Working it

Much colder today, gray, rain coming.  Had to turn the heat on again!

 But yesterday - after great zumba class, walked 2 hours on Nauset beach (ocean side) and actually fell asleep on the sand for awhile.   Just needed to rest it all.  A dog visited and scared the hell out of me!  Then read on the sand at Crosby Landing for awhile.  Nice and sunburned now.  Getting anxious about so much time on my hands but cannot even think about going back to a big job - just couldn't do it right now.   Mental issues.   Until paperwork is final, focusing on painting condo, daily hard sweats, quilts, toughening up my bike butt, and finding insurance.   Saw Hunger Games last night - sticks close to the book.  I like the books much much more than the movie.

Sat is BEST zumba class.  More advanced and intense.  I had sweat dripping in my hair!  Felt SO very good:  "USA Today reports Zumba® Fitness was named one of the top 10 fitness trends for 2012 by the American College of Sports Medicine"  

Grabbed a coffee after class and went to look for the whales in PTown.  Parked at Herring Cove and pulled on the binocs and there they were!  So cool.  Saw spouts and backs and birds diving near them - beautiful:
Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cape Cod boaters urged to steer clear of endangered North Atlantic right whales

www.boston.com

"Boaters off Cape Cod are being urged to keep an eye out for North Atlantic right whales in waters close to shore after about 30 of the endangered cetaceans were spotted feeding off the coast of Provincetown. "

Drove by new garden center on rte 6A - Fran's Cape Farm.  Stopped in to see if the are hiring.  This would be very good for me in many ways.  She said yes and to come back in 10 days.  Will do.

Pulse - working it

Spring!

Beautiful days this week - warm, sunny, trees starting to bud, birds chirping, turkeys lurking... all good.  Trying to sweat hard every day - zumba (LOVE IT) and/or hiking 8K-10K steps and/or bike ride.    Can finally do most of the jumping in zumba ( but still struggle with the belly dancing steps !), figured out best socks to reduce blisters for hikes and working through the initial nausea on bike rides.  Determined!

Nauset Marsh view during 10K step walk on Tues

Wellfleet Harbor fog rolling out - walk to cool down after Zumba on Wed

My new friend :) for loooong rides - 25 miles on Thurs

Read Hunger Games books while in Tuscany - awesome!  I give them 4 stars.  Looking forward to seeing the movie this weekend.

Pulse - feeding the "4 dimensions"

Back on CC

Tuscany trip was great.  We felt like we were traveling inside a jigsaw puzzle - rolling hills and steep hills and marble topped mountains everywhere.  And in the cities - Pisa, Florence - ancient art - "David" in all his glory and works from Michaelangelo and DaVinci and paintings galore of "Judgement Day" and churches churches cathedrals and more cathedrals.  All dating back to 1100 or so (!)  We traveled on planes and buses and trains.  And we walked miles and miles.  The weather was perfect - cool, mid 60's and sunny every day.  All adventures were under the Tuscan sun... truly beautiful and amazing.  We ate pasta in many versions - with leeks and garlic, with wild boar chianti sauce, after a first course of octopus, fried as an appetizer, in homemade pesto... all so yummy.  And we had local chianti and local white and lots of local olive oil and lots of local balsamic - rich and thick and so delicious.  And we ate so many olives - so good.  The Silver Fox did great - realize where my tenacity comes from.  She must have done 15K steps a day, everyday, for 9 days.  Arrived home educated, satisfied, heads full of beautiful sights, wonderful memories and very pooped :)

Bridge over Arno River - Pisa

Silver Fox in Leaning Tower Square - Pisa

Tuscan Village

View from a vineyard

Medici Cathedrals - white and green marble from the local mountains - Florence

Lunch always outside - Pisa

My favorite - the stories and masterpiece statue of Michaelangelo's "David" - created with one piece of white marble - 17 feet high and in perfect detail.  He is getting ready to battle "Goliath" and is naked because he doesn't need anything from the outside to survive and beat the giant - all his strength and abilities come from within.  His face is beautiful and determined.  His body is strong and capable.  And it's over 600 years old.  Very inspiring.

Pulse - forward