distractions on the east coast

I went out to CT for a week for Thanksgiving.  It was my first time seeing Mommer and Meg since Eileen's passing, and it was wonderful to be around them for awhile.  I was a tiny bit apprehensive about the visit- I knew it would be good, but at the same time I knew it would be hard.  All told, it was very very comfortable....more than I had anticipated.  We certainly had our moments missing Eileen, but I'm super glad I visited.  Since Mommer was out here for the worst of it, I feel a certain bond with her now and it was especially good to see her. One morning the three of us visited the cemetery where Eileen and Meg's father (Mommer's husband) is buried and that helped to give another small sense of closure.  I got to spend some quality time with Meg's two beautiful kids (2 and 5 years old) and it was quite nice to be surrounded by that energy.  Nothing like some fun little kids running around to get your mind off of things!

Mommer has a friend who has a son who is a musician for Spiderman, the broadway show. She got tickets for Meg and I to go see the show and then meet up with John, the drummer, to get a quick tour backstage.  Meg and I had a great time at the show....totally not my normal form of entertainment but it sure was a spectacle!  Even though John was short on time, he graciously gave us a quick tour backstage...what an opportunity!  I was blown away by the machine behind a show like that (granted, Spiderman is by all accounts an amazing technical achievement for broadway).  The coordination between all the stage hands, the musicians, and the actors was mind boggling...especially during all the flying sequences.  One of the most interesting aspects for me was seeing that the band is crammed into 2 separate rooms under the stage, since the actual orchestra pit is completely taken up by hydraulic machinery for the stage.  Since everyone's in separate rooms, a video feed of the conductor is streamed to all the musicians (and the actors on stage, actually) via small video monitors.  Fascinating!

The rest of my trip was filled with really nice distractions focused around visiting friends from "back east".  I had a nice time chatting with some BlueSky peeps when I visited the studio one afternoon.  Also met up with some dear friends in Manhattan for dinner one night.  It was great to see everybody and I count myself lucky to have such a supportive group of folks in my life. One thing that keeps me going is the fact that even though I rarely see a lot of these folks, I know they're still thinking of me and would do anything to help if I were to ask.  (In today's day and age, technology is awesome for keeping in touch).  It's that quiet support that is really comforting.

I also met up with several friends whom I used to mountain bike with regularly.  It was a miracle that so many of us were able to get together...I'm so glad they were able to come out.  We met up at the trailhead just like old times, except without bikes since myself and a couple others had traveled far to get there.  It was weird to be on the beloved trails sans bikes, but it turned out to be a really special hike.  It's an area (Trumbull CT) where the topology is awesome for the freeride style of riding- hucking and jumping. We hiked around to all the different stunts and jumps and reminisced about various daredevil antics and crashes (mostly by the other, gutsier riders).  Walking those trails was akin to looking at old snapshots- I could remember a story about each rocky trail section and rooty problem area.  Next time I gotta bring a bike.

I feel that I'm managing fairly well, adjusting to life without Eileen, but I do find that mid-way through many of these great outings I'd have "the sobering moment"....just the way it is. *sigh*


I was successful in exercising a decent amount during my trip.  I had a good jog in Newtown, also a brisk walk with Meg, and the biker hike counts for something....we were out hiking for 2-3 hours.  This afternoon me and Red did a jog/walk/jog up in the hills.  Felt pretty good.

He's not exactly a Wegman Weimaraner, but to his credit there were 2 cows 20 yards away, plus a found tennis ball 6 inches from his right front paw. He looks relaxed, right?

Newtown jog.

visualizing the gap jump at Trumbull (that I've never actually done)

with Meg in Manhattan