Change of Scenery

It was fun to get out of town for a change of scenery. Bill and I went to the northern NC mountains near the Virginia border. We stayed about 12 miles from where my Great Grandparent farm was. We had pleasant hikes, a canoeing adventure I wasn't expecting, and drove around where the Grandfather I was named after grew up. We were both surprised by a wild turkey who crossed the path we were hiking on. I've drunk my share of wild turkey whiskey in the mountains but I've never seen one wandering around in the forest. It was a good time for me to go on a trip and stretch my boundaries a bit. I've been tracking my progress every 30 days since December when I decided on a fresh start. I decided to stop comparing how I was doing physically with how I did prior to my March 2005 LND but to start a new fitness log of sorts. The day before we left for the mountains I hit Day 150 and I'm averaging better than every other day on my walk or walk/jog. It was fun to see how well I was doing outside my comfort zone, 5 months after my latest effort. I've been on some hikes with Bill in the mountains, since all my chronic post groin LND for melanoma crap, but I felt like I carried my own weight better this time. A good walking stick helped with that. When Bill suggested we rent a canoe and paddle down the New River on our last day in the mountains, I was a little nervous. My shoulder has been much better since I got a shot in it but I wasn't sure about trying to paddle. I did much better than I would have thought that I'd do. The picture I'm posting here is me after we finished our canoe ride and I was even able to help Bill carry the canoe up the hill to the loading spot. Small victories but victories none the less. I know I'm repetitious when I mention how lucky I am but I do feel that way. I know at times I dwell on my limitations instead of focusing on what I can do and I can do quite a lot.