm without power right now and have been for about 13 hours. Except for 20 minutes of power in the mid afternoon. Thanks for that, GA power, for that false hope. Partner cooked dinner in the fireplace. We raided every closet for spare blankets. If not for our dog, we would have gone to a hotel. Not many pet friendly options out there.

It isn't exactly the kind of fun we had two weeks ago.

We're sleeping downstairs with the dog tonight.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

I don't know if our little bitty snow storm made news outside the area, but in Georgia 2 - 3 inches is a huge deal. I was sent home from work at 1:45 and partner couldn't finish his business out there and ended up taking two hours to drive seven miles! This is what it looked like near the woods behind the house. Not too shabby, but still...not exactly epic, right?

Gracie loved it! She had never seen more than a few errant flakes before. She totally digs the snow, despite greeting it with a warning growl at first. Plus the cold doesn't seem to phase her at all, but then, she was bred for the weather of central Europe, including some of its more elevated areas. 

She especially enjoyed rolling in the snow and then shaking it off her coat. I wish she had held still a bit more, so I could get some cute greeting card shots for next Christmas, but she's a puppy and never holds still for anything. Ever.

I'm so glad she got to have this experience. Not every dog lives long enough to see this sort of snowfall in our part of Georgia.

Lucky girl.

Out in Nature - Trip to Morgan Grove

Despite the high today only reaching about 47F, we ventured out to give the dog some outdoor time and made our first trip to one of the newest parks around here - Morgan Grove. It's located just south of Fayetteville. The site is actually very primitive - gravel entrance and parking, unimproved trails, etc. - but really neat too.



The picture to the left and below here are of the meadow, taken from the trail, which is only about a mile, round trip, including the loop down to the creek and back up. Today, it was cold enough for the creek to have a skin of ice on it (not pictured), but with the sun and the native plants blocking the wind, it wasn't too bad.

I'm certain I'm allergic to everything in these fields, but the pines.





 The trail itself was a mixture of sand, mud, rocks, moss, and low grass/weeds, making it a little treacherous because of muddy and slippery areas, but still easier walking by far than Line Creek Nature Area. Hint: no exposed roots.

 At a couple points, the trail had been blocked by fallen limbs and an actual fallen pine tree of some significant size and dimension that hopefully the Rec Department will move soon, unless they're leaving it for Southern Conservation Trust to handle.

I would like to post some images of spring in a couple months, but I might need a nudge to remember to do that.

Gracie had an especially nice time, although she did attract the attention of two gigantic dogs who apparently live at the house adjacent the park. One looked to be an American Bulldog mix. The other was partly shepherd, but with a friendly-tipped left ear. They didn't come after her or us, but they made us think.

Good times!

Happy Birthday, Gracie

This really squidgy pic is of Gracie with her new toy.

My puppy turned two years old today, according to her AKC papers. Technically, she's an adult dog, but she's still so funny and puppy-ish. When I got her, she was a bit larger than a football and cried all the time. Now, she's the size of a small wolf and only cries in the car.

For her birthday, Gracie got the following:

• A stuffed doggy from Goodwill (pictured)
• Salmon flavored treats
• A long visit to the dog park
• The middle spot on the couch

I think she did okay, all things considered. Partner also gave her extra food at dinner time, which she does not really need because of her alarming weight gain, but I'm not saying anything. I just don't have it in me right now. She has some cantaloupe in the fridge that we forgot about. I think it will keep until tomorrow or so.

As I've said, Gracie is my first dog. Every milestone is completely new to me and I love them. She is the best dog.

Pudgy Puppy

I think most people have seen pictures of Gracie and realize she's slightly chunky for a two-year-old purebred German Shepherd Dog.

Her second birthday is Friday, btw.

I want to go on the record about this.

When I was her primary caregiver, she ate measured kibble in a bowl with clean water on the side. She got a dental bone one per week for her teeth, weight appropriate size. She received training treats during training. Once or twice per week she got a little cheese, meat, or a couple almonds to taste.

Now that partner feeds her, she gets...

• Kibble
• Cooked chicken
• Cooked liver
• Cooked pork shoulder
• Leftover meat
• Crab
• Cheese
• Salami
• Doggy ice cream
• At least five raw hide sticks
• Dog treats
• Butcher's bone

Yes, she can get all of that in a single day, except usually it's only two of the cooked meats, not all three.

