anyone past 50 on here?

[pickles.]

runester and cdrdash, I've had houseguests so haven't been on Aven for a while, but I'd love to hop in on the hiking conversation once they are gone. Happy trails to all, literal or metaphorical!

[runester]

Hi, Cathy. My parents ran into some 'red tape' with the CDA gov't. when they planned to move there permanently; but the problem was solved when they became what is called "Landed Immigrants" (meaning they owned land in CDA, but were not citizens of CDA). They maintained their USA citizenship, but were allowed to winterize their cottage and make the move. I wonder if CDA still has that legal maneuver(?). At the time, it was a win, win situation; however, my parents were in their 50s, then. Perhaps, your Mom and Dad are content with the way things are.

I hope you noticed the post from "ms. trish" regarding her interest in hiking. She has posted before, several times. I will leave her post for you to answer as you are our 'hiker on board'! :)

[runester]

Hi, "Mr. LG". It is good to hear from you.

I must ask this Q: have you had any substantial rain since the completion of your roofing task? Please tell me all was secure!!

Not much rain...very hot...very dry...and my no. 1 co-worker is leaving for an extended hiking trip to the west coast , (2-3 months) with a couple friends of his. :(

This is not the greatest timing in the world, is it? However, I'm sure your hard work will hold up, just fine!! If possible, you need to have your #1 co-worker appoint someone to take his place, while he will be absent. (as long as they're not the hiking friends he'll be gone off with!!) :D

[cdrdash]

Hi, Cathy. My parents ran into some 'red tape' with the CDA gov't. when they planned to move there permanently; but the problem was solved when they became what is called "Landed Immigrants" (meaning they owned land in CDA, but were not citizens of CDA). They maintained their USA citizenship, but were allowed to winterize their cottage and make the move. I wonder if CDA still has that legal maneuver(?). At the time, it was a win, win situation; however, my parents were in their 50s, then. Perhaps, your Mom and Dad are content with the way things are.

I hope you noticed the post from "ms. trish" regarding her interest in hiking. She has posted before, several times. I will leave her post for you to answer as you are our 'hiker on board'! :)

My parents were in their 70s when they tried to find a way to live permanently in Canada. That would have been around 1994. They talked to lots of people. My mom's sister is a Canadian and they looked for some way to leverage that but it didn't work. The only options open to them were to invest money in Canada but they didn't have the kind of money needed for that or to work in Canada. Working was not an option as they were ready for retirement not working so they gave up.

I saw ms. Trishes post .. Will keep an eye out for her response.

Cathy

[Asha]

Closing in on 50 here. Will be 49 this year. I find ageing a fascinating and liberating experience.

[< retired >]

Closing in on 50 here. Will be 49 this year. I find ageing a fascinating and liberating experience.

When you reach 99 like my grandmother, check back with us on the 'liberating' part. :) There are many things that she used to do that she can no longer do because of her age. An elderly body can become like a prison! However, all things considered, she's not doing too badly. 8)

[cdrdash]

Closing in on 50 here. Will be 49 this year. I find ageing a fascinating and liberating experience.

When you reach 99 like my grandmother, check back with us on the 'liberating' part. :) There are many things that she used to do that she can no longer do because of her age. An elderly body can become like a prison! However, all things considered, she's not doing too badly. 8)

I'm certainly not looking forward to my body giving out in various ways but ... cross my fingers, knock on wood ... I'm hoping my mind will stay sharp. And so far I do find growing older to be liberating for my mind. I'm not sure why it feels liberating though. Maybe because I simply know myself better and so I come quicker to places where I'm happier???

Oh and welcome Asha to almost 50s! I'm 51 myself and so just starting my 50s decade.

Cathy

[Tanwen]

The problem is that the brain wants to do things the body just isn't up to :( and therein lies frustration!

[cdrdash]

The problem is that the brain wants to do things the body just isn't up to :( and therein lies frustration!

