Dreaming of More than a Walk with Wildlife

 The little to report is evident.  You know what's happening around the world if you're paying attention, and if you're reading this, you're paying attention to a lot more than most folks, so it's worthwhile mentioning the state of the daffodils in our yard and the dwarf irises.  They're blooming, the bright yellow daffodils and the purple dwarfs.  

Tomorrow is my first grand-child's birthday, and she's turning nine.  She's a bright child, devoted to her mother and father, learning still to love her little brother and her cousin.  We'll pay her a visit and offer a gift for her birthday.  

In other news, we took a good walk in the sunshine with a friend before the wind came up and brought another couple of cool nights and days this week.  

And I got the plumbing on the Roadtrek camper fixed, I think, so the grey water tank won't leak like it was.  I hope--not at all.  And I helped my Georgia brother-in-law in his search for a camper equivalent to mine.  

The wife and I keep considering a place to go this summer.  Apparently, Iceland is so popular that plane tickets to REK are sold out until June, even with the lava flowing and the volcanoes erupting.  And the Canadian border is still closed.  But Colorado is open, and other states will take us if we jump in the van and hit the road.  

My brother JP is back from his Mexican land voyage.  I was tempted to board a plan and join him there for a day or two and ride back with him.  But not this time.  

Still, the time will come for traveling again.  And I'll take it.  Meanwhile, here's a reminder of a drive we took when we spent some time in Ireland.  (Not our video.)  

Beautiful Tuesday Morning

It's a beautiful spring morning in South Dakota, but over our heads hangs the threat of a winter storm that could dump more than a foot of snow on our area in the next couple of days.  Meanwhile, the water table beneath our house has risen so high that it's no longer fully beneath our house, but leaking in. 
While the sump pump purges much of the water, there's a lingering pool that needs its own special attention. 
And there's the pile of wood that still needs to be split and stacked.  And someone needs to fire up the lawn mowers to make sure that once the expected snow or rain arrives, we've got a way to mow the grass. 
At the same time, our new travel van, our little RV, what they call a class B, is waiting in the driveway for us to escape.  We need less water, less work, and less bad news.  I'm ready to hit the road.

Our new travel van awaits us.  

Meanwhile, every day there comes a new sign that the head of our government is an addled, angry head whose strategy is to do more than enough to keep his name at the top of the news feed, sometimes by figuratively lopping off the heads of the people around him. 

Denied

Strange how events fall into place sometimes in a string of misfortunes, leaving us wondering why what we wanted is being denied to us.  Denial makes us feel smaller, less important, more trapped by circumstance and fate, and less able to move and enact the things we want for ourselves. 

It was a string of things, nothing very important, that piled on this weekend to make a person feel small.  We had plans--dinner and a concert, Fleetwood Mac, for crying out loud.  I watched a documentary on the group as I spent some time on the treadmill, and got a little work done before heading off to Sioux Falls to enjoy dinner before the concert.  We had reservations, which we knew was important because we'd been to the packed Crooked Pint once before another concert, and there was no way we'd get in early enough to eat and get to the concert. 

But the reservation was a bust.  We got there before our reservation time, but they told us they'd given our table away.  "We just got busy," she said.  Yup, just like before every other big concert.  So we stood for half an hour or more waiting for a table.  Their offer?  A free appetizer.  Poutine is good, but not that good. 

Fine, plenty of time.  So then we head over to the Sanford Arena and got in with 20 minutes to spare.  Except we had to stand in line for 45 minutes, and by the time we got to security the concert had already been going on for 20 minutes.  We could hear it, muffled through the walls and the floor, "Rhiannon," for one.  Finally, through security and on to the scans, where our tickets from StubHub would finally get us in, even though, by that time, we were getting a little annoyed. 

But the scanner bleeped a big red X, and the worker told us to go to the ticket office.  Another denial! 

