Category Archives: Dogs

Dogs, Environment, Science, Space

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 21ST, JULY 2019

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“This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” -Neil Armstrong

“The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.” -Konstantin Tsiolkovosky

“Nobody knows what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.” -Robert Goddard

Wow it has been a month since I last posted. Time just got away from me and one thing led to another and before I knew it…. Well, lets just say that a month has passed. And in truthfulness, I think that I needed time to recharge. The last four weeks have been pretty good. Although I pushed myself a little too hard and did not get enough sleep back during the first part of July which led to a summer cold. This took about 4 to 5 days to get over which translated into no heavy running or biking for about 8 to 9 days to help in recovery. That is one thing I have found out as I have gotten older is that it takes a lot longer to recover than it did when I was 25. This forced rest from doing heavy exercise was hard. I really wanted to get out and push it but that would not have been good. Thankfully I am feeling better now. And things are back to normal so to speak for me. Oh well you live and learn and sometimes you get to repeat those mistakes of the past. Lol.

Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot on the Gemini-Titan 4 spaceflight, is shown during his egress from the spacecraft. His face is covered by a shaded visor to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the sun. White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. He remained outside the spacecraft for 21 minutes during the third revolution of the Gemini-4 mission. He wears a specially designed spacesuit for the extravehicular activity (EVA). In his right hand, he carries a Hand-Held Self-Maneuvering Unit (HHSMU) with which he controlled his movements while in space. He was attached to the spacecraft by a 25-feet umbilical line and a 23-feet tether line, both wrapped together with gold tape to form one cord. He wears an emergency oxygen supply chest pack. Courtesy of NASA.

In this blog I wanted to briefly talk a little bit about space and what it might mean for humanity if we really tried as a global community for a more permanent presence in space. Also July 20th, 2019 was the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and the first human to step foot on the moon. Unreal to think it has been 50 years. I was 7 years old at the time and watched the event on TV. Both of my parents in attendance. All of us glued to the TV set watching in awe. When this occurred, hand held calculators as we know them today did not exist, cell phones did not exist, the internet did not exist as it does today, and the modern day computer was still just a dream.

AS11-40-5874 (20 July 1969) — Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. The Lunar Module (LM) is on the left, and the footprints of the astronauts are clearly visible in the soil of the moon. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this picture with a 70mm Hasselblad lunar surface camera. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the LM the “Eagle” to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon, astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) “Columbia” in lunar orbit. Courtesy of NASA

A few years later, I remember reading and listening to my dad talk about Skylab. I believe it was launched in 1973. And how we all thought that by this time there would be all kinds of futuristic space stations, moon and mars bases, and much easier access to space than riding the “Roman Candle” as my father liked to call it. But life moved on and I forgot all about space. Then, about the time I was in College, I remember being in a world history class and the professor was watching a live feed of the launch of the first Space Shuttle. This I believe was in 1981 and it was the Columbia. For the life of me I do not remember the professors name but I do remember him saying after the successful launch “This changes everything.” And it seemed to for a while but then like Skylab it faded. If I remember right, the launches did become more common place (135 total), but the only time the Space Shuttle seemed to make really big news, unfortunately, was when there was an accident. The last shuttle flight was Atlantis, July 8th, 2011.

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-50) launched into history carrying crew of seven and its payload was comprised of the US Microgravity Laboratory 1 (USML-1).The USML-1 was one of NASA’s missions dedicated to scientific investigations in a microgravity environment inside the Spacelab module. Investigations aboard the USML-1 included: materials science, fluid dynamics, biotechnology (crystal growth), and combustion science. Managed by Marshall Space Flight Center, the STS-50 mission was plarned for a 13-day duration, the mission ended with 14 days in space, the longest Shuttle mission to date. Courtesy of NASA

With the shuttle flights came the ISS (International Space Station), completed between 1998 and 2011. It has been continuously occupied since November 2nd, 2000. 230 individuals from 18 different countries have visited it, with the crew size usually being 3 to 6 people at any given time. It has severed as a great platform for research into how human health is affected by micro-gravity. They have also done research in product design, robotics, and botany as a few other examples. This is just a very brief over view of the ISS. If you want to learn more, the web site “space.com” has a more comprehensive review of the ISS. You can find it at this link: https://www.space.com/16748-international-space-station.html

iss059e016574 (April 8, 2019) — Expedition 59 Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency takes a quick self portrait while working outside the International Space Station. In a six and a half hour spacewalk, Saint-Jacques and NASA astronaut Anne McClain successfully established a redundant path of power to the Canadian-built robotic arm, known as Canadarm2, and installed cables to provide for more expansive wireless communications coverage outside the orbital complex, as well as for enhanced hardwired computer network capability. The duo also relocated an adapter plate from the first spacewalk in preparation for future battery upgrade operations. Courtesy of NASA

Now fast forward a little and you have a lot of new private “space companies” – Space X is the one that I think most people are familiar with due to the fact it has been successful with cargo launches and cutting down the cost of said launches by creating reusable first stage boosters. I am always amazed when I see those rockets re-landing on the pad. Like something out of a science fiction movie. Crazy. When I say that there are a lot of space companies, there really are. Check out this listing on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_private_spaceflight_companies

So cool!!

Now with all this advancement you would think that we are on the fast track to becoming a space-fairing species, but here is the rub, in order to do this, we need to drastically increase our presence in space with significantly more hardware and humans. Much, much more than what is involved with the current ISS. I would go even as far as to say that our very existence as a species depends upon it. There is an old argument that we need to spend less money in space and more of it here on earth. It is as false now as it was years ago when I first heard it. Let me explain.

Nothing in life truly changes until there is a change in technology. Whether it be good or bad. Humans have always been good at procreation and technology has only helped to make us the most prodigious species on earth. Some estimate that we will be at the 10 billion mark by 2050. But I think it will happen sooner than that. The earth is a finite system and overpopulating it will only lead to our eventual extinction. The more money you spend here on earth will only increase our procreation and at some point there will never be enough “money, space, and resources” for all of us. Our only option, besides culling the herd, is to get off the planet. And in a big way.

World population in 30 years. Somewhere around 10 billion but I think we will hit this mark much sooner. All it would take would be a slight improvement in life expectancy (billions of research dollars are being used for this) and or improvement in general health care around the world in third world countries (this has been going for quit sometime now).

So how do we do this? Some have thought that building “Planetary Surface Settlements,” think moon or mars bases, would be the way to go. While others have said that the best way to do this is with “Settlements in Orbit,” think very large space station design. Both design ideas have their advantages and disadvantages. I personally believe that the Orbital Space Station is the cheapest and the easiest idea with today’s technology. Besides saving the world, you could harness sunlight for power and use it back on earth. No pesky atmosphere to get in the way.

But the thought that gets me really excited with orbital settlements is the idea that you could use them as a means to mine asteroids. A learning and jumping off point for deep space. The technology that would be developed to keep people healthy in orbital space stations would be easily adapted for deep space. The orbital stations could also be used as construction facilities for the ships that would take human into deep space. I firmly believe we have to make “space” profitable. Otherwise the altruistic notions of pursuing space for only scientific knowledge… Well, we are a greedy bunch and that idea will only take you so far.

