Our World

Category: Fitness

All things fitness related.

  • Day 084 of 2026 – March 25th

    Day 084 of 2026 – March 25th

    Today was a vacation day!!!! Took the day off so that I could go explore Red Rock Park a bit, there were two hiking trails that I wanted to do and today was forecast to be a beautiful day and I decided to take advantage of it. So, got up at my normal time, let the dogs out, gave them their snacks, and waited for Jesse to do their morning walks. We have a routing that we do not mess with. Once Jesse got back with them it was time to get the day started.

    I packed a bunch of water, some snacks and did the hour drive out to the West to Red Rocks Park.It took me a while to find the right parking lot for the trail I wanted to start with. For some reason things are not marked very well, but a quick download an a full years’ subscription to All Trails, I was able to find what I was looking for. And, yes, I think All Trails was worth it because there were a couple questionable trail markers on the loop and I was very happy to have the maps downloaded onto my phone.

    Ignore the distance on the above screenshot. I must have clicked start on the trail before I was even at the parking lot. The app is a little strange, but it is good. Don’t put in your pocket and expect it to provide a good map, it doesn’t. But once you have it out of your pocket and let it get a GPS fix it will re-orientate itself and show you where you are vs where you should be.

    I started off with the Red Rocks and Morrison Slopes Trail loop. This is a 3.5 mile loop with a total elevation climb of 853ft. The trail is a bit rocky, and there are areas that you have to have really good footing. But, let me tell you, it was worth it! The views along the way were awesome, and it was sort of neat to look down and see how far you have climbed.

    Enjoy the photos I took along the way. this is just sort of a camera dump, no editing has been done. The day continues under the album.

    My Garmin provided a pretty good track of the trail.

    Total distance: 3.83 mi
    Max elevation: 6789 ft
    Min elevation: 6207 ft
    Total climbing: 1087 ft
    Total descent: -1079 ft
    Average speed: 2.93 mi/h
    Average cadence: 50
    Average heart rate: 114
    Average temperature:
    Total time: 01:29:45

    After I did the Red Rock and Morrison Slide Loop trails I got back to the car and changed parking lots. I didn’t hike over because the next trail had some steeper climbing sections and I wanted to car closer. I parked at the start of the Geological Overlook Trail and decided that I was going to turn that trail into a loop.

    The Geological Overlook trail starts at the base of some red rock formations and continues up towards the amphitheater and then you can either turn around and do the trail in reverse or walk the amphitheater and do a loop around the lower parking lot and back to the start of the trail. I chose the loop as I hate backtracking on trails.

    And I am going to bore you to death with another photo album that I took on the hike. This is not edited and is just a photo dump. I think it is more fun that way, hey, I don’t know what you want to see. The day continues under the album.

    I did walk up and down the few hundred steps of the amphitheater, it looked like they were getting setup for a show, the vendors were setting up and the stage area was roped off. Not sure who is playing there tonight. The loop I did was 1.91 miles with a 614 elevation climb. Of course the mystery is how I went up 614ft and only down 420ft and ended up at the same place I started. I guess we will never know.

    The Garmin track from my watch was decent in case anyone is interested.

    Total distance: 1.94 mi
    Max elevation: 6676 ft
    Min elevation: 6260 ft
    Total climbing: 684 ft
    Total descent: -655 ft
    Average speed: 2.67 mi/h
    Average cadence: 51
    Average heart rate: 115
    Average temperature:
    Total time: 00:52:47

    Anyways, I am back home now. It’s 89 degrees outside, and it is way too hot to do much of anything else. I am going to relax with the kids (Climber and Res), and enjoy the rest of my day off. I will probably wrap up this post a little later this evening.

    Day 084 of 2026 – March 25th

    Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, West Alameda Parkway, Morrison, CO
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  • Day 082 of 2026 – March 23rd

    This is going to be a short post. Today was just another day. It was a workday and for some reason I wasn’t feeling 100%. My coffee didn’t sit well with me this morning, not sure why. It happens occasionally and there isn’t much I can do about it. I got up with the dogs around 6:30am, got everyone out and then snacked and say down with my email. I had a bunch to start the day off.

