Leaving Portland for home, but stopping along the way to visit the Hillbillage and Family.

Evening show "Godspeed You! Black Emperor!"

 Robin Trower Concert in Portland, ME tonight!

DLV and I travel to Portland, Maine today for a few days of "getting away". 

Sodom Mountain, 3.0-miles.  Mid-Nineties again.

DLV to Doctors for imaging.

Visit to Healing Ways Acupuncture for help with the right achilles and left big toe.

Another hot day, near 100-degrees.

Full day of work with CWOps...  

JMH, DOT E & W, Fed Ex.

Almost 100-degrees.

Hike Sodom Mountain in Southwick, 3.4-miles.  

Visit to Healing Ways Acupuncture for help with the right achilles and left big toe.

From my Marathon Archives...

On this day in 2012, Wuzzam and I completed a Metacomet Marathon, with a time of 7:00:00.  

Tippi ran the first section with us, from Route 20 to Phelps Road, and back (about 10.5-miles).  

Weather report was that heating up was very possible - so the Donnalee grabbed Tippi early.  

This was my 46th marathon completed.

Our Route for the Marathon Distance.

Visit Mom in Williamstown and Pop in Adams. 

Tree ID at Sunrise Park was canceled (without any warning unfortunately).

K2 and I made the most of it and traveled over to the Southwick Wildlife Management Area  for a 1-mile walk and talk.

And a Blast from my Marathon Past...

 

  1st Mount Greylock Centennial Marathon

June 21st, 1998 - Adams, Massachusetts

My Pop and I completed the 1st Greylock Centennial Marathon in Adams, Massachusetts.  

Our time was 6:55:38.  This was a very difficult course, with 5 lengthy climbs.

This was my 21st marathon completed, and my dad's first.

Bike early, cool but very windy.

24.4-Miles, to Robinson State Park.

Visit to Healing Ways Acupuncture for help with the right achilles and left big toe.

Extremely Hot, low 90's.

Bike 21.2-Miles. 

Bike 14.1-Miles early.

Training with CWOps and AE all afternoon.

Full day with CWOps at JMH and FEx. 

Visit to Healing Ways Acupuncture for help with the right achilles and left big toe.

Visit with Mom in Williamstown and Pop in Adams.

Excellent bike ride of 20.9-miles.

Fireworks at night with DLV.

Hike w/DL early, 1.0-miles.

Hike Takoa Area, 3.7-miles.

Bike afternoon, 8.3-miles.

Full day of work with CWOps at JMH, FEx, DOT E & W. 

10.5-mile bike early.

Training with CWOps and AE entire afternoon. 

This has been a Great Marathon Day in my History! 

Two completed marathons on this day in my past!

In 2001, I completed my 25th marathon at Nipmuck, in 4:27:17.  

This was a 35th place, and my 5th completed Nipmuck.

Then, on this day in 2012, Wuzzam, Tippi and I completed a Tunxis Marathon in 6:26:10.  

This was my 47th Marathon, and Tippi's 16th.

Return visit to Healing Ways Acupuncture for some extra help with the right achilles.

Bike 16.3-miles to Still Brook Park in Feeding Hills, and back.

Presentation with the Granby Land Trust at Dismal Brook Preserve:  

Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast, presented by author Michael Wojtech.

Completed a bit of hiking today!

1.4-miles in Dismal, followed by an additional 2.0-miles in Seth and Lucy Holcomb Preserve.

3.4-miles total.

Rainy Slow Day. 

The Marathon Archives:

A great marathon day in my history!  Two throwbacks...

On this day in 1998, I completed the my 4th Nipmuck Marathon in 4:28:33, a 41st placement.  

This was my 20th finished marathon.

Also on this day, in 2009, I completed my 7th Nipmuck Marathon in 4:37:03 (19th place).  

This was my 42nd marathon overall.

Visit with Mom in Williamstown and Pop in Adams.

New Banner at Mom's

View of Wind Turbines from North Adams, West End

The Marathon Archives:

...on this day in 2010, I ran the Nipmuck Marathon for the 8th time.  

It was my 46th marathon completed, with a time of 5:07:28.  

This was good for 34th place overall.

From the Marathon Archives:   

On this day in 1994 I completed my 3rd marathon - Nipmuck.  

It was my first Nipmuck Marathon completed, and my time was 4:02:00, good for 23rd place.

Also, on this day in 2005, I completed my 27th marathon - also Nipmuck, with a time of 4:48:13.  

This was good for 29th place.

Full day with CWOps,

Financial Meeting in Morning, Lunch out with DLV.

10.0-mile bike ride in Granby.

Condo Meeting early evening.

ICC for Trad Irish Seisiún, including guest host John Nolan on accordion.

John played in the group The Big Wheel with fiddler Pat Keogh.

In 1982, returned from Listowel as first American senior All-Ireland button accordion champion.

11.2-mile bike in West Suffield and Southwick. 

Roadside Memorial, West Suffield

12.6-mile bike ride from Granville Gorge up Rt 57, out Old Westfield Road, and then down to North Loomis and back to the car.

Return visit to Healing Ways Acupuncture for some extra help with the right achilles.

From the archives department...  

I completed my 11th marathon on this day in 1996 at Nipmuck.  

I ran a 3:56:50 in the race, which was good for 15th place.

11.3-mile bike within the town borders. 

Old News Department...

On this day in 1997 I completed my 15th marathon - Nipmuck.  It was the 3rd time I completed Nipmuck, and my time was 4:31:44, good enough for 42nd place.

Also, on this day in 2013, I completed my 51st marathon - Hawley Berkshire East.  I had Wuzzam with me for this one, which was a real beast.  We had a total time on feet of 7:45:15, which was the longest either of have ever been on our feet moving through the forest.  It was most likely more than a marathon distance.  By several miles...  (or more).

