anyone past 50 on here?

[daveb]

39 minutes ago, Tja said:

(I'll have less than a week to finish getting ready, when I return in December)

Good luck with everything! I'm looking forward to hearing about your vacation!

 

15 minutes ago, will123 said:

I always hate the end of my cycling in Toronto

Isn't it a pain when your ride ends in a steep hill? I haven't tried riding here yet.

[Autumn Sunrise]

Hi everyone, it's nice to be back again and catch up on all your news

 

First, @Thea2, if you're still around, I hope you enjoy your break . . . but I hope you come back again  We'll miss you!

 

@Mz Terry Those bluebells are to die for! You always seem to know where to find the best ones! And Dog is just beautiful 

 

@cdrdash Those wildflowers are stunning! And I love the "wide open spaces" pictures . . . makes me feel almost as though I'm right there 

 

@daveb I'm glad to know that you got your dental problem sorted out - it was very bad luck, breaking a tooth like that!

 

My son and I had a wonderful holiday - five days on a very interesting heritage train. It was so long that it had to make two stops in most places because it was too long for the platforms! We met lots of interesting people, and saw places I'd never seen before. Some of the highlights were: Walcha - a very pretty town with beautiful autumn colour; Gilgandra, with friendly and welcoming people, where we attended the annual Anzac Day march and memorial service; Werris Creek, where the local Lions Club gave us breakfast on the railway platform, and where there's a wonderful railway museum. Lots of interesting scenery and fascinating history. Apparently some of the people on the tour are "regulars" - the company offers lots of different tours including Spring and Autumn tours in northern Japan, which sound very tempting 

 

I hope everyone's having a good week! 

 

 

 

 

[daveb]

30 minutes ago, Autumn Sunrise said:

My son and I had a wonderful holiday

Welcome back! That sounds like an awesome vacation! I love riding trains and keep wanting to try some train trips in the US (but it's usually both quite a bit cheaper and faster to fly). I guess the trick is to find a train journey where the journey and the sights along the way are the main attraction. Sounds like your journey was like that.

[Skycaptain]

@Autumn Sunrise. Glad you both enjoyed the holiday. 

 

@Tja, happy travelling. 

[Semisweet]

Your getaway sounds delightful, @Autumn Sunrise! I enjoy scenic train trips too but so far have taken only a small handful (in Europe, including through the Norwegian fjords and the Swiss Alps). Trains are my favorite mode of travel (well, except for overcrowded/poorly maintained commuter lines like the ones near me).

 

@daveb, Amtrak has several long-distance train routes that are touted as scenic. A couple of them are on the West Coast, and on this side of the country, there's the Adirondack train between NYC and Montreal. 

 

@Tja, safe travels to you.

 

My recently sideswiped car is finally getting repaired (it took a while to get into the recommended shop), and dealing with my insurance company has been a surprisingly positive experience. They quickly got the other party to accept liability and advanced me the full repair cost. I don't recommend being in a car accident but if this had to happen, at least it's resolving itself reasonably smoothly.

[daveb]

1 hour ago, Semisweet said:

Trains are my favorite mode of travel (well, except for overcrowded/poorly maintained commuter lines like the ones near me).

I hear you.

 

1 hour ago, Semisweet said:

Amtrak has several long-distance train routes that are touted as scenic. A couple of them are on the West Coast

Oh, I know. The Coast Starlight is one I have considered (back when I lived at the other end of the route - although I would've had to commute to get to the train).  (might still try taking it in the other direction one of these days) I have been on shorter routes (San Diego to Anaheim - a nice coastal route) and longer ones (SD to LA to Chicago and then back again). The latter wasn't great. Multiple days, sitting/sleeping in seats, very late train (something like 12 hours late getting to final destination, when I was trying to get to an event.). I've had some nice (and some not so great) train rides in Europe, too. But never really a train ride that was more about the journey, with stops along the way like @Autumn Sunrise 's holiday. Sounds sort of like a land cruise.  (in a good way)

 

1 hour ago, Semisweet said:

My recently sideswiped car is finally getting repaired (it took a while to get into the recommended shop), and dealing with my insurance company has been a surprisingly positive experience.