    I spent the morning working, and I did make real progress on my pricing project. In fact by late afternoon I got it finished. Unfortunately that meant that I was not able to get to the 50+ tech support issues I had. I will get to those starting tomorrow. I hate being in double digits through no fault of my own.

    I went down to the rec center for lunch to try and swim, lap pool was closed for some reason. So, I did get in a 6 mile walk to get my steps in. I am still not sure if my watch is counting properly, but that’s OK, it’s just a guide anyways.

    Total distance: 5.57 mi
    Max elevation: 5662 ft
    Min elevation: 5559 ft
    Total climbing: 380 ft
    Total descent: -371 ft
    Average speed: 4.17 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 107
    Average temperature: 26.6
    Total time: 01:20:28

    Got back from lunch, finished my day and now I am sitting here typing this and watching the dogs sleep. They have to get in their beauty sleep 🙂

    Anyways, I am sorry that I can’t really think of more to write today, it was just a normal day.

    Talk to you all tomorrow.

    Day 082 of 2026 – March 23rd

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 081 of 2026 – March 22nd

    Day 081 of 2026 – March 22nd

    We had a busy but good day today. I got up as normal around 7AM which is normal for a weekend. My internal alarm does not vary too much between weekdays and weekends, so it’s normal. I let the dogs out, gave them their treats, and sat down with my coffee and email. I was again surprised to find not too much. Why surprised? We did our Winter 2026 software release and app update at work and I was expecting some fall-out. One or two emails, but not the quantity I expected at all.

    Anyways, once Jesse got up I started the dog walk process. First comes Res, who is for the most part such a good boy on his walks. His only issue is that he wants to sniff every tree and respond to all the Pee Mail left by other dogs along the way. Yeh, that takes a while. But, he decided to go past our normal turn around point and we did almost 3 miles today. I was surprised he wanted to go that far but it was a little cooler than normal.

    After Res it’s Climber’s turn. She started out her walk great, but when we got to the end of the park, she wanted to cross the street and do our normal walk past the credit union. Nope, today we were turning left because I wanted her to do a different walk. But, what no one realizes is that while this plan was well thought out. Climber is stubborn. For the next 1/4 mile it was almost like purposely missing a turn on Google Maps. “Make a U-turn” 15,000 times and then finally “Re-routing”. It took us to get to our 3/4 mile point before Climber realized that we were trying something new and then she decided, “cool – let’s go!”

    When all was said and done Climber and I did a little over 4 miles. And, then she ran around the house like the puppy she pretends to be before Jesse and I had breakfast. Climber has unlimited energy. After a great egg, sausage, and croissant breakfast, Jesse went out to the yard to blow the leaves off the yard, while I went and did my Sunday swim at the rec center. I walked the 2.25 miles down and back, did a 1000yd swim in-between. I had wanted to get my steps in for one of the Garmin challenges, but I also wanted to get back into the pool, this was the easy solution for both. Tomorrow will most likely be a “pool only” workout because of time and not wanting to overdo it, which is always a danger.

    I got back from my workout and then went outside and joined Jesse in Spring yard cleanup. Today was the day to put the irrigation line that I laid out yesterday under the rock so the dogs don’t trip over it or the squirrels don’t eat it. As I may have mentioned yesterday we think there is going to be some serious water rationing this year. By reducing the spread and gallons per minute of the irrigation for the gardens we can decrease our water usage. We really like the micro-mist irrigation and have used it before in Florida.

    Jesse ended up helping me put the rack back into the trenches I had dug as this was really a two person job, and then it was time to wrap it up for the afternoon. It doesn’t all have to get done on a single day. After a little bit of down time it was time to take the dogs for their evening walk, dinner for them, and then dinner for us.

    Now we are done for the day, sitting down and relaxing for the evening. And with that another day is done. We will see you tomorrow. Goodnight!

    Day 081 of 2026 – March 22nd

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 079 of 2026 – March 20th

    Day 079 of 2026 – March 20th

    Today started off as most others did. Got up my normal time, let the dogs in and out and in and out. Climber must have had an emergency, she never goes out twice in the morning. Res was having a good morning, he woofed at me to hurry up in the bedroom before I brought them downstairs, there may or may not have been a play-bow involved. As I said, he was having a good day.

