who says running doesn't pay?

Tom's winning check for the half marathon arrived this week.

If it were a $5 check, maybe we would frame it.

Yesterday was the St. Rose fiesta, which has the biggest flea market for miles around. People line up by 7:00 to be the first in the door when it opens at 8:00. I waited until about 9:00, but still came away with a brand new vegetable steamer for $5.00, 6 place settings of stainless steel for $6.00, and about 20 books for $.50 each.

The afternoon auction is a little tricker to negotiate. I started the bidding on an 18-quart roaster, thinking I would help run up the bid, but I won. For $30 we came home with this brand new Toastmaster, big enough for two pot roasts or a 30-pound turkey. Maybe we should bring it to Little Valley and install it in the backroom?

We also "won" a 10-speed Raleigh bicycle, made in England (Cullen, we need you), and a smaller version of this year's St. Rose quilt. We did not bid on a lobster dinner cooked by the Monsignor (that went for $500) or a reserved parking spot for one Mass each weekend. There was almost no interest in those spots. I think the auctioneer blew it with the comment that "everyone will know if you skip Mass."

Gorgeous weather today. I took enough dead stuff out of the garden to fill the wheelbarrow, but managed one last vase full of flowers.

Yarrow, zinnias, and some rosemary—hardy plants, none of which take much pampering.

a perfect day

for a run. Tom did a half marathon that ended in Bethesda this morning. Perfect conditions for the runners—about 50 degrees at the start, no rain, clear air, and no horrible hills. The conditions were so good that his support team—that would be me—missed him at the finish. His prediction was for finishing in about 2 hours and 30 minutes, but he finished in just under 2 hours.

You'll have to settle for an after-race photo, with him looking very little worse for the wear.

Results? First in his age group. A very sweet age group—I see many prizes in Tom's future.

Almost too much excitement...

After a week of instruction, Tom is now a "basic mariner." Which means that we could rent a sailboat and head out on the Potomac late on Saturday afternoon, in a Flying Scot.

Unfortunately, it takes a little wind to enable the "flying" aspect of sailing, and we didn't have wind. I learned though, about letting sails in and out, about raising the center board, and then dropping it, and about how stable a flimsy looking boat really is.

It may, in the long run, have been about the best introduction to sailing that I could have. There wasn't much danger of falling overboard or colliding with a bigger boat. (There wasn't much danger of moving.)

Then yesterday we headed off to West Virginia to meet up with Jim and Cindy at Mark and Carol's.

If you want noise or commotion, Mark and Carol's cabin in West Virginia may not be your destination. But peace and quiet, a great meal (pork tenderloin, baked potatoes, salad, THREE desserts), a country breakfast, incredible scenery—this is definitely worth the drive. I'm ready to pack up three or four books and move in for a week.