Bon Ton Roulet in the Finger Lakes

Posted on by
Reply

July 20-27, 2024

To complement the very relaxed Michael-pace trip to Scotland, this was a Marty-pace “kill-yourself-everyday” bike trip. I have been hearing about this longstanding seven-day event from many bike friends for a while and this was finally the year to do it. Ten members of Morris Area Freewheelers were participating so I would have some known friends to ride and socialize with. But as these kinds of things usually go, you could always talk to any of the 250 participants and find many common and interesting things to share. This trip was mostly camping, though a few of our friends arranged to stay in area hotels, Instead of borrowing camping gear from Emily, I opted for the “comfy campers” service which included tent set up, air mattress, chair and clean towel every day. It was a good value and mostly well done except for the hot and crowded “tent city” arrangement. Folks with their own equipment could choose a shady and secluded spot. I’m never a good sleeper in these kinds of situations, so I did the best I could with ear plugs and sleep mask, and my tent and mattress were very comfortable. The tour stayed in some lovely state parks, and on small college campuses. Some places had access to indoor bathrooms with flush toilets and running water. We always had the shower truck, and a charging station where we could recharge our phones, lights, computers and other electronics. Most days we had to have our bags on the truck by 7:30am, but there were two locations where we stayed over two nights, making for a more relaxed morning routine.

The biking was fantastic! I rode 40 something or 50 something miles each day except for the day I completed my first century!!! I mostly rode with Manny from MAFW and Mike, a friend he had made at the Bon Ton the year before. Our pace was comfortably matched and they were incredibly supportive, especially on the century day. Sometimes we rode with John and Dawn from our club, and occasionally we would cross paths with the B riders from the club who were staying at hotels. Maureen, a friend from the Sourland Cycles women’s riding group was also there with her husband Tom, and we rode together one day and swam together at various waterfront locations. There was a lot of talk about algae bloom in the lakes which was a new phenomenon for me. I was thinking of renting a house up here next summer, but if you can’t swim in the lake what is the point of having a house on the waterfront???  

We were very lucky with the weather. After days of dangerous temperatures in the high 90’s at home, it was much cooler and beautiful most days, high in the low 80’s. We would usually be on the road well before 8am and done before noon. The scenery was beautiful with lots of farmland, including robust corn, gorgeous fruit orchards and voluptuous vineyards. It was always thrilling to crest a hill and get a view of the next finger lake, sparkling, long and narrow into the distance. It did get hot in the mid-afternoons, especially in the tent city, but it usually cooled off when the sun went down. I was even cold some nights. I was constantly amazed at how much I was eating: eggs and bacon and home fries and yogurt and granola at breakfast, fantastic treats at the rest stops including fruit and pickles and cookies and bars and chips. We enjoyed good cafeteria style dinners and I inhaled protein and carbs and stayed away from sweet deserts, because I usually had ice cream and beer during the lazy afternoons. I felt stronger as the week went on, and even though sleeping was not great, I guess I was getting enough. I was usually unconscious before 9 and felt fine during the day.

I think this is one of the more demanding bike trips I have done: with the camping, packing and un-packing, lugging your gear, no quiet and air-conditioned hotel room to retreat to, and seven days of riding, almost 400 miles total with one day of 103 miles up to Lake Ontario and back. Everyone cheered and made a big deal out of my first century, which felt really gratifying. The week was a lot of riding and socializing, but wonderful. I’m so happy I got through it with no bike or body problems. I hope I’ll be able do it again some day.

Driving Adventure to Shetland and Orkney

Posted on by
Reply

June 16- 27, 2024

It is Greece and Scotland again this summer! I think this is my 3rd trip to Scotland and maybe 4th or 5th for Michael. Each time we go farther and farther afield. I found a wonderful tour company that arranges self-drive itineraries to Shetland and Orkney – perfect for us. Since Michael did so well with the car on Naxos and Crete, I thought it would be fine here as well. Yes, we had driven in the UK on the wrong side of the road years ago, but for whatever reason, this time was harder. We flew to Heathrow and connected to Aberdeen where we picked up the car. We had upgraded the hotels and I guess they upgraded the car as well because it was a very fancy and huge Volvo SUV. We decided that Michael would do all the driving, which was probably a mistake, as was not asking for something smaller. Within 15 minutes of leaving the rental car lot, we got confused at a round-a-bout, avoided a head-on collision with a firetruck, clipped the side mirror of a parked car and got a flat tire as we bumped a curb. Luckily, we came to a stop near a local police station. The driver of the car we clipped was very kind helping our jet-lagged brains figure out what we should do, and a handful of brawny, highland police officers came to help us change the tire and make our way to a nearby tire store to replace the blow out. We missed getting lunch but thankfully made it to the ferry on time for our overnight sailing to Shetland. Yikes, what a way to get started.

