Winter weather is getting closer and closer. We've already had 2 snows - one that left about 4 inches on the ground and another that just left a dusting. Luckily the sun has been able to melt both relatively quickly and warm up the middle of the day. I managed to squeeze in a bike ride last week on one of the sunnier days. It's a little hard to see in this photo, but we rode the Platte River Trail almost all the way downtown (20 miles round trip). We were about 3 miles short when we turned around, but we're planning to go out again next spring and try to ride all the way down to Confluence Park (where 3 different rivers meet at the Convention Center). It will be a good incentive to stay in shape this winter.
Speaking of which, I've almost caught up to Janet's mileage on our Route 66 virtual bike/walk. I need to find a better map, because you can't tell that we made any progress at all on this one (it's hard to show 2330 miles in 6 inches). At least we're keeping active.
I met with 3 different lunch groups this week. It's interesting getting to know new people and trying out new restaurants (this one was Mexican), but there are times when I also feel like it is taking over my free time. I think I'm going to cut back to once a month in 2024.
I got some new paints I wanted to try out. They're earth-tone colors which I thought would be good for fall, but it's getting hard to find a warm spot to sketch. Starbucks has a nice patio, but it's not very exciting sketching strip malls and parking lots. Though I was really excited that peppermint mochas are finally back on the menu (they only serve them during the holiday season).
I went to a coffee shop down in Parker on Halloween day to do some sketching. Several kids stopped in wearing their costumes This kid looked like he attached the inflatable yard decoration from his front yard to himself. I'm sure it didn't weigh much, but I think it would make walking difficult.
Now that Charlie has his rabies tag, Bruce and I took him to the dog park. Since it was a Sunday afternoon, the place was packed. Charlie is a bit shy around dogs - not surprising since he's only had me and Bruce to interact with the last 3 months. So we skipped going into the fenced area and instead walked over to the frisbee golf course. He loved that, because the dirt was soft enough for digging. White hair on the tips of his paws is cute, but it's not good for digging in the dirt. Maybe Violet and Melissa will take him with them the next time they go for a pedicure.