This is why she's getting too fat. Plus, I'm having trouble taking her walking as much as I did because of the weather/season. She's over fed, over loved, sedentary dog!

Part of me wants to be in charge of her feeding again, but partner would not be amenable to kibble-only for our precious dog-daughter.

Our fat dog-daughter.

What to do with days off

We all get too few of them. I admit to getting more than most. But seriously, do the majority of people prefer using days off for couch-sitting rather than doing things they enjoy or even just getting out of the house?

My dog Gracie and I prefer getting out and doing things together. At the top of her list: going to the dog park. At the top of my list: long walks through unfamiliar trails with her and my cell phone camera. We have some overlap there. Truthfully, she gets more out of the long walks, but the dog park is good for her dog-dog social skills. She needs that. Her dog-human social skills get honed best at Petsmart or through serendipitous encounters, like at Thanksgiving yesterday.

So number one on my list is probably number two on hers, but she's pretty gracious about letting me take the lead in choosing our activities. Heck, she doesn't even mind just going for car rides with me to run errands. She likes doing that, although not as much as the park or walking.

Sitting around the house...that wears on both of us, although I don't know who gets stir-crazy worse. I think, her, but I have more ways of expressing it.

Now, other people in our family view going out to the park, walking, and errand running as no different from going to work.

Did the world just go pear-shaped and weird for you too? Did it? DID IT?

Because that's how I feel when it is suggested to me that a day off is only a real day off if it's spent on the couch from dawn until dusk, without only interruptions for pee-breaks and to acquire food. That's right. It's a dichotomy. Either couch or work. No other states exist. No, not even sleep, because you need sleep in order work (not to live or feel good ... FYI).

I understand not wanting to rush from one activity to another. Frantic pace, not so much me. Full life? Most def! But I cannot understand believing that the only activity suitable for a day off is couch sitting. Especially not in nice terrific weather. Especially not when other activities are handily available, cheap, and ... just there. You know?

I would rather grocery shop or go to the post office than couch-sit during daylight hours. At night? Sure, the couch is a great place to end the day, not spend the day.

To each their own, right? But still, can't we at least agree that going for a long walk through nice scenery with a beloved pet is not the same as being on the job? That doing something with her (and me...ahem) is better than that?

Whew...made it!

So Thanksgiving Eve was a little hairy and miserable, but Thanksgiving Day shaped up pretty darn nicely.

My partner and I took the dog with us to both gatherings. She was a huge hit. Stellar manners and sweet to everyone. Poster child for German Shepherds as familial companions. For the win!

The peeps were very welcoming. No politics, no religion, no drug use, no fighting, no drama, just...cool. I would most definitely do this again. Even the drive to Cobb was pleasant. The sunset coming back...magnificent!

Partner is dead on the couch listening to football now.

Tomorrow, the question is: to shop or not to shop? My family draws names for gifts. It's supposed to be secret, who got whose name, but I already know three. I got one of my gorgeous twin step-sisters. helpme

Another long walk

Today, Gracie and I conquered another 4.6 miles of cart path, enjoying the cool, although sadly cloudy weather. I love overcast days myself, but they make for lackluster photographs, particularly of the autumn, which needs direct sunlight to sell its superiority over summer and spring to misguided lovers of those seasons.

Would be even prettier with a blue sky, preferably dotted
with fluffy clouds.

Rockspray Park is actually not one of the best. It needs some lovin' from somebody. I don't know who...but it's still nice after walking for an hour on trails behind people's houses.

The best part is the bridge (not pictured), but even that needs a spit-polish. I wish I had had more time to walk around the pond, but that's something for another day. Right?

Gracie had a very nice time today, but instead of still having energy at the end of the day, she was completely exhausted. I wonder what makes the difference? We walked over six miles last time. Today, not even five. She carried less weight today too.

Oh, I also encountered my first lost person in the path system today. I use my phone for path maps, so I'm forever checking it in new territory. I actually gave the person decent enough directions for them to reach the Kroger - spotted them there when we got back to the car. Hee!

You too can go walking

I know I post a lot about the treks I take through woodsy suburbia with and without my dog. For one thing, I like posting the pictures and bragging about how far I went on my various excursions. Not cool, I know, but I get some satisfaction there.

Anyway, the area I live in or near is pretty special to me, but it isn't special in the sense of being singular or unique.

If you live in a neighborhood with sidewalks, you actually have a good area for walking, even if it isn't as nature-filled or dog-safe (hullo, cars!).