That's good! (the bolded parts anyway).

[Semisweet]

1 hour ago, daveb said:

The latter wasn't great. Multiple days, sitting/sleeping in seats, very late train (something like 12 hours late getting to final destination, when I was trying to get to an event.).

That sounds frustrating. And if the proposal by the current White House occupant goes through, the perpetually underfunded Amtrak could lose all federal support for its long-distance service, which would be unfortunate. Since you've moved just one state away from the northern border, though, perhaps Via Rail has some Canadian options for you. 

[Tja]

Glad you're having a positive experience with your insurance company, @Semisweet.

[teatree]

Happy weekend!!! Last weekend I went to New York City (my first time) and met two lovely AVENites.  (Also a first!) This weekend is yard work.... Spring has sprung! MIight even get to mow....

[Skycaptain]

Gardening sounds much more attractive than yardwork. As it's bright and sunny this morning, that's what I'll be doing 

[Muledeer]

On ‎4‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 8:16 PM, Tja said:

My break is over, and I leave out this weekend. Heading to Alabama, then, onto Florida. Will be back home at the end of June.

2 weeks off in July, then out again until xmas.

 

How on earth do you handle being on the road for that amount of time?  Especially down there in the hot muggy summer time

 

 

On ‎4‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 10:15 PM, Autumn Sunrise said:

My son and I had a wonderful holiday - five days on a very interesting heritage train. It was so long that it had to make two stops in most places because it was too long for the platforms! We met lots of interesting people, and saw places I'd never seen before.

 

 

That sounds like a delightful holiday.  What is a heritage train?  steam locomotive and old-time passenger cars?

 

 

 

8 hours ago, teatree said:

Happy weekend!!! Last weekend I went to New York City (my first time) and met two lovely AVENites.  (Also a first!) This weekend is yard work.... Spring has sprung! MIight even get to mow....

Oh, how I would love to explore NYC!  that one is on my bucket list.    Have fun in the yard today.  My yard has a few inches of fresh snow on it.

 

I have been up since 4 AM because of a sick dog.  She usually makes it outside when ill but not this morning.  Good thing my carpet is due for replacement.

I couldn't get back to sleep so I just made coffee and came to AVEN.  Dog is quiet and feeling better, I guess. 

 

 

[Autumn Sunrise]

@Muledeer, the train was the old Southern Aurora that used to convey passengers between Sydney and Melbourne, usually overnight - it was used by a lot of businessmen in the days before flights became cheap and common. So it had old-time passenger and dining cars and four (!!) diesel locomotives. We didn't have sleeping cars because the're being restored, so we were put up in motels overnight. The car my son and I were in was beautiful: compartments for 6 people (but mostly only occupied by 4, so we had lots of room) with highly polished wood panelling and vintage light fittings, luggage racks and old black and white photographs. Also, we got to travel some interesting old lines that are only used intermittently now, for freight. (I wish it had been  a steam loco: sometimes, on weekends, they run steam excursions from Sydney, usually travelling west, where we live. They always cause lots of excitement, with railway buffs lining the route, especially on the railway bridges, and taking photos.)

[Tja]

58 minutes ago, Muledeer said:

How on earth do you handle being on the road for that amount of time?  Especially down there in the hot muggy summer time

I've just gotten used to it. It's become the "norm" for me. The time actually goes by quickly. Though, I still don't do well in the hot weather.

It helps that I love to drive. I could drive all day, everyday.

 

Hope Dog recovers quickly.

[Gentle Giant]

I went to a couple of rummage sales this week and got these books:

 

The Accidental Hero by Matt Mylusch
Elfshadow - Forgotten Realms series by Elaine Cunningham
Into the Labyrinth - A Deathgate Novel by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
The Seven Songs Of Merlin by T. A. Barron
The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones
Misty Gordon and The Mystery of the Ghost Pirates by Kim Kennedy

Icebound by Dean Koontz

 

I also picked up these VHS tapes:

 

Sneakers - starring Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier and David Strathairn.

