Knittinggarden

As always, coming to the end of a stay at our beloved Green Valley Spa is always hard.  This time it was especially so, since we don't know what the future will bring.  Under new management, our destination spa is changing and we don't know how things will shake out.  We were able to cobble together our usual complete package and the accommodations, treatments, food, and hikes were pretty much the same as always but lack of guests and the rumblings of renovations were a worry.  We will watch to see what happens and know that our hiking guide friends should always be around to walk us and entertain us through Green Valley Hiking no matter where we might end up staying.  The grounds, and especially the many roses, are a big part of why we love it. Our last hike was with Kim and was a good one. We went out along a road in Snow Canyon Park and then up into Padre Canyon when we said that we wanted a little more hike than walk.  The scener...

This time we hiked with Marc, who is a wealth of information, entertainment, and technical advice.  As he leads, he shows us alternative ways to approach whatever terrain is ahead.  Here he leads my sister up a stone incline, no doubt explaining the proper foot placement and the value of walking on the toes.  When we come to a downhill section, he will show us how to go backwards to minimize slipping and also how to place feet and use hands to increase confidence and stability.  While in many cases just walking normally would work, being aware of other techniques is very helpful and getting used to using your body in different ways and calling arm and core muscles into play can really make a difference in confidence.  I always learn a lot from Marc.  Plus, he loves my hand knit hats and I was able to increase his supply this time!  Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo. The desert plant were blooming like crazy this time.   ...

This was the day of the petroglyphs.  We've been on this hike before, but it's always so interesting to see these ancient carvings.  What do they mean?  They could mean anything..."expert" interpretations are probably no more accurate than our guesses.  Everyone seems to see something different but it's fun to speculate.  This was our first day without our Princess, who had to go back to work, and we missed her a lot! Our intrepid guide, Kim, pointed out some interesting things he noticed in the drawings.  If you're in southern Utah and in need of hiking guides, check out Green Valley Hiking .  They're on Facebook now but are working on their website.  All the guides are personable and very knowledgeable about the area and are now no longer formally attached to the spa but have a separate company. We love them! 

Our third hike was a good one; not as strenuous as the previous day's.  There was some uphill climbing but not too much. We had to walk through quite a bit of sand, though, and that makes for sore legs the next day. We saw more beautiful views; the colors and rock formations never cease to amaze. It's so different here from what I'm used to in the northwest and also in the California desert. We got to see the butterfly rock again and that's always a treat. 

We've been here to the Green Valley Spa and Resort in St. George, UT several times and many of the hikes are repeats for us. Nevertheless, there is always something new to see and experience. This hike to Scout's Cave in Snow Canyon State Park is always a favorite but yesterday it kicked my butt. I know I'm just barely three months post surgery, but I was feeling pretty cocky about how much energy I had regained. Sure, I can walk 5 flat miles at home without having to rush to take a nap, but somehow 4+ miles of up and down (mostly up!) in high desert altitude is different. Imagine that! My pounding heart, shortness of breath and slow walking made me realize that I'm not quite back yet but I'm very grateful to still be able to do this, even at a slower pace. But look out next time!

Yesterday - Seattle, WA Today - St. George, Utah No comparison! 😎

On Tuesday, April 4th, we were three months post surgery.  The doctors and/or kidney exchange officials have a rule that no contact between transplant exchange partners (donor and recipient) can be made prior to 90 days.  Even though all four of us were doing well and had given prior permission, we had to wait for that time to pass.  Finally the day was here! Facilitated by the University of Washington's public information editor, a television interview was scheduled to document the event.  This was the first time two transplants had been done in the UW hospital at the same time with organs donated by living local donors.  Publicizing the program and the event will hopefully bring awareness of the great work being done at our university's transplant program and also encourage more living donation.  (I just typed loving donation accidentally but that's a pretty accurate description of it, too. 😊) Our meeting was set to take place at the UW research faci...