I'm hoping if my brain wants to do things that my body isn't up to that my mind can can say OK I'm frustrated that my body won't do this anymore, I'll mourn the loss, and then I'll find something else my body can do and celebrate that. At least this is my idea. I have seen my parents practice it (they are in their 80s) and I hope I can do it too!

Cathy

[Tanwen]

I have arthritis in my right hip and it's so darned frustrating...I can't get on my bike nor can I swim breaststroke any more because the joint just wont work that way. I can only walk with my dogs but would dearly love to go jogging with them - no, there's no consolation, no easy acceptance.

[daveb]

welcome, Asha! Have some

[runester]

Cathy, you are too much of an up-beat individual for your plans for the future, not to work out.

My goodness, we are normally a happy and positive group. Let's try to keep it that way! I agree that ageing can be liberating as "Asha" said; maybe not physically, but certainly mindfully. Although, I am in my late 60s and know that I am an Enlightened person, therefore I consider some of the posters here, among the young-folk. :lol:

Tanwen, you are a lovely person, and I am truly sorry to hear of your malady; but your mind is so sharp, you need to conquer the negativity that the pain brings to you. Easier said than done, I know; but it is the effort that counts!!

A poster on another topic mentioned joining the "50s... Topic" so they could knit yoghurt(?), and get their 'slippers'. I defended this site, and look what happens. A pall cannot be cast that easily on such an up-beat group as we have been, and will continue to be, especially with new members and their fine attitudes, as "Asha". :)

[daveb]

All I know is for me life just keeps getting better. Granted I'm a bit younger than some of you. But I've always been pretty upbeat and optimistic about the future. If anything, it seems like I'm often waiting for the next good thing, then I enjoy that, and look forward to the next good thing after that. I expect to live a good long and healthy life, especially if my grandfather who I take after is anything to go by. :P

[runester]

"daveb", your Grandfather certainly is someone 'to go by'!! He gave you an awesome outlook, so far. :)

[daveb]

Thanks!

He lived well into his 90's and kept sharp and upbeat until the he died. Other than some difficulty with breathing (not to the point of needing anything breathing apparatus or anything, just easily winded in the last few years) from being a lifelong smoker he was in decent shape nearly to the end, too. I had the good fortune to get to know him better in the later years as one adult to another, too.

[runester]

"daveb": How wonderful for you to have been able to converse with him, in his later years. I know it enriched your life, and helped make you the fine person you are.

I hope you have read the posts by "cdrdash/Cathy", where she also speaks of being able to 'drink in' her parents' graciousness.

We surely have some fine folk on this thread!! :)

[daveb]

"daveb": How wonderful for you to have been able to converse with him, in his later years. I know it enriched your life, and helped make you the fine person you are.

I hope you have read the posts by "cdrdash/Cathy", where she also speaks of being able to 'drink in' her parents' graciousness.

We surely have some fine folk on this thread!! :)

yep (to all of the above) :)

[cdrdash]

Good news and annoying news (because runester asked me for the news) ...

The polyps removed during my colonoscopy were not cancerous. YAY!

However because one was so large, the doctor tattooed the spot where she removed it and she wants me to come in for another colonoscopy next year. Ug. I was hoping I would have a 10 year wait till the next one. Oh well. Things could be so much worse.

OK ... now back to our regularly scheduled discussion.

Cathy

[runester]

Good news and annoying news (because runester asked me for the news) ...

The polyps removed during my colonoscopy were not cancerous. YAY!

However because one was so large, the doctor tattooed the spot where she removed it and she wants me to come in for another colonoscopy next year. Ug. I was hoping I would have a 10 year wait till the next one. Oh well. Things could be so much worse.

OK ... now back to our regularly scheduled discussion.

Cathy

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to ask you a silly Q: First, a bit of preface - my Grandma used to tell me not to sit on concrete or on rocks, as we had a 'rock-garden' of sorts, because she said it would damage my "fanny". (sorry for being so graphic!!) When you hike and rock-climb, do you use a cushion/chair to sit on?

