The first thing she said when I called

This social thing, I don't know. It's quite the change for me. For a year or so I had essentially no social life training for IMC. Now I'm doing the work thing, the social thing has really taken off, and while the core is going well, the cardio training has taken a bit of a back seat.

Going to High River used to be easy. You drove south on #2 till you crossed the diagonal railway tracks, and made the next right. High River is this nice little town in the foothills, though the suburbs are attacking it lately, with a thriving arts community. The view west is amazing, and from some vantage points it takes your breath away. Today was all about the cloudscapes. The sky is huge, with the land unfolding out in front of you. The sky is different shades of blue, and all sorts of wonderful cloud shapes that were just begging to be painted.

We used to go down several times a year to look through the shops and stroll. One gallery had this table that kept calling me. A nice round dining room table, made of birds eye maple and other more exotic woods. It was gorgeous and would have suited our home perfectly. It was also more than a month's gross income at a time when I was still spending most of it. We never did buy it. I don't think I could ever have actually covered it with a table cloth, and I know I'd have whimpered at every spill.

Then they put an overpass over the railway. That was ok. Since the last time I've been down that way, (there is another more scenic route) they put in another exit. So I took the first exit like normal, then I'm driving along wondering where all the stuff is. I did the same thing driving into Okotoks from the south. There's a new stoplight that wasn't there last time. Turned off one too soon again. Darn this constant growth, making me reset all my mental maps!

Pike's Pottery was having a sale this weekend. We have a ton of their stuff, most in the green and copper Earth Spirit series. We chipped a small plate a while ago, and wanted to replace it. We also ended up buying some other stuff as well. A new mug for me  in a darker green and lighter copper, with a brighter glaze, as well as a pair of cereal bowls and a honey dipper in the same glaze.

We didn't do any other strolling around. As we left the shop I called my buddy MT that lives south and east of there to confirm our meet up. MT and I worked together a long time ago, and we got on really well. We recently met up on Facebook, and invited us out to her place when she found out we were heading to High River.

Let's just say there was a bit of salty language over the phone. It was sunny then, so she couldn't see the phone screen, and hadn't realized I could hear every word as she was trying find out if it was on, or she had turned it off somehow, and getting her son to shut off the lawnmower. I was laughing because it was just like the conversations we used to have.

You know sometimes how you meet a person again for the first time in a while, and you aren't sure what to talk about? That uneasy silence? None of that here. It's been 16 or 17 years since we last saw each other, so there was lots to catch up on, but it was like we had last seen each other a few weeks ago.

Most people would say she is retired, but that's far from the truth. Her just telling me what she's been up to almost made me tired. I can confidently state nobody would guess her age. We had a great visit, and then suddenly realized we were beginning to run a little bit late for dinner with some friends in Okotoks. We said our goodbyes, but I'm pretty sure we'll get together again. She is in Calgary every month or so. Her turn to visit us.

We always have fun visiting G&G, our Okotoks friends. We've known them many years now, and it's so nice to catch up on them. Technically, they are retired as well, but he's working part time doing something he enjoys, and she always has artistic house projects on the go.

It was really late when we got home, later than I usually stay up. My day had started early with Curtis wailing out the Song of his People at a respectable volume, trying to convince me he was hungry. They still turned up their noses at the wet food we're trying out on them. After that I settled in to coffee and writing, pounding out about 2500 words of the latest twist in The Body in the Digester.

Friday, (don't you love backwards posts) I was on the bike for a medium strong spin, and a good core and stretch session after. My legs were feeling more equal strength, though my left knee wasn't happy about pedaling standing. There was a pause just at the point it is most bent. My breathing and heart rate were good for the effort, but I was sure getting sweaty.

Am I going to post a novel snippet? Not of this bit, I don't think. The Scrivener writing tool is suiting me perfectly. It's much easier to work with than a pile of text documents. Pity they don't have an iPad app yet, though I'm told they are working on one.