kyrkan

Green Gables Anne

Published October 15, 2018

3 flights of stairs, post-marathon shower, quick one-hour nap. Attic B&B kinda loses its charm after running 26 miles. Just saying. LOL>

Historic homes, old churches, seaside path ‘round Government House (home to PEI’s Lieutenant Governor). From there walked inland, downtown Charlottetown. City Hall, University Park, St. Dunstan’s Basilica. HUGE fan of cathedral architecture. Gothic block buildings, high overreaching arches, stained glass artistry. Oft adapts character of the city you’re visiting. Ornate ship anchor molding in this provincial capital’s church home. Quiet/peaceful/hushed/stunning. Great place to reflect & give thanks.

Dinner reservations at 5; theatre tickets 7 o’clock show.

But first, homage paid to everything Anne – at the Anne of Green Gables Store. Dolls, DVDs, postcards, magnets, candy, entire book series (of course) – all centered on the red-headed orphan from PEI. When on Prince Edward, gotta/hafta/must.

Sunday-nite FOOD FEAST @ 23 Queen St: half-dozen Oysters, Cioppino entrée. FIVE LOCAL varieties of Oyster. Tomato herb broth, crusty bread. Mussels, haddock, clams & shrimp – Cioppino, what’s not to LOVE? GET in my BELLY! WOW meal.

LOVE LOVED ‘Anne & Gilbert’ at the Guild. Perfect Avonlea finish to crazy FULL day. Highly recommended!

Goodbye PEI. Lighthouse sunrise, hot B&B breakfast, noon flight off the Island. I HEART the Land of Anne ❤️

: Beaconsfield House

: St. James Presbyterian

: Government House

: St. Dunstan’s Basilica

: architectural reverence

: homage to red-headed Anne

: LOCAL oysters & Cioppino

: Marathon Day end at Charlottetown’s Guild

: LIGHTHOUSE goodbye 🌞

Posted in Canada | Tagged kyrkan, lighthouses, theatre | Leave a comment

lighthouse shakeout & Frogmore Stew

Published September 29, 2018

Late Friday nite flight. Midnite. Not always possible to office-scoot early Fridays 🙃 First red-eye cross-country trek in THREE years. Notta HUGE fan of overnight travel & sleep deprivation but mighty good to have options. Touchdown 9:30 Saturday morning: Welcome to Maine.

Toughest part? Staying awake during the 3-hour layover in Newark. Overslept a flight ONCE – my first marathon return from Alaska, 2013. Still remember the panic of waking in Anchorage, at my gate/all alone ‘xcept for the humming of vacuums tidying terminal carpets overnight. Yikes!

This trip, slept every opportunity/every flight. Whole lotta sightseeing planned, sunshiny New England day. AND FOOD of course. LOVER of all sea creatures. Lobstah, get in my belly! 🦞

Early hotel check-in, quick shower refresh, change of clothes, diner breakfast – Dutch’s.

Lotta diet change since Sunday’s gut wrenching DNS in Cheyenne. Consistent pill popping, abdominal pain down, mind again engaged. Not running this past week – that’s a fail – but food planning, big SUCCESS! No bread, no dairy, no sweets/sugar, minimal fat, no alcohol. SUPER restrictive me thinks; however month of October, all in. Doc went to med school, not me – gonna give it a try.

Eggs, lean protein on the good list. Diner fed. Ready, ready to roll.

Scenic walk downtown, Portland Harbour slow stroll. Did not disappoint. Race expo at Southern ME University. Bib pick-up, 50 Stater reunion site. Next up? Cape Elizabeth.

Think of Maine, ya think of lighthouses & rocky beaches. Short 20 minute drive, Portland Head Light on Cape Elizabeth. Gotta/hafta/must go. Day’s WOW spot – Maine expectation met. Bonus points? Dropped to shorts & partner-in-crime’d a scenic/HILLY 4-miler. Training miles for Stephen (half-marathon planned in Nashville), whoopie pie reward.

Hotel dash, ‘nother shower, dinner reservations at Grace. Former church. Stained glass, church organ, vaulted ceiling. STUNNING. What’s on the tonite’s menu? Roasted clams & Frogmore stew. Not exactly starving on October’s restrictive diet 😊

: Monument Square

: diner Breakfast

: Portland Harbour

: day’s WOW shot

: Portland Head Light

: scenic 4-mile training run

: Cape Whoopies reward

: clams & Frogmore Stew

: stained glass, church organ, vaulted ceiling – STUNNING dining experience!

Posted in Northeast | Tagged kyrkan, lighthouses | Leave a comment

White River Marathon

Published November 18, 2017

food, FAMILY & fun – but first…another marathon 🙂

Early 5am flight to Dallas, morning arrival in Arkansas. First stop: Family. Kid brother owns a trucking company AND just opened a gym. We all work somewhere – but the gym…that was mighty impressive. Pre-kid days, Bro was a power lifter (obviously not my twin). Daughter now off to college, LOVE LOVE he’s following his passion.

Next up: lunch at Williamsburg Kitchen. That’s where one finds Mom weekdays (owner/creator/innovator of this lunch-only spot 30 years+). LOVE this place, LOVE her Reuben, LOVE the family ‘eats for FREE’ discount. FAAAANNNNTASTIC!

3 ½ hour drive on rural Arkansas roads, day’s destination: Cotter AR.

Population: 948. Five miles past Flippin, 20.2 miles from the Missouri border. Middle of nowhere. People in Arkansas haven’t heard of this town.

Fun story. Sun goes down maybe 10 miles from Cotter. I’m not a great driver – even worse when it’s dark. 900ft from Cotter High School (bib pick-up), Google Maps says to turn left. Dirt road…no judgments, we have those in Colorado. Rental car lists dramatically to the left, something is wrong – I now see the sign: Railroad Crossing. Yep, been driving on the tracks themselves. Pitch black, no stars here. Yikes! Good laugh AFTER I eased off the tracks & wasn’t killed. LOL>

Pasta charity dinner. Sleeps 10 miles away in Mountain Home. Daybreak marathon start.

AWESOME turn-out. Field was limited to 750 participants AND it sold out, 4^th year in a row. Today’s experience would be all about weather. Warm start. Never peeled my first layer so humidity-dripped in Razorback winter. Sweated it out with a trio of runners kicking the Half. Chatty upbeat folks. Group slowed at mile 12. Goodbyes, maintained pace, exited to the left – second lap.

Cloud-cover cooled conditions. Wind gusted, no bugs 2^nd Half. No elevation gain either – ‘bout as flat a course you’ll find. Hit the wall early, more mental than anything. Notta lotta runners & I had no tunes. [note: iPods don’t last forever.] Light rain, extra out-n-back at mile 18-ish (special from the first lap). 30mph headwind at the turn, 7 miles to go. Walked much of mile 20.

Run-Walk-Ran last 5 miles with Sarasota runner, Buzz Scott. Half-mile to Finish, pep talk from Buzz. Marathon finish #103.

Heat/humidity, gusty wind, light rain & some folks say sleet. Another sub-par effort. 17 pounds UP since June’s REVEL run – lotta gain for a guy my size. Not a dieter. Who gains weight over the summer?! …but first (28 miles away), 2 slices of the best gas-station pizza ever. Four other runners also crowded in – no mistaking us: race shirt & shoes, we all look alike. HA!

Family nite in Fort Smith. Dinner out, cards at Mom’s, Sunday morning church. Good to be HOME ❤