Camino 2023 - Torres Del Rio To Agés

We left Torres del Rio heading toward our target of Logroño.  The distance today would be of average length.  Average length for this Camino means 12.4 miles (20 km).

Sunrise.  Looking back east, the town of Sansol silhouetted in the morning sunlight.

The Camino was generally down this section but that didn't stop us from finding hills to climb.  We stopped in Viana at a pharmacist for more 'vitamin I' for me while the Wife visited the church across the street.

A rare horse pilgrim.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

By the time we reached Logroño we were tired (an ongoing theme for this Camino).  We stopped at the same albergue I stayed at on my first Camino.  It was a big municipal albergue and a bit more run down than I remember but not terrible like the one in Pamplona.  The wife took a nap after doing her chores and having lunch.  I got a second wind and explored the historic downtown until I found a gelato place (chocolate and dulce de leche).

D_r was here nursing an aching ankle.  She was a fun lady and it was nice seeing someone you knew.

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The walk out of Logroño is an unending slog along a park/bike path.  The straight flat path ends at a lake and park area.  We stopped at a little snack stand run by a famous pilgrim who walked in traditional pilgrim garb often with a donkey.  He talked with pilgrims about his multiple Caminos and the various paths.

A curious critter unsure about the passing pilgrims.

The path after the lake was not what I remembered.  I remember a dirt track along a fence.  The path is now paved.  Not sure this is new or just my crappy memory.

We stopped in Navarette (where I'd stopped for the night on both of my earlier Caminos) for breakfast, drink, and another church for the Wife.

The last four and a quarter miles past Navarette seemed to last forever.  I usually walked a bit ahead of the Wife.  When I found a place to rest I would wait for the Wife to catch up and sit down with me.  I found a place to sit and waited for her to catch up.  Not only did she catch up but she was so in the zone she walked right past me without seeing me despite being only five or 6 feet apart.

After another 12.4 mile (20 km) day we finally arrived at our target town of Ventosa.  This was a new stop for me.  We had a reservation since there was only one albergue in the small town (it filled up with someone sleeping on the dining room floor).  The albergue had a small store and a nice backyard garden.  Ventosa had two restaurants who divided up the clientele - one restaurant was open for breakfast and lunch, the other was open for lunch and dinner.

D_r was here too and joined us for dinner.  She didn't eat much as she had discovered the evil that are Principe cookies.  I purchased a tube of Principes here too - they are just as addictive as I remember.

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This day would be a shorter 10.2 miles (16.4 km) to the town of Azofra.  Since we really weren't in a hurry today we stopped for breakfast in Ventosa before we hit the Camino.

We weren't in a hurry because we had a reservation.  When I made our reservation I decided to make one at a very nice hotel in this tiny town of Azofra.  I kind of regret doing that.  The albergue in Azofra is very nice too with rooms with only two beds each.  Yes, it had a shared bathroom setup but it would have been nice enough and a heck of a lot cheaper than the hotel we stayed in.

The town has a nice bar/restaurant and a grocery store - everything a pilgrim needs.  S_a and her mom were here and we spent some time chatting with them.  Most of our time in the town was at this bar.

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Another sunrise along the Camino.

The target for the day was one of my favorite stops, Grañon.  We had a short period of rain so we stopped in the city of Nájera for a rest and snack to get out of the weather.  By the time we ate some sandwiches the rain had stopped.

Further along the way we spent some quality time in the city of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the home of the chicken church.  We had some lunch here, toured the cathedral (and saw the chickens) and the clock/bell tower.  The Wife tried to locate some tombs that looked interesting but the church where they were located was not open so we continued on the Camino.

Pilgrim shoes.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We arrived in Grañon and checked into the albergue in the old church.  Things have changed.  The old worn stone stairs had been repaired.  The volunteers running it this visit were a bit unorganized.  The place was crowded, noisy, and chaotic.  I'd hoped the Wife would have the wonderful experience I'd had on my two previous Caminos but the whole experience was depressing.  You can't go home again I guess.

Despite all this we met a lot of people we would continue to see for the next few days.  A group of Italians who had met on the Camino and were walking together, a few Koreans, some Japanese women.  I guess these people were the silver lining of the cloud over Grañon.

The distance walked today was a long 13.9 miles (22.3 km).

