Ireland Trip:

DAY 2, Friday October 18th

• Scheduled to arrive at 5:35am local time

• Breakfast at Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis, Co. Clare

• Depart for Dingle after breakfast

• Quick stop in Tralee, Co. Kerry for 2hr “walkabout”

• Arrive at Dingle Skellig Hotel @ 2pm

• Short walk to familiarize you with Dingle

• Blasket Bar social @6pm with 7pm dinner at Coast Guard Restaurant

From the Marathon Archives...

 Bay State Marathon

October 18, 1992 - Lowell, Massachusetts

Today I completed my first marathon, at the Baystate Marathon, in Lowell, Massachusetts.  I ran 3:35:00 for the 26.2-miles (two loops).  My folks drove out to see me finish, which was really cool.

Today DL and I begin our journey to Ireland!

Day 1, Thursday October 17th

• Load up Bus and head out for Logan Airport

• Check in for Aer Lingus Flight EI 134

• Depart at 6:35pm local time for Shannon Airport 

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

Seven years ago today we said goodbye to Tippi.  She was a rescue we were blessed with for well 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, the Valley, and much of north-central and western Connecticut.

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 Tips, rest easy girl.

Tippi, August 2000 - October 17th, 2016.

Having been born in 1962, and liking and listening to music from the early sixties onward, I thought it might be fun to attempt a listing of my favorite albums each year since birth.

The initial post for this series of ideas began on December 26th, 2023.  You can look it up....

This time, I present fifty Obscurities that were released in 1968.

Despite most of these records being non-commercial, I have grown to appreciate these a great deal.

Albums 1968 / Obscurities.

Silver Apples Silver Apples

Tomorrow Tomorrow

The Chocolate Watch Band The Inner Mystique

The Deviants Disposable

Caravan Caravan

Kaleidoscope A Beacon from Mars

The Deviants Ptooff!

The Music Machine The Bonniwell Music Machine

Strawberry Alarm Clock Wake Up...It's Tomorrow

Strawberry Alarm Clock The World in a Sea Shell

The Electric Prunes Release of an Oath

The Electric Prunes Mass in F Minor

The Millennium Begin

H. P. Lovecraft H. P. Lovecraft II

Billy Nicholls Would You Believe

Bo Grumpus Before The War

BubblePuppy A Gathering of Promises

The Blues Project - Planned Obsolescence

C A Quintet - A Trip Thru Hell

Dragonfly Dragonfly

Duncan Browne Give Me Take You

Ed Askew Ask the Unicorn

Faine Jade Introspection

Fever Tree Fever Tree

Fifty Foot Hose Cauldron

Finchley Boys Everlasting Tributes

The Fallen Angels It’s a Long Ways Down

The Far Cry The Far Cry

Golden Dawn Power Plant

Harumi Harumi

Harvey Mandel Cristo Redentor

Holy Model Rounders The Moray Eels Eat The Holy Modal Rounders

July July

Red Krayola God Bless the Red Krayola

Lemon Pipers Green Tambourne

Lemon Pipers Jungle Marmalade

Lollipop Shoppe Just Colour

Nightshadow The Square Root of Two

Neighb'rhood Childr'n Neighb'rhood Childr'n

Chamaelean Church Chamaeleon Church

Marc Brieley Welcome To The Citadel

Randy Burns Evening of the Magician

Outsiders CQ

Bit O’ Sweet Hypnotic I

Silver Apples Silver Apples

Parson Sound Pärson Sound

Peter Brotzmann Machine Gun

Plastic Cloud The Plastic Cloud

SRC SRC

West Coast Pop Volume 3: A Child's Guide to Good and Evil

Consulting Shift @ EW.

7.2-Miles Granville.

Consulting in EW. 

Granville after the heavy rain for 6.7-miles.

And From the Marathon Archives... 

Hartford Marathon
October 14 1995 - Hartford, Connecticut

Ran the 2nd Annual Hartford Marathon today with RunSteveo, trying to pace him towards a Boston Qualifier.  We didn't make the cut-off, finishing in 3:42:02.  This was my 7th completed marathon.

Trip to Williamstown, picked up my Mom to bring her to Pop's Birthday Party.

Prior, a stop at Mohawk Trail State Forest to hike 2.6-miles up Trout Brook Trail.

And From the Marathon Archives... 

Conway Covered Bridge Marathon - October 13th, 2012

Conway & Goshen, Massachusetts

Today, Wuzzam and I ran the Conway Covered Bridge Marathon.  We had Ned and his daughter's dog with us for the first 10-miles or so, and they were good company.

The idea for the run had been with me for a while, but what sealed it was Farmer Tom was doing a group trail ride through the woods from either Berkshire East or South Face, to the Covered Bridge in Conway.

We would start running in the opposite direction of the bikes, beginning at the St. Mark's Church parking area (we hoped to start running on an hour but we found out the church bells haven't been active for many years).  We immediately crossed the Burkeville Covered Bridge and we were soon into Conway State Forest.

Highlights of the run included:

• Cricket Hill
• Joe Herrick Gulf
• Smith Hill
• Bullitt Reservation
• Chapel Falls & Ledge/Pony Cliffs
• Moore Hill and the Firetower

We finished really strong, final time of 6:33:15.  This was my 50th completed marathon.

On the drive out to retrieve our two aid station drops, we ran into the mountain bike group crossing West Road exiting the DAR State Forest onto the Chapel Falls Trail toward Conway State Forest.

An excellent day!

Granville for 5.3-Miles late afternoon. 

Short Shift in the early morning, drive to Logan Transport T-Station to pick up JC and AC. 

"High Points" along trails during September 2024... 

• Spruce Hill, Savoy Mountain State Forest, Savoy, MA
• East Sweetman Mountain, Granville, MA
• Bad Luck Mountain, Granville, MA
• Seymour Mountain, Granville, MA
• Rocky Point, Granville-Westfield, MA
• North Drake Mountain, Southwick /Granville, MA
• Holden Hill, Granville, MA
• West Hill, Hawley (Dubuque & Savoy Mountain State Forest), MA

Full Day at JHM (8-hours). 

Granville - Phelon Forest (NEFF) for 5.8-miles.  

Branch took a chunk out of my skull towards finish of adventure.

And from the Marathon Archives...

DAR to Bullitt Reservation Marathon
October 9th, 2013 - Goshen & Ashfield, Massachusetts

The DAR Marathon (Daughter's of the American Revolution).

Tippi and I ran a DAR State Forest Marathon today in 6:10:00.  This was my 52nd completed marathon, and Tippi's 17th.  

We began in Goshen, at the Daughter's of American Revolution State Forest, and ran out to Bullitt Reservation, and back.  We enjoyed views from Chapel Ledge and Chapel Falls.

Tippi on Chapel Ledge

Tippi looking off Chapel Ledge.

Tippi on Chapel Ledge.

Chapel Falls.

Chapel Falls.

Tippi cooling off in a pool at Chapel Falls.

Course with Tippi's track as well

Granville - Phelon Forest (NEFF) for 5.4-miles. 

What Played in Ed's Head -- 

Music listened to for the time-period September 1st through September 30th, 2024:

Run in McLean (4.3-miles) with K2 early.

Old Sturbridge Village "Phantoms by Firelight!" in afternoon.