The Best of Red Skelton

The Best of Victor Borge (still sealed!)

 

At one of the sales there was a Christmas ornament of Capt. Picard and it made me think of you, @daveb because we were talking about him and STTNG in another thread.

[Semisweet]

21 hours ago, teatree said:

Last weekend I went to New York City (my first time) and met two lovely AVENites.  

What a coincidence, the same thing happened with me!   (Well, minus the first-time-in-NYC part.)

 

@Muledeer, I hope you get to cross NYC off your bucket list one day! Also, I hope your dog has recovered by now. 

 

@Gentle Giant, that's quite a haul. Don't know how I've missed seeing Sneakers all these years, given its impressive cast.

 

@Autumn Sunrise, the details of your vintage train make your travels on it sound even more enticing. I wish more methods of travel these days still had such a sense of place and journey.

 

[daveb]

3 hours ago, Gentle Giant said:

I also picked up these VHS tapes:

 

Sneakers - starring Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier and David Strathairn.

The Best of Red Skelton

The Best of Victor Borge (still sealed!)

Sounds like a good haul. I enjoyed that movie, but it didn't seem to get good reviews and/or garner much public interest. I wouldn't say it's very deep or anything, but more of a fun spy adventure where things aren't always what they seem.

 

The ornament sounds cool.

 

I went to a game store today to play a couple of games for International Tabletop Day. Had a fun time.

[Gentle Giant]

I don't think I've ever seen Sneakers, but from the cover and seeing who all is in it, it looked like it might be a fun movie.

 

I just watched the Victor Borge video tonight. Very funny! 

 

What games did you play, @daveb?

 

@teatree and @Semisweet which other Avenite did you meet up with?

 

 

[daveb]

10 minutes ago, Gentle Giant said:

What games did you play

a game called Islebound and one called Lanterns

[teatree]

Semi and I met up with Chandrakirti, while she was visiting the city. Had a great time, and it felt like meeting old friends since we already "know" each other a bit from here.

[Gentle Giant]

@teatree That is awesome! I wish more of us could get together.

[teatree]

29 minutes ago, Gentle Giant said:

I wish more of us could get together.

I know!!! It was really fun--I was a little nervous prior to meeting that we might run out of things to say to each other, but that was certainly not the case. Yak, yak, yak!!!  It was a bit daunting for me to get to the city (definitely outside of my comfort zone) but I did it...I'm trying to be a bit braver in life.

[Mocha Jo]

Good weekend, all! I am working, but it is really slow. So I am catching up on my lunch. @Muledeer- I hope dog is feeling better! And, yuck about the rugs. We put rugs on to cover the floors that we hadn't gotten around to finishing when the house went on the market, and I am ready to rip them up and live with plywood since it seems the cat that throws up most often makes a beeline for carpet to do it on 😾 

@teatree- and we only live one state apart and haven't managed to meet, lol! Maybe I am too antisocial.

 

i have always wanted to go on a scenic train trip- trains are one of the few vehicles I don't actually get sick on. But, the cross country train seems really expensive and you have to change trains. Seemed like a lot of work to do my sleeping in a seat. 

 

I am am also doing a lot of "gardening" lol! It does sound better than yard work. I am psyched to get veggies planted this year! I can't wait for the first tomato or kale leaf. The chickens and bunny have dandelions already, but I am not as much a fan of them, even when they are this young.

[Skycaptain]

Speaking from experience, clearing cat puke off the carpet is an overrated pastime 

[Techie]

Hello!  It appears to have been 6 or so pages since I last checked in.  I had an early morning doctors appointment back on the 20th and my blood pressure was still high at 140/90.  This despite being on metoprolol and amlodipine besylate.  My doctor was concerned so I am now adding losartan to see if that works.  If it does then the plan is to stop one of the others, most likely the amlodipine.  Unfortunately, despite being told there should be no side effects, I am drowsy and fuzzy headed.  The drug facts sheet indicates this can happen while one is getting use to the drug which means nothing ill is going on with me but it is annoying.  Between bike riding when I force myself and the drug I have had a drop in BP to 120/74 in the evening so I guess there is an upside.  I just hope the drowsiness goes away soon.  Getting very hard be motivated to do things.