At the box office, the woman there told me the same ticket had been scanned two hours before.  So there was that, a ripoff ticket from StubHub.  The woman offered me a ticket--there were tickets available--but the prospect of dropping another hundred bucks per ticket when the hundreds I'd already spent had just gone up in smoke, that didn't appeal to me. 

So we paused, had a seat, listened to another muffled song from that great band, and decided to mitigate our disappointment by having a beer.  It seemed only fitting that as we pulled up at Castaway's, across the street, the last few letters were dim, so we walked in under the Castaw and tried to spin ourselves back up from our denials. 

Today I reminded myself, as I cheered for the Rams to prevail over the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII (53 for you non-Romans), that disappointment is often self-inflicted.  It didn't really matter who won the game.  It didn't kill us to stand and chat while the folks at Crooked Pint tried to find us a table.  We've got the Fleetwood Mac albums at home. 

And StubHub is refunding what we spent on the tickets, with a discount on our next purchase. 

We had a fun drive down to Sioux Falls chatting with our friend, a nice meal, a chance to see some great music, and a safe drive home again.

And that Super Bowl?  We got to watch, cheer, chat, eat, and share the night with some good people.  Life is good. 

Some Kind of Journey

Somehow the wife and I got it in our heads that we needed a big van/little RV to head across the country, although we have traveled well in our little BMW convertible.  The above unit has, as I have told friends, everything that can go wrong with a house and everything that can go wrong with a car all wrapped up in the same package.  But I think we may have an adventure trying it out. 

We have cleaned it up and repaired some of the things that weren't quite right, and the wife is working hard to make sure we are comfy in it.  She has discovered many sources online that tell about improvements made to such vans--Roadtrek vans made in Canada.  Ours is a 1999 Dodge 3500 Ram (one ton) van with a 318 motor.  It's got a lot of miles on it, but Roger's Service here in Madison gives it a thumbs up for traveling.  It seems ready to go. 
Among the things we've done to improve it:

• installed a new cd/radio with bluetooth so we can plug in a phone to listen to all kinds of stuff. 
• removed the old monitor hanging over the back bed
• installed new carpeting up front
• installed new vinyl in the back end
• washed and repaired all the curtains so they function properly
• mounted new tires in the front
• mounted the rear-view mirror (found in a drawer)
• cleaned all the seats and fabric and surfaces inside
• changed the oil and air and oil filters

So far we've taken one short trip to Yankton's Lewis and Clarke Recreation Area, and the two nights there in the van were perfectly fine.  We were the smallest RV in the park!  (Ours is a 19 foot machine; Roadtrek made 17 and 21 foot versions.)  We also have plans for some other work before we hit the road.  But once we do, it will be without need for any more work around the house!  All our concerns will be contained within the walls of the van. 

As we go, we'll see what it's like to live the RV life, with the option of heading into the boondocks and setting up camp with our own power and water supplies.  It might drive us crazy, but it might be a whole lot of fun. 

D and J Do Europe

The wife and I recently spent about five weeks in Europe.  Want to read about it?  Check out our travel blog here.
We had a great time, visiting seven countries (and setting foot in a couple more), tasting the fare, drinking the local stuff, and hob-knobbing with the natives.

BWCA Again

We look forward to heading to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area once again after a great time last year.  It's a beautiful and somewhat daunting place, where you face all the elements on your own, which, this time, might be even more daunting, as the forecasts predict rain tomorrow and Sunday, our first two days out in the boondocks.

But I think we're ready.  Big packed backpacks and much food and gear.  Better prepared than last year!

What We Talk About When We Talk About Not Running

My daughter, her man, and her daughter live only a few blocks from Mile 14 on the Twin Cities Marathon course, where the flag marking that milestone is right across the street from an aromatic coffee and doughnut shop.  Because of my injured foot, I decided, late on Saturday evening, that there would be no marathon for me--no run, no medal, no finisher t-shirt.  And no regrets. 

