Where has the time gone? - 255 :(

So many of my friends have been asking me, "Where are you?", and, "How are you doing?" It's been a while (more than three months) since my last blog post.

A lot has happened in the past few months. After leaving Helena last Septmeber, and quitting my secure state government job, I had moved to eastern Montana for a few weeks. Narrowly avoiding a disaster out there, I was in Missoula (my spiritual home) for a few months. I am now living and working in Belgrade (near Bozeman), Montana. As in Sidney, I'm working in a low-paid but a low-stress retail job. I'm very happy not to have to deal with computer software from companies I intensely dislike (Microsoft, Adobe, Apple - yuck!) I do miss some of the people I used to work with.

My weight loss progress had stalled temporarily (see the chart below):

From 320 to 236 and up to 255 lbs again...

My diet has changed a bit from before. At the moment it's not all low carb like it was for the previous 18 months (but it's still mostly vegetables and protein). I still struggle from time to time with portion control (hard to resist when the food tastes so good!)

In terms of exercise, I wish that I had embraced the Montana snow and cold weather better than I did last winter. Despite my best intentions, I just can't say that I love the freezing temperatures. I did go snowshoeing a couple of times, and I now have the gear to be able to go again in November/December when the next lot of heavy snow inevitably comes again.

I have been hiking a bit; to Lava Lake near Big Sky and Drinking Horse mountain outside Bozeman, as well as some of the Blue Mountain trails just south of Missoula. I'm looking forward to being able to go backpacking and camping in the next month or two, and I still haven't given up on the idea of hiking a significant part of the Pacific Crest Trail near Crater Lake in Oregon (maybe in 2018).

Where I'm living now, we have the Bridger Mountains to the northeast, the Tobacco Root Mountains to the southwest, the Big Belt Mountains and Horseshoe Hills to the northwest, the Hyalite Peaks of the northern Gallatin Range to the south and the Spanish Peaks of the northern Madison Range to the southwest. The opportunities for climbing and hiking in some of the most picturesque mountains in Montana are limited only by time and the weather.

I'm still cycling, a litte bit but not as much as I'd like to. I haven't found a good place to learn T'ai Chi yet or to start boxing.

At the same time, I am regaining my interest in photography, thanks to my sister. I'm also trying to get back into watercolor painting, reading and writing - some creative endevors that are relaxing and stimulate my mind.

So, my friends, that's the quick version of what I've been up to these past three or four months. If any of you are up for a three to ten-mile hike some time in central or western Montana, let me know. If the nighttime temperature is above the low-40s Fahrenheit, I'd be up for an overnight backpacking hike too. My days off work are typically Wednesdays and Thursdays.