Memories

I was driving to Sierra Vista Saturday and was thinking of past adventures.  The ones after the divorce and before I retired.

I took up backpacking and really enjoyed it.  Made a lot of friends and went on about 20 trips.  The joke was if Anita is here then everyone is here.  I  was always last in camp.  I hugged a few trees and enjoyed the views.  I even tried snow camping!  Once was enough for me,  I do not like sleeping in the snow, just playing in it.

I took a 12 day trip down the Colorado River thru the Grand Canyon.  Loved it!  I reccommend it to anyone that is thinking of going.  It is a trip that I had wanted to take for years and that was the first thing I did after the divorce.  I could not get any of my friends to go wth me, so I went by myself.  Met a lot of really great people and had a grand time. Great memories:)  Also took a few white water trips on the American river.  Great fun!

 Cross country skiing - took a few lessons and had some good trips.  I enjoyed it very much, did not get to good at it though.  I had the opportunity to have downhill skiing lessons and really enjoyed that.  Again I was an intrmediate bunny run skier, but loved it anyway.  Never felt the need to ski the black diamond runs. The breakthru came when I discovered that I could control the speed that I was going down the mountain and when I learned to stop. But as I was with backpacking the trip is the best part of it, not the destination.

Took sailing lessons with a boyfriend.  He bought a sailboat and we had some good times sailing.  I was also lucky enough to sail in the Newport to Ensenada sailboat race, several times.   I had friends that bought a sailboat and we sailed in the "beer can" races on Wed and Fri evenings in Dana Point. We actually got pretty good.  During the sailboating I also got to learn to snorkel.  We went to Hawaii and snorkeled - so beautiful!!

I joined an organization that puts on the Swallows Day festivities in San Juan Capistrano.  I was the first La Presidente and then the Parade Chairman.  Made many good friends and had good times.  Worked hard and played hard.  During that time I took 2 step lessons and enjoyed dancing from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon.

During that time I also volunteered on the Brig Pilgrim in Dana Point.  It is a wooden square rigged tall ship.  The only way to sail on her was to do the upkeep.  We worked week ends and sailed 2 weeks in August.  There is nothing like shutting off the engine and to be under sail.  AWSOME!

Then I reached a point in my life that I needed a change and sold my home, put all in storage and took a road trip.  I traveled for 6 months in my 1985 Toyota MR2.  Went to visit friends and relatives that I had not seen for years and years.  Finally settled in Santa Fe, NM.

Christmas 2012

I spent Christmas at home.  The park had Christma dinner and I went there and spent it with friends from the park.  I really do like to be home on Christmas.  Call family and friends, etc.  It was a very good, quiet day.

This year I had a lighted outdoor decoration.  All attempts to get a picture failed.  Oh well!!  I hope to get another one, on sale, for next year.  Slowly I will get this place decorated.

I did have an angiogram and on Jan 3rd I find out the results.  I think I have 2 kinks in arteries, veins in my neck.  Thankfully I have 2 very good friends in Tucson, Pat & Patty.  They let me spend the night before at their home and then they drove me to the hosp and came and got me and let me spend another night with them.  They are too good to me.  I was there from 7am to 7pm!

I was hoping to start the new year Dr free, but that is not to be.  However, I plan on the rest of the year being as Dr free as possible.

Also, I want to do some traveling next year.  I do have to go to South Dakota to renew my drivers license.  But I do plan on some week end trips to see more of Arizona.  It is such a beautiful state.

Happy New Year!!!