    After I found out I forgot to set the timer for the coffee maker last night and started that, I worked through my email and got the rest of the project in Visio I was working on yesterday pretty much done for the first version. I was happy with the initial version. I know I am going to have to make some changes further down the line, but that’s OK. Everyone including my manager expects that. My boss is one of the best I have ever worked for, provides guidance when needed, will tell me if I mess up, will tell me if I do something great, and is more likely to take a hands off approach unless there could be legal consequences to material made public, all of which I appreciate.

    I got out for my lunch break about 11:00 and went and did a 7 mile walk today. I am having trouble getting my 10K steps per day in without spending a bunch of time with walks. I will finish this month doing it this way but am going to change things up in April and do smaller walks as breaks. If I do 4 walks around the park I can get my 6 miles or so in. I am also still considering the rec center walk with a swim in the middle, but I have to have enough time in the day to do that. I am trying very hard not to drive places if I really don’t have to. The price of gas has gotten ridiculous again.

    I got to see my Prairie Dogs again at the bottom of Power Line Trail. There are hundreds of them out here just sunbathing and looking our of their holes and digging more tunnels. They are so cute.

    Total distance: 7.04 mi
    Max elevation: 5646 ft
    Min elevation: 5461 ft
    Total climbing: 461 ft
    Total descent: -461 ft
    Average speed: 4.64 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 124
    Average temperature: 30.5
    Total time: 01:33:16

    I am taking a day off next week and am going to go explore Red Rock Park. That should be fun, I know many years ago my brother took me there when I visited him, but I have not had a chance to go back since. And, it really is not that far from the house here, drive out in the morning, spend most of the day, and then home in the afternoon. There is a hike I want to do there. I really do need to get back into the pool as well because the Mountain Swim Series keeps getting closer.

    I may next week trade off some swimming for my steps also, I am not sure yet, I need to talk with my PT tomorrow. There is a chance that I will also decide to hold off another week or so to give my shoulder a chance to heal a little more. I really messed it up when I was shoveling snow that last heavy snow we had. It was too heavy for the snow blower and we needed to make some space in the back yard for the dogs. This last snow we just left it. I really wanted the water on the lawn and we are going to be under some serious water rationing this Summer. A little bit concerned about that.

    Back to work for the rest of the afternoon. I was able to finish most of my pricing, I have one large pricing project left that I would like to get done by Monday, but if it goes over a bit it won’t hurt anyone. It’s a two claim in one project, one for electrical pricing, and one for the HVAC pricing. The electrical pricing will be the difficult one as I have to work from photos and an adjuster’s documentation. It is so much easier when I can go to the site and see it as I am pricing it. The HVAC file is easier as it’s based on sq ft and use of the building. I’ll get it done.

    Anyway, I am here watching the Aves on TV playing Chicago, hockey is the only team sport I will watch. Unfortunately ticket prices are so expensive I can’t afford to go see them live. TV has to do. And, I am watching the dogs nap. Not sure how long that will work.

    And Jesse just got home from Costco, he only had 4 items in the shopping bag. Sort of amazing, and with that I think I am going to call it a day. Tomorrow I have a PT appointment in the morning, and then I am going to go for my Saturday walk and explore a park that I haven’t had a chance to explode yet, and then I am going to maybe go to REI or Sketches and see if I can find a decent pair of hiking/trail shoes that won’t break the bank. And then this weekend I have a bunch of other things I want to get done around the yard.

    Goodnight all! See you tomorrow.

    Day 079 of 2026 – March 20th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 078 of 2026 – March 19th

    Day 078 of 2026 – March 19th

    Started off the day at my normal time, getting up around 6:30am and letting the dogs out and giving them their treats, and then watching them do their post snack, pre-walk morning nap while I was having my first cup of coffee and checking my email for anything urgent. It started off as a pretty calm day, and pretty much remained that way. It was already about 50 degrees this morning.