The only flies in the ointment to me is how do you get out of the gravity well of earth without using large “Roman Candles” and what to do about “Micro-Gravity.” NASA has figured out how to do a lot of things in micro-gravity, but problems still remain due to the weak link – the human body. We are not evolved to live in MG long term. But what if there was a better way to manipulate gravity in general? What if you could lift very heavy and massive objects into space without a lot of effort?

If you could, a lot of issues would become much, much more easy to solve. Imagine being able to create a floating space station the size of a small city in space. You could add all the radiation and micrometeorite shielding that you could possibility need to protect equipment and the human occupants. Spin a large structure and you create artificial gravity. Now MG would not be a problem.

So many possibilities open up if you can easily get out of earths gravity well. I am not really sure if anyone is working on this but I would like to believe that there are some. For right now it appears that Elon Musk and SpaceX will be the “go to” company if you want to get into space relatively cheaply. You still have to ride a Roman Candle, and it will still cost millions of dollars but now thanks to their company it is not as many millions.

So thinking about this and organizing my thoughts. I have come to realize that if we want to save the human species (it is not save the planet – it will go on with or without us), then we need to be able to create one thing and one thing only in the next 10 years. A way to cheaply and safely get out of earth’s gravity well with the ability to life heavy, massive objects into space. Another words we need to be able to manipulate gravity in general. The movie “Interstellar” used this very idea as a main theme. By the way if you have not seen it, it is a good one to rent. You can find it on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=movie+interstellar&hvadid=78340254007781&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_73fyd8nqi4_e

Well I could go on and on about this but I think I will save further thoughts about space for later posts. There is too much to cover with one blog post for a subject of this importance. I firmly believe that the survival of humanity is dependent on whether we become a true space faring society or not.

Marvin and Janet at the Canine Learning Academy, Thursday 18th, July 2019. He is 5 and 1/2 months old in this picture and just shy of 70 lbs.

I want to post a picture of Marin at dog school. He is doing pretty good so far in his first dog obedience class. We had to resort to the “gentle leader” for a training tool. He is going to be a big and powerful dog and we really wanted to get a quick start on his “rambunctious adolescent behavior.” Lol.

Well this is about it for me on this post. Hopefully I will have more trail porn pictures for you in the next one. Take care my friends and I hope to see you out there, whether it be on the trail, bike path or just hanging out and enjoying the beautiful Colorado landscape. Adios amigos!!

Book Review, Colorado, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Life and Meaning, Trail Running

MUSING FOR SUNDAY 16TH, JUNE 2019

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“We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all this to happen: Room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” Pema Chodron

“…anyone who stands on the edge of the unknown, fully in the present without a reference point, experiences groundlessness. That’s when our understanding goes deeper, when we find the present moment is a pretty vulnerable place… completely unnerving and completely tender at the same time.” Pema Chodron

“To be fully alive, fully human and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no man’s land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again.” Pema Chodron

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there!! Damn it has been a good couple of weeks. Great running in FoCo and the weather here on the Front Range has finally decided to stay warm for a bit . A plus to all this is I have had the luxury of staying part of this last week in Summit County. While some of the really high trails are not clear yet for hiking or running due to snow, the rest of the terrain around Breckenridge has been fantastic. I really, really should not complain!! Life is good!! Lol

Marvin’s first RV trip. This picture was taken the first night of our “camping out” and I am not sure if he is down with it yet?! This dog always seems to have a serious look on his face! Lol

In this blog I thought I would include a few quotes from Pema Chodron. They are from her book called “When Things Fall Apart.” I believe that these are timeless truths that echo a lot of what the Author Brene Brown talks about when she speaks of the power of vulnerability. I read the book from Pema a few years ago when it first came out, once as an audio book and once as an e-book. I felt that strongly about it. The thing that I have found interesting about the book is how the messages she lays out keep coming up over and over again and again. Or at least they do for me. Especially the first quote about how things come together and then fall apart. Nothing is truly “fixed” in life and for those of us that have a little trouble with change this can be very hard. It has helped me to see that there are no absolutes in life. That there are many, many shades of black and white. And that it is OK.

This picture was taken on Thursday 13th, June 2019. It is of Janet and Marvin on a section of the Colorado Trail that goes into Breckinridge. Beautiful evening of hiking with Marvin. Again what is it with the serious face?! Lol

Things come together and they fall apart and come together again and fall apart again. Whether it be families or vacations, jobs, buying a house or not buying a house, births, deaths, events, parties, the list could just go on and on and on. In my opinion that is just the way life works. One of the tricks to working with this fact, I think, is to just show up. Put the fear aside of what might or might not happen and just show up. Sometimes things will work out and sometimes they don’t but you will never know if you don’t show up. Just that simple. You have to show up. And I remind myself of this as I write. Part of the plan for being up in Summit county this weekend was to run the Leadville Trail Marathon. That was the plan. And I did NOT show up. Talked myself right out of it… Now I have to ask myself. What was that about?? Was it the weather forecast? It was suppose to rain and be cold all day. Was it the fear of not finishing? I had trained quit a bit this year and put in more running miles than I did by this time last year. Was it just fear in general? I always have a little underlying anxiety anytime I plan to run a race. This is nothing new.

This picture was taken at the Starbucks in Breckenridge on Saturday 15th, 2019. They usually do not allow dogs in the building but because Marvin was being so nice they made an exception for us. Lol. He seemed to enjoy it.

Or was it just a combination of all the above? I don’t know for sure but I have been in this situation before and I do know the solution no matter what the reason is. You just have to SHOW UP. Just that simple but OH so hard at times. All I needed to do was just show up and it would have all worked out.

It turned out the weather was fantastic, at least on the Breckinridge side. A few afternoon showers but very nice otherwise. Sure it is never easy running 26 miles at elevation but I had trained for it. You just have to see past the anxiety and fear and just show up. For whatever reason, this year I did not do that. And it is hard to admit this, but the “what ifs” got the better of me. Oh well you live and learn. On the plus side I did get to spend a fantastic day with Janet and Marvin. Things come together and they fall apart but not always as you might expect……

Hiking with Janet and “Serious” Marvin on Sunday 16th, June 2019. What a great day!!

Well that is going to be about it for me on this blog post. I hope everyone had a great two weeks and I hope to see you out there on the trails, whether it be biking, hiking, running, or just plain walking!! Adios amigos!!

