Saturday, August 20, 2011

Interlude

Some people might recognize the detail of the beautiful heirloom tomato I purchased this morning at the Farmers' Market. I couldn't help myself, but this closeup of the almost two-pound tomato was so beautiful I couldn't resist sharing it with you. Here's the whole thing:
I have no idea whether it will taste as good as it looks, but it is truly a work of art, don't you think? This is one of those days when I can bask in the smiles and sunshine that greet my eye everywhere I look. After reading the news and checking the weather this morning, I headed to the ferry terminal to walk with the Fairhaven Walkers Group along the trails in south Bellingham (also known as Fairhaven). My legs needed a little bit of exercise to work out the kinks remaining from Thursday's hike. That was what I was hoping for, anyway. I'm still quite sore.

I forgot to tell you about a funny thing that happened on our Welcome Pass hike. Since the 67 switchbacks were challenging for five of us, Fred and Mike went on ahead (armed with walkie talkies to keep us connected) and charged up while the rest of us trudged more slowly. They ran into another hiker who was heading down, and he said, "Hey, it's the Senior Trailblazers. You're Fred." He was nowhere near old enough to be known to us by age; he told them that he reads this blog. Fred said that I was behind them with the others, and if he wanted to surprise me, he could call me by name when he saw us coming up the trail. And that's exactly what he did. After a few moments of confusion (do I know you?), we chatted briefly. I didn't think to ask him where he heard about the blog, but he found it somewhere and made my day. (Dave, say hello in the comments if you feel like it, and welcome!)

After the morning walk and a quick trip to the market, I headed over to the Y to swim a half mile. The pool is open again after having been emptied, painted, and filled with fresh clear water. The difference is astounding. Since I started using the pool in April, I didn't have any idea how nice the water could be. After a shower and noticing more smiling faces, I am now home and writing a post. This interlude of a wonderful day, filled with perfect weather (it's 76 degrees and still sunny), a blog post written in a very grateful frame of mind... it's hard to ask for much more.

However, in an hour or so I'm heading off to the movies with my friend Judy to see "The Help." Tomorrow I'll spend in Snohomish jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. Not to mention the good friends I have made here in the blogosphere. The depth and breadth of my life these days fills me with several magnitudes of thankfulness.
:-)

26 comments:

  1. Great story! Hi Dave, I hope you do post a comment.

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  2. I want to hear your opinion of the movie The Help. We were thinking of going.

    Fun to meet someone on a hiking trail who reads your blog. Life is full of little adventures and you are so much fun for sharing with us.

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  3. It is amazing the sense of community that exists here in the blogosphere. It enriches my life. Hope your residual soreness eases off quickly.

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  4. Hope your Dave says Hi..you are getting to be a famous blogger/hiker/jumping out of planes gal.

    That is one interesting tomato..uneven watering...I hope it tastes ok:)

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  5. nice...bet you will love The Help...and how cool to run into a reader...that is awesome!

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  6. You live such an exciting life and it sounds like you love almost every minute of it. I hope the tomato is yummy.. and that you enjoy the movie. You're a famous blogging star now. Hi, Dave!

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  7. What a lovely life you lead, DJan. Congratulations on many levels.

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  8. DJan,
    Hi, it's Dave from Welcome Pass. Thursday was my fourth trip up Welcome Pass since the beginning of August. I learned about your blog when I was doing a google search on a hiking trail. I always enjoy reading your trail reports and looking at your pictures. I'm impressed by the great hikes that your group does every week. I look forward to joining the Senior Trailblazers in the not too distant future.

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  9. Yeah, Dave! What fun for you, Jan to run across a fellow hiker who reads your blog! "Serendipity" at its best, the Universe in action. I love it. Hope you have fun jumping out of "perfectly good airplanes."

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  10. Meeting a blog reader on the trail is quite a story! That is just too cool.

    You are a breath of fresh air with every post. Enjoy the movie. I'll be interested to know what you think of it.

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  11. It is such fun to meet someone you don't know that reads your blog because they want to and not because they feel like they should as family and friends.

    Jan, I so admire you for making such an interesting life. In retirement.

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  12. Busy is the way to be. I'm surprised they sell tomatoes like that. Some of mine are that way . They taste every bit as good as the ones with no marks on the skin. Have a great day tomorrow jumping from the airplanes.

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  13. I've never seen a tomato like that. Your photos definitely make it look artistic.
    I will also be waiting to read your review of the movie. It sure sounds like a lot of fun.

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  14. Those heirloom tomatoes look so weird but they taste so good! What a great story. And how shocking to run into someone on the trail. Do you think that he will follow you on the plane though?? Dave? What do you think? Up for a jump out of a perfectly good airplane? Me either!!!

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  15. Sometimes the lack of water causes tomatoes to look like this. Too much water will turn them black in spots. I would guess it will turn out to be a good tasting tomato.

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  16. Nothing beats the artwork found in nature. It almost looks like someone decorated the tomato with jewelry. Such a fascinating life you live.

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  17. Saucy here - HI DAVE from Atlantic Canada - WOW, OMGOLLY HUGE tomato - u will have to let us know how it tastes. Great to meet a reader - that's gotta make ur day - and your day sounded BLISSFUL - thanks for sharing - GREAT POST !

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  18. That tomatoe is beautiful and yes, truly a work of art. How exciting to meet someone on your Hike. You must have been really chuffed with that!

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  19. Your gratitude and gorgeous writing have just made my nearly perfect summer Sunday even better. I love that you met a fan on one of your trails.

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  20. There is NOTHING like a sunny summer day in the Pacific Northwest! Hope your jumps were glorious.

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  21. Wow, this tomato looks like something grown in Findhorn, Scotland. Two pounds?!

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  22. Love the encounter with your blog reader! I have lunch with former school colleagues every month or so, and I'm always taken aback when, in telling about something, one of them will say "I know. I read it on your blog." They never leave comments, so I had no idea. I guess we never know where we might have an impact.
    I got me with the first tomato pic, but sure, when i see the whole thing, it's very familiar. Hope it tastes yummy.
    I love it that you are so content.

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  23. I recognized the heirloom tomato the second I saw it on my dashboard. I'll bet it was delicious1

    How cool to run into a blog reader on the trail. That is amazing and what a surprise you must have had.

    Hope you enjoyed the movie.

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  24. Ohhh, food photography! About time you got some of that on here! That's what I'm talking about! :) I've never tried one of those tomatoes, but now I want to! Next time I visit the market I'll grab one, and think of you!

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  25. talk about a random encounter atop a mountain! FUN!!! :o)

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