Visited the Folks today, with a stop at Chi's for take-out.

Chi's is housed in the old store named "Kelly's On the Corner" (I think).  Back in the mid to late '70's I recall playing a lot of pinball in there.

On the drive back to CT, I stopped in Plainfield and explored along South Road, completing 3.0-miles into Dubuque State Forest.

Worked a brief shift in the early morning before my adventure.....

4.3-miles along the Metacomet (New England Trail) from Hatchet Hill Road to above the Farmington River at T-Ville.

Managed a 2-hour emergency shift at work afterward.

3.8-miles at Northwest Park, working on remembering the connection towards the Farmington River Park in Bloomfield.

Managed a 3-hour emergency shift at work afterward.

Drove to Northwest Park to complete the 2023 NWP Trail Hike Challenge.  

K2 finished last weekend, and I had three remining trials to execute to call this achieved:

• Rainbow Reservoir Trail
• Softwood Forest Trail
• Conservation Trail

I completed the three trails in 5.8-miles.  It was very hot in the open areas but a bit more cool and shaded in the woods.

Spoke with Jon Evil after completion of the challenge, I believe he began his work today.

Ended up the day with a 5-hour shift at work.

From the archives....

Hallockville Pond Marathon

August 11th, 2005 - Hawley, Massachusetts

Today I completed my 30th marathon.  Locale was Dubuque State Forest and we named the event the "Hallockville Pond" Marathon.  

For company, I had Wuzzam being his norm good sport, and Tippi with her normal determination.  Old Farmer Tom met us along the Notch Trail on bicycle, and enjoyed a few miles with us.

This was Tippi's 4th completed marathon.  Our time ended up at 5:21:16.

I do try to separate work from life, but this week was heavily involved with SCADA, Networking and Remote Communications to the point of working four twelve hour days (or more).  Not much time for any outside activities or thoughts, even. 

Rock & Roll Guitarist Robbie Robertson of "The Band", passed away today.

I am most familiar with the first two Band records, Music from Big Pink and The Band.  While both offer  incredible slabs of Music, the first, Music from Big Pink is my favorite.

Side one

1. "Tears of Rage"                                    

2. "To Kingdom Come"

3. "In a Station"

4. "Caledonia Mission"

5. "The Weight"

Side two

1. "We Can Talk"

2. "Long Black Veil"

3. "Chest Fever"

4. "Lonesome Suzie"

5. "This Wheel's on Fire"

6. "I Shall Be Released"

The Band:

Rick Danko              bass guitar, fiddle, vocals

Levon Helm             drums, tambourine, vocals

Garth Hudson           organ, piano, clavinet, soprano and tenor saxophones

Richard Manuel        piano, organ, vocals

Robbie Robertson     electric and acoustic guitars, vocals

My favorite song by The Band is "The Weight".  It is heavy, and is still remarkable today.

It is too often that musicians are left off of our personal playlist, for all sorts of reasons.  Perhaps, this will be an opportunity to dig a bit deeper into Robbie Robertson's music.

One of K2's favorite musicians, Sixto Rodriguez, passed away today.

CNN Reported that "Detroit musician Sixto Rodriguez, the subject of the documentary “‘Searching for Sugar Man” – which won the 2013 best documentary Academy Award – has died.

Originally a somewhat obscure figure of the 1970s Detroit folk music scene, Rodriguez had no idea that his music was incredibly popular in South Africa, where he was “as famous as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones.”

The 2012 documentary “Searching for Sugar Man,” directed by the late Malik Bendjelloul, documented the search for Rodriguez.

I know of only two records released by Rodriguez, 1970's "Cold Fact" and 1971's "Coming From Reality".  Both are wonderfully written and performed.

If anyone hasn't watched the "Searching for the Sugarman" documentary, it is well worth investing your time in.

Also, medical news from my front:  

• Visit to Johnson Hospital for a CT Abdomen & Pelvis with IV and Oral Contrast dye.

"High Points" along trails during July 2023... 

Got one in, at least it's a start...