    I took my lunch about 10:30AM [I work on an Eastern Time schedule so it was 12:30PM ET] and went out for my long walk/hike that I am trying to do every day. My stride length is so long that it takes about 6.25 miles to get my 10,000 steps in. Then anything extra I walk during the day is just excess. On my walk today I saw the cutest and friendliest whippets, 3 of them and one of them looked a lot like Peanut and jumped up and gave me a few kisses.

    Then I saw some geese in one of the creeks, it looked like one of them is the fun police sitting up on the bank and overseeing the children.

    Then I finished up by heading up the hills on Power Line trail and back to the house. Took a little longer than I wanted to, but I will make up the time later in the evening by catching up on some training and procedural documentation that I am trying to get done. Wasn’t a bad hike at all, reasonable time and some elevation.

    Total distance: 6.46 mi
    Max elevation: 5657 ft
    Min elevation: 5509 ft
    Total climbing: 407 ft
    Total descent: -407 ft
    Average speed: 4.35 mi/h
    Average cadence: 58
    Average heart rate: 119
    Average temperature:
    Total time: 01:30:45

    I sat back down at my desk and spent another four hours getting my work done. At around 2:30PM I cam back upstairs and started letting the dogs out and in for their sunbathing time while I was working on email, pricing, and document review. It’s going to be really tempting this Summer to setup a table outside that I can work on while supervising the dogs in the yard. Anyways, both Climber and Res enjoyed some outside time. Climber has a leash attached to her because we are still working on “yard manners” when they are out together. Climber likes to get Res worked up and at time it gets wild enough that we worry about vet visits from someone falling. We don’t think they would ever go after each other, so that is not the concern. Anyways, they enjoyed their outside time.

    After some out time they had their afternoon walk in the park, about 1/2 a mile and then it was time for dinner (for them and then us) and relaxation time for everyone except me. I still needed to do my resistance band workout to try and get my shoulder stronger so that I can perhaps eventually stop having this shoulder discomfort/pain that I am having.

    I am still looking forward to Mountain Swim Series starting on June 14th and I really need to get back into the pool for a little bit. I am considering combining my walk and pool time tomorrow by driving down to the rec center doing a 3.2 mile walk to meet my Garmin walking challenge for March and then swim for 20-30 minutes and then continue on with my day.

    This afternoon we broke temperature records and it isn’t even Spring for another few days.

    And I think that will be it on my computer today, I am trying to cut back on screen time before bedtime. Today was a good day, there was no reason to complain about anything. I was able to solve several problems, I was able to use past skills in my current position. I never thought I would use Visio again, and yet, I spent a few hours this evening re-learning Visio. The biggest change is that now it’s a web version rather than the desktop version I was always used to. I didn’t forget that much which is a good thing. So, not only am I grateful for the nice weather, my health, my ability to judge my own fitness, Jesse, Res, and Climber, I can be thankful for things I taught myself years ago that keep coming back in my current role.

    Goodnight everyone and I will talk to you tomorrow.

    Day 078 of 2026 – March 19th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 077 of 2026 – March 18th

    Day 077 of 2026 – March 18th

    What’s this? 80 degrees in Aurora, CO at 4:40pm MT in the afternoon? We are almost breaking records today. Started off this morning when I got up around 45 degrees. Has slowly increased all day.

    I was able to take a nice 6.5 mile walk for my lunch break today, it was a perfect day for it as it, my little Prairie Dogs were out enjoying the nice weather and warming their bones.

    These guys are brave, the do not care at all with anyone walking near them on the path. It’s sort of awesome to see, but makes you wonder also. They are all over along the Power Line trail.

    Total distance: 6.64 mi
    Max elevation: 5639 ft
    Min elevation: 5499 ft
    Total climbing: 531 ft
    Total descent: -529 ft
    Average speed: 4.43 mi/h
    Average cadence: 59
    Average heart rate: 121
    Average temperature:
    Total time: 01:31:18

    I am still not getting into the pool, this is concerning me a little bit as I am 12 weeks away from the Mountain Swim Series, but I do want to talk with my physical therapist at my Saturday appointment before I really push it with the shoulder. Right now I have a mild aching sensation, but I don’t want this to get painful again. I am working on my endurance and leg muscles with the walking I am doing, but my shoulder and upper body strength is a problem. Most of swimming is with upper body and my shoulders get a real workout.