Colorado, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Politics, RVs, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 2ND, JUNE 2019

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“How the hell could a person enjoy being awakened at 6:30 AM, by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so?” – Charles Bukowski

“Maybe freedom really is nothing left to lose. You had it once in childhood, when it was okay to climb a tree, to paint a crazy picture and wipe out on your bike, to get hurt. The spirit of risk gradually takes its leave. It follows the wild cries of joy and pain down the wind, through the hedgerow, growing ever fainter. What was that sound? A dog barking far off? That was our life calling to us, the one that was vigorous and undefended and curious.”
― Peter Heller, Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River

“None of your knowledge, your reading, your connections will be of any use here: two legs suffice, and big eyes to see with. Walk alone, across mountains or through forests. You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs heavy with greenery. You are no longer a role, or a status, not even an individual, but a body, a body that feels sharp stones on the paths, the caress of long grass and the freshness of the wind. When you walk, the world has neither present nor future: nothing but the cycle of mornings and evenings. Always the same thing to do all day: walk. But the walker who marvels while walking (the blue of the rocks in a July evening light, the silvery green of olive leaves at noon, the violet morning hills) has no past, no plans, no experience. He has within him the eternal child. While walking I am but a simple gaze.”
― Frédéric Gros, A Philosophy of Walking

Well it has been another great two weeks and I really cannot complain too much at the moment. Life is pretty good. The weather here in Colorado on the Front Range has seen some good days of near perfect weather and others that are much wetter and closer to what I would consider the Pacific Northwest. Lol. Running has been coming along as expected and the ski season has been extend at several of the major resorts. I have not seen this in a long time. Pretty amazing. In hindsight, I would have taken advantage of this extended season but having a new puppy has required a lot more of a time commitment than I first realized. Oh well I know that it will be worth it in the long run. Marvin has been great “therapy” for Janet and I both.

This picture was taken on Wednesday 29th, May 2019. Marvin was 15 weeks on this day and weighed in at 47.2 lbs. Again, what is it with the serious looks?! Not sure where that comes from. Lol

My next race or run for me is the Leadville Trail Marathon on June 15th. But after seeing the amount of snow that fell this past week makes me wonder if they are going to have to reroute some of the course. A few years back I did the Half Marathon and found that there was a significant section of the course that had been dug out by volunteers so that we could still run the original route. I am guessing that this year has even more snow present. So it will be interesting to see what the route looks like come race time. It might make for some unique pictures.

This picture was taken Saturday 25th, May 2019. It is looking West off of a spur of the Poudre River Trail. Just a gorgeous afternoon in Fort Collins that day. Could not have asked for better weather.

I have started the process of getting the RV ready for summer. It is a class C Bigfoot Motor home. We have now owned it for about 13 years this coming June. So far I don’t have much to complain about with it. It is a 30 foot diesel. The Bigfoot Manufacturing Plant is still in business but they only make slide in truck campers and trailers now. They temporarily went out of business like a lot of the RV manufactures did a few years back. When they reorganized and started up business again the Motor Home line had been dropped. It is too bad in a lot of ways because the MHs they were turning out at the time were very well built for the price. You can find features on ours that still only come with much more expensive units. My only regret with mine is that it has no slides. And in hind sight it would have been really nice to have that extra space. Oh well you live and learn. My plan for this season is to use it more this summer for short trips that involve trail running. I let you know how that goes.

This picture was taken Friday 31st, May 2019. We have now owned this RV for 13 years. A lot of good memories. My only regret with this purchase was no slides. Sure could have used the extra space at times, especially when the kids traveled with us.

Now I would like to write a little something that will verge on the political. Lol. I do not call Trump the president. My favorite name for him is the “Grand Cheeto.” I feel that he was significantly helped to get elected by the Russians. This fact was verified by the Mueller investigation. Sure, some will probably ask how much did the fake Face Book posts really help or not? And some will believe that it did not make much difference. I am of the opinion that it helped significantly. The fake negative adds on Hilary and the fake positive ones for Trump. And to back my opinion up, all you have to do is look towards the world of advertising. Think about it. Why would big companies spend billions and billions for advertising their products if it did not work. There are some estimates that this is about 100 billion per year. Let me say that again. 100 billion in TV ads alone per year. That is an awful waste of money if it does not work. What the Russians did was advertise for Trump. And they were very successful at it. I have friends and family on FB that still quote fake ads from four years ago. If that is not a definition of temporary insanity, then I don’t know what is.

This picture was taken Sunday 26th, May 2019. It is looking West from the open space called River Bend Ponds. Again perfect running weather, not too hot or cold, slight breeze so the air quality was good.

There is a quote by the author Neil Gaiman: “Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and adventures are shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes and forgotten.” The Russian election interference is a perfect example of this. I am guessing that years and years from now there will still be people in the world that believe and refer to the “fake ads” as if they were the gospel truth. Crazy but shows a deeper insight into our human nature and how it can easily be manipulated. This has been known by conmen since time immortal.

This picture was taken on Thursday 30th, May 2019. It is looking South West at the Pine Ridge open space in Fort Collins. Things are really starting to green up a bit from just a month ago.

The other part of the Mueller investigation that I want to touch on briefly is what he said this past week. “If we had confidence the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.” That pretty much says it all. The “Grand Cheeto” is guilty. Period. Now the question becomes what law or laws did he break? I am wondering if this will ever come to light. Maybe. The interesting thing is how many in the Republican controlled Senate still support him. To me it begs the question are some of them guilty too? Or are they just willing to over look his “law breaking” behavior because he can give them something they want? I am guessing that they believe there is enough “checks and balances” in our system to stop someone like him from going to far?! I hope they are right….

Damn! This says it all in one sentence!

I stopped getting worked up with all the “bat shit crazy” stuff being put out from him and his administration a while back. The trick is to see it for what it really is, a song and dance routine done for the masses. It encourages his supporters and riles up the left, but at the same time draws attention away from the important stuff. For me this has been the trick, to not get caught up in all the drama. It is an old ruse from the mythical play book called the “Conman’s Craft.”

This picture was taken Friday 31st, May 2019. It is looking West across the Pine Ridge Open Space. Marvin checking out the dogs in the dog park, from a distance. Lol.

Well that is going to be about it for me on this post. I hope the Mueller report causes you to pause and think, the Russian interference and that line by Mueller: “If we had confidence the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”

Whether you are Democrat, Republican or Independent, ask yourself, what are you willing to look the other way on when the next election comes around?!

Take care my friends, may your trails be they dirt or paved, be twisty and interesting!! Adios amigos!!

Colorado, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Quad Rock 50, Trail Running

MUSING FOR SUNDAY 19TH, MAY 2019

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“If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull book in the library of life.” Charles Bukowski

Well it has been a good week. The weather the past few days has been beautiful. This is one of the reasons I moved to Colorado a long time ago. I do like to visit other places that have a lower elevation and a higher humidity, but that’s it. Just visit. Unless of course it was on the beach, say like Hawaii, or some place in the Caribbean. Now that would be pretty cool. To be able to live in both locations. Colorado for part of the year and the beach and “warm” ocean water for the other part. Some would say just move to the Pacific Northwest, but I never totally understood the appeal of the PNW. I have been there a few times and the forest are fantastic and the mountains beautiful. But I don’t think I could do the humidity, clouds, and rain for a majority of the year. I did grow up around water, whether it was in a pool or lake and did a lot of swimming. So that is another reason you would not find me long term in the PNW. The ocean water up there is cold. Too cold for me.

This picture was taken Sunday 14th, April 2019. Marvin at 8 and 1/2 weeks.

Marvin is growing as expected. Not sure how big he will be, but Janet and I are thinking some where in the 100 lbs plus range. Or maybe bigger? Lol. Puppy class is progressing along as anticipated. What was not expected is how he has changed in behavior from week to week. Thinking about it now in hindsight it does make a lot more sense.

This picture was taken Sunday 21st, April 2019. Marvin at 9 and 1/2 weeks.