Our ferry cabin was small but comfortable and we slept deeply in the gentle rocking after a filling dinner. The ferry crews were extremely helpful at guiding the loading and unloading of cars, and we learned how to use the fancy cameras and proximity warning lights on our Volvo. Luckily there was very little traffic at 8am when we drove into Lerwick and parked at the town wharf. We strolled around in a cool drizzle and eventually made our way out to Hillswick and the St. Magnus Bay Hotel. Once out in the countryside, the roads were wide with very little traffic. The landscape was rugged and desolate, but beautiful in a gray misty way. Michael took a nap in our homey and comfortable room while I went out for a walk around the Ness of Hillswick. With no trees anywhere, I could see the hotel most of the way walking around the sea cliffs and following the gently trodden footpath in the grass. There were sheep everywhere and many times I think I was on a sheep path rather than a hiking trail. Dinner in the hotel dining room was simple and delicious. The sun finally dipped below the clouds at 9pm and didn’t set until almost 10:30 but it never really got dark – the “simmer din” they call it. 

The next three days on Shetland, thanks to all the wonderful information provided by the tour company, we drove to various recommended places to hike and walked along dramatic cliffs. There were also gorgeous and unexpected beaches that were mostly deserted. It was usually windy and cold with occasional sprinkles, and I was glad I had my winter riding jacket, raincoat, scarf and hat. We found the “Cake Fridge” a self-serve bakery in the middle of nowhere, met some fellow musicians with common friends at a wonderful restaurant in Brae, took four ferries out and back to the northernmost island of Unst, saw Gannets and Puffins, tasted whisky and gin, ate local fish stew and muscles, and saw Viking villages and Neolithic ruins. We also took naps and kept a relaxed pace.

After navigating the crowds in Lerwick from the Viking cruise ship in the harbor, we boarded the late afternoon ferry to Orkney and enjoyed a relaxing dinner and six-hour journey. It wasn’t really dark when we arrived at the Storehouse Restaurant and Rooms at 11:30pm, and we found our room arty and luxurious. The next four days in the Orkneys we walked on more beautifully deserted beaches and cliffs, ate local fish in lovely restaurants, tasted more whiskey, and poked in arty shops in Kirkwall town. On one amazing day we fit in ranger talks and tours at all the Neolithic sites: the Stones of Stennes, Ring of Brodgar, Maeshowe burial mound, and Scara Brae Prehistoric Village. It was a lot to take in but fantastic. The weather was warm and dry and Michael was finally relaxing with the driving. 

We took a morning ferry from Stromnes back to the mainland and then had to drive three hours to Inverness where we would stay overnight. The drive was beautiful but stressful because there was more traffic and we had to manage the complicated and busy round-a-bouts getting into town. Inverness was cute and touristy with all the regular Scottish tartans and tweeds. We saw none of that up north where everything was much more Nordic in style. 

The next day on the way back to Aberdeen, we actually got stopped in a small town by a policeman for not yielding in a round-a-bout. He yelled at Michael but let us go without a ticket. Yikes, we were so relieved to return the car and get on the plane to come home. But, shortly before we were to land in Newark, our flight from London got re-routed to Bangor Maine because of thunderstorms. Urgh!!!! We ended up spending the night in a Comfort Inn and getting home more than 24 hours later. Our checked bags took three more days to arrive. Sigh – I think I won’t go to Scotland again.

Bike Trip to Crete

Posted on by
Reply

May 6 – 15, 2024

In early May, Michael and I joined a bunch of my friends from Morris Area Freewheelers on Crete for a week of riding and archeology. The three other couples and one single woman were spending several days on Santorini first, but Michael and I still had commitments at school, so we flew to Chania and joined them at a beautiful AirBnB villa in Kissamos. We had two separate houses on one piece of property with three bedrooms each, modern kitchens, lovely bathrooms and a gorgeous private beach right on the Aegean. Michael had a car, so we could go off on our bike rides in the morning while he could relax with a second cup of thick, sweet Greek coffee and then drive to meet us wherever we stopped for lunch. Like last summer on Naxos, the driving was mostly easy and Michael enjoyed his independence. 