[cdrdash]

Good news and annoying news (because runester asked me for the news) ...

The polyps removed during my colonoscopy were not cancerous. YAY!

However because one was so large, the doctor tattooed the spot where she removed it and she wants me to come in for another colonoscopy next year. Ug. I was hoping I would have a 10 year wait till the next one. Oh well. Things could be so much worse.

OK ... now back to our regularly scheduled discussion.

Cathy

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to ask you a silly Q: First, a bit of preface - my Grandma used to tell me not to sit on concrete or on rocks, as we had a 'rock-garden' of sorts, because she said it would damage my "fanny". (sorry for being so graphic!!) When you hike and rock-climb, do you use a cushion/chair to sit on?

No. I sit on rocks. I sit on logs. I sit on dirt. I have brought an ensolite pad cut down to butt sized on cold days so I don't freeze my butt but I lost it a few years ago and California is usually warm enough that I don't miss it.

Cathy

[runester]

Good news and annoying news (because runester asked me for the news) ...

The polyps removed during my colonoscopy were not cancerous. YAY!

However because one was so large, the doctor tattooed the spot where she removed it and she wants me to come in for another colonoscopy next year. Ug. I was hoping I would have a 10 year wait till the next one. Oh well. Things could be so much worse.

OK ... now back to our regularly scheduled discussion.

Cathy

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to ask you a silly Q: First, a bit of preface - my Grandma used to tell me not to sit on concrete or on rocks, as we had a 'rock-garden' of sorts, because she said it would damage my "fanny". (sorry for being so graphic!!) When you hike and rock-climb, do you use a cushion/chair to sit on?

No. I sit on rocks. I sit on logs. I sit on dirt. I have brought an ensolite pad cut down to butt sized on cold days so I don't freeze my butt but I lost it a few years ago and California is usually warm enough that I don't miss it.

Cathy

Could that be a cause for polyps (as my Grandma would attest to), or are they mostly a result of diet? A cushion wouldn't hurt. Listen to me, never hiked a day in my life, and I'm making a suggestion that you add to your load of things to carry!! LOL!! I'm off to bed. G'night, Cathy.

[cdrdash]

Could that be a cause for polyps (as my Grandma would attest to), or are they mostly a result of diet? A cushion wouldn't hurt. Listen to me, never hiked a day in my life, and I'm making a suggestion that you add to your load of things to carry!! LOL!! I'm off to bed. G'night, Cathy.

Did a little research on the web and determined that sitting on hard surfaces does not cause polyps in the colon. However it wasn't definitive as to what causes them. Best I could tell is it's caused by a mutant gene that causes abnormal growth of the tissue in the colon and possibly by a bad diet high in red meat and not enough fiber. The diet can be fixed but not the gene. And it takes a long time for polyps to get big which is why you don't generally get a colonoscopy till you are over 50.

Cathy

[pickles.]

@"cdrdash" & "ms trish": I envy you your hitting the hiking trails. I have always avoided that activity, as I might 'break a nail' and I can't have that!!! ( :lol: please know I'm joking)

I am pretty much a home-body, but one of my favorite authors is "Tony Hillerman", who writes of the Native -American landscape; mostly 'Navajo country', much of Arizona, etc. Have either of you actually hiked that specific terrain? Or perhaps an actual trek into the Grand Canyon? I understand the heat and poor oxygen levels can be oppressive, though. Yes? I would really enjoy hearing about it. Thanks!!

Hello runester and Cathy, I will finally answer this! I lived in Utah for 31 years, and did some amount of hiking there (mostly remote slot canyons in Southern Utah), but have really only become an avid hiker in the past four years. I first went out to the Columbia River Gorge to see Multnomah Falls, but that led to an interest in everything about the area--the geology, history, botany, politics, geography, etc. (as I say, "Went for a waterfall, stayed for the history"). Now I cannot get enough of the place, and I also love reading up about different issues--dam building on the Snake and Columbia rivers, the plight of various Native American groups, the continued fight to keep certain kinds of development out of the gorge, etc.).

