Wednesday, August 31, 2016

BONG RECREATION AREA




Seriously, did you think that I would be blogging about some drug frenzied exploits using a bong? Just to set the record straight, I do not do any drugs. No part of my recreational activity yesterday included smoking any substance, not even a cigarette, and I especially did not use a bong. Before I proceed, are we clear on this? Yes? Good. Now I can continue. Yesterday, I was at the BONG RECREATION AREA in Brighton, Wisconsin. 

After an appointment in Burlington, Wisconsin, I decided to finally visit the Bong Recreational Area that I have passed countless times on the Interstate that leads from Chicago to Milwaukee. This State Recreation Area is used for camping and swimming and hiking among other activities.  The park is named after a man named, Richard Bong. 

from wikipedia....
Richard Bong State Recreation Area is a 4,515-acre (1,827 ha) unit of the state park system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is located in the town of Brighton, in Kenosha County. This managed prairie contains 8.3 miles (13 km) of mountain bike trails. Other recreational activities include high power rocketry, swimming, dogsleddingfalconryATV sports, land sailinghorseback ridinghuntingfishing, camping with amenities, and ultralight aviation. There is a wildlife preserve where great egretssandhill cranes, and great blue herons are known to nest.
The park is on land once intended for the Richard Bong Air Force Base, whose namesake is World War II veteran aviator Maj. Richard Ira Bong. Part of what was intended to be the 12,500-foot (3,800 m) main airstrip is still visible from aerial photos of the site.
Largely due to its name's coincidental allusions to marijuana use, Bong Recreation Area is a frequent target of sign theft. This has led to the manufacturing of T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the highway exit sign.
I spotted this curious sign nearly 25 years ago when I first moved to the midwest.  I remember thinking that the word 'bong' must have a different meaning than the one that I was more familiar with. In fact, that is the case. I visited this Nature Preserve for the very first time yesterday. 
I was thoroughly enjoying my hike, until around the the time I was completing my 8th mile, the temperature dropped, the skies darkened and it started pouring.  This was the first time that I truly found myself in the middle of nowhere during a hard rain. What to do? I got wet. I returned to my car and drove back to Chicago, for much of the trip I had the heater on to warm up..






This was the biggest mushroom that I have ever seen. I photographed it with my hiking boot to give an indication of its size.

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
Roundys - Creamy Wheat - Enriched Farina 480 100 0 16 340 4
Quaker - Chewy Granola 90 Calories, 2 bar 180 38 4 2 160 14
Take 5 - Protein Bar, 1 package (2 bars) 200 25 11 4 180 18

860 163 15 22 680 36
L U N C H
Special K - Protein Meal Bar Chocolate 170 23 6 12 250 15
UNSWEETENED BANANA CHIPS 200 19 12 2 6 1
DARK COCOA MELT WAFERS 400 44 24 5 82 38

770 86 42 19 338 54
D I N N E R
Crystal Farms -Diced Potatoes 160 38 0 4 340 0
Johnsonville - Polish Kielbasa Sausage 340 4 30 14 1,140 2
Earthbound Farm organic baby spinach 40 6 0 4 130 0
Tomatoes - 3 Cherry Tomatoes 24 0 0 0 0 3
Trader Joe's Sauerkraut - Sauerkraut 25 10 0 0 1,000 0

589 58 30 22 2,610 5
S N A C K S
Doughnut 250 51 25 5 0 0

250 51 25 5 0 0
Totals 2,469 358 112 68 3,628 95
Your Daily Goal 3,344 418 111 168 2,300 125
Remaining 875 60 -1 100 -1,328 30
Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
*You've earned 1,414 extra calories from exercise today
If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 191.5 lbs in 5 weeks     

.

       Your Exercise Diary for:


Cardiovascular Minutes Calories Burned
8.44 MILE HIKE
130 1,414

   
Daily Total / Goal 130 / 30 1,414 / 590  
Weekly Total / Goal 275 / 210 3,601 / 4,130
.





* * * * * * * * * *

informal definition of a 'bong'

a device made of clay, ceramic, plastic tubing or PVC, glass, a two liter coke bottles, or any other man made or fabricated substance that is normally filled with water to smoke marijuanna with; can be of varying lengths and sizes.