The weather was cool and sunny most days, perfect for riding though not quite swimming temperature. I went in anyway because it was too beautiful to pass up. The riding was challenging since wherever we headed, we had to go up into the mountains from sea level. The routes were gorgeous, passing groves of olive trees, goats everywhere, flowering shrubs, and views of sea and mountains. When we stopped at a restaurant for lunch, the food was fantastic, plentiful and inexpensive. Just when we felt too stuffed to eat another bite and asked for the check, the waiters would bring the house brew of dessert wine and some delicious sweets. One afternoon and evening we took a boat trip from Kolymvari to Balos Beach and Gramvousa Island. Another day we stopped at the Moni Gonia Monastery after a thrilling downhill ride along the coast. We all enjoyed socializing and getting to know each other better and everyone mostly got along well navigating the roads and the kitchens.

         After Crete, our friends were heading to Athens. Michael and I drove three hours to Heraklion instead for a few days of archeology. The driving in the tiny, busy streets of the city was more challenging but we made it to our elegant and comfortable hotel. A student of mine from PU who lives in Athens had put me in touch with a local guide and we arranged to meet her for a late afternoon tour of the famous Knossos Palace archeological site. The air was warm and soft as the sun went down, and the grounds were amazingly deserted for our three-hour private tour. Karen was a fantast guide and paced the time so we could sit in the shade while she told us wonderful tales of 5000 years ago. The next day we spent the morning at the fantastic but busy archeology museum in town seeing the actual artifacts from the site and reading about a lot of the things Karen had explained the previous day. We spent the warm afternoon at the beach, only a 15 minute drive away. We enjoyed a delicious meal at a beachside café and Michael napped on a chaise under an umbrella while I swam in the turquoise water and walked on the white sand. It was easy to get to the airport the next morning for our early flight to Athens and then home. This was a fantastic trip which makes us want to return to Greece!

FR: wind, rain, fog and the groundless ground

Posted on by
Reply

March 16, 2024

I am just back from a wonderful reunion with the sweet New England woods in central MA and two weeks on retreat at Forest Refuge. As usual, the early spring weather in March was wildly variable with cold, windy rain, fog and even a dusting of snow one morning, as well as a few days of warm sun, singing birds and budding flowers. The more muted environment was a welcome antidote to the overwhelm of Paradise in Hawaii last winter. Rebecca Bradshaw was teaching again as always in March. Her teaching partner was Devon Hase, one of the new generation of recently launched IMS teachers whom I didn’t know at all. I trust Rebecca and have tremendous respect for her guidance without any sticky attachment. In contrast, I could feel myself falling in love with Devon almost immediately. She was warm and heartful, while also brilliant and nerdy in her presentation of the suttas, translation of Pali terms, and discussion of different lineages and teaching styles across varied Buddhist schools. She was only a few years older than Emily, also an only child, also married to a zen student, also with a father 13 years older than her mother, a writer and an athlete, so many common threads. She had spent many long stretches on retreat, including time on Maui with Steve and Kamala, and was extremely skillful at helping me understand some of the strange experiences I have had on recent retreats. I knew it would be a mistake to try to look for that experience of nothing I had had last year. Devon agreed and encouraged me to notice what was absent and be playful with awareness.

As usual, in the early days of the retreat, I didn’t sleep well and had some vivid and crazy dreams. At my first meeting with Rebecca, I recounted a dream in which I was a passenger in several strange vehicles that were not proceeding easily along their paths. Then, I was chased by a group of tiger cubs who I think wanted to play with me. We decided that I was having some doubt about my practice and needed to relax and play more. Yes, that’s what Devon had said. Rebecca recommended dropping all labels and commentary. Don’t chase after objects, just rest in receptive awareness. When I met with Devon a few days later, I described a lot of calm stillness and quiet. I asked her about the difference between equanimity and dullness in my regular life. She said what I was describing didn’t sound like dullness to her, but a more quiet, easeful joy and appreciation of life – better than intense passion. I agreed. She said I could check to see that the enlightenment factors were balanced, and maybe bring in a bit more energy or investigation. Wow, I had been doing this for a number of years, but this was the first time a teacher had articulated it to me.