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Our target was a place called Tosantos.  I had mixed feelings.  The parochial albergue was an unwelcome place ten years ago when we stopped there during our second Camino.  I was hoping to get beds in the newer albergue that wasn't there the last time I came through the town.

Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña - A cave hermitage above the town of Tosantos.

The Camino goes through several towns and it wasn't until the third town that we found a place to buy breakfast.  I was considering to stop for lunch at Belorado, the biggest city on today's section but we just walked through (with a brief stop at a church).

We arrived in Tosantos after a long 13.3 miles (21.5 km) and went to the newer albergue.  Unfortunately it was full. We ate lunch here before going over to the parochial albergue.  The hospitalero running the albergue turned out to be a very nice guy.  The whole atmosphere of the place was positive and welcoming.   I was very relieved.

We walked up to the Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña but it was locked up.  There was a guy cleaning up the area and it appears they are trying to keep it up which is nice to see.

The Italians, Koreans, and Japanese from Grañon all showed up but the number of pilgrims at the albergue was smaller and less chaotic.  After dinner the hospitalero had people read letters and notes left by previous pilgrims.  While I didn't participate (I was tired and went to bed) the Wife said she had a very moving experience.  I guess the experience I'd hoped the Wife would have in Grañon ended up happening at Tosantos.  No two Caminos are the same and the Camino always gives you what you need.

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The next two days were going to be long days.  We wanted to get to Burgos so that we could take a day off.  The first of these long days would be 14.8 miles (23.8 km) to the town of Agés.

The Wife with the sunrise at her back.

There were a few towns along this section and we stopped and had snacks or breakfast at nearly every one.  One part of this section is a climb up a hill and a long, straight slog that feels like it will take forever.  This section was bad my first Camino, not so bad during my second Camino, then came back with a vengeance during the third.

The country church of Agés.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We survived the hard section and stopped at Cafe Marcela for some brunch and ice cream while we rested before walking the last part of the day.

In Agés the albergue I wanted to stop at was full so we stayed in the municipal albergue.  We were joined by the Italians (and possibly the Koreans and japanese ... I can't remember) here.  This place was pretty basic.

I was tired so spent most my time napping in my bed.  The Wife explored the town and visited the town church twice.  She liked how small and comfortable the church was.  She had an emotional moment with a dutch pilgrim who had been left at the altar.  The Camino is often walked by people who had encountered an unexpected change in their lives and needed time to process things.  This means many emotional times along the Camino.

In the evening we had dinner at a small restaurant that caters to the pilgrims.  The lady who does the cooking was hilarious.  The banter between her and her husband (who was doing drinks and serving the food) made us all smile.  The food was excellent.

Photos can be found in my 2023 Camino de Santiago (The Wife's Camino) Google Photos album.

Book: Mikiso Hane's "Japan: A Short History"

It took me a while to finish my latest read, not because it was long, but because I was interrupted by our Camino journeys.  I fully intended to read while I was on the Camino - I carried my tablet with the book loaded on it - but I was just too tired at the end of each day.

I chose Mikiso Hane's "Japan: A Short History" because I felt I had a hole in my knowledge about the country.  Unfortunately the book fell short.

I had a good idea about twentieth century Japanese history and I hoped to fill in the pre-twentieth century history.  Unfortunately the book seemed to skim over the older history and had a more full accounting of the twentieth century period.

Having said this the book was well written and did provide a short history of Japan so I can't fault it for not meeting my more specific expectations.  Therefore I gave it four stars out of five on Goodreads.  I needed more but for some it might be enough.

Weekly Ephemera #58

• This week we started setting up physical therapist, occupational therapist, home health aid, and visiting nurse visits for Mom going forward.  These services are paid by Medicare for the next nine weeks.
  
  Mom was getting better after the shock of breaking her arm.  Getting her off the pain meds they gave her (and moving to ordinary acetaminophen) improved the strength and stability of her legs.  By mid week we were no longer staying with her twenty-four hours.  The Wife visits her in the morning and I visit in the evening to help her with things she can't do with one arm.  This situation has reduced the stress level for everyone I think.
• I restarted my walking this week.  I did two long walks with short, one mile around the block ones in between.  My total miles this week was 20.1 miles (32.3 km).  I plan to walk seven days a week with two or three long walks (seven or more miles) with short one mile walks in between.
  
