Monday, October 14, 2013

A Hidden Jem

I knew it existed... but it took almost 40 years of living in the valley before I finally got to walk the trail myself. Tucked away in the foot of the south mountain is a little jem, Moorses Falls, but it's not surprising that few people, aside from the locals and some hiking enthusiasts  are privy to it's location. We tried to find the trail a few years ago and although we were in the right area, we missed it. It wasn't until hubby was working in the area a few weeks ago that he stumbled upon the trail entrance.

There are no markings visible from the road...but go in a few feet and there is a small sign pointing the direction of the falls.


The babbling water was beautiful and clear.


The trail was really a foot path along the steep left bank of slate rock, moss and straggly trees. 
We found it easier to walk on the water bed 
although I should think that would be impossible in the spring 
with the higher water levels.


The first falls.


The second...and larger falls.


The pictures do not do the falls justice.


...or me either...he he he


We put our faith in the rope left hanging down the cliff edge and we went up...but we didn't come down. We felt safer to just to continue along the path, coming out on the 101 and walking the long way back to the truck. The distance to the falls is a very short hike from the trail entrance and, along with the longer walk back to the truck, the hike took us just an hour. It was a beautiful hike on a fall day and we will go back. I could tell you exactly where the trail entrance is but won't. The link with general directions is below...finding the path is on you.


Happy Walking


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The Ultimate Optimist

Well, I certainly didn't see that one coming.
It just kind of crept up on me
over the last few weeks and now,
I have to admit, I have become
 a
"procrastinator."

I, who has always believed it best to tackle
a task head on and get it done.
Hubby,
on the other hand is wired differently,
 and will often spend more time planning his approach to doing a job
 than the actual task itself.
It's been the source of frustration over the years.
I once bought him a Nike sweatshirt
when their trademark motto was
"JUST DO IT"
but it didn't help.

I am inflicted with a lackadaisical attitude
and it's feeling real good!
Perhaps my fast approaching retirement date
and the prospect of lots of free time in the near future
is responsible, but more and more I find myself  putting off things
I could be doing for another day.

That explains why I haven't walked in over a week
...but I will get to it!

An elderly lady on CBC yesterday said her husband
always claimed that,
"procrastination is the purest form of optimism"
...because procrastinators have an
absolute certainty
that there will indeed be
 a tomorrow
...and that works for me!

 

Monday, June 10, 2013

Mom's Banana Bread

We love bananas, and between what we eat ourselves and what I give to the daycare kiddies for snacks, we go through a lot in a week. Sometimes it's hard to judge how many to buy,
often ending up with over ripe ones.
Some go into the freezer for smoothies
but my favorite way of using them is in Banana Bread.
I've tried many recipes, some healthier, than others over the years,
but my mother's recipe has always remained my favorite.
I've adapted it at times by substituting white flour with whole wheat, reducing the amount of sugar and by throwing in some ground flax seed,
but sometimes I just have to have it just as I remember eating it as a kid,
before I was concerned about weight gain
or the heath issues of too much butter.

Sometimes we just need to 
nourish  our souls!


Mom's Banana Bread

1 c. sugar
3 ripe bananas
1/4 c. soft butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda


Set oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a loaf pan.
Mash bananas with butter. Stir in eggs and sugar and mix well. Combine the flour and baking soda them add to the wet ingredients. Mix well. Spoon into a loaf pan and bake for 55 min. or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 min. before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Piggie Shoes


After going almost a month "coffee free" and "wheat free", 
a weekend in PEI 
visiting my daughter and son in law quickly
flushed all my accomplishments 
down the toilet.

 I was taught as a youngster that 
as a guest in someone's house,
 one was to politely eat what ever was offered, 
unless of course 
it was detrimental to one's health.

I would never think to impose my latest dietary "whim" 
on some one else
...and certainly no one had to twist my arm to get me
 to eat all that breaded seafood 
and yummy squares at the Chinese buffet,
...nor did anyone ride shotgun 
and force me to go up four times.
..and I would never turn up my nose at 
my daughter's Blondie Squares
 topped with Peanut Butter icecream.
...I'm way too polite for that. :) 

Now a week later, I am still eating wheat 
and I am back on the coffee,
although only one a day.
...but tomorrow is another day and 
a new start to going wheat free,
coffee free
and commit once again to exercising at least four times a week.

  I have found that running barefoot on the tread,
while not being very safe,
 is easier than running while wearing sneakers.
While it feels more natural going bare,
without a barrier,
callouses quickly become an issue as
 well as the increased
risk for stress fractures.
 I have been considering for a while purchasing a pair of
 barefoot running shoes
but chickened out
and settled for something more conservative
for my little piggies.



Women's-vibram-five-fingers-sprint


Reebok RealFlex
...super light and with purple and neon orange
...still pretty wild.