Sunday

August 13, 2000

"To a great experience one thing is essential, an experiencing nature."

Bagehot

No covenant violations, I trust, Looks like a jigsaw puzzle to me.

A long protected trail without motorized vehicles seems like a good idea even if it is a little, well, boring.

"This game is really easy," Jack says. "And it will be even easier when I learn to sit up and walk and stuff."

Meta: I may be a little erratic in updating for the next few weeks.

This walking each day for two hours or so is a major good deal. I am very ready to do it again. Yesterday, when we headed out for one of our excursions, my brother-in-law measured the distance down the hiking trail to a particular corner with the van's odometer. It was 1.7 miles. He says there is a coffee shop in the grocery store at the corner.

So I head out. Dad walks a bit of the way and then turns around. The trail is bounded by a busy street (Platte Canyon) and the edge of the housing area. In this direction, there are some rural features. Like a stable. And a compound of two houses with a garden, unmarked trucks and some basketball goals and children's playthings. For some reason, I decide this must be a mafia compound. Then again, too much blandness can inspire one to look for things that might not be there!

The distance of 1.7 miles sounds daunting and I'm surprised when I'm suddenly there. It's nice not contending with cars on the trail and just having a few bicycles zoom by, sometimes ringing a bell to startle you first.

I go into the grocery store and, indeed, there is a Starbucks there. I get a giant Americano and decide to walk around the store and drink it. I notice refrigerator magnets with little miniature hot dogs, hamburgers and condiments. Stop me! Before I collect again. I don't buy anything. Walking around stores (even grocery stores) is enlightening. I don't do it that often, really. There is always some new monstrosity for sale.

Staying inside the store is a mistake, though. It is much warmer outside. I start to ache from the air conditioning and it takes a little of the way back to the house to warm up again.

I need to start every day of my life with a walk like this. But I won't.

When we were driving around yesterday, I saw something called 'Colorado Discovery' and was told it was a Mini golf place with holes made to resemble stuff in Colorado. I said we should play it. The youngsters (nieces and their SOs and Baby Jack) take me up on it. Lisa and her boyfriend come over and pick me up and we meet Jenny and her little family. We are quite a show with a baby stroller, Mike using a crutch, Lisa using a golf umbrella to avoid the sun. Amazingly only one group plays through.

Jack is greatly entertained by the water features for a few holes. Then he wants up so his stroller becomes the golf cart holding drinks and gear and he gets strapped in a snuggie facing front and helps his mom golf.

The sun is hot, but I'm not even wearing a cap and I don't burn. The kids are complaining about the heat, but it seems quite temperate to me. I'm sweating and the sweat evaporates and cools me off. Amazing concept almost lost in Austin these days. We easily make 18 holes although we eschew doing the second course. Jenny wins with an honest six under par. Jack, as yet unable to sit up alone, has participated in his first athletic victory.

More family visiting and then the kids all go home. My sister wants to take us all to her favorite Italian restaurant. Pasta's. Not a really creative name. They have this really good bread things though called garlic knots. Almost makes the ravioli and veal and stuff beside the point.