    I spent the rest of the day doing pricing research and answering questions from technicians on an upcoming release that is coming out soon. I will probably work a few hours this evening on tech support issues. I am finding something out that I knew, but have not really taken into account in recent years. Technicians do not read email anymore. They just don’t. If the email includes instructions they skim it but they do not actually read it. I am also finding out that text messaging is the quickest way to get someone’s attention. That seems to work every time. If I can’t get hold of them via text message they are not going to respond. Very few technicians deal with phone calls, and that sort of makes sense. It’s an interruption while they have their hands full. A text message they can usually answer fast while they are doing other things, but a phone call is distracting. Now, having said that, some of our older techs appreciate the phone call over email and text. All things to keep in mind when working with 3-4 different generations.

    There are several things that I have gained skills on in the past that make my job easier: I can find just about anything on the internet because I know how the search engines work; my education in education allows me to provide training and coaching when possible, and also know when to give up; and over the years I have significantly grown in my ability to not react when pushed, twenty years ago I am not sure I could do the job I am doing now. These skills are all ones that I am thankful for.

    This afternoon Res and Climber got some outside time.

    Res loves being outside and Climber is learning to like the outside world. She is still a little “????? What’s that noise???? Nope, let’s go in!!!” And, I still can’t really let her and Res out at the same time because she tries to annoy him and get him to run, she is a little faster and can take turns much more sharply than he can. We worry about him getting hurt as he is just a little older, a little more uncoordinated, and a little slower to turn and stop than she is.

    Also, Res is giving us a little problem with his food. We are not 100% sure what is going on, but I think he is going to need a check-up one of these days just to make sure nothing major is wrong. We honestly are not sure if he is having stomach issues, nothing bad is obvious going on (at the end of the cycle), or if he is just being picky. His teeth and gums look good, he eats the good stuff. We have never had a dog as picky as he is, and a male Greyhound as well normally is not that picky about food.

    I spent some time this evening doing my resistance band workout that I am supposed to be doing every day. It’s supposed to take 15 to 20 minutes but it takes me longer because I can’t remember what some of the exercises are. But, every little bit is supposed to help. Today’s workout looks like;

    And with that our day is basically over. I am going to sit here and read a little, and eventually call it an evening. Today was a positive day, nothing bad happened, just life, nothing to complain about. Goodnight all!

    Day 077 of 2026 – March 18th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
    Get directions
  • Day 076 of 2026 – March 17th

    Day 076 of 2026 – March 17th

    Had an early start for the day. Someone booked a 7:30am conference call (it’s OK, I try to work on Eastern Time and it was 9:30am at our offices). So, we got up at our normal weekday time and I let the dogs out, gave them their morning snacks, and then got myself online. Spent a few minutes just scanning my email and any messages that came in earlier in the morning. And then it was time for my call. Not bad, I had 3 items to go over, the others had 2-3 items, each and we were done in 30 minutes or so.

    Spent a good portion of the morning re-testing an our app as some additional problems had been found in the testing process. That was fun. Yup, there is a problem and it is not new to this release. I didn’t even know it was an issue, sort of surprising that no one told me about it.

    I was able to get out for a long walk today, but my shoulder is still bothering me overnight especially. I do not want to put more stress on it, but I have to figure out a way to get some more exercise in with to burn some additional calories. My weight is not going down. I am thinking about taking 30 minutes every morning before everyone is up and at it to do my resistance band workout. And then during my lunch break I can do my outdoor workout (or swim if my shoulder improves) and then I can maybe make some progress. I am going to start running out of time for the Mountain Swim Series on June 14th. But, as I talked with Jesse about today, and I will have a similar conversation with my Physical Therapist on Saturday morning for our appointment, I have to draw a line on further damaging that tendon that is rubbing on a bone spur in my shoulder.

