Wood......and more wood.....the forever project

What a difference between here on Whidbey Island, which we love, and the desert, which we also love.

One major difference is that on Whidbey Island we are always dealing with wood.  It is a constant.  (In the desert the constant is sand).

On Whidbey Island we are either cutting wood, getting it cut, trimming it, splitting it, carrying it, or burning it.  All year round.  Every year.

Last summer, before we left on Road Trip 7 we had our local tree company take down about five trees.  Four of them were leaning over the small lane that our neighbors use that crosses our property. We didn't want them to fall and hurt anyone, so took them down as a precaution.

And we had one more taken down close to our house, also as a precaution.   In the past 11 years I would guess something like 30 trees have been taken down (including a few that fell).

Here is the tree company taking down the trees last summer:

We had them leave the trees on our property, so this spring we are starting on a long-term project of getting them cut, taken to our lower garage to dry, and split.

Here I am dressed for combat, with steel-toed boots, Kevlar chaps, helmet, and face guard:

We probably won't get it all taken care of for 2-3 years.  And when we are done we will have enough wood in our lower garage to last 10 or more years.

It is a lot of work, but it's fun and it's good exercise.   And it saves a lot of money using this renewable resource instead of burning propane to heat the house.

Another coach in the family...first Dan...now Emily

For several years I "coached" Emily in softball and basketball.  We went all over the state for basketball games, and what fun it was.

......despite the fact that I knew nothing about coaching. 

But we did it together, and that's a memory that no one can take away from us.

And this year, Emily coached Sebastian.  Vicky and I would have loved to see a game. 

Dancing to celebrate 7 years of having met at a dance

Seven years ago today (March 12) I went to a dance on Whidbey Island and saw a girl who "sparkled."  I just knew I had to get to know her, so signed up for a dance class she was taking so she could get to know me.  Two months later she was my girlfriend (for a week), then my fiance (for a month), and then my wife (forever).

For the occasion Vicky wore the same outfit she wore that first night.  I didn't know her name when I asked her for a couple of dances, so just thought of her as "pink sweater lady."

We both took up dancing in our 60s.  We have kept at it.

This is a Nightclub Two-step, our favorite dance.  The tempo of this song is VERY fast for this dance.   Importantly, the dancing we do is "lead-follow."  In other words, nothing is choreographed.  Vicky does not know what moves will come when, so I have to be clear with my leads and she has to be on her toes (so to speak) to follow.  It is not a practiced routine.  No two dances are ever alike. 

Neither of us can believe that we have accomplished something like this in our 60s, after we have retired, especially with the orthopedic issues we both have.  We are actually kind of proud of what we have accomplished, but mostly we just love the experience of dancing together.

Crystal Gayle:  When I Dream.

Last time on trainers...yeah!

Because the weather in the PNW is often wet and dreary in February, March, and April, we have, for several years, used trainers to get into shape for cycling.

We watched a LOT of movies and documentaries.

But we really didn't enjoy it all that much.  It was good for us, but we simply need to be outside.

This was our last time on the trainers.  When we returned the next year we sold them.