Christopher Kipyego wins the TCM--from Star Tribune

It was fun to watch the runners come by; I'd never seen the front runners on the course before, and they were clicking along like clockwork, finishing in 2:14 for the men, 2:32 for the women.
I've been reading Haruki Murakami's book on running.  He's the author of several works of fiction, and although I have enjoyed them, this one seemed self-indulgent and meandering in a way that I didn't care for, but it kept my interest well enough to finish.  He deals with his own injuries in the book. 
On the drive back from dropping off the pooch for care while we were gone, we had a surprise when a coyote dashed out of the ditch and got clipped by the front of our car (knocked out the fog light!).  He wasn't to be seen afterwards, so his injury was not fatal, at least not instantly.  But his running certainly would be hampered.  I hadn't seen a coyote for a long time. 
It's been tough to deal with the injury to my foot; I didn't think too much of it the day it happened, out on a last long run two weeks before the marathon.  But as my foot rolled, something popped, and it had me instantly worried, but it didn't seem too bad.  And there were no real lingering effects.  But then another run and some time on my feet out in the garage seemed to bring it back a week later.  It's been hurting since, but getting better. 
Still, a short jog along Lake Hiawatha and the after-effects of that seemed to say, "don't run."  So I didn't.
But the trip was a good one, and we got to see the growing little granddaughter, a real peach.  The weather was good, and we enjoyed some good company and a little fun shopping.  Then, as usual, we made a stop at the cool apple place on highway 169 and picked up some tasty root beer. 

Two good root beers.  My Dang! was better.

So, when we talk, we can talk about all that, and not so much the not running. 

Driving on the Other Side

View Larger Map
Some of our travels on the Green Isle.  The map won't let me add another destination, but there were more.  

Our Slightly-Open Door Policy

Early this month we had our first visitors to our offering on Airbnb, which we used to book our place in Seattle when we traveled there last summer.  The deal was, list your own place to stay and you get 20 bucks off, so we did.  Little did we know that people would want to stay here!  But, apparently, they would!

In fact, while we were IN Seattle in July, we had our first request to stay, but that wouldn't work, so it wasn't until October, when two traveling Wisconsonites, seen here in a corny photo shot in Mitchel after they left, booked with us and actually stayed.  Same day as our return from the marathon?  Sure.  They were a lively pair, and we enjoyed having them stay with us on their journey west.  We look forward to having more visitors.

As of today, our August House is the ONLY place in eastern South Dakota to stay using Airbnb.

A Marathon From Back in the Pack

I know from long experience--over 20 years of it--that running marathons is no piece of cake, but it's hard to realize just how more traumatic it is when you're out there for the extra-long run, like four and a half hours.  I once ran with a friend in Omaha way back in the pack, taking things slow and easy, and it was one of the hardest I'd ever done, until Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon.  Yesterday I finished in about four hours and 27 minutes, with the final 2.2 miles taking me almost a half an hour, and I was "running " the whole time.  But slowly.

But I was only slightly behind the average finishing time of 4:20.  So there were still a lot of people behind me, coming in at 4972nd of 8535 finishers.  The marathon results page here shows a lot of information on each runner, including where you were in the pack.  There's even video, where you can watch yours truly come across the finish line.  Sadly, my data shows me slipping gradually back through the pack a thousand at a time, with people streaming by all through the miles that went by.  I started too fast, hitting the half-way mark at just two hours, and as the race wore on, and my stuffy head and sore throat took their toll on me, I slowed more and more, with a constant wave of runners passing me.

But, there's a good possibility I'll try it again.  I may never reach the 3:04 marathon time that stands as my PR, but maybe a Boston qualifying time is still a possibility.

A New Top Dog in the Marathon (no, it's not me).

As I consider what it will take to complete the Twin Cities Marathon a week from today, I know what it takes, or at least what it has taken in the past, when I was younger, thinner, in better shape.  It's a good thing that aging happens slowly, because it's hard enough to take the way it is.

