Or so I thought last night.
We have been having practically perfect weather over the weekend. Drizzle. Gray skies. Temperatures in the 70s.
Well, that last element spoils the trifecta. To be perfect, the temperature would be 55 degrees. But I am not complaining about the weather we have enjoyed the past few days. Sleeping without fans or air conditioning is liberating.
My biggest concern was that the Mexican tourists would stay away because of the rain. They didn't. The beaches had a smattering of vacationing families putting the beach and ocean to good use. The rain didn't faze them.
Who it did faze was me. After knocking down the infection in my right foot, I reset my walking routine. I suspect I started too fast and tried to walk too far. So, I cut my walk back to 4 miles in the morning and slowed down my pace -- knowing full well I would be burning fewer calories, but that I would also minimize the chances of another festival of the blisters.
And it was working. I was up each morning like clockwork. I do my best to avoid any appointments before noon. That time is dedicated to my walks, completing my daily Spanish lesson, and reading the morning newspaper along with a portion of that week's The Economist and National Review. That usually keeps me from leaving the house, for other purposes, in the morning.
Yesterday, as is true with all Sundays, was the exception. Church starts at 10. If I skip one of my morning rituals, I can usually get there on time.
The piece I elided was my walk. For a terrible reason. It was raining.
Mind you, I lived almost all of my life in Oregon where I developed my "perfect day" expectations. Rain there is not a deterrent when it comes to walking. Besides, I walked each of the two previous days and evenings in the rain.
To redeem myself to myself, I decided I was ready to pick up the pace of my walk and to add two additional miles to the course.
Until my friend Leo visited me in August of last year, I did not realize how many great walking paths there are in Barra de Navidad. Most of them are sidewalks and streets. And there is the track at the sports park. But my favorite is the purpose-built walkway and bike path that leads from Barra de Navidad to Highway 200.
When it was being built, I thought someone's brother-in-law had convinced the local government to buy a white elephant. Who was going to use it?
It turns out, everyone. In both the morning and evening, it is jammed with walkers, joggers, runners, and bikers. Locals and both northern and Mexican tourists. Not to mention the odd donkey or goat.
There is a fitness center midway along the path. Several friends have suggested I should work out there, but the idea is not very seductive. The blaring techno music would keep me from concentrating on the business at hand. Besides, the path offers a lot more interesting sights than the usual sweaty lycra-clad bodies in gymnasiums.
Oh, the sun? It peeked out of the clouds for a few minutes this morning only to be replaced by a refreshing drizzle.
I am not certain life can get better than this.
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