  For those who are wondering why I am walking.  I am not training for any future long walks like the Camino or AT.  I'm walking now to reduce my blood sugars for my health.  Age has a way of changing your motivations.

Welcome Summer!

Today is the summer solstice, the day with the longest daylight and the shortest night, the beginning of astronomical Summer, and Hike Naked Day (for those who observe).

Get out there and enjoy the Summer weather if you can.

Camino 2023 - Roncesvalles To Torres Del Rio

It was raining again as we left Roncesvalles.  This would be our last full day of rain ... I'd worried our entire Camino would be rained out.  I decided to push for a longer distance today since there was less elevation climbing on this section of the Camino and I wanted to see how the Wife and I would handle it.  The target for the day was the town of Zubiri which was 13.8 miles (22.2 km) from Roncesvalles. 

It was a lot tougher than the elevation profile said it would be.  You would think by now I would know not to trust elevation profiles.  We passed through a couple small towns on the way to Zubiri.  Where we stopped for an ATM and we bought some snacks.  Before entering Zubiri the Camino drops sharply similar to, but not as bad as, the drop into Roncesvalles.

The Zubiri bridge as seen from our albergue window.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We crossed the bridge to enter Zubiri and stopped at the first private albergue just on the other side of the bridge.  We took two of the last four beds the albergue had available.  That is one of the big changes since my last Camino ten years ago.  Back then you didn't need to make reservations at albergues and in fact most municipal albergues didn't accept reservations at all.  That is not true anymore.  You can now make reservations in all the albergues and, since there are so many pilgrims now, it is safer to have a reservation.  I will talk about this in a later post.

The albergue was nice with private bathrooms (instead of shared bathrooms with multiple stalls/showers) and real towels.  We did our chores and went in search of some food.  We ran into a few of our Camino friends at or near a restaurant.  I went to find a pharmacy since I'd had a sore throat since I arrived in Paris and it wasn't going away.  The meds I was given did the job after a couple of days.

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The rain stopped with a rainbow.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We left Zubiri the next day without any rain in the forecast.  It was nice walking without our rain gear on but the weather was a lot colder than when I walked my first Camino.  I'd packed a fleece hoodie figuring I wouldn't be wearing it much but I ended up wearing it most of the time we were on the Camino.

Our goal for the day was Cizur Menor which was 15.5 miles (25 km).  I was worried it would be a bit too aggressive so I had a couple options for stops if we changed our minds.

We stopped in the next town looking for food but the bakery was closed so we walked on to the next town (we had snacks from the day before so we weren't starving).  On the way there part of the Camino was paved in stones and concrete.  With all the rain that had fallen the past few days the trail was wet and you had to watch your footing on the slick stone.  We passed a lady sitting at the side of the trail with a friend.  When we reached the next town, Zuriain, we found out that the lady sitting had slipped and broken her ankle.  Some friends had gone ahead to get help.

Pamplona and her cathedral.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We had a good breakfast in Zuriain and chatted with some of our Camino friends.  I would say we were starting to form a Camino family but it was more like what I experienced my second Camino rather than the more cohesive family that formed on my first.  Like my second Camino we met people intermittently but rarely shared the same stages or destinations for the day.  They were more meetings in passing.

As we approached Pamplona I was feeling pooped.  The Wife was feeling the same.  We decided it was best to change our target to Pamplona.  We still walked 13.9 miles (22 km) this day.  I picked the same albergue I'd stopped at my first Camino which was a mistake.  It was a bit more rundown than I remembered with every toilet missing the toilet seat.

In the afternoon we explored the Cathedral and the city.  We ran into more Camino friends here as well.

Around this time (possibly earlier) I began suffering from painful back muscle spasms.  They would start after we stopped walking for the day and would last all afternoon.  I really don't know what I did but they made my in town down time uncomfortable.  I would later start taking megadoses of ibuprofen (800 - 1600 mg each day) which reduced the frequency and painfulness of the spasms.  The spasms would continue until a few days before we ended our Camino in Burgos.

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My goal for the next day was Puente la Reina but, after our tough day getting to Pamplona, I decided to do a shorter day especially since there was a significant climb today.  Our goal instead would be Uterga, a town I was going to stop at on my first Camino but decided to go past.  It was a shorter and more manageable 11 miles (17.7 km).