If not, I encourage you to visit your county parks and recs website to check out places you can walk intended for that purpose. You might be surprised. If you live near a neighboring, non-hostile county, I recommend checking their resources too. My county has no parks to speak of. No safe parks period. But the county where I was born and where I work has some serious acreage designated as recreational space, including well-maintained trails with restrooms.

Also, you might want to try Google Earth and http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ to find less official walking trails and pathways to enjoy. Just zoom down and start looking for things that are not roads. Or for roads with sidewalks. I use Gmap to plan some of my outings, especially those going into unfamiliar territory.

You never know what you might find in terms of scenery and special places.

If you're willing to drive, try looking into your local or semi-local state parks. I'm too faraway from mine, but if I could get to one in 30 minutes or less, I would be there once a month, at least, weather-permitting.


And if at all possible, remember to take only photographs and leave only paw prints.

10k course with dog

Gracie and I walked the PTC Running Club 10k course this afternoon. Our time was 2 hours, 3 minutes, including a couple breaks for water, photography, and phone calls. We also ran together for a bit to make up lost time. I think we did pretty good overall.

The weather today was really excellent for long-distance walking. The wasn't much over 60, and the sun was out most of the time - no sweating and no shivering. Hey, who doesn't like to be comfortable, right?

The foliage was still good, especially at Luther Glass Park. Glance at the picture. That's some pretty vivid yellow for mid-November. Totally raw, not at all 'shopped.

The lakeshore pictures were too dark to bother posting. I hate the early loss of light in winter. We should save us some daylight year round, in my opinion.


BTW, I opted against the control collar for Gracie this afternoon because she's been good lately and because I didn't wanted to carry her water. That's right. I put my dog in a doggy backpack, and she carried two bottles of water, her control collar (just in case), and my glucose tablets. Probably about 3lbs of weight or less. Convention says that a dog can easily carry 10% of her/his weight. She didn't seem to mind at all.

The backpack is a Kurgo that I got from Amazon in hopes of bringing out her working-dog genes - she's descended from police dogs and cadaver dogs - and honestly, I think the pack did give her extra focus. The fit was very good, although it took a couple tries to get everything tight and even. Well worth the effort. I think passersby got some amusement from it too.

That was farther than I thought

I had the day off on use-it-or-lose-it leave today, so I decided to take my puppy on a nice long walk on the cart paths. We decided to hit the path system at its eastern-most point, because I had other errands to run, few of which got done. Unfortunately, construction blocked the intended route and instead of walking about 1.5 miles, maybe closer to 2 miles, Gracie and I walked 4.58 miles according to my Fitbit, including 33 stories in upward elevation change.

Needless to say, she's asleep right now, twitching in front of the roaring fireplace. I'm reaching for the Aleeve myself.

I just couldn't double-back. I guess it's a form of navigational stubbornness, similar to men not asking directions, but I can't retrace my steps on a walk. I have to make a circle. And what a circle that was!

I wish I had pictures, but the scenery was mostly horrible, except for the enormous houses, and it would have been creepy to photograph those.

Next time, I think I'll plan my route more carefully, to avoid construction, and to avoid constantly using my phone to navigate. I'm sure I looked like a tool checking it every half-mile or so.

Tomorrow, we may go to the park and walk the trail, which is a one-mile loop. :)

Another post about dog rescuing

You may remember this post from when I first started blogging and people belittled me and gave me a hard time about owning a non-rescue dog.

I ran into someone last week, maybe last Saturday, who had a very similar experience to mine while dealing with the same local humane society. It's the one for Clayton County, Georgia. I don't mind saying that now that I know they dump on other people too and not just me. I'd link, but I doubt they have a website.

Anyway, the rescuer experienced the same excoriating grilling that I also endured, but since she was an experienced dog owner, they didn't kick her to the curb or offer her only geriatric or sick animals for adoption. In fact, she found the dog she wanted there! That's actually awesome for the dog, regardless of how I feel about the group. However, in order to get the dog, she had to tear down her fence and built one more to their liking, despite the fact that the small dog in question could no more have gotten out, from what she described, than it could have sprouted wings!

You heard that right. To rescue a dog, someone actually had to do an unnecessary major construction/renovation project. That's quite simply fucked up.