* * * * * * * * * *

I had no reason to be surprised that I was caught in a rainstorm.  The prediction when my hike began was very gloomy.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

SIMILAR TO AN ORGAN REJECTION

It is fairly common knowledge that one of the obstacles to a successful organ transplant is the rejection of that organ from the new body. Although I 'officially' weigh myself once per week, I do sometimes hop on the scale to monitor my progress. I was very pleased when the scale showed a weight of 210.2 lbs. on Saturday. On Sunday it had bounced back up two pounds, and Monday it had stubbornly stayed at about 212 lbs. There was a brief moment at the end of 2015 when the imaginary needle on my digital scale rested at 209 lbs.  One week later, the weight indicated 218 lbs. It is as if my body is rejecting this 209-210 lb weight.  It appears that this is going to be a difficult level to break through. Woman sometimes talk about the difficulty breaking through the glass ceiling. I am trying to break through the glass floor. If I persevere, as I will continue to do, eventually my body will relent, and I will know what it feels like to be nearer to 200 lbs than I am now. I still harbor the fantasy of getting under 200 lbs. Clearly this is not going to be easy.



Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
Roundys - Creamy Wheat - Enriched Farina 480 100 0 16 340 4

480 100 0 16 340 4
L U N C H
Healthy Choice - Chicken With Rice Soup 220 34 4 12 780 2
Homemade - Garden Salad - No Dressing 50 19 0 6 527 15

270 53 4 18 1,307 17
D I N N E R
Roasted Cauliflower 100 3 10 1 497 1
Pot Roast, Beef 400 0 25 40 63 0
Squash - Butternut Squash 151 38 0 2 14 7

651 41 35 43 574 8
S N A C K S
YOGURT PRETZELS 400 59 0 4 379 40

400 59 0 4 379 40
Totals 1,801 253 39 81 2,600 69
Your Daily Goal 4,074 509 135 204 2,300 152
Remaining 2,273 256 96 123 -300 83
Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
*You've earned 2,144 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 177.5 lbs in 5 weeks     


.

       Your Exercise Diary for:


Cardiovascular Minutes Calories Burned
11 Mile Walk
144 2,166

   
Daily Total / Goal 144 / 30 2,166 / 590  
Weekly Total / Goal 144 / 210 2,166 / 4,130
.

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.
glass ceil·ing
noun
  1. an unofficially acknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession, especially affecting women and members of minorities.

Monday, August 29, 2016

LAKE MICHIGAN


During this entire summer, many times I have hiked on the beach of Lake Michigan. I have done this on the Chicago shoreline near my home countless times. I hiked on the Lake Michigan beach at Illinois Beach State Park nearly 50 miles north of my home on the Wisconsin border. I have hiked on the beach at Indiana Dunes State Park in Indiana. All summer long, no matter how hot it was, it never occurred to me to strip down and actually refresh myself in the lake. Well, of course, that is not completely true - it did occur to me - I just didn't do it. Yesterday my wife and child insisted on joining me on my hike. I was hesitant to allow them to hike with me as I did not want to forgo a true hike at my normal workout speed - y'know, the blistering 4.2 mph speed that I can achieve on a flat surface. I relented, they joined me, they kept up, and upon arrival at the beach at Northerly Island, we stopped, as planned, and enjoyed the beach. For the first time this summer, I refreshed myself in Lake Michigan. I am pretty sure that this was the first time all summer that I was out in the sun with my shirt off. I have developed a first rate 'golfer's' tan. I am so used to being out and about on my hikes alone, it was very different to have two people tag along with me. Our hike to the beach was 6 miles. We did not take a direct route, as we circumnavigated Navy Pier as I often do. Our much more direct and leisurely walk home was 4 miles. For me, a ten mile walk is just 'another day in the office.' For my two 'guests' on the hike - it was something that they were not accustomed to accomplishing. I am fairly certain that when I was my daughters age I never took a 10 mile roundtrip walk to anywhere for any reason at any time. In 1970 I was driven to Hebrew School class at Temple Emanuel in Lynbrook, Long Island - and that was only one half mile from my home. Back in those days, us suburban kids were really pampered, and somewhat clueless.

My very first dip in Lake Michigan this summer at Northerly Island Beach. Over the years, my daughter and I used to go to the beach many times during spring and summer. That was when my hobby was lying down on the sand.  Turns out lying down on a sandy beach does not burn too many calories.
The BLUE sky and BLUE water are not 'photoshopped'.  As we circled around the Shedd Aquarium the weather was simply spectacular.
There might have been a sign here that said 'no climbing' but I didn't see it - and that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Six mile hike to Northerly Island Beach, with a detour at Navy Pier.  4 mph pace.


Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
Read - Three Bean Salad 300 65 0 5 1,500 55
Quaker - Chewy Granola 90 Calories, 4 bar 360 76 8 4 320 28

660 141 8 9 1,820 83
L U N C H
Cheese Pizza Slice 400 40 16 25 784 4

400 40 16 25 784 4
D I N N E R
Buttered Cabbage 123 5 12 1 98 3
Grilled Brussel Sprouts 130 26 5 11 46 0
Chicken Inasal 300 0 14 42 620 0
Read - 3 Bean Salad 300 65 0 5 1,500 40

853 96 31 59 2,264 43
S N A C K S
DRIED MANGO SLICES 110 28 0 2 1 20
DARK CHOCOLATE COCONUT CHEW 135 14 9 1 17 9
GIN GINS ORIGINAL CHEWY GINGER 80 20 0 0 0 20
VANILLA MACAROON GRANOLA 125 19 5 3 30 7

450 81 14 6 48 56
Totals 2,363 358 69 99 4,916 186
Your Daily Goal 3,655 457 122 183 2,300 137
Remaining 1,292 99 53 84 -2,616 -49
Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
*You've earned 1,725 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 187.3 lbs in 5 weeks     
.

       Your Exercise Diary for:


Cardiovascular Minutes Calories Burned
6 mile hike (4mph)
91 1,024
2 mile walk
44 312
2 mile walk
25 428

   
Daily Total / Goal 160 / 30 1,764 / 590  
Weekly Total / Goal 1191 / 210 14,776 / 4,130             
.


* * * * * * * * * *


clue·less
ˈklo͞oləs'
adjective
informal
  1. having no knowledge, understanding, or ability.
    "you're clueless about how to deal with the world"
    synonyms:obliviousunawareunmindfulinsensibleignorantunobservant;


pam·per
ˈpampər/
verb
  1. indulge with every attention, comfort, and kindness; spoil.
    "famous people just love being pampered"
    synonyms:spoilindulgeoverindulgecossetmollycoddlecoddlebaby, wait on someone hand and foot
    "Trevor's big sister pampered him"


cir·cum·nav·i·gate
ˌsərkəmˈnavəɡāt/
verb
  1. sail all the way around (something, especially the world).
    • humorous
      go around or across (something).
      "he helped her to circumnavigate a frozen puddle"
    • avoid dealing with (something difficult or unpleasant).
      "they circumnavigated the issue"










Sunday, August 28, 2016

BANANA REPUBLIC BLUE JEANS

Different brands of clothing adhere to sizes a bit, well... differently. It is my belief that Banana Republic 'runs small.' (In other words, if one usually wears a waist size of 40, perhaps if shopping at Banana Republic one would have to consider a 42. Many months ago when I was confident that my weight loss would continue (before my hernia operation) I purchased a pair of BANANA REPUBLIC BLUE JEANS at a huge discount, even though at the time they did not even remotely fit me.  This pair of blue jeans was 36" waist.  I tried them on last night. They are tight, but in a pinch, they could be worn. The waist size that I was forced to wear when I started this little journey on December 24, 2014 was 50" - and they were tight.  A man wearing tight 50" blue jeans is not a pleasant sight. It is even less pleasant being that man.  I don't know if a man wearing tight 36" blue jeans is a pleasant sight or not. I do know, that I enjoy being that man.

.
I am looking forward to wearing these Banana Republic 36" blue jeans when they are a bit more comfortable.



Yesterday I think some physical fatigue was setting in. I walked, but 'only' 8 miles.  I thought that was all I would do, but later in the evening my daughter wanted to talk a walk downtown. So although that second 4 mile walk was not as vigorous - I did walk twelve miles yesterday.

Your Food Diary For:


BREAKFAST Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
Kroger - Grits, 2 cup 200 42 2 4 680 2
365 Organic Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter - Chewy Granola Bars, 3 bar 450 69 15 9 270 30

650 111 17 13 950 32
L U N C H
Read - 3 Bean Salad 300 65 0 5 1,500 40
Nabisco Ritz Fresh Stacks - Crackers, 1 fresh stack 220 26 12 2 280 4
Skippy - Creamy Peanut Butter 300 9 25 11 237 5
Quaker Chewy - 90 Cal Chocolate Chunk, 1 bar 90 19 2 1 80 7

910 119 39 19 2,097 56
D I N N E R
banana bread flax bar  190 25 9 3 5 12
Campbell's Chunky - Manhattan Clam Chowder 240 36 6 10 1,600 6

430 61 15 13 1,605 18
S N A C K S
DARK CHOCOLATE COCONUT CHEWS 266 27 19 3 33 17
Vanilla Gellato 300 34 15 7 105 0

566 61 34 10 138 17
Totals 2,556 352 105 55 4,790 123
Your Daily Goal 4,193 524 139 210 2,300 157
Remaining 1,637 172 34 155 -2,490 34
Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
*You've earned 2,263 extra calories from exercise today         

       Your Exercise Diary for:


Cardiovascular Minutes Calories Burned
8 mile hike
108 1,525
4 mile walk
71 664

   
Daily Total / Goal 179 / 30 2,189 / 590  
Weekly Total / Goal 1032 / 210 13,014 / 4,130