• Nick's Hill, Metacomet Trail, West Suffield, CT

Drove to Northwest Park with K2 - hoping to get closer to completing the 2023 NWP Trail Hike Challenge.  K2 made it out there throughout the week, and managed to complete his last remaining sections today, so congrats to K2!

I managed 5-miles today, in roughly an hours-time.

The trails I completed today were:  Brookside, Open Forest, Triassic and the Woody Succession.

Last week I had knocked out the Bog, Hemlock, Pond and Wetland Forest Trails.

What remains are:

• Conservation Trail
• Softwood Forest Trail
• Rainbow Reservoir Trail

Ended up the day with a 3-hour emergency shift at work and a ride to JMH to pick up prep liquid for Tuesday's procedure.

And, remembering a Musical Life....

David LaFlammee, most remembered as a founding member of "It's a Beautiful Day" and White Bird fame, dies aged 82.

I do have the band's first two albums, and the self-titled first album is really remarkable and a favorite of DL and I.

DL and I drove to Clinton, Massachusetts today to visit Chloe, Chris and the animals.  

Had an enjoyable lunch out and a uneventful ride back home to CT.

What Played in Ed's Head -- 

Music listened to for the time-period July 1st through July 31st, 2023:

Visited the Folks today, with a stop at the Williamsburg Snack Shack for orders of Fish & Chips, Clam Strips and Shrimp.  

On the drive back to CT, I stopped in Plainfield and explored along South Road, completing 3.6-miles into Dubuque State Forest.

Called into work for an emergency for a chunk of the evening.....

And, from the Marathon Archives...

Appalachian Trail Marathon

August 3rd, 1996 - Salisbury, CT to Mount Washington, MA

On this day in 1996 I completed my 13th marathon.  

My route took me along the Appalachian Trail, from Salisbury, Connecticut into Massachusetts.  

The turnaround point was at the summit of Mt. Everett.  

Total time on the trail was roughly 6:27:53, which included a break for a lunch at Everett.

• 1:15:44 @ Bear Mountain (from Route 41)
• 1:04:45 / 2:20:29 @ Mount Race
•    34:52 / 2:55:22 @ Mount Everett
•    10:00 / 3:05:22 @ Lunch - Rest - Refuel
•    36:03 / 3:41:26 @ Mount Race
• 1:33:46 / 5:15:13 @ Bear Mountain
•     42:17 / 5:57:30 @ Lions Head
•     30:22 / 6:27:53 @ Route 41

92 Day Challenge will begin on August 1st this season....

It's that time of year again, the beginning of the 61 Day Challenge.

Weighed in at 222.1.

November 1 - December 31, 2021

The New England 61 Day Challenge is a healthy lifestyle initiative that includes education about healthy eating, physical activity, and positive behavioral changes. It encourages individuals and groups to participate and learn how to make smart choices and develop healthy behaviors.

New England 61 Day Challenge Pledge

Today, I pledge to participate in the New England 61 Day Challenge.

I will make my health a priority and focus on developing and nurturing my body, mind, and spirit.

I will strive to meet the challenge goals of no soda, no sweets, and no cigarettes.

I will remember that there will be bumps along the road, and I'll stay focused for the entire period.

I pledge to learn and grow in knowledge and to make healthier decisions on a daily basis.

I will support my colleagues, friends, and family throughout the Challenge.

I will take what I learned during the Challenge and strive to maintain my new healthy habits.

****  Additional steps we will be working on are:

•           No Fast Food.
•           Limited Fried Food.
•           Limited Bread.
•           No Alcohol.
•           Exercise regularly.
•           Drink 64 ounces of water daily.

This is my sixth consecutive year with this program, and once again I am determined to have a great multiple-months working toward success.

Dr Visit for Transthoracic Echocardiogram today.

Today we learned of the death of Paul Reubens, aka Pee-Wee Herman.

Whether he was seen with Cheech and Chong in "Next Movie' or "Nice Dreams", in the Playhouse, or starring in one of his feature films, it was always worthwhile appreciating the guy.

I don't remember much about Pee-Wee's Playhouse, but the video clip below was something I saw on TV back in the early 1980s' that I thought was genius.  I still do....