At the very first class he was a little shy but now he is like one of the pack, running, jumping, playing with all the other puppies. Each week has been somewhat of a new experience to see how his confidence grows. Just like it would be in a human child but on a much shorter time frame. We are continuing with the socialization as much as we can.

This picture was taken Wednesday 1st, May 2019. Marvin at 11 weeks old.

He seems to be a very easy dog to work with in my experience. Pretty laid back most of the time. The only issue that is ongoing is the puppy bitting. But even as I write this, it seems like we have made progress in shifting his attention to chew bones and dog toys and less to his human companions. Lol

This picture was taken Tuesday 14th, May 2019. Marin, just one day shy of 13 weeks and already at 38 lbs. I can already see the adult dog he will be. Not sure what it is but he always seems to have a serious look on his face anytime I take a picture! Lol

Well I did not make the 50 miles in the Quad Rock again this year but I did do the first loop for 25 miles. It was a great run. The trail conditions and weather were much better than last year. Actually I don’t think you could have asked for better. Of course if you had tried to predict this on Thursday 9th, two days before the race, it would not have been easy. Rain and snow, and rain and snow. And did I say more rain and snow…. Lol.

This picture was taken on Saturday 11th, May 2019. Just before the start of the Quad Rock 50. Temperatures were in the 30 degree range and no wind. Here I am looking east towards Fort Collins. Clear skies can make fantastic running weather.
5 minutes before race start and we are all getting lined up. I am more of the plodder and not the gazelle. So to the back of the pack I go! Lol

Cold morning but a very nice afternoon in the high 50s and low 60s. Perfect for running. They did have to reroute some of the course to avoid a few very wet areas. Funny thing, I liked the reroute better than the original course. It did add a little more elevation gain/loss but not too bad.

Again, what a beautiful day for running the Quad Rock. This picture is looking South towards Denver.

As far as not finishing the whole 50 miles this year? I am not too disappointed. It is a hard route. Lots of ups and downs. 5000 ft plus of elevation gain and loss in each 25 mile loop. And as I have stated before, it is a little early in the year for me with the 50 mile distance. I was happy with my time compared to last year. This time I was about an hour and ten minutes faster or 6 hours and 40 minutes total.

This picture from the Quad Rock was about 20 miles in, close to the end of the first loop. It is looking West towards Rocky Mountain National Park. Lots of snow still up in the high country. The two large mountains in the back ground are Mount Meeker (13,911 feet) and Longs Peak (14,259).

A surprise that I got while running the revised route was to run the Westridge Trail in Lory State Park. As many times as I had been in the park this was the first time for me to actually run this trail. The views of Mount Meeker and Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park were beautiful. See the above picture. In my opinion, even if the lower valley trails were not wet, this was worth the reroute.

This picture from the Quad Rock is looking East toward Greeley, Colorado. The winds were such that most of the “brown cloud”, you can just make out in the distance, stayed there.

Well before I go I would like to thank all the volunteers and sponsors for supporting the race. Especially the volunteers. Without you this event would not happen like it does. Also this year I would like to thank the land managers for allowing the race to be run even with some of the marginal trail conditions. The conditions on race day were next to perfect but it would have been easy to cancel the event based on the weather occurring on Thursday. Thanks again for allowing us “nutcases” to run on Saturday in a very beautiful place. And last but not least I would like to thank Nick Clark and Brad Bishop (Gnar Runners Event Management) for putting on another fantastic event. If you would like to read and learn more about Gnar Runners and their future races, check out their web site: http://gnarrunners.com/

This picture was taken looking West with the morning sun shining on Arthur’s Rock in Lory State Park.

Well that is going to be about it for me on this Blog Post. The next race I plan to run is on June 15th. The Leadville Trail Marathon. I have done the half marathon in Leadville in the past but not the full. Should be fun?! Right?! Lol. So the training continues for working my way up to the bigger races in July and September.

Take care my friends and I hope to see you out there whether it be hiking, running, biking, or skiing. Adios amigos!!

Colorado, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Horsetooth Half Marathon

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 21ST, APRIL 2019

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“Life is a series of dogs.” George Carlin

“Everyone thinks they have the best dog and none of them are wrong.” W.R. Purche

I used to look at my dog and think “if you were a little smarter you could tell me what you were thinking” and he’d look at me like he was saying “if you were a little smarter, I wouldn’t have to.” Fred Jungclaus

Well, it has been an interesting last two weeks. I had forgotten all the work that goes into raising a puppy from scratch so to speak. Our last dog passed away in August of last year at the age of 12, so we have not had the “young puppy experience” in a while. I would like to say that Janet and I are both feeling a little sleep deprived these last couple of days. Actually that would probably be some what of an understatement. Lol

This is Marvin at 8 – 1/2 weeks.

Marvin, yes we named him Marvin and he has been an an “absorbing” experience so far. But I feel that we are managing for now. We started to watch a series of Dog Training Videos a few weeks before getting him and I think that they have paid off and will continue to do so. It was interesting to see how training has changed over the years. This will be our 6th dog in the last 35 years. Wow! Just thinking about that makes me wonder where did the time go?! Oh well I am getting off track a little bit. More about Marvin, we decided to go with a mixed breed dog this time due to all the continued genetic problems of pure bred dogs. Especially German Shepherds. Marvin is what is know as a King Shepherd. They are a mix of German Shepherd, Alaskan Malamute and Great Pyrenees. Both of his parents, one a King Shepherd and the other a Great Pyrenees, were both tested genetically and received a clean bill of health. I will have Marvin tested by EmBark Vet to see if any significant genetic issues arose in the breeding.

Marvin at 9 – 1/2 weeks. He is making for great “after work” therapy. Lol

Right now as far as training goes, we are really concentrating on socialization. The current or most recent research suggest that this crucial window closes a lot earlier than first expected, some say by 12 weeks. With that said he has been to Old Town in Fort Collins, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Poudre Feed and Seed, Edora Park, Petco, the Vets office and the houses of friends. Also he will start a puppy class next week. One expert in dog behavior said that before 12 weeks your dog should have met and greeted at least 100 different people of all ages and types. That seems a pretty tall order when I think about it. Especially if you are working full time and have a family with children. For us it is not as much of an issue, so far. Lol.

The start of the Horsetooth Half Marathon, April 14th, 2019. This view is looking west toward one of the dams of Horsetooth Reservoir, about 10 minutes before the start of the run.

OK, on to other things. I did my first race of the season. Not an Ultra, that comes later, but a half marathon called the Horsetooth Half. It is a local race and has been held for a number of years. I have done it one time before and thought I would give it another try. We lucked out this year and received beautiful weather for the day. This is a point to point road race and transverse some of the most picturesque scenery around Fort Collins. There is about 1000 feet of elevation gain/loss, but 99% of this is in the first half of the race. Once you are past that half way point it is pretty much downhill all the way to New Belgium Brewing in Old Town, Fort Collins. A very nice course in my opinion.

Horsetooth Half 2019!! One big hill down and a few more to go!!

I felt really good for this race, even being a little sleep deprived with the new puppy. I finished the 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 7 minutes and averaged about 9 minute miles. This was great for me. Much faster than my first time. Lol So maybe all the training is paying off? Oh, I so hope so! Next race is the Quad Rock 50!