After that meeting I actually decided that I would be totally OK to spend the retreat resting in the calm, quiet equanimity I was feeling. What a relief not to be checking the enlightenment factors, or maintaining continuity of awareness, or on the lookout for some special experience. Devon gave an incredibly inspiring talk that night and I slept really well for the first time in a week. The next morning as I came into the hall early to sit and lead the metta chant, I could tell the sky was clear for the first time and we might actually have a sunrise. I rang the bell at 6:20 and as I got up to turn on the lights, I saw the sun just peaking through the trees in the east. The early morning crowd in the hall did a great job chanting and my heart felt happy and full as I walked back to my room before breakfast. As I opened the blinds, I saw a shaft of sunlight coming through the trees and falling on the frosty grass in the meadow. A voice in my head said, “oh, the groundless ground,” the phrase Devon had said at the end of her talk. I could clearly see the ground deconstruct and there was nowhere for the shaft of sun to land. Yet it was also completely there, just as it looked. Humm, form is emptiness, emptiness form. No big deal. I made my bed and did my yoga stretches. As I came into the dining room, there were shafts of sunlight falling everywhere and I saw the groundless ground again and again. My heart started to swell. The lady who always scuffed her slippers on the floor even walked by quietly and my heart soared. Ahhh, I saw it, this practice is amazing and really works, wowwwww. I have to tell Devon!!!

I was floating and flying and so joyful. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed playing outside after lunch and taking a long walk in the woods on all my favorite trails. At some point, however, I started to notice that the joyful, flying feeling was actually starting to feel sticky and agitated. My thoughts were racing with plans for the future and inviting Devon to Princeton. Woa there, this is clinging and actually causing more suffering than that quiet calm I was feeling yesterday. Interesting. I had signed up for an extra interview for the next day. By the time I arrived, the revved-up state had started to wind down and I could describe the insight, and the high, and seeing the clinging. Devon said that was more important than seeing the groundless ground. One of the last fetters to release is the sense of self, the one who has the insight. So interesting to work with.

The next few days were pretty ordinary: some quiet, some thinking, some music, some hip aching, clouds, rain, fog. The next time I met with Rebecca I described the whole up and down and told her I felt like I wasn’t really doing anything. And you’re not supposed to hold onto special experiences or pleasant meditative states, but those things are good, right? She nodded and said meditative insight comes from not doing. You just put your body in the form and let the practice run the course and unfold on its own. OK, sure. A few days later, someone left me a note on the bulletin board. Her plans had changed and she was leaving Friday, the same day I was, and heading to Boston and could I give her a ride to Worcester. Yes, it’s good to have an opportunity to help, I could probably give you a ride to Worcester, but I really don’t want to think about this yet. More notes, maybe Springfield would be easier for you….so many words. OK, I will get out my phone and look at the directions to Worcester so I can give you a short definite answer. After all that commotion, I sat in the hall Wednesday afternoon and felt stirred up. When I get home, what will my practice be? What is my intention? What am I doing????? And the voice said: “there is no one; not doing anything at all.” Really??? and the sun came out from behind a cloud and filled the hall with a warm glowing light. 

The rest of the day and the next, I had periods of knowing that there was no one doing nothing at all and it didn’t feel unsettling or scary, just quiet and still, but ordinary, like a tree standing in the woods. There were also periods of me doing my practice, resting in the sound of silence and some peaceful stillness. I met with Devon again and she said that when I was home I could orient towards that stillness which is always available. I’ll try to not try to not do that…. I invited her to come to Princeton. We’ll see how that intention unfolds.

Gain and Loss, Pleasure and Pain – Take a Break!

Posted on by
Reply

August 15, 2023

It has been a busy year of traveling, biking, and agility training and trialing with Louie. Luckily, I have been in great physical shape for all of it, until now. After a pause over the winter, Louie and I got back to trialing in the spring, and he earned his Open Jumpers with Weaves title at the Princeton trial in April – hurray! On one hand it is great to earn a new title and advance to the next level, on the other hand, then you have to advance to the next level where the courses are longer and harder and you are allowed fewer, or no mistakes. After Greece and Idaho, I had us registered for three weekend trials in a row in the hope of getting our Open Standard title at one of those events. It was a tremendous high to have a clean run and get a qualifying score and the third needed leg for the title on the first day back in the competition ring. The next weekend, we were finally with all the “big kids” in the advanced courses, and even though Louie did really well and stayed with me with minimal mistakes, we didn’t qualify in either the Excellent Jumpers class or our first time at Excellent Standard. The third weekend was a bust for Louie and for me.

