Ahead by Half a Century! Happy Birthday to me!

First thing we'd climb a tree And maybe then we'd talk Or sit silently And listen to our thoughts With illusions of someday Cast in a golden light No dress rehearsal, This is our life

Today I turn fifty! Wow! Making it here is my ultimate Thanksgiving. I am very grateful to have made it this far in life. When you turn FIFTY, it seems like a lot of people ask if you would change anything if you could. As cliche as it is no, I wouldn't change anything. If there is anything I didn't do that I wanted to do, I can do it now. The heartaches, the disappointments, the betrayals and bruises were all survivable, and they led me to my soul mate, my successes, my true friends and thickened my skin. I sometimes think I would like to change the things that hurt my children, but then that discounts how they have grown through those experiences too and how strong they are. Twenty-five years ago I never would have imagined this life. I had a great partner with John, but our thoughts were of a life without kids....... so funny. My three boys are what makes me the most grateful. They are brilliant, gorgeous, loving and funny, and I cherish every moment I have with them. So here I am at FIFTY. The blog and the theme behind it sum up all that I want from life still. I want to be out there in the world breathing in the fresh air, having experiences and time with my good friends and family. I know it frustrates people when I say I don't want any presents for my birthday, but it is true. A little bit of your time and a walk would be just perfect. The treasures will find us! Lets walk!! PS Thanks Gabe for the beautiful old wasp nest . You know what your mom loves.

#7 Ravens on the Ridge. Mt. Work via Munn Rd with J and J!!

What a wonderful day. It is my birthday weekend and an extra long weekend to boot so I have been treating myself by not working and getting some good gardening and family time in. Janice and Jacqueline invited me to join them for a hike up Mt. Work. I don't think I have entered the park from that side in 20 years since our old dog died and the boys came along. The weather was perfect and the company even better. Jacqueline clearly demonstrated the superiority of youth by bounding up the slope but she was sweet enough to wait for us at intervals. Sketch was so excited to be somewhere new and of course he found a stick so he was happy. The other people out were all in good spirits too. I found it really challenging and recognize that I need to get out for more of those challenges during the week. I want to do Grouse in the fall so I will need to get my legs back under me. The Ravens talked to us the whole way. And yes there is a pecking order Janice :)

#6 The little Things...Island View Marsh and Beach!

I was loading pictures from my camera to my computer and realized I missed one of my walks. Island View is one of those spots that always has something to offer whether it be shells or other beachcombing treasures, eagles, whales and wildlife and other unexpected delights. I think I will let the pictures speak for this one.

#3-5 ...Not exactly what I had planned. .......

Well just when I think I have things all sorted out life comes and beats me up. I was behind in posting a couple of qualifying walks but planned to do a blitz update but then I got sick. Really sick. A virus worse than any I have hosted in the last decade....maybe almost two decades. More than a month later and I still have some coughing fits. So I make my posts about walks #3-5 about friends. Walk 3 and walk 5 are about the same destination but 2 different friends.( I have been in the same park since but won't count those walks as the goal of this was to expand my walk locations). Mount Douglas Park is a gem of a park here in Saanich. I have no way of even guessing how many times I have walked or ran or occasionally waddled through the myriad of pathways in that park. Hundreds at least...possibly more. And I cannot begin to explain how different it can be EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Depending on my mood, fitness, the weather and of course the company. Walk # 3 was with one of my 'oldest friends'. THis was a more purposeful walk in the sense that she had limited time and a preferred route and we went as fast as my starting to get sick lungs would permit. The surroundings were more in the background and the walk was really about catching up on some big challenges we are each experiencing and between breathes saying "that sucks" and "I here you". On that walk the beauty of the setting was that it was unobtrusive. Despite all the cars in the lot we barely encountered a soul and the dogs and we got a little moving meditation in. THe other walk was also with a many years friend but was the other kind. My lungs were really starting to betray me with the bug that was about to take over my life. The pace was slow and despite how many times we had been to the park we debated over this path and that path, had to back track a few times because certain areas were too slippery to navigate. A little bush-wacking ensued as well resulting in a hefty tick count at the end (fortunately none on the people-only the dogs). I have been through that park so many times and every time I see a different tree fungus, meet a funny person or a strange one, marvelled at the view, had some colossal wipe outs resulting in a number of scrapes and bruises and once a broken finger. Love Mount Doug!! Walk 4 was with another friend and another dog. This time we picked one of the routes from my new walks around Victoria book. THis one was at John Dean Park. We chose the short route for this walk up to Pickles Bluff and winding through the woods. We had the dogs and it was hard as they need to be on leash there and with the slippery stairs and things it was a bit tricky. When we do the long route (3 hours) soon , we will take cameras and no dogs. My husband swears to me we walked there many times years back and one of my old running crew lived right next to the park so I imagine we jogged through but I don't really remember it. When we got up the fire road and around the radio towers and then down to the bluff edge I was just blown away by the view. Everywhere you walk around the south island you get this different angle which creates a whole unique experience of our surroundings. Another thing I enjoy about walking is history. Some parts of this walk reference the old cabin that was here. I looked online to get some more history but it was pretty limited. Might have to find a book on that part of Saanich to find out a bit more. So now I hope to get back on track. I need to get a few extra walks in there to a few new places and I hope opportunities to walk with some different faces. But almost always the dog! Best, Liz