Kyle's Ordination; Get in Gear 10K; Finally Spring

A rare and precious opportunity: joining with other clergy in the laying on of hands in the ordination service for the son of a congregation I served.
Picture: newly ordained pastor!





Saturday morning we ran the Get in Gear "Rite of Spring" 10K
A moment of silence for Boston was observed before the race.


License plate... and how long is a marathon?


After the races, Minnehaha Park was alive with runners, kids, dogs, bicycles.


A celebration of spring...at last!


This afternoon there were still old dirty piles of snow here and there, but we are celebrating SPRING!

Snowing morning: April 23, 2013

Another SEVEN inches of heavy wet beautiful snow......









Even the plants in our sunroom are confused. This one thinks it's Christmas.

April Snow

APRIL NINETEENTH (19TH), TWIN CITIES, MINNESOTA, 2013



Geese, knee deep in heavy white wet stuff: Isn't this where we nested last year??

We are NOT in Boston today.

News of the bombing at the Boston Marathon has raised concern of people who know Don is a marathon runner.
We appreciate the caring.

We are home and we are fine (and lucky).
We just returned from Duluth where we attended a big birthday party for Don's Dad's 100th birthday.

Being in sight of the finish, having run 26 miles, and witnessing the explosions must have been an electrifying experience. Hard to even imagine the disappointment of training, running, and not finishing
the Boston Marathon.
We grieve .... our hearts go out for the children, for the injured, for the runners, for families, for security and law enforcement, for supporters, organizers, volunteers...

....And for people everywhere who are involved in road racing... for it will never be quite the same again.

Shamrock Marathon / Half - Virginia Beach - March 17

Sweet Pea and Sunshine finished their runs in 50 states, with 13 marathons and the remainder half marathons.

Some swell stuff about Virginia Beach and the races:

The huge 10K ran right past our hotel on Saturday morning.


In all the races many runners were celebrating "the wearing of the green".


Spring had arrived there.




Kites flew on the beach.


Generous water stops, lots of cute kid volunteers
No stingy "single" porta-potties at this race, meant never having to stand in line.


Sand sculpture at the finish.
Hot beef and carrot soup in the finishers' tent....


Finishers' hat


Finishers' blankets were not mylar... but polar fleece.


Definitely a "green" choice: a take home reusable blanket!


Yes, spring was in Virginia, even though following soon behind the snows.


Bags, and yes, well we weren't short of bags, but nice to get these at the expo and the finish.


Long sleeved technical shirt for marathon finishers


Short sleeves for half marathon finishers


Very nice finishers' medals


And oh! the breathtaking surf.....

Here is my Sweetie's account of his marathon race: http://minnesotadon.blogspot.com/2013/03/yuengling-shamrock-marathon-virginia.html