 

Speaking of biking.  Last week was three days of rain but I finally got out on Thursday and was able to go to one of beaches I usually frequent.  It was like last fall. Cloudy and gray with a cool wind and absolutely deserted, not even any sea birds, which is understandable as the weather was not that great.  Actually quite pleasant for me when I have the place to myself.  The wind did get to me eventually and I had to cut the visit short.

 

 

[Semisweet]

6 hours ago, Gentle Giant said:

@teatree That is awesome! I wish more of us could get together.

Once teletransport is perfected, I'm game for that. I might have hesitated to meet up with unfamiliar AVENites, but it was a swell experience getting together with "known" fellow over-50s, particularly ones who proved to be as friendly, interesting and down-to-earth in person as they are on the forum. 

 

Meanwhile, this weekend has been steamy (weatherwise ), but I managed to do about 11 miles of walking between yesterday and today. Over those walks I separately came upon six pennies in all (though I picked up only five, as I'd have been run over by a car had I stopped for the sixth). For some reason I often find coins on the street, but this may have set a personal record.

 

@Techie, I hope things settle down with your medications and blood pressure. And a deserted beach looks way more peaceful than a crowded one. 

[Skycaptain]

@Techie. I'm surprised that your doctor is getting that concerned. 

[Techie]

3 hours ago, Skycaptain said:

@Techie. I'm surprised that your doctor is getting that concerned. 

Guidelines recommend 70 or lower for the bottom number. The 90 is not good long term for kidneys and small blood vessels and fixing it now is better than letting it continue to creep up and subsequent damage build up. Granted there will be a day when it hits zero but I assume that is two decades or so away.  Family history rears its ugly head. My mother has BP issues and one of my uncles on my fathers side was severely hypertensive. It is definitely in my genome but stress and 20 extra pounds does not help either.

 

On the lighter side, my sister called me the other evening while I was out bike riding. She said guess who I just saw on TV. Wild guess and I said you saw the commercial with the woman from church that I am rather fond of (though I used her name in the call). She laughed and said yes and had never paid attention to it before. I don't see her around much any more as I guess she is busy on Sunday's. We are both curious as to how she wound up doing the spot. Someday I hope to ask her. 

[Muledeer]

@Techie have you tried curbing your sodium intake?  It seems like every drug has a side effect.  I believe most ills can be solved through better nutrition instead of pills.

[Tystie]

Catching up... We've got a holiday weekend here (the last one until the end of September, where I live), and the sun is shining! I hope to get a few things planted and tidied up in the garden today.

 

I've had a good weekend so far...fun meet up in Glasgow on Saturday, followed by an overnight stay In a hotel (marred by the party animals along the corridor; I wasn't the only person to mention it to reception), minimal shopping on Sunday morning, followed by a bus ride home. The latter passed relatively painlessly, thanks to a combination of podcasts and sleep!

 

@teatree, @Semisweet: good to know the meet with @chandrakirti was a success!

 

@Techie: hope the blood pressure sorts itself out soon.

 

To everyone else, wishing you all a good Monday!

[Techie]

16 hours ago, Skycaptain said:

Speaking from experience, clearing cat puke off the carpet is an overrated pastime 

Ah yes. Yet another contributing factor to my overall stress. Early Saturday morning about 4:30am my cat started with the hacking sound and then threw up. Happens at least twice a week. So I am a very light sleeper and constantly awoken when he makes any sound at all as I may suddenly find myself jarred out of bed and cleaning up a mess. While he sits with a stupid look on his face. He is 17 and this is my last cat I will have. And as I write this my neighbors cat is here eating and fighting with my cat. Geesh...