Let’s see now… the last blog entry had me sitting by the emerald ribbon that runs under No Hands Bridge, trying to put my arms around a life change. Oh, I had it all figured out… not. Had the basics: loose weight, get fit. Right. Got it. With that in my mind I walked up Stagecoach Trail to Russell Road and back down to the Murano (my pretty car). On the way out of the canyon going up 49, I’m trying to fill in some blanks on just how my goals would happen; the Murano was on autopilot and it knew its route well. After all I hike the ASRA all the time, the Murano knew just where to head. The Club Car. You see… most of my hikes have a reward, like stopping at the Club Car for recovery drinks and eats. Hmmmm… well it wasn’t exactly a hike up Stagecoach, but traditions are traditions and who wants to fool with tradition? So I went in; love the Club Car… something about the place just feels right. Like home maybe, well my home anyway if you’ve ever seen the place. Anyway, while sitting and waiting to order I decided now was the time for the first change. Right. Ok… no food, I’d already eaten earlier and didn’t really need more… but no drink? Oh, that’s just not possible. So when the bartender finally made her way to me it was the usual… bourbon 7 please! She turns to mix my drink… NO! WAIT! Make that a bourbon diet! This earned me the ‘over the shoulder, furrowed brow, are ya sure’ look from the pretty barkeep. Now mind you, I’m a sucker for that look from a gal, but this is the dawn of a new life for me… “positive” I tell her, not so positively. She tossed her hair and turns a bit more to face me with quite the pleasant grin and twinkle in her eye… “anything to eat?” TESTING TESTING 123. Let me recap the picture for you… pretty girl, grinning pleasantly, eyes twinkling… asking me if I want food to eat. The guy I am, is melting… willpower is leaving the building… Really, just how does a guy say no to that? And honestly? I wasn’t’ going to. While the head was desperately trying to find a gear without the clutch being engaged, the lovely barkeep put together the change in drink order to ‘diet’, my hesitation and quickly moved on to mix my drink saying something about “maybe later”(pretty and smart, wow). Now how hard was that? You have no idea. The thing is, it was the pretty barkeep, not me, that helped with the first move to a change in habit. And that, dear friends, became the key to how I actually did change my life, loose weight and get fit. The help, inspiration and motivation from others, big or small, intentional or not... it’s huge, I tell ya. Just huge.

The pretty barkeep magically appeared mere milliseconds after the first drink was hastily consumed. The unspoken words between patron and barkeep were exchanged and another bourbon diet quickly appeared. No mention of food this time… gotta love that gal. It was time to head back down the hill, a trip the Murano knows well also. On the way I decided to stop at some long time friend’s house to say hi and maybe tell of my new direction. I’ve known Joe and Robie for a long time… comfy folks and for me about as close as friends can be and not be family. Joe and Robie have a Murano also and of course I parked right by it… not sure but think the two cars have something going, but that is another story. Joe and Robie live in what has to be one of the oldest homes in Rocklin, a wonderful old Victorian… with a front porch. What ever happened to front porches? Anyway Joe and I sat out front on the porch, I told him of the doctor visit, and my decision to change my life while sitting by No Hands Bridge. He knew I was serious about my decision by the fact of where I had been thinking. He knows I love the Auburn area and particularly the canyon and that’s where I do serious sort of thinking. We toasted with some of our favorite top shelf rum and that was the seal for me. Still a bunch of blanks in the plan… but a firm resolve to make it happen… and it was already working! After all, I’d said no to a pretty girl at the Club Car! Ok ok… I know… apples and oranges here, but sometimes you have to grab hold of something just anyway you can. In just a few weeks, at a 4th of July gathering at Joe and Robie’s house last year, a mutual friend of ours would begin a series of inspiration that continues to this day.

There’s much more back-story to blog about before I can get going on what I really want to write of and some of that may start seeping in before I run out of back-story. Clear as mud? Good… that’s been the story of my life to date, why change now?