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Mile 820.  When Tortoise passed 990 West after walking down the hill, this sight made him think of Jacob and his idyllic house plan books.  Even the wispy clouds seem to fit right in to this scene.  To find out which hill, see more of Lou's pictures, and read how Eva decided a summer with Aunt Rose was quite memorable after all, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

Enjoying the trees and the water flowing in the irrigation ditch along 400 South

The view from the 650 South hill

Today's Tortoise path

Today's walk was 3.35 miles, with a 4.9 tortoise rating earned by climbing 136 feet in the 1.13 mile uphill portion.  Average elevation was 3277.  The walk burned 493 calories in 1:00:22 hours.

Here are the overall stats so far for 2015:

820.29 miles walked, which is 81.87% of Lou's 2015 goal.  On this day in 2014, Tortoise had walked 803.37 year-to-date miles.

251:36:36 hours walked, which is 80.39% of the 2015 goal (which is to walk 1 hour a day on the 313 days other than Sunday in the year).

43,390 total feet climbed, compared with 38,498 feet on this day in 2014.

122,972 calories burned.

77.32% of the year has passed.

Lou has walked 130 consecutive non-Sundays since his 8 missed days May 2-11.  Overall he has walked on 233 of the 242 non-Sundays in 2015, a 96.28% consistency rating.  This compares with 229 days walked in the same period in 2014 (a 94.63% consistency rating).

The purpose of the percentages is to have a higher percentage of both distance and of time walked than of the year.  This tells Tortoise that he is on track.  Yes, this is more numbers than you are likely interested in, all Tortoise can say is he's really good at setting high goals and having them slip away because he doesn't do them every, every day.  (If you doubt this, compare Tortoise's walking record up until 2013 with 2014 or 2015 ... for him, it is what it takes to be consistent.  And Tortoise feels much more vibrant when he is consistent.  He hopes you find what works for you).

And now for today's walking thought ...

"From the moment Eva stepped inside the house, she hated it.

"Everything was so old!  Every inch was packed with old books, strange-colored bottles, and plastic bins spilling over with beads, bows, and buttons.

"Great-Aunt Rose lived there alone; she had never married.  The only other inhabitant was a grey cat who liked to find the highest point in every room and perch there, staring like a hungry tiger at everything below.

"Even the house itself seemed lonely.  It was out in the countryside where the houses are far apart.  No one Eva's age lived with half a mile.  That made Eva feel lonely too.

" ... With her mind now at ease about her mother, Eva began to notice Great-Aunt Rose a little more.  She was a large woman-- everything about her was large: her voice, her smile, her personality.  It wasn't easy for her to get around, but she always sang and laughed while she worked, and the sound of her laughter filled the house.  Every night she sat down on her overstuffed sofa, pulled out her scriptures, and read out loud.  ... And every evening as the two of them knelt by Eva's bed to pray, Great-Aunt Rose would say the most beautiful prayers, thanking her Heavenly Father for the blue jays and the spruce trees, the sunsets and the stars, and the 'wonder of being alive.' It sounded to Eva as though Rose knew God as a friend.

"Over time, Eva made a surprising discovery:  Great-Aunt Rose was quite possibly the happiest person she had ever known!

"But how could that be?"

Tortoise enjoyed hearing the rest of this story as he walked, if you would too, you can find it here:

-- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "A Summer with Great-Aunt Rose", October 2015 LDS General Conference

The tortoise is smiling!