Gouldhome, Canyon Ranch, April 11th

April 11th

We were picked up from our hotel room at the airport by the Canyon Ranch shuttle at 8:00 am. When we were dropped off we had to wait to sign in, but not too long. Then we went to the activity check in. Usually you see the nurse first and she discuses with you what your limitations might be or any issues you have and want resolved. Then you go to the activities coordinator and sign up. But the nurses were all busy with other guests and there was a line, so we did the activities coordinator first. Two weeks before coming we were called and could sign up for two activities in advance. I signed up for Watsu and a Canyon Stone Massage. But I had signed up for the stone massage for 4:30 and they had me down for 5:30. I didn't want to wait that long for dinner since I knew I was still tired from lack of sleep the night before, so I got that changed to another day. He wasn't sure if he could change it or not, but it turned out there was an opening on Saturday night so I took it. Then it was off to the spa building and we got our lockers and robes. In the women's locker room there was orange juice and lemonade so I had some. It turns out they have places to get fruit and drinks all over, so you never get too hungry and can always get something good to drink.

I went over to the hiking signup area and was disappointed that the Sabino Canyon hike was full for the next day. She said that if there were enough people signed up, they would have another group go somewhere. So I'm crossing my fingers and will show up there at 7:00 am tomorrow morning.

It was after 10:00 am by the time we were finished signing in and signing up, so we checked out what classes we wanted for the day. I wanted to take the Aqua Shape class. I love the water and the pool sounded good. Donna and Karen came with me. The class was fun. We played around in the water with all sorts of toys, balls, noodles etc.

Then it was off to lunch. I had chicken with wild mushrooms, which was very good. But the best was my avocado and roasted red pepper salad. It was sweet and tangy. Canyon Ranch is a health resort, so next to each item on the menu is the calorie count, the grams of fat and the grams of fiber. So you can easily calculate how much you need to order if you are calorie counting.

At 1:00 we checked to see if our rooms were ready. My room was ready. They said they would bring the bags down to our room, but they were so slow about it. I was hoping to unpack just a bit, but never got the chance.

At 2:00 we were all off to our classes again. I went to a posture and balance class. Norma taught us to center ourselves and stand up straight but naturally. Then we walked first across the room then across a narrow piece of wood. I liked the class a lot, but my feet really got a work out. You usually don't' think of working out your feet, but balance is all done by keeping your self centered and using your feet muscles for balance. The hardest exercise for my feet was standing on one leg, with my eyes closed.

The 3:00 class I picked was Let's Dance, Erin, Karen and Donna also took the class with me and lo and behold Norma was our instructor. I had a good time. She was teaching the Salsa. Some of the steps were easy to pick up and I could get my feet right and also move with the music, but other steps I just couldn't seem to get right. I had to ignore the music and just put my feet in the right positions.

Erin and I went to restorative yoga afterwards. I figured it would be some stretching followed by relaxation, but the whole 45 minutes was relaxation. It was just a bit too much relaxation for me. I wanted to fall asleep afterwards. I think I'll stick to the stretch class at 4:00 next time.

Erin and I went back to the room. There was a mix-up or something with Donna and Karen's keys. They were supposed to have the room ready by 3:00 then put the keys in our room, but there were no keys in our room. So Donna called the desk and someone came down so they could get in their rooms.

After my shower I got the chance to unpack. When I was younger I liked to just live out of my suitcase, but nowadays I always unpack everything. I just find it easier. Erin wasn't quite ready to leave at 6:00 so the rest of us wandered down to dinner while she finished. Everyone but Erin had the lamb for dinner. It was excellent. Erin is pregnant and has morning sickness in the evening, so she asked for something plain and they brought her some plain salmon and a baked potato. Then for dessert I had pecan tart. Not quite my favorite, pecan pie, but a real pecan pie would not be very good for you. After dinner we were exhausted. We were in bed by 9:00 but Erin and I gabbed until almost 10:00.