More of the Horsetooth Half Marathon. This view is looking North, but further along in the course. Lots of cool rock formations.

I want to give a big Thank You to the Fort Collins Running club for again putting on a fantastic event. And I have to say that the sponsors and volunteers really did a great job of handing out water and making the race fun and entertaining. Without you this event would be just another “run of the mill” half Marathon. For a full list of sponsors and information about the race check out the web site here: https://horsetooth-half.com/

This picture was taken on Monday 15th, April 2019. It is looking West towards the foothills off the Power line trail. Just another beautiful afternoon here in Colorado.

Running this past week has been beautiful. Cold mornings with warmer afternoons. Just fantastic weather and great air quality due a series of small fronts that removed most of the particulate matter from the Front Range.

This picture was taken Tuesday afternoon, April 16th. Again looking West by North West off the Spring Creek Trail here in Fort Collins.

This blog post is going to be a little shorter this time. Marvin is still impinging on sleeping so I do not have as much time to write. The dog training course Janet and I are still watching is from the Great Courses. Pretty good. There are 24 lectures in the Course, each one being about 30 minutes long. We try to watch only one each night to help absorb all the information. I would also suggest to get the course book to help with going over certain concepts in the video lecture. Once we go through the entire series we plan to watch it a second time just to help with retention. So far things seem to be going along really well. You can find the link here: https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/show/dog_training_101

So that is about it for me. I hope to get more sleep this next week!! Lol. Oh well – still need to get in running in preparation for the Quad Rock in May. It is only about 3 week away. So if I am going to lengthen my distances a little more, I need to do it in the next week and then start the taper so I am fully rested on race day. I think that I will leave you with one more picture of a Colorado afternoon. They have been beautiful. Take care my friends and maybe I will see you out there on the trail. Adios amigos!!

This picture was taken Saturday, April 20th, 2019. Looking West by North West. It was a little cloudy this afternoon. But the temperatures were in the high 70s with a light wind. Just beautiful.

Dogs, Exercise, Psychology, Religion, Science, Sociology

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 7TH, APRIL 2019

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“Science is different to all the other systems of thought… because you don’t need faith in it, you can check that it works.” Brian Cox

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” Joseph Campbell

“Big History studies the history of everything, offering a way of making sense of our world and our role within it.” David Christian

Dang what can I say, it has been another great 2 weeks and I cannot complain too much! I always laugh at that. Truly, living here in Fort Collins and being healthy enough to do the things that I do. Wow!! There are so many circumstances, situations, decisions, people, etc.. that I am grateful for. As I have gotten older, it has become readily apparent that things could have gone a much different path in so many ways. I think that a lot has to do with just plain dumb luck. Being in the right place at the right time. Of course some things could have gone better. There are times we all wish we could have done something different, or handled a situation a little better. But right now, at this moment, things are pretty awesome.

This picture was taken Wednesday 27th, March 2019. It is looking North across Horsetooth Lake. Here you can see clouds building in due to an approaching spring storm. It was a beautiful afternoon of trail running. The temps were in the 50 to 60 range.

Came across an article the other day called “Why we need a modern origin story today.” This article was written by David Christian. He is the guy that has become notable for pushing and teaching the discipline called “Big History.” And I have to say that this was the first time I have ever really looked at the concept. I mean history is history right? I know that it is open to interpretation and all, but still what is the difference between “Regular History” and the concept of “Big History.” So I dived into it and found that it looks at a much broader picture of things. It starts at the Big Bang and goes forward. It explores all of our history and not just the last 5000 years. It is a blending of a multitude of different fields, physics, geology, chemistry, astronomy, biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc…. I mean you could pretty much say it is a history of everything, but on a much grander time scale. Big History focus on the Universe and how humanity fits into this framework and the not the other way around.

This picture was taken Thursday 28th, March 2019. Here I am looking North from the top of Horsetooth Mountain Park. Again another beautiful day. The only fly in the ointment was the air quality. It could have been a little better. The winds were from the east and there is a lot of oil and gas development in Weld County, over 20 thousand well heads. Combine this with the sheer volume of transportation traffic and it does degrade the air quality quite a bit. Compare this picture with the above picture that was taken the day before. The dullness in the bottom one was due to front range smog.

I have the firm belief that Big History is what needs to be taught in schools. And one way I see doing this is by changing our “Origin Story.” We need a modern one. There has been so much knowledge gained in the twentieth century that there is an increasing need to see and teach how it all fits together. Thinking about when some of the current religions were laid down a few things become readily apparent. Foremost in my mind, we really did not know that much about the world around us and almost nothing about the Universe out past earth. That has changed and will continue to do so at an every expanding rate. Don’t believe me. Just start following Physics.org. https://phys.org/ Heck you don’t even have to read the articles. Just follow it and see how much stuff comes out each day, each week. Unreal the rate of learning/change going on in the world today. There is no way the “old religions” can keep up. Thinking that they can is hubris on all our parts. There is an old saying that as our tools change, so does our reality. And let me tell you, our tools have changed.

This picture was taken Friday 29th, March 2019. Again, wow!! What a difference a day makes. The storm dumped some much needed moisture, but was short lived. Most of the snow was gone by mid-morning the next day. This picture is looking east from a deck over the garage of our house.

So to put this all together, to deal with the increasing complexity of the world, we need a modern origin story. A way to help people and especially young people get a sense of what their position is in the grander scheme of things when it comes to humanity and our place in the Universe. Doesn’t that sound strange, “Our place in the Universe” and not the other way around? The time for the “Egocentric View” is past. We need an origin story that is “science based” and not one that is still, please excuse the expression, “magical zoo boat thinking.” Does this mean we need to throw everything out with the old religions? I for one don’t think so. I believe that just like any good parable or story, there are some great things to be learned in the old mythologies. After all they have been modified over thousands of years to help explain human nature and behavior. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel to teach the same thing. The question becomes, why not incorporate some of this hard earned knowledge into a Science Base Origin story?

This picture was taken on Monday 29th, March 2019. What a beautiful day. Fantastic air quality along the Front Range of Colorado. Here I am looking North, by North East from atop Authors Rock in Lory State Park.

Let’s face it. Are Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhist, etc… ever going to get together on a consistent basis around the proverbial campfire, holding hands and singing Kumbaya? Really?! I think that most of you will agree with me that it might happen every now and then but on a consistent basis? Hell, look at all the death and destruction just in the Muslim world over Islam. You could say the same about Christianity and the other religions at different times. As the world becomes more and more complex, as science advances forward, the only way I can see humanity surviving is by working together and the first step in doing this is creating a Modern Science Based Origin Story. And teaching Big History is the first step. We need, for lack of a better phrase, a Universal Belief System, that is based in Scientific fact, that is changeable as new data is obtained and analyzed. So that people from around the world, in very different cultures, will be able to connect, cooperate and strive toward the betterment of humanity. Instead of subjugating and killing each other over frivolous, make-believe superstitions.

This picture was taken on Wednesday 3rd, April 2019. Here I am looking West by North West from an Open Space in Fort Collins called Prospect Ponds. Truly just a beautiful afternoon. Enough wind in the area to keep the air fresh, but not too much to make it chilly.