    Total distance: 5.09 mi
    Max elevation: 5684 ft
    Min elevation: 5562 ft
    Total climbing: 651 ft
    Total descent: -648 ft
    Average speed: 4.19 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 109
    Average temperature: 25.9
    Total time: 01:13:53

    I digress, it was a good walk, and I made it about 2 miles through my 5 miles before someone called me to ask me questions about a boiler. If figures. And for this person I never not answer. Rest of walk was nice, the weather has come up to about 70 degrees today, big improvement from Sunday and Monday.

    Late this afternoon we had asked the painters that did the interior of the house to come out and quote us on all the exterior trim work. We really want to get rid of the brown of the house and move to a burgundy for all of the trim that we have used in the past. It has looked great on houses in the past, it really looked good in Hartford and Willington. We did not do it in Florida as it just didn’t fit the house, but here in Aurora I think it will look really good. It is a little more money than I wanted to spend, but the alternative is Jesse and I spending a lot of time on ladders and we are both getting a little old for that. And, they are going to pressure wash the whole house as a part of this.

    I did the walks this evening so we could stay on schedule and Jesse stayed with the estimator for the painters. The park was nice and snow free this evening. What a difference two days make.

    Sunday 3/15/2026 Park
    Tuesday 3/17/2026 Park

    We are still getting used to the Denver weather, the temperature swings are wild. Snow one day, gone the next. The dogs do not mind, Res will get some outdoor sunbathing time tomorrow.

    So, today was a good positive day. Nothing to complain about, thankful for weather, Jesse, my health, and the dogs. Especially my office assistance Res, and then Climber who keeps me on my toes and will cuddle and play, I really need to take her outside for some ball time. And, while there is a little bit of a setback, and I am making some alternate plans just in case, I am planning for the Mountain Swim Series starting in June.

    So, with that, the day is over and will say goodnight and see everyone tomorrow.

  • Day 073 of 2026 – March 14th

    Day 073 of 2026 – March 14th

    It was a nice Saturday, not only with what I was able to get done, but it was a beautiful day in general. I got up a little later than normal, around 7:15am and did the morning routine with the dogs. First Res goes out while Climber scavenges for any left over crumbs of bones from last nights snacks, and the Res comes in and Climber goes out.

    I was able to spend a little bit of time reading and catching up on my personal email. It’s never ending and when Jesse got up we had another cup of coffee and then I took Res our for a solo morning walk. I like taking them individually at least once a weekend so that we can work on leash manners and I get a little time with each of them so I can get a better idea that everything is right with them. Res did about a 2.5 mile walk. Of course about a mile away from the house he did not feel like walking anymore.

    Total distance: 2.67 mi
    Max elevation: 5655 ft
    Min elevation: 5560 ft
    Total climbing: 281 ft
    Total descent: -275 ft
    Average speed: 3.72 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 96
    Average temperature: 26.7
    Total time: 00:45:51

    Once I brought Res back from his walk it was Climbers’ turn. She gets a little longer walk, the goal with Climber is to keep her motivated and also try to tire her out. Nope, you cannot tire an overgrown puppy out. But, I tried. Climber did about 3.2 miles with a bunch of hills.

    Total distance: 3.08 mi
    Max elevation: 5648 ft
    Min elevation: 5556 ft
    Total climbing: 400 ft
    Total descent: -390 ft
    Average speed: 3.61 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 95
    Average temperature: 27.8
    Total time: 00:53:42

    After I got Climber home we had a great breakfast and then it was my turn for my longer walk/hike. I decided not to do the pool today because my shoulder still didn’t feel all that great when I was laying on it this morning. So, I parked at the rec center and went East along the power lines up into the Aurora Highlands. The goal was to get some hill work in as I am trying to build endurance. I did the no-name trail, swung up along Commerce Drive, and then back down to the rec center. About 6.3 miles total, which wasn’t all that bad. I was not going for speed on this one, I was trying to figure out hydration. It was the first time that I carried my Camel Back since about five years ago. I think it helped.

    I am still working towards the Mountain Swim series that is now 13 weeks out. My shoulder is the great unknown at this point. It is a 2 mile swim and if my shoulder can not handle that in advance I may not be able to do the swim. But, let’s stay positive for the moment and continue to get into shape for that. I need to lose 5 more pounds. Today’s weigh in was at 221.3 pounds, with 7.3% body fat (I am doubting that number), 195 pounds of muscle, and about 60 pounds of water. My BMI is still a little high, around 27.8, but I am not a fan of BMI, I think it keeps people too skinny. I am just about at my best weight, as I said, 5 more pounds down. I am not all that worried about it, but I would like to be able to fit into my wet suite.