We left Pamplona and walked through Cizur Menor.  At this point I'm glad we hadn't pushed hard to get here the day before since it was a bit farther than I expected.  We did rest here before continuing.

We stopped at the town of Zariquiegui for a bathroom break and some breakfast.  The porta-potty didn't have toilet paper so I ripped some of the introduction out of the Breirley Camino Guidebook.  Since We really never consulted the guidebook using the pages as toilet paper seemed like a good use for them.  I'll mention more about Brierly in a future post though I have mentioned him before.

The pilgrim monument on Alto de Perdon.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We climbed higher up the mountain reaching the top at Alto de Perdon.  It was cold and very windy when we walked by the pilgrim's monument at the top.  The way down is rocky and steep which made for a slow descent.  You had to be careful when placing your foot to prevent slipping or turning an ankle.  A few days later we heard an elderly pilgrim had slipped and fallen on this section and had died when her head hit a rock.

We reached Uterga and we ended up getting a private room with a private bathroom as a treat to ourselves.  A couple of Camino friends (E_l and a Serbian woman D_r) were here as well and we shared a dinner table that evening.

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Our next goal was the city of Cirauqui.  We even gave in and made a reservation since there was only one albergue in the small town.  We left Uterga and stopped in Puente la Reina for some breakfast and a rest.

The puente of Puente la Reina.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

After leaving Puente la Reina there is a long climb.  It was a lot longer than I remember and it paralleled a highway which I'm pretty sure wasn't there ten years ago.  This is another change I saw.  A lot of the roads we paralleled were either new or were much wider and carried more traffic than ten years ago ... progress I guess.

We reached Cirauqui and it was very early.  The albergue wouldn't open for three hours.  We found a social club where we could get lunch and use the facilities.  As we ate we decided we still had fuel in the tank so we decided to move on to the next town.  I texted the albergue in Cirauqui and cancelled our reservation and we moved on.

As you may have noticed I pretty much planned our stops on the fly.  I didn't know how capable I or the Wife were and our capabilities changed day to day.  Having to make reservations to guarantee a bed in an albergue made this spontaneous planning more difficult though.

View from our albergue in Lorca.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We ended up stopping in the town of Lorca.  We didn't have a reservation here but had no problem getting beds.  I would say this town has fewer pilgrims stopping here.  Having said that they do have two albergues.  Ours was only half full at best.  The day's mileage was 13 miles (21 km).

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Since we continued on to Lorca the day before, today's walk to Villamayor de Monjardín was a more comfortable distance that still felt hard for both of us.

The Irache wine fountain.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

Along this part of the Camino you walk through Estella with its steep medieval bridge.  Past Estella we passed a blacksmith shop that was selling cool metal Camino stuff.  We purchased a small cross and shepherd's crook with a hanging shell.  Further along we passed the famous wine fountain of Irache.

The last part going into Villamayor de Monjardín was an uphill slog and when we reached  the town we were pretty tired.  We walked a relatively short 11.23 miles (18 km) today but we felt every foot of the 1,550 ft (472 m) climb.  We arrived a couple hours before the albergue opened so we had some lunch at the local bar and relaxed until we could get in.

There is a castle on the top of the mountain the town is built on.  The Wife tried her best to find someone to drive her up to the castle but everyone refused saying you needed a four wheel drive vehicle that could handle the rough road.  Even an offer of money couldn't motivate anyone.

The poppies added a splash of color to our Camino.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We were a bit tired of communal meals - especially since the last three meals had been chicken - so we planned to have dinner in the bar.  Turns out the bar in this town had unpredictable hours and it closed before we could get dinner so we joined the communal meal for more chicken.

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We left the next day and headed towards Torres del Rio - one of my favorite little towns on the Camino.  The walk today was through wheat fields and along country roads.

The church in Los Arcos.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

We stopped in the town of Los Arcos for some breakfast/lunch outside of the church.  The Wife found this church to be one of the most beautiful and ornate churches she'd seen so far on the Camino.  We ran into S_a and her mother here and we chatted for a bit.

The last section between Los Arcos and Sansol is, for some reason or other, one of the hardest for me.  It is flat and usually hot and windy along this section and it seems to go on forever despite being short.  I was happy when we arrived in Sansol since this town is very close to Torres del Rio.