I have been to lots of Utah's national parks (Arches, Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef (my daughter is actually working at the latter right now!), but have never hiked the Grand Canyon. I've wanted to--would really love to visit Havasu Falls. Heat does bother me, so I would want to do it in the spring or fall (wherein lies the rub--it's my summers that I have off!).

[cdrdash]

@"cdrdash" & "ms trish": I envy you your hitting the hiking trails. I have always avoided that activity, as I might 'break a nail' and I can't have that!!! ( :lol: please know I'm joking)

I am pretty much a home-body, but one of my favorite authors is "Tony Hillerman", who writes of the Native -American landscape; mostly 'Navajo country', much of Arizona, etc. Have either of you actually hiked that specific terrain? Or perhaps an actual trek into the Grand Canyon? I understand the heat and poor oxygen levels can be oppressive, though. Yes? I would really enjoy hearing about it. Thanks!!

Hello runester and Cathy, I will finally answer this! I lived in Utah for 31 years, and did some amount of hiking there (mostly remote slot canyons in Southern Utah), but have really only become an avid hiker in the past four years. I first went out to the Columbia River Gorge to see Multnomah Falls, but that led to an interest in everything about the area--the geology, history, botany, politics, geography, etc. (as I say, "Went for a waterfall, stayed for the history"). Now I cannot get enough of the place, and I also love reading up about different issues--dam building on the Snake and Columbia rivers, the plight of various Native American groups, the continued fight to keep certain kinds of development out of the gorge, etc.).

I have been to lots of Utah's national parks (Arches, Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef (my daughter is actually working at the latter right now!), but have never hiked the Grand Canyon. I've wanted to--would really love to visit Havasu Falls. Heat does bother me, so I would want to do it in the spring or fall (wherein lies the rub--it's my summers that I have off!).

Do you live in Oregon? I would love to hike around Columbia River Gorge. I have never been there but have seen beautiful pictures of it on TV. I!m also interested in visiting Crater Lake in Oregon.

I will get to Utah someday and perhaps will pick your brain about favorite hikes there! I have several friends that have been to Havasu falls. What makes you want to visit there in particular?

Cathy

[pickles.]

@"cdrdash" & "ms trish": I envy you your hitting the hiking trails. I have always avoided that activity, as I might 'break a nail' and I can't have that!!! ( :lol: please know I'm joking)

I am pretty much a home-body, but one of my favorite authors is "Tony Hillerman", who writes of the Native -American landscape; mostly 'Navajo country', much of Arizona, etc. Have either of you actually hiked that specific terrain? Or perhaps an actual trek into the Grand Canyon? I understand the heat and poor oxygen levels can be oppressive, though. Yes? I would really enjoy hearing about it. Thanks!!

Hello runester and Cathy, I will finally answer this! I lived in Utah for 31 years, and did some amount of hiking there (mostly remote slot canyons in Southern Utah), but have really only become an avid hiker in the past four years. I first went out to the Columbia River Gorge to see Multnomah Falls, but that led to an interest in everything about the area--the geology, history, botany, politics, geography, etc. (as I say, "Went for a waterfall, stayed for the history"). Now I cannot get enough of the place, and I also love reading up about different issues--dam building on the Snake and Columbia rivers, the plight of various Native American groups, the continued fight to keep certain kinds of development out of the gorge, etc.).

I have been to lots of Utah's national parks (Arches, Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef (my daughter is actually working at the latter right now!), but have never hiked the Grand Canyon. I've wanted to--would really love to visit Havasu Falls. Heat does bother me, so I would want to do it in the spring or fall (wherein lies the rub--it's my summers that I have off!).

Do you live in Oregon? I would love to hike around Columbia River Gorge. I have never been there but have seen beautiful pictures of it on TV. I!m also interested in visiting Crater Lake in Oregon.

