Yes.. I think my wife is trying to Kill me....

This is nothing new... I've been suspecting this for years.. She masks her sinister plans under the pretense of EXERCISE. Who is she kidding, it's just another opportunity to "push me off the cliff"...which coincidently could have happened yesterday.

I work too many hours, but c'est la vie... That's the restaurant/bar business, but on my only day off, Wednesday, my wife & I spend time together, if I had my druthers, it would be 3 boxes of Goobers, a Coke & a Big Screen Movie, followed by a Nap & Pizza... Ms. Jaqueline La Lane, feels otherwise.

Yesterday's attempt at my Jabba the Hut Transformation to Brad Pitt was at The State Lookout, in Alpine NJ, bordering into the New York Line. Every week we try & hit a different park. Our mission was to get to the Peanut Falls, We've been close a few weeks back. But not knowing the path well we deciced to turn back. Yesterday we were determined to find it. Much like the exporers of yesteryear searching for the "Fountain of Youth" we would succeed.

A little side note, I am a MAN that loves SPEED. Can't get enough of it, Car, Boat, Plane, etc... But get me 1 step up on a ladder and I turn into a Shaking, Sweating, Babbling Wuss... So Heights are not my forte..

Back to the Hike... We were, with no exagerration... 100 miles above the Hudson River, Granted at 47 my vision isn't what it once was, but it seemed like a 100 miles... On a stretch of rock called, Englewood Cliffs, (am I drawing a picture here or what), it's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but scary as hell from Mr. Feet on Ground. Our descent to the Peanut Falls, took us into 2 foot drops all the way down. At 6 feet tall and a pound or two over 220, you should have seen my transformation into a Daddy Long Legs, Using arms, and legs, and hovering my back to just above the rock, you'd have thought I should have been in that Spiderman movie instead of Toby McGuire.

Quite the site I must say, not to mention it's 100 degrees, At every step is a drop off, of certain doom. The good news for the wife, if I don't slip off the edge, maybe the massive stress induced coronary will do the trick. With my own sweat making my hands slippery I miraculously made it to the bottom... We finally made it to the bottom of Peanut Falls, yeah it was worth it, my wife proceeded to sit and soak her feet in the bottom of the Falls, asked if I wanted to do the same, I replied...No. I stood on the rock bank of the Hudson River like Gilligan waiting for help to arrive. It was then that I realized I had to hike back up the cliffs to get to the car.

Oh yeah, certain death for sure...

She talked a bit about ...well about what, I'm not sure.. I was looking around for shelter, obviously I would have to stay the nite... I wanted to make sure I had someplace to sleep....

I saw a snake and remembered that besides the whole Height Issue, I didn't like snakes.... So I decided to go with her back the dangerous path to freedom... The climb up wasn't as bad as the descent, partly because I was focused on the ground in front of me. As we climbed back up the stepped rocks, I realized this is where that coronary was going to happen. Listen I am on my feet 14 hours a day, running to the kitchen, in the dining room, in the bar, etc etc... but climbing 2 foot rock steps is a little more strenuous. She said "how's your knee", (Having surgery on it a few months back), she took my quietness for "OK".. All I could mutter was "uhhh", which now after the fact really meant, "The Knee feels great, however this climb is kicking the last bit of air out of my raisin sized lungs, so don't make me waste it on words.."

Needless to say, I made it, lost about 20lbs of sweat, a few fingernails... & some spit ...but I am back at work.... I am looking forward to another 6 days of 14 plus hours, until the next day off... when......I think my wife is trying to kill me.....