I'm adding this to the list of reasons why I hate rescues. I am clearly not as nice as the rescuer in this scenario. If I already had a fenced yard that I felt could safely contain a dog, I would have walked before letting some evil-ass hairdo at an animal rescue bully me into tearing it down and building another, probably more expensive, one.

My dog has grown up without the advantages of a fence, unfortunately, but she goes out on leash or tether, but of course, my girl is a purebred.

This is the look that Gracie gives me when I tell her how rescue groups treat people who want to give homes to less fortunate dogs.


Actually...just in case anyone gets the wrong idea, she is in middle of sneezing. We're both keenly allergic to ragweed and I just happened to be taking a picture.

Gracie's Day

I have alternating Fridays off, thanks to a pretty sweet work schedule, so instead of doing my errands alone today, I took the dog with me for about four hours of riding around. It was under 70 today, so I promise it was not inhumane. She had water and stuff to keep her attention- mainly passersby from whom she guarded the car. Good girl.

Starting out, she thought we were going to the distant dog park, but when I began making unfamiliar turns, she only howled with anxiety for maybe five minutes (straight) before accepting her lot in life and settling down.

When I came back from the pharmacy, I found that she had taken over the passenger seat, normally reserved for my purse and phone. I let her ride there until we got to the next pharmacy. Try being a diabetic who still uses syringes and likes a particular gauge, needle-length, capacity, and brand, then tell me how many pharmacies you visit. That's what I thought.

Unfortunately, Gracie blocked my view too much to ride up front, so she was banished to the backseat again.

We stopped for a potty break, during which I heard a youngish girl ask her mother my favorite Gracie-related question, Mommy, is that a WOLF?

Gracie does not have the traditional black-saddle of the German Shepherd Dog, owing that she is from three-quarters working lines, which valued a straight back and killer brain over mere coat coloration. She is not a) part wolf or b) unfit for the show ring. I'm unfit for the show ring. She's awesome.

After that, we went to the grocery stores and met up with her daddy at Petsmart. She was pretty tired just from being awake so long in the middle of the day, so she was very sociable and if not calm, not bad enough to draw commentary.

She ended the day with an upfront ride with daddy, who lets the window down way too far.

Every so often, she'd look back at me, following them, and grin.

Riding in cars with dogs

Or at least with my dog.

Gracie started out in life with pervasive carsickness during trips lasting more than twenty minutes. She could go to the park, Petsmart, and a few other places. She could go to the vet's office (I was a good mommy), but she always tossed her doggy biscuits on the way back.

Fast forward to adolescence...the carsickness ended, giving way to car-excitement.

When my partner and I take her to (or just toward) the dog park, she whines and carries on like she's going to Disney and we're driving too slow!

This past weekend, or rather yesterday, if you will, we were taking a family trip to the dog park, about half an hour away with church traffic.

This is new, by the way - what I'm about to describe is a first time thing that I hope to curtail for the safety of us and others.

Once we got close...she flung herself into the front seat of the Jeep with my partner (driving) and me. She ... please believe me ... let down my window and proceeded to attempt to jump out of the car. I had both arms wrapped around all 82 lbs. of her. The driver got the window back up. I tried to settle her in the floor board.

She lunged for the controls again, this time lowering his window, but only slightly, and scrambled like mad from my feet/lap to his! He pushed, I pulled, she barked and whined and chortled like a mad thing at the top of her doggy lungs!

My window started going down again! I held her almost in a head lock until he could park the car.

Clearly, we must address this behavior, but my partner does not want to crate her in the car. I would do anything short of duck taping her at this point, because that was hilarious, but...also kind of scary.

If you want to see her, go here and look for Gracie.

Happy Saturday

Today, we took the dog to Lake Horton for a nice long walk and a little unauthorized swimming. She enjoyed both, but neither so much as her collar-slipping, fence-dive to take a closer look at two very large horses. Scary for me and the partner, terribly exciting for the dog.

She got underneath the fence without us noticing and in the struggle to get her back she managed to slip out of a KONG Adjustable Dog Harness that I've always considered pretty secure. Then she looked us on the wrong side of the fence, laughed doggily, and made a swift beeline for the horses. I was torn between worrying she'd be stamped and worrying she'd come back with a mouthful of horse meat. She is a German Shepherd, from working lines, after all.

Thankfully, neither of those things happened. Instead, she stared at the bigger horse for a minute, sniffed from a respectful distance, and raced back to us. She returned beneath the fence of her own accord. Whew...

That was the adventure for today. The weather was perfect.