Sun, Snow, Blossoms, and Hsieh's Birthday

Let me put a few things together here, otherwise I'd have way too many posts.





The sun is finally above Mt. Roberts in the morning and coming into our apartment. 

So I had sunshine when I signed up for Medicare by phone today.  I'll have to start paying $110 per month to get less coverage than I have now.  She did say that if we went over a certain income level, we'd have to pay another $34 per month.  What was the level?  $180K - $210 K or some such range.  I said, "If I'm making that much, I'd be pleased to pay another $34 a month."  She said that most people complain.


I decided I need to show that getting Medicare doesn't have to mean I'm old, so I went for a run while the sun was out. 

 Going up Basin Road - I'm never exactly sure when Basin ends and Perseverance Trail beings - I passed this person sleeping.  I've seen his stuff there when I've run by in the past.  Sometimes it's rolled up in a red tarp and sometimes it's like this, possibly with someone sleeping inside.  Is this person homeless?  I guess, in the sense that he's sleeping out in the woods, yes.  In the sense that he doesn't have a man made shelter to live in - presumably, but I won't jump to conclusions.  It's not a bad place to be, though I don't know I'd sleep that visible to so many hikers and runners.  And will his stuff attract bears as they come out of hibernation? 

The steep cliff sign is not a joke.  They've cut this trail right through the mountains further up and I pass it with some concern as I go by.  It just doesn't look too stable.  I assume that the odds are pretty low that a rock will fall down as I go by.  But I do think about it. 

 Here's the spot.  It's really beautiful, but I watched earlier in the year as water ran down in the cracks. 

 These rocks weren't here when I came this way last week. 

Up around the corner, it's breathtaking.  But if you look carefully, you can see boulder tracks in the snow too.  

Skipping to later in the day,  Rep. Egan staffer, Alida Bus, let me know that today is AP reporter, Jeremy Hsieh's birthday.

 Happy Birthday Jeremy

And later, as I went down the steps to go to the market I found this blossoming tree.  Not sure what it is.  An apple? [Alaskapi in the comments says it's a crabapple.]