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Life can be like a blink if you are not careful.  Bettie Pritchard was looking for words to put in her son's pocket when she buried him.  These are the words she used.

Life is like a blink of an eye

Death is for eternity

Therefore, life is really just a dream

And death is the reality!

Today is the anniversary of my father's death.  I did not do a post when it happened.  I was home working on Saturday, May 6, 2023, when I got the call.  He collapsed while loading some tires into his truck.  Being so remote, even though someone was there, I knew he would not recover immediately.

I only mentioned his passing in 2023 in the review post.  If you read this Blog, you know my father and I had no relationship.  He would call me names like "Educated Idiot," "crazy waste of energy" (when I ran), and "No good hippy" when I let my hair grow, just to name a few.  He was a harsh man.  Once I could escape from those surroundings, I did and rarely looked back.

I am told he mellowed in old age.  I never took any opportunity to verify that he did mellow.  But as I age, I realize he carried tremendous guilt for his behavior in his last few years.  Funny how it takes a year after he died for me to think that.   

The past few weeks have been busy.  I have sorted through several old photos and cleaned up old electronic files.  The weather also allowed for a few townball games.  Yesterday, I attended a game at Fredrickson Field in Elko New Market.  It is an excellent field, although parking is almost nonexistent.

The trees hide the adjacent drive-in theater, which opened in 2014.  However, I believe it is closed as the website stops providing information after 2022.  

Behind the theater is Elko Speedway, a high-banked 3/8-mile asphalt oval that has been operating since 1966 and sanctioned by NASCAR since 1986.  There is also a smaller go-cart track on the site.  I would not have known it existed if it were not for the game!

I also did my first over 40-mile (41.86 miles) bike ride on May 3.  It was slightly windy, and I had to work hard to complete the ride in 3 hours and 4 minutes.  This means I have logged 719 miles on the bike so far.   For the past decade, my peak mileage was in 2019, when I logged 3,542 miles.  I really need to get on the bike if I want to have a record high this year!  Yet.  I logged just over 700 miles at this time in 2019.

Today, I was thrilled that I could crank out a 10K on the elliptical.  It took a lot of work to accomplish over 2.5 miles in 30 minutes when I retired.  Now, several 60-minute workouts later, this is the first at 10K, and I am still energized like I was on April 23, when I successfully completed 60 minutes for 5.5 miles.  I am trying to get at least three elliptical efforts in a week, possibly four.  I am feeling good for the first time in years!

That is the update!

Carry on my friends, carry on!