In Torres del Rio we stayed at the same albergue I stayed at during my first Camino.  Unlike a lot I saw on the Camino this albergue had improved with time.  There was a very well stocked store on the ground floor and the beds and bathrooms were nice.  We had another communal meal at a nearby hotel but fortunately it wasn't chicken this time.

Photos can be found in my 2023 Camino de Santiago (The Wife's Camino) Google Photos album.

Weekly Ephemera #57

 'Ephemera' is probably the wrong descriptor for last week.  I was planning to restart my walking this week with a target of 29 miles (46.7 km) and work on multiple Camino posts but life got in the way.

• On Monday Mom fell, broke her arm and got a couple staples in the back of her head.  Since then the Wife, one of her step-sons, and I have taken turns being with her at her home.  In between taking care of Mom the Wife and I have been trying to figure out what services and care options are available for her.  It turns out there is no single point of contact for this.  I swear the American healthcare system is completely borked.  Next week we will be meeting with a social worker, in-home nurses, physical and occupational therapists.  Hopefully after those meetings we'll have a clearer picture of how we move forward (yeah, I know, this is an odd time to become an optimist).
• I started walking on Monday with a 7.6 mile (12.3 km).  This would be the one and only walk I would do this week.  I'm not sure when I will be able to restart.

Camino 2023 - The Beginning

Time to post about our Camino.  On May eleventh the Wife and I started to make our way to the start of the Camino.   We flew from Omaha to Chicago where we hit our first delay.  Our flight from Chicago to Paris was delayed just over an hour due to a technical  issue in the cockpit (a bad screen of some sort).  This was when I really started to worry.  The time we had in Paris to get our checked bag, get through customs and passport control, and to get to the train station was a bit tight before you took the delay into account.

We arrived in Paris.  We collected our bag (the bag with all the liquids and pointy things that irritate security people - we'd carried our backpacks on the plane), breezed through customs and passport control, and headed for the taxi station.  As we got in the taxi we told our driver we needed to get to the train station in an hour before our train left.  His English and our French were not that great but I'd printed out the name of the station so I could just show it to the driver without me mangling the pronunciation. When he heard we needed to get there in an hour he made this 'are you crazy' face.

The taxi took off and he drove like a madman until we hit the late morning traffic.  Along the way we saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower in the distance.  Despite the traffic he got us to the station with about ten minutes to spare.  He even followed us into the station to make sure we knew where to catch our train.  When we say that our train was delayed we all had a laugh.

Our train to Bayonne was over an hour late - the second delay of the journey.  It was a relaxing ride through the French countryside and we ate some lunch along the way.

When we got to Bayonne our connection was still there.  Bayonne is a small train station so walking over to our connecting train was easy.  The train to St Jean Pied de Port is a small, two car train.  The cars are newer and bigger than the ones I rode in twelve years ago on my first Camino.

View from our hotel room.
(Taken by the Wife)

An hour later our travels were done.  It started raining just before we arrive at the station.  The Wife and I broke out our rain gear and we started walking to our hotel. 

We had to wait for someone to open the door and check us into our hotel located in an old building (the year 1720 marked over the door) in the historic area of the city.  Our room was nice and the location was ideal.

The next morning (Saturday) the wife discovered that her backpack sternum strap had pulled loose sometimes during transit.  I tried to get it back on but couldn't do it.  Fortunately there was an outfitter next door to our hotel and when the man who worked there couldn't fix it, the woman who worked with him, after whispering that she was better than him, fixed it for the Wife.

I want to say something here.  Back in 2011 on my first Camino there were precious few services geared towards pilgrims.  No outfitters.  Most bakeries, bars, and restaurants didn't open until 9:00am.  I have to say that in the last twelve years that has changed.  St Jean Pied de Port has two outfitters on the same street.  Bakeries open with breakfast services as early as 6:30am.  Food trucks have appeared along the road in the Pyrenees.  This makes things a lot easier for the pilgrims.

Bridge over the Nive river in St Jean Pied de Port.

We spent a day buying snacks for our first and second walking days, a little sightseeing around this nice French city, and eating good meals in preparation for our walk.  We'd beat the rush and had gotten our pilgrim's passport and Camino shells at the pilgrim's office the day we'd arrived.

