we scratched our names all in a row into a tree in hopes it would grow

This morning we went hiking in a place we haven't been before.  It started out more like a walk than a hike, although it was a long walk.  We felt equipped to manage a 9km hike when it started out with pretty bridges and lovely views of the river

like this

and this.

But then we got up higher and the river beds ran dry and the nice mulchy path disappeared and we were forced to climb rocks instead.

See?  That's Shawn leaving me behind in the dirt.

Shawn and I hike together a lot.  His legs are longer than mine and he walks much faster than I do; sometimes he disappears from view, briefly giving me the sense of being alone in the wilderness, which is both scary and exhilarating at the same time.

See him up there?

When the hike got even steeper and more treacherous, he slowed down too.  Sometimes he walked ahead without looking back, and sometimes he would turn and check if I was okay.  I liked both, but mostly I liked his assumption that I would be fine.  Most of the time I am fine.

We climbed wayyy up there.

After the hike (which took about four hours) we came home and worked on the garden.  That is, Shawn helped me pull some giant rocks out of the outermost corner of the garden that plagues me every year by becoming overrun with vicious weeds.  We spread out one of those weird weed block nets and stapled it down.  (Did you know you can staple dirt?  I didn't.)  Next weekend we'll have mulch delivered to hold it down and give the illusion that someone has taken care of this part of the garden rather than just hid a bunch of stuff under some other stuff.  My hope is that this will mean I no longer have to spend significant portions of the summer holidays pulling weeds.

By the time that was done I was so tired I could barely move.  So tired that when I stretched out on the couch, although I was awake, I was too tired to reach out my hand to pick up the remote control to silence Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah, who were on tv singing a duet in what must be the worst movie in the entire world.


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