But it's inspiring to see what the human body can do, and I don't mean mine.  Yes, I think I'll be able to survive the 26.2 miles that the marathon requires.  I need to do that to earn my finisher's t-shirt.  But I am amazed when I think of what some of the speed demons do, like Haile Gabreselassie, who won gold medals in the 10k in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and owned the world record in the marathon at 2:03:59.  At least until today.

Running in Berlin on a flat and fast course, Gabreselassie ran up front until late in the race, when he stopped for a minute, rejoined the race, and then stopped again for good.  It may be his last days as a marathoner.

In the meantime, a new runner claimed the world record, which means running FASTER than Gabreselassie 's 4:44 per mile pace.  It's Patrick Makau, who churned through the marathon in 2:03:38, 21 seconds faster (less than one second per mile).

Nobody will run that fast in the Twin Cities, but at about two hours and eleven minutes or so, I'll imagine what it must be like to be finishing at that time.  And then I'll run (and walk) the last 12 miles or so.

Kudos to the Jimi Hendrix Neighborhood

Afternote:  We enjoyed our stay with Laura in her home in Seattle, which we found on Airbnb.com.  She's this one!  Thank you, Laura!  She even let us stay an extra day!

First Leg, Roundabout Journey Home

The wife is pretty happy with this quick
 point-and-shoot of Narada Falls as it tried
to mist up her camera lens.

A long hike resulted in this self-portrait with
the mountain crowding into the shot.  Pushy mountain.  

We are happy to share our BMW with the mountain!

We hustled out of Seattle today and watched Mt. Rainier loom closer and closer until--there we were, in the park, sun shining, car making smooth German BMW noises all along, top down, wind in her hair.  Yep.  Sunshine, a day Seattleites dream of.  After a stomach and budget stretching last evening in Seattle, it was time for bagels and peanut-butter, which we picked up at the Safeway in Enumclaw, where Creation Fest was buzzing and the teenage Creationists were hogging the Safeway unisex bathroom.  But it was happy days on the mountain, with lots of viewing and some vigorous hking, after which we managed to find our way to the happy little Relax Inn in Chehalis, WA.  Then for some pie at the Kit Carson Cafe, and we're all set for the night.

Our Return Flight

1995 BMW 325iC

We'll forego our flight on Delta Airlines for a trip home in this little number, which I hope is ready for the long journey.  Today it's supposed to be a sunny 78 degrees in Seattle, which bodes well for our journey home.

Somewhat Busy in Seattle

Yep, we've been on the run.  Up in Seattle via the air, then traveling galore, foot, bus, light rail, train, car, and more and more feet.  Been to the Space Needle, yup.  On a ferry out to Bainbridge Island, yessir.  Up and down Pike and Pine more than once, check.  Up to the U of W and canoeing on Lake Washington, yeah.  Bought a car, got it.  Sampled beer and coffee and seafood and other delights, oh yez.  Tramped our legs off, ja.  Now it time to start wending our way homeward, maybe after a sideline to Mt. Rainier, a cruise up Snake River Canyon, stop in Boise, that kind of thing.

New Ulm Loses its Bohemian and Family

Photo from Star Tribune

Friend TQ notes that the city of New Ulm is trying to cope with the loss of its premier bed and breakfast, the Bohemian, which burned to the ground a few days ago with its owner and family inside.  Some guests were also killed in the blaze.

It's a sad loss for the town and a loss for us too, having stayed there on one of our anniversary trips. We told friends about it and encouraged them also to stay there, which TQ and wife did.  It was a beauty of a place, very comfortable, and Bobbi McCrea made a great host and cook.  Too bad.  Star Tribune story is here, follow-ups here and here.