Wow! I just reread this and I am amazed how strongly I believe in this view?! What is that about?? So enough! I know that I might have offended a few that are very religious, but that was not my intent. I just want you to question the status quo.

Please do a Google and YouTube search if you are interested about the concept of Big History. I think you will find it is well worth your time and effort.

This picture was taken on Sunday 28th, March 2019. A soon to be new family member!! No, no I am talking about the puppy and not Janet. LOL I am thinking that we are going to be a little extra busy in the next couple of weeks.

Time to post a puppy picture!! It was taken at Balto Farms near Boulder. They breed King Shepherds among other things. Check them out at: https://www.7957farm.com/ or https://www.7957farm.com/kings and you can find them on Facebook at Colorado King Shepherds.

Looks like the ski season is going to be extended this year thanks to mother nature. And that is a very good thing. Hope to see you out there, either on the ski slope or running on the trails. Take care my friends. And if your trail running, watch for snakes and cats. It is the season. Adios!!

Colorado, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Quad Rock 50, Run Rabbit Run, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 10TH, MARCH 2019

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“Running isn’t a sport for pretty boys…It’s about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. Its the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It’s about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It’s about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It’s about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there’s not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you’ve finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that’s all that you can ask for.”
― Paul Maurer, The Gift – A Runner’s Story

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
― haruki murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.”
― Dean Karnazes

“The pessimist is not guaranteed a tomorrow.  And, if tomorrow does come, the pessimist does not expect to feel better at the same point in the race…. indeed, it might feel even worse.  So, the pessimist plugs on and accomplishes their goals today.  And today is the only day that counts.” – Gary Cantrell

This picture was taken Wednesday 27th, February 2019. It was a couple of days before the weather really changed to a much more wintry mix. Still looks pretty cold out, but I think that the temps were in the 30s that afternoon. So not too bad for running. The photo is of Horsetooth Reservoir looking South towards Loveland. In this picture I am at the North end of the lake.

Well it has been another good two weeks!! Winter has made a comeback to the Front Range of Colorado and the mountains have gotten a lot more snow. That is always a good thing, both from a skiing perspective and from a water/moisture perspective. In Colorado we are considered a “head-water state”, meaning that the water we get only comes in the form of rain or snow from the sky. Nothing flows into the state. So the more rain and snow we get the better. It can be really dry here on the Front Range, but as long as the mountains get a significant amount of snow and rain, everything else can be irrigated. This snow/rain scenario also plays a role in fire season. I am hoping that this year will be better than the last. But you never know. Until long term weather prediction gets a lot better it is always a kind of guessing game.

This picture was taken Friday 1st, March 2019. Again this is Horsetooth Reservoir, but at the shoreline. In this picture I am looking West. The sun was just starting to set and the reflection off of the water was beautiful. Maybe it was the combination of light, clouds and silence. No lapping of waves due to the ice and to get to the shoreline you have to drop down off the trail and go down a little bit. Just beautiful. It was the quite before the storm. The next day the weather was very different as seen in the picture below. Lots of Mountain Bikers on the trail this day. Getting that last ride in before the ice and snow. Temperatures were in the 30s.

Running has been coming along nicely this year so far. No injuries and I do seem to be getting a little faster. I have three main ultras planned this year. First is the Quad Rock 50 in May. This is a hard run I think. I have done the 25 mile version multi times with the intent to do the 50, but I have either chosen to stop at the 25 mile mark or timed out. The location of the run is very nice for me because it is where I live and run. Just behind Fort Collins. It takes place in Lory State Park and Horsetooth Mountain Park. Very convenient. It is put on by the http://Gnarrunners.com. They always seem to do an excellent job every time I have competed. Weather can be a little iffy this time of year on the Front Range. Which in my opinion always makes the race a little more interesting. You can have mild temps with clear skies, heat and sun, cold and rain, or you can have snow. The best part, you can have all four in one day! Lololololol. Some might complain about this but I just see it as an added challenge. You make the 50 mile mark by doing two 25 mile laps. I am hoping that everything will come together just right so I can make the 50 this year!!

This picture was taken Saturday 2nd, March 2019. Wow, what a difference a day makes. I think we had 5 to 8 inches of snow and the temps were down in the single digits when I took this picture. Cold!! Oh well you make the best of it and as a instructor in a survival school once told me “It’s a character builder.” Lol This picture is of the Poudre River looking Northwest. You can see the bike trail on the left hand side of the picture. There were not a lot of people out on this day, but that came with the added benefit of solitude.

The second ultra planned this year is also put on by Gnar running. It is the Never Summer 100k. This one is located about 80 miles from where I live and is in the Cameron Pass area and the Colorado State Forest. I have signed up for this one a couple of times but due to other issues, injuries, work commitments, logistics, etc… I have not been able to even attempt it. Again I am hoping that this year will be different. The trails in the area are beautiful. Not a lot of development in the vicinity. Which has its own appeal. The race description from the web site says it best: “This is a mountain race in the truest sense of the term, with extended periods of high alpine ridge running, two alpine peaks, and five alpine lakes visited along the way. When above timberline, you will enjoy huge views of the northern Never Summer Mountains to the south, the stunning peaks of RMNP to the southeast, expansive vistas across North Park to the Park Range above Steamboat Springs to the west, and even north out to Wyoming’s Snowy Range.” If you want to check out more here is the link to the web site: http://gnarrunners.com/never-summer-100k/

This picture was taken Monday 4th, March 2019. It highlights what it is I love about Colorado. Two days later from the prior picture and the sun is out and shining. It is cold, in the teens, but the sun is out and trail is pretty much clear. I love this tree shot. Just the size and the shape with the sun shining on it. Beautiful. Lot of bikes out today even with the cold temperature. And of course a few brave souls out running.

The final ultra I plan for this season is again the Run Rabbit Run 100. I attempted the 100 mile distance last year but timed out at the 50 mile mark. It was a really good experience and I learned a lot. Up until last September (2018) I had only competed in one other 100 mile race. The Leadville 100. All my other races have ended at the 50 mile mark. In the Leadville, I did make it to Hope Pass but was short of the cutoff by 12 minutes and by the time I got back down to Twin Lakes, the distance was again 50 miles. In all, I think that I have done the 50 mile distance, on purpose or inadvertently, 6 times now over the last 7 years. I turned 57 this year and I am not getting any younger. So I want to get that 100 miler done. Lol. The people that put on the RRR in Steamboat Springs do a really good job each time I have competed. And I am guessing that it will be the same this year. Here is the link to the web site: http://runrabbitrunsteamboat.com/ The 100 miler is filled but I hear there are some spots open for the 50!

Well, the search continues for a new dog. We are now looking at King Shepherds out of Boulder. They seem to be a cross between Great Pyrenees, Alaskan Malamute and German Shepherds. Which makes for a fairly large dog with not as many genetic issues as the typical GSDs. This is a picture of one of the pups from the current litter at 3 weeks old. Big already!! Lol

Well this is going to be about it for me this week. I hope everyone has had a great weekend. These last few days I have felt a little bit under the weather and decided to take a few days off from running. But hope to be back in full form by Monday. Take care my friends and maybe I will see you out there on the trails or the ski slope!!

