Here we are in Cary, NC, a suburb of Raleigh. It's been hot, and oppressively humid, but most people here have AC everywhere. My parents and I are comfortably ensconced in my brother's home, my parents sharing a room, me in my nephew Cooper's room. The house is large, so it's not like we're all on top of each other.
This morning, before it got too hot, I took a ride of about 10 miles (more tomorrow, weather permitting). I got off the trail and was grateful for Google Maps, but I'm starting to get my bearings now, having visited and biked here several times before.
The afternoon included a shopping trip with my brother and sister-in-law. I was looking for a pair of shoes, since the sandals I've been wearing almost non-stop since LA are getting very worn out. I also happened upon a couple of good deals at Old Navy on some lightweight black pants and a tank top that will enable me to make use of the amazing shirt that Kathleen made me while I was gone and gave me when I was back in GR last weekend.
I spotted an interesting item when looking on the computer for things to do earlier today. One, which I missed, was a reading party in Durham where people were encouraged to come and read aloud to each other. If I hadn't been invited by my family members to do something else, I would seriously have checked that out. The other item is also in Durham, but tomorrow. It's called Community, Cops, and Conversation; and it's an open community event at a cupcake bakery where the public will be able to interact with local police, talk, and ask questions. This is something I would like to see instituted across the country, but especially in whatever community or communities I decide to settle, and I'm willing to invest volunteer hours to see it happen. So I'd really like to check out this event tomorrow and find out how Durham put this together.
I had the privilege of having ice cream (I know, I know!) with one of my nephews this evening. As much as I love these kids (adults!), it saddens me that we have lived a large part of their lives apart, separated by time and distance. I am glad to be able to bring my parents here.
The Olympics have begun, as I'm sure you all know. We are particularly familiar with gymnastics (in which I participated while in school), swimming and diving (which both of my brothers and I did), and the usual team sports, but we've been enjoyed archery, fencing, and other sports as well. I do like to watch these things, but I really hate the commercials, and since I'm not in my own home, I don't have control over the remote to mute them. The constant barrage eventually wears me down, and I retreat to my room to play games on the computer or read.
Someone asked on FB what people thought about the coverage of the Olympics this time around, and someone else commented that it didn't seem as patriotic. To that, let me respond: I find learning more about athletes from other countries (as well as our own) infinitely refreshing. I have always, at least in the recent past, found Olympics coverage to be so US-centric that I felt as though there was no one else worth talking about, and I knew that wasn't true. I also find the biographies that are shown much less saccharine than in the past, which is also to my liking.
Every day, I try to stay in the day and in the moment. Life is uncertain. My life may seem more uncertain than others' but I maintain that, even for those who continue to do the same routine every day, it is equally precarious for all. I plan. Life changes my plans. I go with the flow.
This morning, before it got too hot, I took a ride of about 10 miles (more tomorrow, weather permitting). I got off the trail and was grateful for Google Maps, but I'm starting to get my bearings now, having visited and biked here several times before.
These two bunnies were right in the middle of the road as I came riding up. By the time I'd gotten my phone out to photograph them, though, they had slowly moved toward the bushes
A heron in a pond near the road.
Cary really knows how to do bike/walking paths and greenways. This is just one of the lovely trails on which I rode today.
The afternoon included a shopping trip with my brother and sister-in-law. I was looking for a pair of shoes, since the sandals I've been wearing almost non-stop since LA are getting very worn out. I also happened upon a couple of good deals at Old Navy on some lightweight black pants and a tank top that will enable me to make use of the amazing shirt that Kathleen made me while I was gone and gave me when I was back in GR last weekend.
I spotted an interesting item when looking on the computer for things to do earlier today. One, which I missed, was a reading party in Durham where people were encouraged to come and read aloud to each other. If I hadn't been invited by my family members to do something else, I would seriously have checked that out. The other item is also in Durham, but tomorrow. It's called Community, Cops, and Conversation; and it's an open community event at a cupcake bakery where the public will be able to interact with local police, talk, and ask questions. This is something I would like to see instituted across the country, but especially in whatever community or communities I decide to settle, and I'm willing to invest volunteer hours to see it happen. So I'd really like to check out this event tomorrow and find out how Durham put this together.
I had the privilege of having ice cream (I know, I know!) with one of my nephews this evening. As much as I love these kids (adults!), it saddens me that we have lived a large part of their lives apart, separated by time and distance. I am glad to be able to bring my parents here.
The Olympics have begun, as I'm sure you all know. We are particularly familiar with gymnastics (in which I participated while in school), swimming and diving (which both of my brothers and I did), and the usual team sports, but we've been enjoyed archery, fencing, and other sports as well. I do like to watch these things, but I really hate the commercials, and since I'm not in my own home, I don't have control over the remote to mute them. The constant barrage eventually wears me down, and I retreat to my room to play games on the computer or read.
Someone asked on FB what people thought about the coverage of the Olympics this time around, and someone else commented that it didn't seem as patriotic. To that, let me respond: I find learning more about athletes from other countries (as well as our own) infinitely refreshing. I have always, at least in the recent past, found Olympics coverage to be so US-centric that I felt as though there was no one else worth talking about, and I knew that wasn't true. I also find the biographies that are shown much less saccharine than in the past, which is also to my liking.
Every day, I try to stay in the day and in the moment. Life is uncertain. My life may seem more uncertain than others' but I maintain that, even for those who continue to do the same routine every day, it is equally precarious for all. I plan. Life changes my plans. I go with the flow.
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