Author: marionvermazen

I am a traveler, hiker, avid reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, Spanish and French language student, knitter and genealogist. I am retired after working for almost 30 years in the Computer Industry. I live in Reno, Nevada with my husband Duke.

A Fitness Trend?

I wonder if the over 70 market is a growing market for fitness clubs? I was surprised and inspired to see the number of 70+ people working out when I  accompanied my Mom to her gym the last few days. The gym, Personally Fit, in Rancho Bernardo also provides physical therapy.  They have lots of bicycles, treadmills and weight machines and most of them were in use  by older people when I was there.

I wish I had taken my camera so I could show you a picture of my Mom (I won’t reveal her age but she is over 70) working out on the weight machines.  Exactly a year ago Mom had a small stroke. After she got home she had balance problems and had real difficulties being up and around. Her neighbor recommended the trainer at her gum and Mom started going. The change is amazing. Mom has gone out for a walk every day we have been here and at Shannon’s recent graduation she maneuvered steps and sat in the bleachers. The improvement in her mobility is inspiring.

Claudia, Mom’s personal trainer  is great. She has her doing cardio vascular, strength, and balance training. Mom says that Claudia has several clients over 90. 

Escondido

I am in Escondido right now visiting my Mother while my Dad is in Canada on his annual fishing trip Mylies Place at Lake of the Woods.   I talked to him yesterday and he had already caught a 24 inch 4 pound  walleye. He is having a good time!

I arrived here on Saturday night. The plane was supposed to land in San Diego about 9:30. About 10 minutes out the pilot came on and said the weather was clear and warm,. About 5 minutes out he came on again and said the fog had come in and they were changing runways. Then 10 minute later he came on a third time and said that the visibility was so bad that we couldn’t land and were on our way to the Ontario airport which, for those to don’t know southern California, is in the LA area.

Southwest Airlines was very efficient. Within an hour they had us on a bus headed to San Diego (a 2 hour drive). We got to the airport there at about 1am. On the way we went right by my parent’s house! Mom and  Allison were at the airport to meet us and we finally got to the house about 1:45. Since then we have been relaxing, enjoying the peace and quiet, shopping, cooking, gardening and taking Mom to the gym. It is a nice vacation.

In Atlanta

I’m in Atlanta on business. I flew out Sunday and will be flying home tomorrow night. A group of us are getting some training on PortfolioMinder reports which has been incredibly useful. There are so many different ways to look at investments and the return that is being achieved that it has been really good to spend some time focused on the canned reports that come with the product.
Unfortunately there was no time for site seeing. I have been out to Atlanta once before on business but I have yet to see anything but the freeways of Atlanta. The weather has been absolutely perfect. Maybe next time I’ll get to see Atlanta.

Tech Challenge

Yesterday we went to the Tech Challenge at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. My daughter Allison and her friend Travis coached a team from San Antonio Elementary school in San Jose. I believe they were the only team from Alum Rock School District. This is the third year that Allison has coached a team. These kids did a great job and learned a lot about filling sand bags, team work and the creative process. They didn’t have the parental support that a lot of the other teams had which makes their accomplishment all that much better. Congratulations to the DeFlooders!

Fitzpatrick’s

In my last posting I mentioned our weekend trip to the California gold country. For one of the nights of our long weekend we stayed at a winery, bed and breakfast that we have stayed at before and love. Not only is it in a beautiful setting with big comfortable rooms and a wonderful view but it is really fun to talk to the owners Brian and Diane about how they built the winery and the bed and breakfast. Fitzpatrick’s seems like proof that you can achieve what you dream about if you are willing to persevere and work hard. Fitzpatrick’s is a magical place. It is a big log lodge sitting on top of a hill in the middle of a vineyard. We love staying there.

Not long after we got back we got an email saying that Brian and Diana are selling Fitzpatrick’s. It is really fun to read about what they have built and now are selling and why.