4.9-Miles in Granville.

And from the Marathon Archives... 

Bridgeport Marathon
October 31, 1993 - Bridgeport, Connecticut

Today I completed the Bridgeport Marathon in ~3:32:00.  This was my second completed marathon, and it was more difficult than the first.

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 thirty records I really appreciate and enjoy, released in 1968.

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

Albums 1968 / Next up 30 really likable listens...

John Fahey The Yellow Princess

Simon & Garfunkel Bookends

Small Faces There Are But Four Small Faces

Dr. John Gris-Gris

Pentangle The Pentangle

Procol Harum Shine On Brightly

The Left Banke The Left Banke Too

Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band Strictly Personal

The Beau Brummels Bradley's Barn

Pentangle Sweet Child

Nazz Nazz

Eric Burdon & The Animals The Twain Shall Meet

Blues Magoos Basic Blues Magoos

The Fugs Tenderness Junction

Steve Miller Band Children of the Future

Steve Miller Band Sailor

Vanilla Fudge The Beat Goes On

Vanilla Fudge Renaissance

The Rascals Once Upon a Dream

The Mamas & the Papas The Papas & The Mamas

John Mayall Blues from Laurel Canyon

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers Bare Wires

The Fugs It Crawled into My Hand, Honest

Spooky Tooth It's All About

Sly & the Family Stone Dance to the Music

Sly & the Family Stone Life

The Troggs Love Is All Around

Richard and Mimi Farina Memories

Moby Grape Wow/Grape Jam

Tim Hardin III

Consulting Shift @ EW.

And from the Marathon Archives... 

Mt Washington State Forest Marathon - October 2003

 Riga Plateau, South Taconic & Appalachian Trails, MA, NY & CT

Sometime in October of 2002 - 2003, Tippi completed her first "Marathon" along the Mt Riga Plateau; it would also be my 26th.  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, as we might have diverted from the most direct track.

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).

6.4-Miles in Granville. 

3.1-Miles at Bear Hole Reservoir. 

4-Miles Granville State Forest. 

Ireland Trip:

Day 10; Saturday October 26th

• Breakfast at Westport Hotel

• Depart Westport Hotel @ 8:30am for Shannon Airport

• Last minute shopping at duty free store in Shannon Airport

• Aer Lingus Flight EI 135 departs at 1:45pm

• Arrive in Boston Logan Airport at 3:45pm LOCAL TIME

• Take coach bus back to ICC; arrive early evening 

Ireland Trip:

Day 9; Friday October 25th

• Breakfast at Hotel

• Kylemore Abbey

• Kylemore Castle

• Village of Cong; the Quite Man movie

• Connemara; Irelands famous movie town

• Dinner at Hotel

Ireland Trip:

Day 8; Thursday October 24th

FREE DAY

• Hotel Breakfast

• Great Western Greenway

• Burrishoole Abbey

• Rockfleet Castle

• Clare Island Ferry

• Westport House

• Grace O’Malley; Pirate Queen

Ireland Trip:

Day 7; Wednesday October 23rd

• Breakfast at Westport Hotel

• Achill Island • Inhabited 5,000 years ago 

• Largest Island off Irelands coast 

• Megalithic Tombs, ancient forts, historic churches 

• The Deserted Village; 80 houses abandoned in 1845

Ireland Trip:

Day 6; Tuesday October 22nd 

• Breakfast at Skellig

• Depart for Westport, County Mayo 

• Stopping at Village of Adare 

• Arrive at Westport Coastal Hotel

• Dinner at Hotel

• Matt Molloy's; world famous pub by member of Chieftains and Bothy Band

Ireland Trip:

Day 5; Monday October 21st

• Breakfast at Skellig  

• Dingle Distillery Tour around 11:30/12:00pm

• Conor Pass; views of Dingle and Northern side of Peninsula

• Group Photo opportunity 

• Dingle Bay Boat tour; local history and wildlife

• Dinner at Skellig

Ireland Trip:

Day 4; Sunday October 20th

• Breakfast at the Dingle Hotel

• FREE DAY; explore as you wish 

• Tour Guides will make suggestions day of Possible attractions: 

        Dingle Aquarium, 

        Blasket Islands, 

        Dingle Boat Tours, 

        Multiple Local Shops 

OR 

Choose one of 52 Pubs in Dingle

Ireland Trip:

Day 3; Saturday, October 19, 2024

•Dingle Skellig Hotel Breakfast

• 9:00am bus tour of Dingle Peninsula; south towards Slea Head

•Next Americans Parish, the most westerly point in Europe

• Ancient Celtic Settlements along Slea Head

• Visit to the Blasket Centre

• Kilmalkedar Church

•Dinner at the Dingle Skellig Hotel

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.