Coffee Run!

It’s coffee talk time again (Every time I write the words “coffee talk” I am reminded of the Mike Myers character from Saturday Night Live.) I am linking up with Coco from Running With Perseverance and Deborah from Confessions of a Mother Runner for their Ultimate Coffee Date. Pull up a comfortable chair, pour yourself a cup, and let’s chat about all topics – running and otherwise.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you all about our trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to help our grandson Atti celebrate his fourth birthday. I would be sure to bore you with plenty of “Grandma” pictures and stories about this bright and imaginative little boy. It’s my duty as a grandma.

Of course, I happily take second place to the Hubs with this grandson. I have lots of videos of Atti and his Abo (short for Abuelo) playing monster, riding horseback (Abo is the horse), and building magnet blocks. They are inseparable for the duration of our visit.

When there are 2,000 miles separating you from people you love, you must make the most of every moment. At the time this post is published, we will have only one more day in Steamboat. I usually cry most of the way back to the airport.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that running in Steamboat Springs is a mixed bag. Bill and I usually get up early and run before my son and daughter-in-law go to work in the morning.

The first day we ran, the temperature was a perfect-for-running 42 degrees, with very low humidity.

You may not be able to tell from this photo, but I wore a tank top and shorts. Brrr!!! It was chilly! Even though I knew it would be cooler here in the mornings, I could not wrap my head around packing running capris and long-sleeved shirts when it was 100 degrees with 90% humidity at home.

After we got warmed up, I was fine in the summer running attire, except for my hands. They stayed cold for the entire run.

The oxygen content of the air I sucked into my lungs with huge gasps, however, left a lot to be desired. I am used to running at 200 feet of elevation, not 7,000 feet. Just about the time I start to become accustomed to the lack of oxygen, it is time for us to leave.

As a result, I walk up small hills I would be embarrassed to walk at home.

The major difference between running in Colorado and in Lititz, Pennsylvania, I would have to say, is the bears. This sign was posted at the entrance to the neighborhood where my son and his family live. Three black bears were spotted nearby.

My son gave me bear spray to use for safety during my early morning runs. I have never had to run with bear protection before. I don’t know how proficient I would be at actually spraying a bear, but it did give me a sense of security to put the bear spray in my pocket.

My photograph definitely does not do it justice, but we saw the most beautiful, vivid double rainbow I have ever seen from the deck of my son’s house in Steamboat.

The end of the smaller inner rainbow looked like it came down in his neighbor’s yard, less than 100 meters away.  Atti and I searched hard for a leprechaun. It looked as if we could walk down the street and stand in the middle of the colored light.

It was definitely one of those “Pennies from Heaven” moments, illustrating once again that beauty is all around, we just have to put ourselves out there to give ourselves a chance to witness it.

Finally, if we were having coffee, I would show you this picture my sister sent to me after our last visit with her on Cape Cod.

That is me, ready to smash my palm into the icing of my first birthday cake. My sister is holding the cake in front of me.

This was taken in the living room of the house we grew up in. Look at my swing in the background and the snazzy new TV. Wow, how times have changed.

If only I still had that blond hair!

Thanks for sharing a coffee and conversation with me. Let’s do it again next month.