    Yaw:213.07106,Pitch:-8.703760286169942,Roll:2.4701494816793974
    Yaw:167.99226,Pitch:-30.760468995375312,Roll:-1.30971783888333
    Yaw:249.27217,Pitch:-3.1414844455062347,Roll:-2.012562484599414
    Yaw:237.41953,Pitch:-0.5940134223635406,Roll:-2.028460242879362
    Yaw:47.578976,Pitch:-6.033408448402616,Roll:-1.124493634013504
    Total distance: 6.61 mi
    Max elevation: 5770 ft
    Min elevation: 5550 ft
    Total climbing: 714 ft
    Total descent: -696 ft
    Average speed: 4.17 mi/h
    Average cadence: 57
    Average heart rate: 119
    Average temperature:
    Total time: 01:37:25

    After my walk I did need to go to Lowe’s real quick. I had to get a converter to go from the output of the Jackrey solar batteries which has a 50 Amp Range style plug, to the generator connection plug that under the electrical panel. The voltages match, the phases match, but for some reason Jackrey came out with a plug style that you can only connect a range to. I just do not understand why they didn’t go with a true twist lock type connection.

    This evening Jesse fire up the flat top for the season and we had hamburgers for dinner along with a pasta salad. The burgers are always so good when they are done on the flat top outside. Jesse grills them, then puts onion on the top, covered with cheese. By the time it is done it is all melted together and so good. Add some pickles and barbecue sauce and it gets better.

    And with that the day is over. I did get a chance to try and figure out what is happening with my amateur (ham) radio station, I am just having all sorts of transmit audio issues. I am starting to think it’s a permissions issue. I cannot write to any output port. Reading works pretty will but writing (output audio) is just a problem. The thing that drives me nuts is that this all used to work, I think I am going to have to fire up the old server and see what I did differently. I am not 100% sure I have all the old configuration anymore, but I can try.

    The antenna extender poles arrived today so we may be able to fix the UHF/VHF station. The antenna is too close to the roof and I can’t get the bottom spokes the way they are supposed to be. We will see if that fixes the APRS side of things. (APRS stands for Automatic Packet Reporting System), it is based on packet radio, but has a lot of additional functionality. The older packet operators hate it, but it is one of the fastest growing parts of ham radio. Short messages with location that digital repeaters can forward.

    Now it is time to relax and watch some TV and catch up on some Internet Things. Like this blog post. See, a positive day, things to be thankful for, and continuing to work towards an upcoming event. Not a bad day.

    Before I leave I want to share some photos from our backyard. While it is going to be really cold tomorrow, the Spring flowers, the crocuses and lilies are starting to come up. It’s going to soon be time to fix the irrigation system, and make the changes I want to make this year.

    Day 073 of 2026 – March 14th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 072 of 2026 – March 13th

    Today started off as normal, up before the sun came up, let the dogs out – they go out by themselves or I would be refereeing a game of chase, in the dark, in a yard with raised planters, rocks, retaining walls, and steps. Yup, not happening. So got them all taken care of, then sat down for my morning “stroll” through my to-do list, email, and pricing requests.

    After Jesse got up and I was able to spread out at my desk I got a rather large pricing project done and submitted. That one was a major hurdle as I was not sure if I had enough information, but I did. Then I spent the rest of the day on various work stuff. Jesse had some appointments this afternoon so I went out after work for my walk.

    I really did not get a chance to do a hard workout as I am still feeling my travel a bit. I think I am either going to go swim tomorrow or I am going to go up the the higher trails off to the east of the rec center and get some hill workouts in. We will see what I feel like in the morning. The photograph above is from the power line trail looking off to the West. I like the mountains.

