Friends and a laid back Sunday

Translates as get up at a very leisurely pace, enjoy brunch and good coffee, slowly gear up to heading into Einsiedeln where they have a cross-country skiing track with, off to the side, a walking one for those without their skis, or not wishing for whatever reason (lack of equipment, although one can rent on site, lack of appropriate clothing or lack of interest).

Following warm drinks in the sun at the tracks, return via a trip around the lake, to our base and chill each with our own electronics, or books or whatever to the smells of the host cooking spaghetti sauce for dinner.

A flute of champagne, some good red wine and delicious meal with conversation in all directions and it was off to bed early so that we could arise also early.

City Hall, Einsiedeln, Schwyz

Schoolhouse, Einsiedeln, Schwyz

Abbey of Einsiedeln, Schwyz

Church just behind the Abbey

window detail of the schoolhouse

one of many decorative shields

another decorative shield

Gargoyle on the Abbey

not many people sitting on the benches....

end of the day: mountain peak through the trees

Stopping to smell the roses, or

Stopping period. 

Anytime I want to take a look around or investigate a patch of clover (still looking for the natural four-leaf one), or anything else for that matter, due to my history of shuffling, stumbling, tripping, I would be well advised to come to a complete halt before proceeding to lift my eyes from the ground!

This morning’s hike, first through the woods, then up the mountain road to the meadow at the top of one rise and back down, passing mountain rivers along the way had me however thinking that “stopping to smell the roses” might be also:

Just an excuse to take pictures!

Didn’t actually smell any roses, but the presence of several colors of lilacs had me trying to see if they had a different smell according to color and the recent rains have enabled woods chips and downed logs to possess that most foresty (I know, I know – sometimes one just has to make up a word: “naturey” was a recent one by my housemate) of smells.

But mainly it was about the photos… below

Tenacity

rain drops

River in slow motion

new growth

beautiful!

Rhode in full bloom

small alpine village across the mountain

Really: a stone as a pillow. But looks soft enough.

Baby steps

Or, adjusting one’s realities

Today for the first time in three weeks I actually decided to take a path up through the forest instead of staying on the flat. (I sprained the same ankle that had already been subjected to a broken heel and a bad sprain a few years back, which greatly curtailed my hiking capacity up in the mountains in June). I figured that since I had managed the standing concert Friday, it would probably be o.k. as long as I was climbing and not going down: as a precaution I put on the flexible brace. What with picture taking and stopping to admire the scenery it was a whole hour! Feeling pleased with myself.

But that brings us back to the subject: will I ever again take a weeklong backpacking trip in the Sierra’s? Probably not, but I can perhaps work back up to a half-day hike.

And so it is in life, many things become more difficult with age, but other paths open. We may no longer be able to take on as much, but perhaps we do a better job with those tasks we continue. Maybe we can’t dance all night – or even talk a whole night through, but we can take a nap the next day to compensate for those hours after midnight. Perhaps our eyesight grows dim and our hearing iffy, thankfully taste buds usually hold up to their task.

Stopping to smell the roses was never more appropriate: adjusting one's realities to fit the circumstances never more necessary.

Reconnecting with nature

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First walk of the season: only the short round as having not regularly walked in 6 weeks thought that I had best be reasonable; read lazy. Drizzle, fog, snow-powdered trees slightly higher, nothing could diminish the pleasure of being out and about in the fresh mountain air.
Even the dandelions looked beautiful!