Year End Pondering and Reminiscing

Obsessive Behavior
Any time I exercise I mark it on my calendar. I have different codes for each type of exercise I do, including swimming. I was switching my calendar to 2016 and went through my old one real quick to see my exercise habits for 2015. My calendar even showed December of 2014, so I knew I was keeping track farther back than 2015.

I found it interesting that I maintained an “active” lifestyle throughout the year. Even when I was working I seemed to get some walks and hikes in. I also know that even though I lost 20 pounds from April to August, today I weigh the same as I did at the end of 2014.

I began thinking… what is it I need to change to actually lose weight?

In 2015 I quit drinking soda, rarely ate out, and walked regularly.

What I didn’t do well, and have been struggling with for years, is eat enough.

I rarely eat when I’m alone. I am alone all the time.

I constantly count protein, carbs, calories, and sodium… Most days I could stand to eat more. Like 300 calories more. Also, I could really drink more water.

So even though I say, "I don’t make resolutions, I make life changes." I am going to do my best to eat bigger breakfasts… and do more yoga. Breathing deeply is rejuvenating.

My Look Back on 2015 Highlights

Coudersport, PA

Roosevelt Baths, Saratoga Springs, NY

Canfield Casino in Congress Park, Saratoga Springs, NY

My friends in Montreal, Quebec

Logan and Nathan's leather coat project.

Primordial at Maryland Death Fest, Baltimore, MD

I got a new car! 2015 Kia Soul

Plenty of cat snuggles this year!

My friends at Buttermilk Falls, Ithaca, NY

Me and Michelle near the summit of Sleeping Beauty, Fort Ann, NY

I got braces!

View from our campsite on Indian Lake, NY

Me and my friends getting ready to hike. Trailhead was boat access only. Indian Lake, NY

Becky in Congress Park, NY. We kept our mischief to a minimum this year.

Onondaga Lake Park, NY. I got to see my friend Tambre for the first time in many years.

View from our hotel of the Charles River, Cambridge, MA

Mgła at the Middle East, Cambridge, MA

I up-cycled an old pair of jeans into a skirt.

Lock 19 on the Old Erie Canal. Vischer Ferry Historical and Nature Preserve, Clifton Park, NY

There were so many more excellent times in 2015 and it was really hard to choose photos. I tried to stay away from things I may have written about already.

Dwaas Kill Nature Preserve II

It's interesting how different a place can be in a years time... or less.

Becky and Andrew were visiting Nathan and I for a weekend in October, and we decided to go for a short hike nearby. I'm not sure who made the decision, but we ended up going to Dwaas Kill Nature Preserve. I hadn't been back since Nathan and mine's initial visit back in December 2014.

We parked at the same entrance on Pierce Rd.

Right away I was pleasantly surprised to see a map! It's a color version of the map I posted a link to in my original blog post about Dwaas Kill Nature Preserve.

Apparently, it was an Eagle Scout Project carried out in 2015 and this project meant something else... the trails were marked!

Different colored blazes with directional arrows... red (Fishing Trail), orange (Long Kill Loop Trail), and green (Spur Trails to Dwaas Kill)!

We walked along and saw a red blaze to the left, right before we reached Long Kill, but the path was seriously overgrown and I could not be talked into going that direction. I'm almost certain that we covered the same trails as Nathan and I did the first time.

We kept ending up at the railroad... but then we discovered a trail that ran along the Long Kill. It was nice to discover a different path, although I was hesitant. Probably rightly so, considering the path along the river was an orange blaze trail I felt was too overgrown to walk along in the beginning of the hike.

I'm not sure if it was just because the trees still had leaves on them that we didn't see any old abandoned cars, or if it was because someone removed them.

I don't know how far we hiked but it was moderately easy. I really only recall the one steep hill... It's a hill that calls you to climb it though. To see what's at the top, or to be more precise... what's on the other side.

I still haven't made it to the Dwaas Kill. I know though now to find the river, I need to follow the Fishing Trail or the green blazed trails... the orange blazed trails will never take me there.

To see more photos Click Here!
October 10, 2015 - Clifton Park, NY