3-miles along North Main in the early morning before work.  The sun looks like it's coming out for us today!

Music 2018...

Effort #44, "Mourning...  A blues in E".  

"...Prayers and Strength for the Tree of Life Synagogue."

We're still taking it slightly easy (doctor visits for DL all week), so after a relaxing morning I managed 5.2-miles around town doing the Mather Loop.

Heavy rain all day long, so not a ton of opportunity for outdoors adventure.  But I remembered that while riding the elevator at St. Francis Hospital on Friday, a flyer posted on the wall caught my eye.  It seemed interesting, and a worthwhile challenge.  I think I'm going to be "in".

Completed another Black Lizard / Vintage Crime novel, this time being the first of the Burke Series from Andrew Vachss, "Flood".

The Burke Series includes 18-books, published between 1985 and 2008.  It looks like I have read around half in the past, so it should be quite a ride through again, including finishing up the "story" to book 18, "Another Life".

Sometime in October of 2002 - 2003, Tippi completed her first "Marathon"; it would also be my 24th.  We had the "Bandit" along for the adventure.  Our time was recorded as 5:38:00 over 24.7-miles.  I recall the end of the run taking forever once we descended Frissell and headed back to Mt. Washington State Forest Headquarters.

Maybe on top of Alander?

Intersection prior to Brace.

   
I believe this is the top of Brace Mountain.

The Bandit climbing Round Mountain.

The Bandit at the peak of Round Mountain.

The Bandit climbing Mt Frissell.

The Bandit climbing Frissell.

At the Tri-State Marker (NY, MA, CT).

Music 2018...

Effort #43, "Beatnik"...  Originally by The Clean, and I recently heard a cover version by Comet Gain which was also really good.  My take on it.

"... She's a pebble, he's the water, he's a beatnik."

The latest Black Lizard / Vintage Crime book I completed was Raymond Chandler's 1940 Philip Marlowe novel "Farewell, My Lovely".  This was the second in the Marlowe series, and my favorite.

The Woods Walker's performs another "Rock Show" 2018!  This time, we are at South Windsor, with presentation #5!

Dropped the Subaru off  at Small Town, and jogged home along Suffield Stree for 4.6-miles.

Out to Ashfield to run along Ashfield Trails with K2 & Wuzzam.  We had heard that the temperature was supposed to reach 60-degrees, but that did not happen during our run, and the sun never actually came out either.

We ran from Route 116 at Sanderson Academy to Smith Road before turning around.  We topped out at Peter Hill, and enjoyed the Trustee's of the Revervation's Bear Swamp property.  Ended the day with 11.3-miles, with two fantastic climbs.

The story of Peter Wells, and Peter Hill

Birch within Bear Swamp

 Bear Swamp

Meadow at Bear Swamp

Old Graveyard in the forest 

 Huge Oak along Ashfield Trails

Stonewall along Ashfield Trails

 Tablet at the Picnic Area, Bear Swamp Meadow

Wuzzam approaching the Meadow

 Bear Swamp Kiosk

To lead off, it is my Pop's birthday today!

Back in the midst of our racing days... Monroe/Dunbar 2006 with our friend Paul.

After work today I drove out to Williamsburg to complete the Hyde Hill to Route 143 section.  Excellent weather and excellent news as I followed the old path perfectly today.  Ended the run with 7.1-miles and feeling good.

Cellar Hole #1

Cellar Hole #2

Swamp (Headwaters of Town Lot Brook?)

Balanced Rock

Marker Tree

Early morning run along North Main Street, 3-miles.

... On this day in 1992, I completed my first marathon, Bay State, in Lowell, Massachusetts.  I ran 3:35:00 and my parents drove out to watch me finish.

In Memory...  Rest in Peace Tippi (August 2000 - October 17, 2016)

Two years ago today we said goodbye to Tippi.  She was a rescue we were blessed with for over 16-years. She was my trail partner for somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 miles (we didn't keep track), traveling together in the car all over Connecticut, New York, Vermont and Western Massachusetts to run in the woods we both loved so much.  Together we finished 17 marathons.  She could run all day, season didn't really matter.

Often, as DL and I drive home from Adams back to Connecticut, she will ask as we pass large forested areas "... did you and Tippi ever run through there?"  The answer is almost always "Yes".  We connected huge tracts of land in northwestern Massachusetts.

I continue to think about Tippi everyday. Often on a hike or run, I come to a spot in the forest that helps me feel her presence.  The recent photograph below is one of those spots/times, along the Spruce Mountain Trail in Monroe, where my old dog's spirit overwhelmed me.

We love you Tippi, rest easy girl.

Tippi, August 2000 - October 17th, 2016.

Another completed Black Lizard / Vintage Crime novel, back to Sweden with Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo.  This time, "The Man Who Went Up In Smoke", the second Martin Beck novel, published in 1966.

Newer Cover Art

My Copy, Cover Art