Traveling Again

Terry and I hadn't been to Montreal since before the pandemic - even though it's only a two-hour drive away. 

(From 2020 till 2022, our road trips were in the opposite direction - to south-western Ontario, to visit children and grandchildren.)

Even those trips were filled with apprehension... Would we get COVID en route?!

So our recent visit to Montreal, last weekend, was a real treat. So much had changed. 

Look! A new elevated light-rail track! Terry was thrilled... Look! The  new Champlain Bridge!

It was different! But I felt nostalgic for the OLD Champlain Bridge - the one I had crossed daily to go to work - for almost four years - when we were living in Montreal and I worked in St. Jean.

It's apparently being demolished.

Hmmm. Yet the much older Victoria Bridge, another bridge that crosses the St. Lawrence River - not that far away - is still in use. 

The first Champlain Bridge opened in 1962 and was taken out of service 57 years later in 2019. The Victoria Bridge opened 100 years EARLIER, in 1860 - and it's STILL in use.

(What does that say about our progress in bridge building?!)

Virtual Challenges = More Walking

I've been mall walking for a while now - ever since since shopping centres reopened after being closed for a while at the beginning of the pandemic. My goal has been to take 10,000 steps a day. My phone has an app that counts my steps. Using the app has resulted in my taking my phone with me wherever I go - even in the house.

To make it more interesting, last spring I began following hiking paths in different parts of the world on Google maps as I walked (virtually) by charting my course, step by step, on the map... Basically pretending I'm there!

I thought it might make me feel as if I were travelling again - seeing new scenery.

What I wasn't expecting was that it would actually INCREASE THE AMOUNT I walk daily... But it apparently has, without my realizing it.

This summary popped up on my walking app a few days ago - the app that counts my steps when I have the phone in my pocket. I'm very surprised that almost immediately there was a significant increase in the amount I walk - hopefully not just because I'm carrying the phone in my pocket more - although that is also a possibility!

Healthy Aging: 8 Habits

I recently came across this CNBC article on healthy aging...

I was curious to see if I practiced any of this elderly physician's 8 "non-negotiables."

1. He takes an early morning walk at 5 am, aiming for 7,000 steps. 

I walk in the mall in the morning, but not that early. I'm happy if I exceed 5,000 steps by the time I'm done. I'll do more later in the course of the day.

2. He does intentional exercises and stretches, different ones every day, depending on what he feels he needs.

I do hand stretches to avoid pain from crochet and knitting but I could and should do more exercises to improve my balance.

3. The 95-year-old retired cardiologist then takes out his laptop to connect with family members via social media. 

I do some of that, but less that I used to, probably because my children and grandchildren now live nearby.

4. He writes his thoughts, feelings and experiences in his daily blog.

Yup! I do that, too!

5. He takes time for art, drawing a self portrait every day.

Hmmm! I never thought of doing that...

6. He is open to learning new hobbies - like music and gardening.

I recently started doing word puzzles like Quordle.

7. He takes multiple naps.

I often take one, mid-afternoon.

8. He eats indulgent meals - meat, cheese, wine , as well as vegetables.

I try to limit indulgent meals to special occasions. 

Knitting 🧶 Dilemma

I'm knitting a sweater in one piece. As I reach the halfway point, I'm facing a dilemma...

I notice that a small patch, several inches back,  looks flawed. The yarn seems to be thinner there. Will it be strong enough? Not sure how that happened...

Do I unravel several inches and redo it, cutting out yarn that is thin?

Or do I try to mend it (hopefully invisibly) once the sweater's done?

(It's was a difficult choice - but in the end I unraveled it....) Unraveling is a painful but necessary part of many of my knitting projects!

Another Benefit...

Most mornings I walk for an hour in a large, bright shopping centre. 

The ambiance is lovely!

I was recently reminded of another benefit of walking in this beautiful temperature-controlled environment ...

Mall security is vigilant. In case of a medical emergency, they're there to call an ambulance if needed. I write this after watching a young person, with braces on his legs, leave on a stretcher. He probably had s pre-existing medical condition. But the event reminded me that health issues plague all age groups - not just seniors.

Good to have medical help around.

Virtual Adventures

I'm currently walking the 700-plus kilometre Camino de Santiago - a path I've wanted to hike for years.

I'm getting close to the end - as I transfer my daily walking to a map of the Camino path.

I may be missing out on some aspects of the REAL  experience - carrying a knapsack, the sweaty heat, the pebbles on the path... But I do still see much of the scenery.

I don't t expect to ever have the opportunity to do the real walk at this point in my life...

Much like this mother - another virtual walker - who missed out on a vacation trip with her son to Yellowstone Park because of Covid. So she walked the park virtually (with a cardboard cutout of her son's face)!

Whatever our reason for doing it, it's fun!

Sleepover Adventures

When grandkids come for a sleepover, you never know what will happen!

This was Jericho's first time accompanying his sister.

He and I went for a walk before bedtime and came across a surprise "treasure"... a table of free things, left over from a neighbourhood garage sale. 

We each picked a free "gift."

The next morning, we made paper boats (that soon absorbed water and sank). 

The adventure of trying to keep the boats afloat made the game exciting! 

Ivy decorated our house - and her hair - with flower petals...

Terry's memorable weekend moment came at 4 AM, while the kids and I were sound asleep upstairs. He awoke because the smoke alarm was ringing. He started waving a towel vigorously under the smoke detector when it dawned on him that the noise was, in fact, NOT coming from the smoke alarm. Following the sound, he discovered that someone had inadvertently set the alarm clock!

So back to bed he went.

An adventure for us all!