Artificial Intelligence, Book Review, Colorado, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Genetics, Science, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 24TH, FEBRUARY 2019

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“If an AI possessed any one of these skills—social abilities, technological development, economic ability—at a superhuman level, it is quite likely that it would quickly come to dominate our world in one way or another. And as we’ve seen, if it ever developed these abilities to the human level, then it would likely soon develop them to a superhuman level. So we can assume that if even one of these skills gets programmed into a computer, then our world will come to be dominated by AIs or AI-empowered humans.”
― Stuart Armstrong, Smarter Than Us: The Rise of Machine Intelligence

“A powerful AI system tasked with ensuring your safety might imprison you at home. If you asked for happiness, it might hook you up to a life support and ceaselessly stimulate your brain’s pleasure centers. If you don’t provide the AI with a very big library of preferred behaviors or an ironclad means for it to deduce what behavior you prefer, you’ll be stuck with whatever it comes up with. And since it’s a highly complex system, you may never understand it well enough to make sure you’ve got it right.”
― James Barrat, Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era

“Why give a robot an order to obey orders—why aren’t the original orders enough? Why command a robot not to do harm—wouldn’t it be easier never to command it to do harm in the first place? Does the universe contain a mysterious force pulling entities toward malevolence, so that a positronic brain must be programmed to withstand it? Do intelligent beings inevitably develop an attitude problem? Now that computers really have become smarter and more powerful, the anxiety has waned. Today’s ubiquitous, networked computers have an unprecedented ability to do mischief should they ever go to the bad. But the only mayhem comes from unpredictable chaos or from human malice in the form of viruses. We no longer worry about electronic serial killers or subversive silicon cabals because we are beginning to appreciate that malevolence—like vision, motor coordination, and common sense—does not come free with computation but has to be programmed in. Aggression, like every other part of human behavior we take for granted, is a challenging engineering problem!”
― Steven Pinker, How the Mind Works

This picture was taken on Sunday the 10th of February, looking North. It was a cold evening and air quality was just on the edge of the acceptable range. Not much air movement due to no wind. You can just make out some of the brown cloud that plagues the Front Range of Colorado. It does make for a beautiful sunset. LOL. Still a nice run during the afternoon. Saw a couple of healthy looking Coyotes on this trail run. I am guessing that they have been feeding on the plethora of rabbits in the area.

Well it has been a great two weeks I think. The weather has been cold and snowy, off and on here on the Front Range, but not enough to really make much of a difference with running. The snow in the mountains has been wonderful and the best part, it has continued to come down. I have gotten in a couple of days of skiing and both of those days were great. Excellent conditions compared to last year.

This picture was taken on Thursday 14th, February 2019 while walking with Janet. We have heard owls in this area quit a bit, but had not seen one this close up. It was pretty cool to say the least to see the bird hooting. The whole body was involved in producing the hoot. It was easy to identify the species on this one. A Great Horned Owl. LOL. Looking at this picture now, I can see why the Native Americans and early settlers made up stories about these birds. It does look a little creepy. Again, a cold afternoon walk but the bike path was clear of ice and snow and with some wind, the air quality levels were much better.

As some may know we lost our white German Shepherd Neige, back last August. She had Degenerative Myelopathy. A genetically inherited malady that is a progressive, incurable disease of the spinal cord in dogs. Similar to ALS in humans. To say that we were heart broken would be an understatement. But as they say, time heals all wounds. So we have started to look again for a dog. I think that we are going to stick with the German Shepherd breed. But it has been hard to say the least. We have owned four Shepherds in the last 30 years and they have all suffered some form of the most common genetic aliments of the breed. Neige lived to be 12 years old and was definitely enough dog for two people. Meaning that we had not really looked at what is out there in the market place for a while.

Neige in better times. Doing what she loved to do. This picture was taken about a year ago, last March 2018. Thinking back, wondering if I was in a hurry that day? Could I have thrown her the stick a few more times knowing what I know now…. Time is a lot shorter than you ever realize…. Always loved and never forgotten….

So I have been doing a little bit of “dog” research and my conclusions, “It is all about genetic testing.” First if you buy from a breeder – then you need genetic testing of the parents to rule out some of the common genetic ailments. Otherwise it is just a game of roulette, no matter what the breeder tells you. And if you decided to get one from the humane society or shelter of your choice – then you need to do some, you guessed it, genetic testing. A little more difficult to do when the dog is from the shelter. But possible, just not convenient. I found it interesting that some of the shelters are now starting to do this on their own. They have found that it makes some dogs much more adoptable to know the breed mixes in the dog and (for an added cost) if they are susceptible to certain common genetic diseases. If you think about how much time, effort, and money you put into a family pet. Not to mention, they truly become part of your family. And in some cases a very significant part of your life. I think it makes sense to go a step further in the selection process and do the genetic testing. Especially now that the technology to do this is available and has come down significantly in price. For me, it just makes sense to do it. I know that this will be a little controversial with a few people and that is OK. I hope it generates some good discussion and consideration the next time you look for a dog. A good recent article on this subject is from WIRED magazine: https://www.wired.com/story/dog-dna-kits-reviewed/?mbid=email_onsiteshare

This picture was taken Saturday 16th, February 2019, looking North West in the late afternoon. I have to say it was a beautiful sunset. Cold, in the teens, with a little wind. In Colorado we get what is know as “standing wave clouds” and this is an example. They can make for great sunset pictures. The colors do not last for long but can be quit intense for a few minutes.

Now on a totally different note, I have started to listen to a new audio book called “Life 3.0 – Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” by Max Tegmark. I am not very far into it yet but it really has gotten me thinking about A.I. and what that means for the future of humanity. Tegmark is a is a Swedish-American physicist and cosmologist. He is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the scientific director of the Foundational Questions Institute. I have read a previous book from him called “Our Mathematical Universe.” I am only a few chapters into the new book but I am already feeling that the true game changer for Humanity, good or bad, may be the development of an Advanced A.I. It might not even need to be “sentient” as in human terms to be this game changer.

You can find the book on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Life-3-0-Being-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/B0742JQF31/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550651814&sr=8-1&keywords=life+3.0+being+human+in+the+age+of+artificial+intelligence

We are becoming so complex as a society, billions and billions of people on the planet. There are some estimates that we will reach the 10 billion mark by 2030. With this many people we will have become, a true global community on a scale never known in human history, with all our usual human wants and needs. Resource allocation will not be something that can be left to chance. Housing, work, travel, food, medical care, security, energy, clean air/water, education, news, entertainment, social media, solitude, etc… will all have to be coordinated to a degree that we have never seen as a species. Second and Third world countries will continue to want to move up the ladder of prosperity and have all the things that you and I now take for granted. Just thinking about that, gives me chills. It will be a daunting task….. How will all this “complexity” be managed and coordinated? What “algorithm” will be sophisticated enough to help us deal with it all? My belief and others is that this increasing complexity of a burgeoning human population will give rise to a super intelligent A.I. Not a matter of if, but when. The big question that comes with this, is how do we want it to occur and who to manage it. Do we want society to become an Orwellian/Kafkaesque Dystopia? Big brother always watching, judging, today’s freedoms severely curtailed? Or the filling out of forms, after forms, after forms, after forms, in order to just buy a car, get married, go on a simple vacation, or even just traveling across state lines? Is there a better way?

