POST 673: 07/11/121: BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

No photographs today.

Have been kept quite busy chasing after vehicle repairs (maintenance: brakes, tires, motorcycle gas tank leak, putting finishing touches on the garden / lawn of our home...which is about 90% complete and looks as nice as any in the neighborhood..., and attending various doctors to obtain a full body checkup.

Went on a short ride in the MPV to take pics of Mt. Baker. It is very "smoky", masking all the nearby mountains. Some folks are suggesting the unusual smoke is from fires burning in Eastern Russia and China.... Perhaps it will clear up enough to take photographs in the next few days.

Summer has truly arrived in Bellingham. Temperatures are in the low 80s F. The local parks and lakes are well attended by sun lovers. Also perfect weather for boaters to visit their favorite secluded harbor in the San Juan Islands.

Had good news from my Primary Physician. Had complete battery of blood tests this morning. Advised this afternoon that ALL aspects of this old body are near perfect; i.e.,

Blood Sugar is perfect
PSA is on target
Hemoglobin (red blood cells) are exactly as recommended.
Cholesterol is next to perfect.


...any my Cardiologist - heart attack in 1995 - says this old man is healthier than any 35-year-old has a right to be.

I have avoided medical discussions in my blog. I have however, come to some tentative conclusions about my health.

Since beginning my walk 2.3 years ago, my weight has remained + / - 5 pounds the entire time. This morning, I weigh 199 pounds and am 71.5 inches tall, having shrunk 1.5 inches since my last measurement a few years back. I have during this same period, reduced my waist from a 42 to a 36 inch trouser.

From "walking", I have yet to receive my first blister, and except for fainting in Georgia from lack of oxygen, have not encountered any injury. Also, have not had a sniffle, tooth / ear ache, strained muscle, indigestion or other internal malady.

Have received a cut or two, which, in spite of my taking daily blood thinner medication - because of the heart attack in '95 - have healed within hours WITHOUT medicine.

I attribute all this to developing a keenly functioning immune system, especially a fine-tuned lymphatic system...the result of my strenuous walking regimen.

I was on the road 820 days. 120 days were in the Outer Banks where I continued to work hard every day and walk nearly every other day. The 700 days actually walking, I "rested" a total of three (3) days - one day in Walnut Creek, California, one day in Phoenix, Arizona, and one day at Cape Canaveral, Florida. That means I walked 697 days without rest, averaging over 30 miles per day plus another 3 - 5 hours each evening to create this blog.

I classify my walk as daily extreme athletic exercise, which is the direct cause of my lymphatic system being fine tuned.

My medical report today tends to confirm my long-time position that daily exercise...HARD daily exercise...is critical to MY body's health and well being.

Since returning to Bellingham, I have continued my hard labor and extreme walking...and I feel great. Will celebrate this evening with an extra glass of wine and down two desserts - fresh strawberries and three scoops of French Vanilla Ice Cream.

Berries have come into season in and around Bellingham. Nearly every type of berry is to be found growing wild or under cultivation within 10 miles of down town. A great time to live under the lee of the Olympic Mountains...(it is because of the Olympic Mountains that Bellingham has a fantastic MICRO CLIMATE to near perfection all year 'round).

Is now 5:45 pm. Time for my first glass of wine.