A Good Morning in Santa Cruz

Walking the neighborhood in Santa Cruz is so much easier for me. I hate to admit it, but the worst behaved doggie here is my own. Yesterday she charged a sweet and timid Golden Retriever from our back entry. I was going to my car, and she got out from behind me, charging this poor dog and his owner exactly like that Black Retriever did to us a week ago. I couldn't get her to back off, and had to chase her down, pick her up, and scold her on the way back. I went for errands after that, keeping her "crated" in the car. Good thing it was cool outside. With the windows open a little, I can return to my car with the fresh ocean air and a comfortable temperature in the car.

This morning we walked near that same dog and his master. The man remembered us and commented about how sweet Roxie was on the leash. I shook my head, and apologized again taking full responsibility. The man admitted that his dog was somewhat of a coward, but also added that my dog scared him too. We both marveled at how the two dogs got along as we passed by. I felt like the man accepted my apology today, which was a stark contrast to yesterday when he gave me the silent stink eye stare.

My new "weight loss" walking strategy was carried over this morning. I recently read that one of the hidden money drains from the wallet is fancy lattes. Everyone knows how much I love my latte. Now I've found a substitute. It's an instant "International" coffee that is both decaffeinated and sugar free - bonus. One can from the store serves me a cup for about 30 cents. The catch is, I can only seem to locate this coffee at Safeway (still love my pink bag), and since my new walk strategy is to take a hill... I decided to try the big kahuna hill in Santa Cruz: Alta Vista.

There is only one word to describe Alta Vista (besides the obvious Alta, which means tall in Spanish): STEEP. The last time my brother and nephew were here on bikes, they bragged that they rode up this hill. I'm not sure I could ever do that! Walking was a feat in itself, but once at the top, complete with groceries in both hands, and Roxie towing me up, I'm happy to report that I didn't fall down, and I actually enjoyed it. I think hill climbing is fast becoming an enjoyable new routine. It simply burns too much fat to ignore, and easy fat burning is epic!

Hardy would have loved this walk, and the Golden Retriever too. He was always up for a physical challenge, and I'm sure he would have been tugging me along up that hill along with Roxie. One of my memories of Hardy is that people would comment about how young he looked. I believe it was because I took him everywhere with me, whenever I could, and also because he got plenty of fresh air outside with me. We had that in common, we both loved the outdoors. I regret to report that I never took Hardy on the Alta Vista hill climb, despite the fact that it was always there waiting for us. I guess it took his untimely death for me to change my daily routines and challenge my personal limitations even more.