Personally I don’t think this will take 100 years. I would not be surprised if it happened in the next 20.

A.I. or more importantly,the people that control A.I. will have the ability to push society to change, but will it be in the right directions. To give us more freedoms, to give us better and/or cheaper housing, work, travel, food, medical care, security, energy, clean air/water, education, news, etc… and advances in technology that makes today’s tech seem like rubbing two sticks together to make fire. This is what Tegmark talks about in his new book with the hope that he can get people from all walks of life involved in the discussion of A.I. His belief is that this will be one of, if not the “Monumental” question of the 21st century. I have not totally finished reading it yet but from what I have read so far, I felt it was important to put a partial review out. I highly recommend the book.

This picture was taken Saturday 23rd, February 2019. What a beautiful Colorado day! Sunny, cold but not too cold. Temp about 32 degrees F in the parking lot, and best of all there was some wind. So most of the brown cloud was gone. This picture was taken in Horsetooth Mountain Park looking South to South East. That horizon is at least 50 miles from where I am standing. Someday as we move away from fossil fuels, this might be the norm again and not just the exception.

Well I think that I am about done for this Blog post. I hope the last two weeks have been great for you dear reader. Remember your comments are always welcome. Take care and maybe I will see you out there on the trail or the ski slope. Adios amigos!!

Art, Dogs, Exercise, Psychology, Run Rabbit Run

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 9th, SEPTEMBER 2018

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“Once you realize that the road is the goal and the that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.”     By Nisargadatta

 “The goal is the road and the road is the goal.” – My understanding of Nisargadatta!

 “The pessimist is not guaranteed a tomorrow.  And, if tomorrow does come, the pessimist does not expect to feel better at the same point in the race…. indeed, it might feel even worse.  So, the pessimist plugs on and accomplishes their goals today.  And today is the only day that counts.” – Gary Cantrell

 

Well this week has been a better week.  Compared to last week things are much better.  Losing a furry family member was hard.  Especially one like “dog-girl.”  It is hard to put into words what she meant to Janet and I.  I tried last week to do that with the blog post.  Rereading that post this week, still does not seem like I did her justice.  But not wanting to dwell on this issue in this weeks post I will move on.  Of course, I cannot guarantee that it will not come up from time to time.  Coming to grips with change (loss), any kind of change is hard.

Meeker and Longs from the West Side of Fort Collins

Tall Aspens off of Highway 14 in the Poudre Canyon

It has been nice running this week.  Good to get out and clear my head after last week.  The smoke from the wildfires in West has cleared somewhat and the running has been good.   I am trying to get in as much trail running as I can before the Run Rabbit Run.  Still shooting for that 100-mile distance.  Not sure if I can do it but I plan to try.

I know the old Yoda Saying… “Do or do not, there is not try”.  But I am still not that confident that I can do it.  I really believe that I can get in a 50 miler this year but how much further can I get – can I do the whole 100?  That is the thing that I want to see if I can do.  I am anxious just thinking about it.  Sooooo, to get myself to the starting line, I have told myself to look at it as “let’s just see how far you can get”, “run at your pace”, “enjoy the experience”, and “see where it will take you.”

Resident Deer on the Poudre River Trail in Fort Collins

I never thought of being “pessimistic” as a good thing.  But when you see it in the light of the quote above by Gary Cantrell, it takes on a little different meaning.  A little touch of “Pessimism” is really helpful in getting motivated to do things.  Especially hard things.  How many days have I just wanted to stay in bed because the day had something that might be consider tough to do?  Way too many.  The old saying “put it off tomorrow.”  Just let it go.  But the next day things actually might be worse.  So, the idea is to buck it up and do it.  Just like the Nike slogan of “Just Do It.”  Get it done.  I am still not very good at this but I hope that I am getting better.

Blooming Creosote Bushes in Fort Collins

On a different note, towards the end of August I finished a couple of new pieces of art work.  I started to draw anatomical hearts after my son in-law suggested that my oldest daughter liked them.  And he wanted me to do a few for her.  So, I did.  I might have to continue along this line for a while and see where it takes me.  If you do a quick google search you will find all kinds of anatomical heart drawings and paintings.

Pen and ink – size is 11 x 14 inches

Pen and ink – size is 11 x 14 inches

Pen and ink – size is 7 x 10 inches

Well I think that is about it for me this week.  I will let you know how the Run Rabbit Run goes in the next post.  Take care my friends, maybe I will see you out on the trails.  Remember winter is coming and ski season is just around the corner!!  Adios amigos!!

 

Dogs, Grieving, Life and Meaning

MUSINGS FOR SATURDAY 1st, SEPTEMBER 2018

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KNOWING
 If I had known that on that day our time was near the end
I would have done things differently, my forever friend.
I would have stayed right next to you deep into the night
but I thought I’d see you in the early morning light.
And so, I said “Good night” to you as I walked in through the door
never thinking of the time when I’d see you no more.
But if I had known that on that day our time was at the end
I would have done things so differently, my forever friend.
 Sally Evans (written for Shoo-Fly)

 

I usually start off a blog with this has been a good week.  After all we really don’t have much control whether the week is good or bad.  Just how we respond to it.  But this week has been especially bad.  We lost our best buddy for the last 12 years.  Our beloved white German Sheppard, Neige (French for snow) had to be put down on Tuesday.  And I am telling you, that was hard.  She had developed a condition known as Canine Degenerative Myelopathy.  I guess in some ways it is similar to MS or ALS in humans.  There is no cure for it.  Since her diagnosis in May she had become a “housebound dog.”  Prior to that point she had been taking her usual 5 to 6 mile walk several days each week.  So, we had a little bit of time to realize and to come to grips with, the fact that the inevitable was coming.

But your never ready for that moment.  Janet and I were not ready.  How do you accept and express overwhelming grief when it comes?  Neige was our forth Sheppard in the last 35 years.  She was our touchstone.  No mater what kind of day it had been, you could always depend on “dog-girl” being there to give unconditional love and affection.  To say that she had become a part of the family was an understatement.  Even when she became house bound, she was always there wagging her tail, happy to see you,  giving you the thumbs up in “dog speak” when you got home.

A true snuggle hound at times.

A hiking buddy.

A skiing companion.

The listener.

 

Her passing has left a large gap in our lives.  Right now, I am not sure if it will ever heal, and that is OK.  She will always be a part of us.

I have heard that the emotional wounds that are the deepest, are reminders that you need to take a moment to slow down.  To not be in a big hurry.  To be mindful of what is going on around you.  I find myself thinking back about all the “Neige Moments” that I would like to relive with a new appreciation.  But I can’t…  I can only go forward.

Good by Neigie, you were much, much more than a loyal and faithful companion.  If I had known that our last time together was near.  I would have done things so differently……

 

Damn this has been a tough week.  I know things will get better.  And I need to give myself time.  Maybe a little more running on the trails this next week well help to lessen the grief.  Take care my friends, slow down and savor the moments.  Until next time, adios.