Baseball in Grand Central

Dark hair curls appear from underneath the Yankees cap
pulled tightly down on his head.
He stares at a point beyond the escalator as
his left hand cradles his gloved right hand.
Tensed, ready,
he sees not the crowd but
watches and waits.
For a long fly ball?
A long departed ghost?
A long lost love?

27 July 2011
Shire on the Hudson

The big news

Finally saw a rattlesnake - of course it was behind glass and in the Downtown Aquarium in Denver, but it was a rattlesnake.

Started the day on the treadmill with The Last of the Mohicans. Good stuff. I saw the last of the movie. Daniel Day-Lewis was amazing as always. I once walked a short distance with Russell Means during a demonstration in Cleveland. He's a big guy.

First stop for the day was the Downtown Aquarium. Since we planned to go to the Colorado Rockies baseball game, we parked near the stadium and walked to the aquarium. Had lunch, checked out the critters. Noticed a distinct lack of octopi. Hmmm.

Great night for baseball - a well played game. Lots of fun. $1 hot dog. Baseball should show up on my to-do list more often.

All of that was great, but the big news is that the step count for the day was 21,294. That's right. Over 20,000. That is the second time that happened. Once last summer at Ghost Ranch, the count exceeded the 20k level. So I don't know if this is a record or not. But it is the highest in over a year. And it is pretty darn good. I also managed to eat well.

Tomorrow marks the end of the vacation and the return to the Shire. Ah well. Until the next one.

See you along the trail.

Thinking is needed

Today brought the final National Park (some day I have to figure out the different categories - National Park, National Historic Site, etc.) on this trip: Scotts Bluff National Monument.

The day started at Penny's Diner - a restaurant near the Oak Tree Inn in Morrill, NE. It was a good place to stay and a good place to eat.

From there, we journeyed to the Riverside Zoo in Scottsbluff. And then on to the monument.

As are many of the parks, it is an interesting place with much to ponder. The bluffs served as a landmark on trails west. From the European point of view those trails were about emigration and expansion. From the point of view of the Native Americans those trails were about invasion. A great deal to sort through when one thinks about it. And a great deal of thinking is needed.

Travel continued to Denver. Tickets have been purchased for the Colorado Rockies game tomorrow. A visit to the Denver Aquarium is also in order.

11,602 steps.

See you along the trail.