It’s best to start out early. The mornings are so beautiful and most people are still in bed; we enjoy the peace and quiet as we watch the sun come up.

Everywhere you look the view is expansive. We are hiking a lot these days for fun and for training. “Training?” you ask.

Yes, we have booked a hiker’s special Grand Canyon oar rafting trip for next year. We will enjoy the upper river and we have to hike out 8 miles on the last day, gaining 4400 feet of elevation. The hike takes between 8-10 hours and it’s ALL uphill.

I will be 79 when we go next April, and Greg will be 72. At our advanced ages, we need to power up for this. Actually, from what we understand, even young ones say that hike is not for the feint of heart. We’ve watched a lot of videos of hiking up the Bright Angel Trail. It’s intimidating to say the least.

Even though we’re training, we are so excited to get out 3-4 times a week to climb to these gorgeous high places. It’s good for our souls. Life is so sweet these days.

Thursday this week we took our much younger friend with us. She loved it.

What’s not to like, right?

This is a panorama.

We need to build up to much more strenuous workouts, but you have to start somewhere, and that’s what we’re doing.

I was in my art studio with my dear friend, Sonia, when my new hat arrived. She snapped this shot of me in my apron (as we were painting) a month ago. Greg calls it my doofus hat.

Close to home, looking down at Los Cerritos beach. I very much dislike all the condos and BS down there now, but I have to accept things over which I have no control. Doesn’t mean I have to like it though, does it? There’s just nothing I can do about it.

Back behind the little town of El Pescadero going east, there are remnants of gold mining operations to investigate and lots of hills to climb. Again, we like to be there to watch the sun come up. The next ones are from a recent hike there.

We took a different young friend with us on this hike. She is my pal with whom I do my beach workouts. She’s a great coach.

We took our buddy Ruthie with us on this hike. She and Greg are investigating one of old mine shafts. It is a long way down.

Ruthie is my beach workout coach. I just love her.

See you again soon! Here’s a little buddy we came across last week. Isn’t he beautiful? We left him alone and he left us alone. No rattling going on.