Bike 6.8-miles.

Final (#4) Shockwave Ultra-Sound (Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for right achilles).

Visit with my Mom and Pop afterward.

From the Archives...

McLean Game Refuge & Holcomb Farm Marathon

May 30th, 2009 - Granby & Simsbury, Connecticut

Wuzzam and I completed a McClean Reservation Marathon in roughly five hours.   

This was my 41st marathon completed.  I recall it being a fairly easy day for us.

Shift at JMH, TA and L's. 

Bike 7.8-miles around Town. 

On this day...

Vermont City Marathon

May 28, 1995 - Burlington, Vermont

I achieved my Boston Qualifier today at Vermont City in Burlington, Vermont.  

I was able to dip under the age group setpoint of 3:10 with a 3:08:00.

At two-miles I was at 16:40, which was pretty far off my necessary 7:15 per mile to achieve the sub 3:10 finish time.  

This means I ran 7:05 pace for the final 24.2-miles.

Bike 6.3-miles around Town.

Hike 1-mile with DL at Bear Hole.

Visit Mom in Williamstown.

Stopped off for a visit with Pop.

Loaded the truck with 48 bales of hay, dropped at Whatley Auction. 

Grandparents Grave

Hike with DL at Farmington River Park, 1.2-miles. 

New Leaf at ICC with DL.

New Leaf is Kira Jewett on fiddle, special guest Paul McDonnell on accordion, and Jim Bunting on guitar, vocals and bouzouki. Together they play traditional tunes with tight, driving rhythm and a unique take on Ireland’s song repertoire.

3rd (#3) Shockwave Ultra-Sound (Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for right achilles).

And, on this day...

Tunxis Trail Marathon I - May 23rd, 2006
Hartland, Barkhamsted , Connecticut
.

I completed a Tunxis Marathon in 5:41:50.  

I had Johnny Bandit along for company, as well as Tippi.  

It would be my 34th marathon completed, and Tippi's 8th.

John Bandit rambling through the meadow.

We rambled from Route 20 to Route 219 in East Hartland, Conn, and back for the first 19.5 miles.

  

We finished up with the Route 20 to Pell Road near the Mass border for the final 6.5-miles.

Small Waterfall on the northern section of Tunxis Trail.

Shift at JMH, TA and L's.

Visit with with my Mom in Williamstown. 

Great Grand Parents Grave

Old Site of Hawk's Fort, Charlemont, MA

From the archives....

  Mount Greylock Centennial Marathon

May 21st, 2005 - Adams, Massachusetts

Fairly large group (about a dozen or so) completed a "do-it-yourself" Greylock Marathon, aka Old Goat 50th Birthday Bash & Annual Celibacy Run.

Our time was 6:47:02.  This is a very difficult course, with 5 lengthy climbs.  Five out of the twelve starters completed the full 26.2-miles.

This was my 28th marathon completed, and Tippi's second.

Bike 8.7-miles around Town.

Auction for unloading hay with Pop.

Camry Maintenance later on.

Back to the ICC with DL for celebrated Irish Fiddler Gerry O’Connor.

Gerry O’Connor is from County Louth. Unanimously considered a master fiddler by his peers, Gerry tours the world teaching and performing at festivals and prestigious venues, and with the iconic Irish Rovers. Gerry has performed and recorded with his bands Lá Lúgh, Skylark, and Oirialla, and toured and recorded with members of Boys of the Lough, The Chieftains, Bothy Band and more.

Joining Gerry is guitarist and singer Kevin McElroy. For the past three decades Kevin has performed regularly with such luminaries as Séamus Connolly, Brendan Tonra and Joe Burke. Gerry’s expressive melodies and Kevin’s tasteful accompaniment come together through a seamless bit of musical alchemy.

About Gerry O’Connor

Originally from Dundalk, Co. Louth, Gerry grew up in a family of musicians, dancers and singers. From an early age Gerry was involved in Irish music, winning numerous All Ireland awards in a range of duets, trios and céilí band titles. Gerry is a four-time winner of the Fiddler of Oriel competition, and in 2018 was awarded the Ceannródaí, the prestigious Bardic Award by Comhaltas for his valued contribution to the Trad Arts. 

” … this is one fiddler whose pulse is quickened by the sheer delight in the tunes, rather than in the accolades that might accompany them.” – The Irish Times

About Kevin McElroy

Kevin has celebrated Irish traditional music since his teens, singing and playing guitar, fiddle, banjo and mandolin. Kevin had the good fortune to play with and learn from some of Boston’s best Irish musicians, including Brendan Tonra, Mike McDonagh, Larry Reynolds, and the Connaught Céilí Band.

High School Baseball in Shutesbury with K2.

Paul Griffin Photography Presentation at the ICC with DL.

Attended a presentation by Paul Griffin to view his exhibit The Stones They Left Behind.

The Stones They Left Behind is a photographic presentation of some of the historic remnants of ancient Irish culture that inhabit the natural landscape of that beautiful and enigmatic island. Paul Griffin made this series of black and white infrared photographs during his visits to his ancestral homeland. The photographs of Neolithic  Dolmens and abandoned castles explore the intersection of history and myth, the physical and spiritual and the visual and the unseen.

The twelve black and white images were made using an infrared sensitive camera rendering aspects of the scenes beyond the visible spectrum that our eyes are normally sensitive to.

Second (#2) Shockwave Ultra-Sound (Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for right achilles).

Visit Mom in Williamstown.

Wheeler Brook Falls on the Mohawk Trail

Laughing Together

Just above the Hairpin Turn

Wheeler Brook Falls

Hail to the Sunrise - Mohawk Park