Dave and Julie's Wonderful Adventure

Julie and Dave in a slot canyon a few miles from their home in Saint George, Utah

We thought we might start a blog so our friends and family (not always the same) can keep up with everything we are doing since retiring earlier this year.  We moved from California to Utah and are coincidently close by Julie's parents who also live in our new town.  Many of the posts will include them. I have offered to change their names to protect their identities.  For our blog we will refer to Julie's dad as "Pete" and her mother as "Cookie" which could be pronounced "Kooky" and you would be pretty close to life with the in-laws.  

I almost don't know where to start.  Since we have retired we are spending a great deal of time outdoors exploring all that Southwest Utah has to offer and believe me there is a lot.  We hike or mountain bike most every day with an occasional rest day each week.  When I say "we", it also includes Pete who was previously an outdoor enthusiast until he was introduced to Satan's game, Bridge which will henceforth be referred to as Parcheesi...  Since beginning to play Parcheesi, he has packed on the lbs. as the game involves endless hours of sitting on one's behind.  Now that we are here, he has to give that up, and spends endless hours with us working out and getting back in shape.  If you are familiar with Navy Seal training, you will easily pictures our hikes and rides.  We also provide the option to "ring out", when the going gets too tough, but so far he has not taken that way out.  We have on a couple of occasions done it for him, but he is very tough, only somewhat coordinated and completely lacks a sense of direction which makes for interesting hikes which he often leads since he is "familiar" with the trail.

Okay, quick quiz....  What do "that-a-way", "this-a-way", "over yonder", "right" and "left" all have in common?....  These are all terms Pete, otherwise known as "Scout", uses to describe the exact same direction when leading a hike.

Pete "Scout" at Angel's Landing in Zion National Park

As you will note, Pete is very concerned about sun exposure which can be a real problem in our area when we spend so much time outdoors, more times than not, he dons stylish head gear. Today's hike was no different from several others this week except that we did not get lost, did not run out of food and water and no blood was lost.  I will tell you more about the Red Mountain hike from hell in a future blog.  I did however want to share with you something so unbelievable that it falls into our "You can't make this stuff up" category.  When our hike was over and we returned to the house, I heard Julie howling with laughter.  What now I thought?  When I came around the corner of the garage, Pete had his hat off and Julie was laughing hysterically.  Apparently Pete had injured his shoulder on our last hike and his other shoulder on our previous bike ride (you will note a common theme) and could not shave his head himself.  Since personal grooming is a priority for Pete, he asked Cookie to assist which she did!

Pete's latest do!

Unbeknownst to Pete, Cookie had shaved her actual initial in his head!  What Cookie does not realize is that Pete plans to go everywhere with his new do and no hat, just to pay her back in kind.  

Welcome to our Blog and and our lives!

Dave and Julie