Yellow Springs Revisited

It was Saturday. I crawled out of bed just ahead of 730am. I had a mild headache, no doubt a byproduct of the five beers I drank the night before. After sit-ups & push-ups, I took two acetaminophen tablets along with a Dexilant. Frankie laid alert in her pen still dawning the lamp shade employed to keep her from chewing her stitches. I freed her from the pen, removed the protective shroud, then took her outside. I think she peed but that’s it. For the most part, she seemed to have her energy back. Even though we were advised against it, Frankie galloped up the deck stairs on her own. Inside I poured some coffee then played on the internet. As I prepared for my run, I decided to take Frankie up to see Mindy along with a cup of coffee. It was almost 9am. I returned downstairs to stretch before heading out. I wore shorts and a long sleeved running shirt. It was cool and partly cloudy. I felt really good and ran the full 4.1 mile track. Mindy was now up and downstairs with Frankie. We had talked about visiting Yellow Springs but hadn’t firmed our plans. The weather certainly wasn’t as sunny as predicted. As the morning passed, I did some further research into my medical prognosis (shatzki ring and hiatal hernia). It must’ve been near 11am when we finally firmed our plans to hike Yellow Springs. By the time that both of us had showers and were ready to go it was just after 12 noon. We both took along jackets as the day’s high wasn’t expected to reach even 70. This being our fourth trip out, the drive went even faster than our last. As we neared the area we agreed to start in John Bryan state park again, but this time taking the correct trail. Under the canopy of trees and intermittent cloud cover, it felt even cooler than it did at home. I was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt so I opted not to wear a jacket. Mindy wore hers initially. We weren’t hiking long before we came upon one of the two bridges marked on the map. We quickly realized we had hiked to that point once before – the first time we were out with Glenn, although that time from the east and all the way from Clifton’s Gorge. This time we decided to hike eastward on the lower south trail. The weather was very autumn like. Not even a sniff of the summery conditions from less than two days ago when the highs were stuck in the 90’s. Happily, the sky cleared more and more as the afternoon wore on. It turned out being a beautiful September day. We continued our hike eastward until we came upon the first crossover bridge. We then headed back towards the west on what I believe is called Stage Coach Trail. Our walk out was quiet and contemplative. In contrast, we talked during most of the hike back. We talked about our family diet and how we need to eat more conscientiously. Speaking for myself, I know I’ve let my long established healthy eating habits slip over the last year. It’s time to reel it in a little bit. I also understand that with small children around we’ll likely have lots of hand to mouth snacks that I would otherwise not eat. I did, however, share that we should try and shape our children’s diets with an eye towards healthy eating habits than perhaps we have. The plain truth is, the typical American diet is anything but healthy. On that note, as we finished our hike we made plans to have lunch at the Olde Tavern in Yellow Springs.  I was at least 90% sure I would have their Reuben again. Delicious! The main part of town was busier than it’s been during any of our prior visits. We were fortunate enough to get one of the last curbside parking spots still available. We made a beeline to the pub where we were quoted a fifteen minute wait for a patio table. In reality, the wait couldn’t have been more than five. I kept an eye on the college football game while waiting. We were seated at a table at the far edge of the patio close to the main street sidewalk. Mindy wanted a beer. I ordered a fresh draft rootbeer. Can’t recall if Mindy ended up having a beer or not. We shared an order of their deep fried green beans while waiting on our lunch orders. Mindy went with clam chowder. I went with the Reuben. Service was incredibly slow, but they were very busy. We took it in stride. While waiting on our food, I went to the Honda to fetch Mindy’s jacket. It was cool in the shade. Finally, our food. My Reuben was good, but not on par with the one I had their two weeks ago. Mindy liked her chowder. It was approximately 4pm. Mindy settled up with our server and we headed for the Honda. We opted out of a walk about the town. Feeling satisfied with our hike and lunch, we were ready to head for home. I listened to a little of the Reds game and then college football results on ESPN radio during our drive home. Time moved quickly. We were home seemingly in the blink of an eye. I took Frankie outside almost immediately. Once again she only peed. I removed the shroud from her head too. She was very excited to have us at home. By the time we headed back inside Mindy was nowhere to be seen. During our drive home she shared how tired she felt. I assumed correctly that she went upstairs for a nap. I got comfy on the sofa watching football and playing with Frankie. I thought I might nap but never did. Instead, I fetched my Droid X and figured out how to use the navigation app as well as several others. I even added a few free apps. What a great toy/tool/phone/ … thing! Not sure the time when Mindy got up. We knew the neighbors were having a party and that we were invited. What we weren’t sure of is when we’d head down. Mindy eventually headed down without me. I promised to be not far behind. I’m guessing it was close to 730pm when I freshened up and walked down to the neighbors party. I took along just one beer, a 22oz. Southern Tier Pumking – their high octane pumpkin ale. I hung out on the deck initially talking with Heather and Mike. A handful of folks were busy playing cornhole. I eventually headed inside where I snacked on some cheese and meat. At some point I headed back home to get another beer or two. Mike from Mike & Julie, the folks that gave us Frankie, had their puppy pug fixed the day before Frankie. Said there is no need for the halo/lampshade. Female pugs aren’t known for chewing their stitches. Mindy noted Mike’s advice. As the evening wore on, the party scattered with folks out back on the deck, inside, and then a handful gathering in the garage and out front. I headed out front to talk with Kenny, Mike, and Guy. I was probably out there for 20 minutes. By the time that I headed back inside it looked as if Mindy had already headed home. I snuck off for home too. It couldn’t have been later than 10pm. Mindy asked if we could hot tub. Sure, I prepared the tub with chlorine then got changed. We hot tubbed for the next 20-30 minutes. It was a great night for it – clear and cool. After heading back inside I got comfy on the sofa catching some of the late college football game. At some point, Chrissy, Julie, and Josh stopped down. Julie was finally back from her night out. Wanted Mindy and I to rejoin the party. We left it that we might. We headed to bed fifteen minutes later. 