Sunday, 14 May was the official start of our Camino.  We had a very short day to the Orisson Albergue (pilgrim's hostel) so we were not in a hurry to leave.  We had a reservation at Orisson so we were not in a race.  The Wife went to Mass at a small church not far from our hotel.  When she returned it was drizzling so we geared up, put on our rain gear, and headed into the Pyrenees mountains.

Despite the on and off rain there were some views to be had in the Pyrenees mountains.

A lot of what I saw along the way didn't match my memory of my first Camino which is understandable.  Memory fades and landscapes and civilization changes as well.

We met a couple of women as we were resting and admiring the cloudy view.  One was from England (E_l) and the other Australian (T_r).  We would run into them over the next week or so.  Ar least one of them is still walking the Camino as of this post.

The view from the Orisson Albergue ... The blue sky made an appearance.

After 4.9 miles (7.9 km) with 2,200 ft (670 m) of elevation climb we reached Orisson where we checked in, did our chores, and made ourselves comfortable at the bar/restaurant.  That evening there was a communal meal with everyone at the Albergue.  We all got up and introduced ourselves.  There were people from all over the world on the Camino for many diverse reasons. Here, along with E_l and T_r, we met S_a and her mother L_e.  We would see them many times over the next two weeks. 

The view down the mountain from the trail.
The hazy rain made the forest look ethereal.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

The next day, Monday, we left Orisson with a to-go sandwich packed in our backpacks and headed out into the rain.  Today would be the hardest day of our entire Camino, not because it was the longest day but because of the elevation change.  Over the next 11 miles (18 km) we could climb up 2,600 ft (793 m) and down 2,040 ft (622 m).  After walking into Spain we stopped at a small shelter where a bunch of us crowded in out of the rain.  The Wife and I ate our to-go ham and cheese sandwiches before going back out in the rain.

The last part going into Roncesvalles, Spain is a very steep drop down the mountain.  It was slow, wet, and a bit hazardous.  We were already tired by the time we started down this section.  By the time we arrived at the Roncesvalles Albergue we were exhausted.

We checked into the Albergue and did our chores.  The rain came and went as we explored the area around the albergue.  The main things in the area are a church, a few hotels, and restaurants that all cater to the pilgrims.  The Wife and I had a few drinks with pilgrims we'd met at Orisson before going to pilgrim's mass and having a communal meal at one of the restaurants (where we met more pilgrims).

It was colder this time compared to my first Camino.  It was a bit chilly sleeping in the albergue despite the building being full of people.  I still slept well if I recall correctly.

I took only a few photos this Camino.  The Wife took more and I will supplement the ones I took with hers.  Photos can be found in my 2023 Camino de Santiago (The Wife's Camino) Google Photos album.

Weekly Ephemera #56

I expected my next post would be a Camino post.  It would be a post - or a few - that would talk about the Wife's Camino, how it went, and why it came to a rather abrupt and unexpected end.  For the last week or so I have tried to get in the mood to write down this piece of personal history but the mood didn't arrive.  So, in an attempt to break this writer's block, I am posting another Weekly Ephemera post in an attempt to shake the muse loose.

• Most of this past week I, basically, tried to return to the normal world.  The Camino shifts you into an alternate world where priorities change and life is simplified.  Even though we were gone for just a couple weeks I've found it difficult to reset my priorities back to the real world.  This turned into watching 'Columbo' reruns.
• On Tuesday I went to see "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse".  I saw it in IMAX which probably wasn't necessary for an animated film.  I would have gone to our local art house theater but I prefer earlier showings than what the theater provides.
• The Wife and I watched "Mrs Davis" on Peacock.  It was not what I expected but was good in a very quirky way.
• On Friday I went to a local large greenhouse and purchased some plants for 'my corner' of the yard.  My corner is under an evergreen tree.  I have trimmed up the lower branches so that water and sun get to the ground under the tree's canopy.  I knew what I was looking for: Perennials with red or purple flowers, that can handle full sun, and grow between twelve and eighteen inches.  Turns out the height was the hardest parameter to meet.  I wanted them to be shorter so that they didn't grow up into the lower branches of the tree.  I ended up with more purple than red flowers (one is white) but, if they survive and spread, it will look nice in the years to come.  I still have another four plants to buy to fill in the bed but those I'll buy next year.
• On Saturday I picked up a couple bikes Mom had at her house and donated them to a place where they will be refurbished and given to people in need.

Okay, lets see if this shakes anything loose.