All You Need to Know About the TCM Weekend (my version)

• The wife and I (taking Walter with us) went to Minneapolis on Saturday morning and stayed with my daughter and her guy.
• We enjoyed the TCM expo and picked up my packet.  
• We managed a trip to Trader Joe's in St. Paul.
• We loaded up on pasta at Buca di Beppo’s with DW, JW, KW, April, Chester, Casey, and his girl Christine.  We were joined by a couple, friends of Chester and April. 
• We went to the stage version of Louise Erdrich’s book “The Master Butcher’s Singing Club” at The Guthrie with April, Chester, Casey, and his girl Christine. 
• We survived a night of industrial-strength snoring from is, externally, at least, a fairly small dog.  
• I ran the Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday morning, finishing in 3:45:22, on a beautiful day for running.  Number 1726, if you're interested in splits, times, or photos.  I was impressed with the cool stats they offer up now.  For example, I moved up in the pack from being in 3078th place after 3 miles to 2029th place at the end.  
• April, Chester, and the wife drove around town, cheering me on at various spots along the way.
• DW, JW, and KW also picked a spot near their home and cheered (posting this pic of me enroute).  
• We enjoyed some well-deserved lunch at the Highland Grill in Minneapolis.  
• We drove back, stopping at Jim’s Apple Orchard near Belle Plaines on 169, where we picked up some kickin’ root beer and some apples.
• We checked out the closed bridge south of Belle Plaines, just because you can never be too sure about those “Road Closed to Thru Traffic” signs.
• We drove back through Belle Plaines to get on a road with good bridges.
• We recovered slowly over the week (and weekend).  

You'll Not See Nothin' Like the Mighty Quinn

He's no Eskimo, but this Mighty Quinn was mighty chilly after finishing his first marathon in St. Paul this morning. He and 11,000 other runners took to the streets at 8:00am to tackle the 26.2 miles that makes up the Twin Cities Marathon course, navigating the streets around the lakes and rivers that make up the most beautiful urban marathon in the US.

Yours truly, still nursing his roofing injury, was on the sidelines, viewing the race from the curb, zooming from point to point with my wife and his to catch Todd as he came past, racking up the miles, each one getting a little tougher. It's clear from the photos here that the marathon takes a lot out of a guy, but MQ hung in there and got the job done. Way to go, Todd!

It Could Have Been Worse

After finishing the Twin Cities Marathon, I called my mother in law, who was worried that I might keel over and croak on the marathon course, and told her she could postpone my funeral, but the second half of the race was so tough for me that a quiet ceremony in a cool parlor might have been a good idea. It was hot out there, and humid, but like most people who entered, I managed to get to the finish line (with a little hustle in the home stretch to beat some big guy who seemed to have been air-lifted in just to taunt me in my last 100 meters).

As I mentioned before, I was hoping for a Boston Marathon qualifying time (3:35), which might have been possible in good weather, and I was on pace for it with a 1:45 first half (about 8-minute miles), but then things started to unravel as the heat seemed to press in. The second half , which included a lot of walking, was 20 minutes slower for a finish of 3:55:48 (chip time). Anyway, it was a little disappointing, even though it was clear days before that a good race was not in the cards. I've only run one marathon slower, and that was one with my old running partner Mark F., who was running the Omaha Marathon with little training, and I stuck with him, also running a little thin on training.

Still, it went okay, and I got to see Laura Carrow, a graduate from DSU with an English degree and a good runner who in her senior year here was a speed demon. Having her spot me in the line for the porta-potties before the race helped make up for the half-hour wait. My daughter April, her guy Chester, and the wife showed up at points throughout the course to urge me on, and we had some fun with that, and the weekend included going to a movie with my son Casey.

Plus, the marathon didn't fare as badly as the one in Chicago yesterday, where it was 87 degrees and they called off the race about three and a half hours in after people were "falling all over the city" according to the Chicago Sun-Times article.

So what now? I'm thinking about another marathon this fall, maybe the one in November in Overland Park.

It's TCM Day

Today's the day. We'll soon take off for the Metrodome, where the Twin Cities Marathon begins on a day that is a fall treasure if you're not planning to run 26.2 miles. It's supposed to be 80 degrees today and is already 74 at 6:30 in the morning. The race starts at 8:00, and by 11:35 I hope to be done.