I will get to Utah someday and perhaps will pick your brain about favorite hikes there! I have several friends that have been to Havasu falls. What makes you want to visit there in particular?

Cathy

Since the first time I saw photos of it many years ago (a couple of decades?), I have wanted to see the turquoise waters and travertine pools of Havasu. But, I think I read a few years back that a flash flood had damaged or even destroyed most of the pools, so perhaps I am too late.

But, yes!, I'm in Oregon--Portland to be exact. I grew up in Southern California; Utah was home for the 31 years in-between.

What are some favorite hiking spots for you around where you live?

[daveb]

I grew up in southern California (and live there now, too). I would love to move up north some day. I've visited Portland and I like it there, so that's one possibility for me to retire to (but that will be a while).

[cdrdash]

What are some favorite hiking spots for you around where you live?

There are so many: Henry Coe state park, Big Basin State Park, Wilder Ranch State Park, Mission Peak, Ohlone Wilderness, Pt Lobos, and Mt Tam State park come to mind. I can drive to all but the last two in under an hour. There is also a whole slew of Midpeninsula Open Space preserves that I love to visit. And there are several wonderful county parks too. The bay area really is an amazing place for day hiking!

Cathy

[pickles.]

I grew up in southern California (and live there now, too). I would love to move up north some day. I've visited Portland and I like it there, so that's one possibility for me to retire to (but that will be a while).

Hi daveb, greetings to another native Southern Californian! Except...I bailed at age 18 to go to Utah for school. Still came home in the summers until I was 21, then it was Utah for good (for a while).

Whereabouts were you born and raised? Where do you live now? (If you don't mind my asking. If you don't want to give that much info, I understand.) I have family all over down there, from right near LAX down to the San Diego area (Rancho Penasquitos). I was born in San Gabriel and grew up in Covina, but I think I was destined to live where I live now. I remember studying the different areas of the U.S. in 4th grade, and being enamored of the Pacific Northwest--home of mist and rain and giant trees! I loved rainy days even as a kid; I'm a bit of a mushroom.

[pickles.]

What are some favorite hiking spots for you around where you live?

There are so many: Henry Coe state park, Big Basin State Park, Wilder Ranch State Park, Mission Peak, Ohlone Wilderness, Pt Lobos, and Mt Tam State park come to mind. I can drive to all but the last two in under an hour. There is also a whole slew of Midpeninsula Open Space preserves that I love to visit. And there are several wonderful county parks too. The bay area really is an amazing place for day hiking!

Cathy

Cathy, this all sounds fantastic! I wouldn't have known that about the bay area. My favorite places here all take an hour plus.

[daveb]

Hi daveb, greetings to another native Southern Californian! Except...I bailed at age 18 to go to Utah for school. Still came home in the summers until I was 21, then it was Utah for good (for a while).

Whereabouts were you born and raised? Where do you live now? (If you don't mind my asking. If you don't want to give that much info, I understand.) I have family all over down there, from right near LAX down to the San Diego area (Rancho Penasquitos). I was born in San Gabriel and grew up in Covina, but I think I was destined to live where I live now. I remember studying the different areas of the U.S. in 4th grade, and being enamored of the Pacific Northwest--home of mist and rain and giant trees! I loved rainy days even as a kid; I'm a bit of a mushroom.

I'd rather not get too specific. I grew up close to the coast in San Diego, which at least meant the weather was pretty mild most of the year. Then for a couple of years I was out of state (way east) for grad school. I now live in the IE, with long hot dry seasons (more than just the summer), ugh.

I love rainy days, too. I even have rain sounds playing on my computer a lot, especially this time of year (and dark drapes to block out the sun in my livingroom where I spend a lot of my time). How long have you been in P-town? Do you ever long for more sun? I can't imagine I would, but it's hard to say without being there, so I'm just curious what your experience has been.