Drove to Visit my Mom, took a day-trip to sister's place for lunch, Pop included.

From the Marathon Archives:

And on this day in 1997... 

I completed my 14th marathon on this day in 1997.  It was the Grupa Dupa held at the Talcott Mountain State Park, home of the Heublein Tower. 

I believe Tony W and Janice K were the organizers of this "Fat Ass 50" type event.  It consisted of loops up and around the tower, but I do not recall how many.  It was 50k, and I recorded a time of 5:11:13.

And...

Ed Askew passed yesterday at age 84.

Edward Crane Askew (December 1, 1940 – January 4, 2025) was an American painter and singer-songwriter who first recorded in 1968 and lived in New York City.  

Ed Askew died January 4, 2025, at the age of 84.

Born in Stamford, Connecticut, on December 1, 1940, Askew moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to study painting at Yale School of Art in 1963 and took up, more or less, permanent residence there until leaving for New York City in 1987.

After graduating from art school in 1966, Askew was called up for the draft. Not feeling particularly enthusiastic about going to war at age 26, he looked for a teaching job and found work at a private prep school in Connecticut. It was while teaching he started making songs; he also acquired his Martin Tiple at this time. The singer-songwriter moved to New York for a few months in 1967 where he met Bernard Stollman of ESP-Disk, who offered him a contract. Between 1968 and 1986, Ed lived, mostly, in New Haven; doing occasional shows with his band, and later doing solo shows there. Around 1987, Ed moved to New York City, where he continued to write and record songs, and occasionally perform.

Pitchfork and many other high-profile music media praised his work, labeling him as a New York legend.

Ask the Unicorn is an "acid folk" masterpiece and one of the most singular releases from the infamous and historic ESP-Disk catalogue. It was recorded live to tape by a 27 year-old Ed Askew in 1968. Since that time, the impossible-to-find record and the man have acquired a mythological status.

But Ask the Unicorn, one of the most unique and gripping records under the 1960's sun, remained a question and an item of critical and fan devotion.  The cover for the UK release, reproduced here, is the positive of the US edition. It is a photo of the protests in Stamford following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.