Sunny Saturday

It's cliched, perhaps, but there is something about a gorgeous day - sunny, not too warm - that really does make a body feel good to be alive. Heading home from Conrad's hotel this morning up Lake Shore Drive, I watched the runners, the sun on the lake. And then to have a good, hard, strong practice? Terrific! I've capped it all with a venti misto and low fat cinnamon swirl coffee cake from Starbucks and some leftover rice casserole for lunch, and I'm good to go.

So, of course, I'll stay in this afternoon!

Hey, it takes a lot of work to be this fishbelly white. Days like this make anyone feel good, but I am anything but a sun worshipper. Besides, there is always work to be done. Alas.

Eh. I'll do it this afternoon.

It was a late night last night. Conrad's company function hosted cocktails until 1:00, and I was there to meet a few of Conrad's colleagues from out of town. We had a lovely chat with one woman, Lei, from the Honolulu office. We shared travel and dining experiences, and ended, I sort of recall, by talking of our visits to Sedona. It's a place I hope Conrad and I can return to this year: we've been twice now, last in 2004. The photo of us is from that trip. Yes, like many communities that rely on tourism, it has its share of tackiness and traps. Ignore them. The natural surroundings are remarkable, and when you sit outside your hotel room at night, able to see the stars because so little light from town bleeds into the night sky, you'll be glad. Or you will be, at least, if you come from a big city.

The other shot is from that same afternoon of hiking. I think that's a yucca. I'm not sure. My grasp of southwest plants is shaky unless I'm cooking with them! I found it fascinating, though, the skeleton of the flowering stalk still there in November. I get a little funnily obsessed about sights like that when I'm on trips; I'll keep returning to them, utterly fascinated for that day or so. Mary Alice moments extended, I guess. I use the shot for my profile in Last.fm (a fun site, if you are like me and you love the stats you can harvest from iTunes and the like).