Continue reading →

Mountain Biking Adventure in Idaho

Posted on by
Reply

July 15, 2023

It has been a whirlwind year of travel for me! Back in April, a girlfriend of mine from my bike club told me about a trip she was planning to complete her “50 in the 50’s challenge” – a physically active trip in all 50 states while she was in her 50’s. Idaho was the last state she needed, and even though she was now 61, she was allowing for the lost years of fires and COVID. It sounded like a great adventure and I signed on. We would be camping with mountain biking, hiking and white-water rafting, quite a challenging itinerary. My attitude at this point is, “if I am in good physical shape, I might as well do it while I can!”

Continue reading →

40th Anniversary Trip to Greece

Posted on by
Reply

June 11, 2023

We had this trip mostly planned for June of 2020 and my 60th birthday, but COVID struck, and we cancelled it along with everything else. Luckily, we hadn’t bought plane tickets or paid any money to the tour organizer. Then, one January afternoon in Maui as I meditated on the hillside overlooking the sea and islands, the thought floated into my mind, “I think it is our 40thanniversary this June…we should take that trip to Greece!”  It was very easy to reconstruct the itinerary with the incredibly helpful travel agent, Takis, who plans trips for the Hellenic Studies Department at PU. Prices were more expensive than they were in 2020, but still very reasonable compared to the rest of Europe. Traveling in early June we were also very lucky with the weather, which was cool and cloudy before the blistering heat of the summer set in.

After an uneventful direct flight from Newark to Athens, we arrived in Greece on June 11, our anniversary day. We were met at the airport and taken to our lovely hotel, the Herodion, only a short walk to the Acropolis Museum and charming Plaka district. We walked around a bit and rested in the afternoon before a delicious cocktail at the hotel’s rooftop bar, followed by a magnificent dinner at the famous Dionysis Restaurant overlooking the south face of the Acropolis – a suitably grand way to celebrate this major milestone in our relationship!

Continue reading →

Bike Trip to Spain with MAFW

Posted on by
Reply

March 10-20, 2023

I learned about this trip a few days before I was leaving for Maui for a month. It seemed crazy to make plans for another adventure, but the dates were perfect during Spring break, a lot of my bike friends from Morris Area Freewheelers would be going, and you couldn’t beat the very inexpensive price, so I put down a deposit. Emily would be accompanying Michael and the PU Orchestra on tour to Sofia, Belgrade and Budapest, and the pet sitter we had for Maui was available again to stay with Louie. After three years of not traveling at all, I guess it was time to start making up for it.

Continue reading →

Retreat in Paradise: A Month on Maui

Posted on by
Reply

December 18, 2022 – January 15, 2023

I am writing this a number of months later, so the experiences have settled and softened. I have practiced with meditation teachers Steve Armstrong and Kamala Masters for almost 20 years and have always wanted to visit their retreat center on Maui. With all of Michael’s health issues, it has been challenging to find a time when I could be away for a month, but December/January looked like it would work so I made the reservation last June and hoped for the best. As the holidays approached, everyone was healthy, including Steve, who was doing miraculously well five years after a glioblastoma diagnosis. Michael, Emily and I planned a family vacation for 4 days before my retreat. We arrived on Maui in a terrible rain-storm that diverted planes and cancelled flights. Luckily, we landed safely and stayed in a beautiful condo near the beach in Kihei. We only had one good swimming day after the storm, but we did a lot of driving around the Island and visited our old Princeton friend Maida Pollock. She had retired to her son’s farm in Kula, which was, amazingly, right down the dirt road from the retreat center! Michael and Emily went on to spend Christmas on the Big Island at Volcano National Park, and I started a monthlong retreat in Paradise.

Continue reading →

Beach/Bike Vacation in MD

Posted on by
Reply

August 6, 2022

I rented a cool and funky house in Berlin MD for a family beach get-a-way this summer. I was very happy to avoid a complicated trip to Europe, or anywhere that involved flying, especially after the travel hassles of Utah. I was even happier that Emily could join us. The house was attractive and comfortable with a fenced in area for Louie, AC, WiFi, and beautiful outside garden areas to cook, eat and even watch TV. The host lived in a trailer at the back of the property, with “Boyfriend” and three dogs. Louie made friends with Laurie’s dogs through the fence, and “Boyfriend,” a chef at a local restaurant, even shared some fresh off the boat tuna with us one night. Laurie was a warm and generous character with unending helpful advice about everything.

Continue reading →