    Total distance: 3.26 mi
    Max elevation: 5652 ft
    Min elevation: 5557 ft
    Total climbing: 330 ft
    Total descent: -331 ft
    Average speed: 4.03 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 100
    Average temperature: 25.4
    Total time: 00:49:20

    Anyways got back from my walk and it was almost time to take the dogs for their evening walks. It was a nice day in the park today, a little windy but still nice. We are supposed to get up in the high 70s tomorrow, but then Mother Nature has a surprise for us on Sunday (or so the weather people are telling us). We need rain. We really need rain.

    Had Pizza for dinner, frozen pizza, but Jesse adds toppings and spices to it so it turns out good, and they are a good cheap “cheat” meal. Jesse had to run to Costco after dinner since he will not go on weekends, they are just too busy. So, I am sitting here going through my personal list of emails and spam, and writing a little about today.

    Climber is laying down trying to take the fur off one of their toys, and Res is pretending that he doesn’t want to jump in and help her. Oops. that didn’t last long, they are now both napping.

    Yaw:239.80942,Pitch:-29.904538412241227,Roll:-2.4066560509069745
    Yaw:288.28818,Pitch:-27.773142221115727,Roll:8.577604263201202
    Yaw:324.31003,Pitch:-27.321376618992097,Roll:2.084974320164349

    I spent some time today trying to figure out a training plan for the Mountain Lake Swim series in June. I think I can do it but I am not sure that I am going to be able to follow someone else’s training plans. I think I messed up my shoulder by trying to break the routine I know and understand. I need to get back in the pool and get back into the routine again. It’s been a week out of the water and that kills my stamina. I also think I have lost the water weight that I gained while I was traveling this last week. I always put on between 7 to 10 pounds when I travel and this trip was no different. Came back 7.5 pounds heavy, but thankfully I have already lost all but 2 pounds and I figure those will be gone tomorrow.

    Today was a pretty positive day, nothing to complain about, and I wrote about a future event and expressed my thankfulness for my health, Jesse, my dogs, and where we live. And especially when we moved.

    Day 072 of 2026 – March 13th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 066 of 2026 – March 7th

    Day 066 of 2026 – March 7th

    We are melting…… This morning started off with our walk in the park, I took the dogs one at a time as I wasn’t to sure how they would react to the snow and in some spots the ice. They did pretty well. Res found a icy spot and almost fell, but Climber did OK.

    The part has a whole different look when it has just snowed. So clean and white.

    Came back, had some breakfast and then went to the rec center to get a swim in, I also did a 2 mile walk on the indoor track. I finished up with some weights, I can’t stand lifting, but I am starting to think that might be what’s missing in my routine. Today I only did 1000 yards in the pool because my shoulder has been bothering me, so I figured what the hell, I might as well go up and see what is available for me to work out on. Yup, unfortunately I am going to have to do more of that. I really need to figure out how much of this I can replicate with body weight and band exercises as the gym equipment in hotels is unreliable and I need something that I can count on. I will have to do some research.

    I need to make sure that my shoulder is in shape for the Mountain Lake Swim in June. I have been saying all along that the shoulder is the one thing that could knock me out of it. But, so far so good, I just have to back of the pool for a little bit and let the shoulder settle down a bit. I probably need to go to a 3 or 4 day a week swim and work on my dryland on the other days. I do have a tendency to overdo things a bit physically. I am going to be traveling M-W so this may be a good break. I am not sure I will be able to find a public pool near where I will be.

    Spent the rest of the afternoon doing some things around the house. Laundry always has to be done, and then Jesse and I put together the new Jackrey backup power (solar and battery) that we ordered. It was only at a 29% charge when it arrived so we set it up in the backyard so that it could charge and then eventually (when the other part shows up) we can connect to the house and test it. I will probably add a few battery packs to it eventually to give us longer time and I would like at least 24 hours of use on battery if needed.

    Anyways, Res and Climber are settled in for the evening. I think I got everything done that I needed to get done before next week starts. I do want to update the firmware on my handheld radio, a few new features that I would like to be able to use, including some new APRS functions that I am looking forward to trying.

    So, with these photographs of Res and Climber, I let you go. Please stop by, comment, say hello.

    Day 066 of 2026 – March 7th

    18394 East Arkansas Avenue, Aurora, CO
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