And a Good Time Was Had By All

Why is it that every time my friend Roger is in town to shoot pictures of the sunrise, uh, there isn't one? It happened once before, and it happened again Saturday morning.

The morning of St. Mary's 21st Annual 5k Race dawned overcast & cloudy with the threat of sprinkles. Good for runners who want to stay cooler & not get toasted by the sun, but not so good for the whole incentive of a pretty run at the beach. Although the mugginess of the warm morning made for some very sweaty people (and they weren't even running).

Roger had a big ol' camera with lenses projecting out about a foot and was taking very professional pictures as a huge favor to the Home. Thank you RAD! And if you would like to read some informative & easy to understand tutorials for beginning photographers, check out his blog.

Interspersed with my volunteer duties, I took a bunch of pictures too with my bitty little Fuji point-and-shoot. And I know that my pictures will be put to shame once the pros get theirs up, but here they are anyway.

We had a little bit of peace before the hoards descended.

And then it was controlled chaos for registration, picking up race packets, getting kids into jogging strollers,
and all the other sundry things that go on before a race.

Oh, and even though our kids couldn't be there this year due to H1N1 precautions,
4 of our former kids (who grew up & left us for the adult world) were there.
It was like old home week. Those are 3 of our boys on the left.

But finally, Team Hoyt was ready for their close-up.

Okay, all ready to start, right?


The Race Coordinator from the Tidewater Striders had no sooner finished telling the racers that the road was closed & Team Hoyt would start in the left lane and runners in the right - the words still hovering in the air above her head - than we had a visitor.
Ooooh noooooo.

It really was pretty funny. But you know what? This is, in fact, an active Army base and they, like, have first dibs on the road, and since he couldn't turn around, he just kept coming.

The crowds parted and our valiant fighting men with their big boat passed through.

And . . . .


. . . they're off!





When I turned around, I saw these.
Either we have a hard-core runner who likes to batter their bare feet on the asphalt,
or . . . well, I just don't know.


If you know me, you know I'm a sucker, but the little kids who did the 1-Mile Fun Run were toooo cute.


Do you know what one of the more popular post-race refreshments was?


And, remember when I told you that Team Hoyt VB was trying to raise money for St. Mary's at the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon last month? Well, they did it! And after having all the kids sign the big fake check . . .


. . . Trey White (leader of Team Hoyt VB) presented us with $10,000.


You gotta love these people. Well, you don't gotta, but we do. They are some wonderful folks.

Many thanks to the countless volunteers who made it a great day, the scores of runners & walkers (about 325) who made it one of our most successful races EVER, Fort Story for their excellent facilities & peaceful course & beautiful beach, the Tidewater Striders for keeping the timing straight, Team Hoyt for their tireless efforts on behalf of young people with disabilities, our many sponsors and donors who made the race a roaring success, RAD for stepping in at the last minute to take pictures when our scheduled photographer couldn't be there, and . . . did I forget anyone? If I did, it is out of stupidity and not a lack of gratitude.

But not everyone had a good time. Sigh.



Oh, and after the race, I got to race back to the Home to watch the Hokies take on Duke with my friend. It wasn't on TV but was on espn360.com, so instead of watching it on a big screen with a fuzzy picture, we got to watch it on the big, crystal clear, LCD TV that's hooked up to the internet. Whoo-hoo!


And the Hokies won! Double whoo-hoo!!

Run! Run like the wind!

Or walk like a gentle breeze, if you prefer.

I have been remiss in my responsibilities. Derelict in my duties. Mea culpa, mea culpa.
This weekend has crept up on me quicker than I thought.
But . . . uh . . . I'm gettin' old.
I forget things.
Yeah, that's it.

So, runners & walkers, MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
This Saturday is the 21st annual St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children 5k Run and 1 mile Fun Run/Walk.
Click here for more information.
And if you look very carefully, you will see me in one of those videos that are embedded on that page.
If you don't see me because you don't know what I look like, good.
Not lookin' my best, that's for sure.

But really, you'll find no better cause than our kids and no nicer location for the run.
Fort Story is beautiful this time of year. And, after the race,
you can go up the old Cape Henry Lighthouse if you want an outstanding view of the city.


You can visit the First Landing Cross right across the street for a wee history lesson.


You can go to the beach for some peace & quiet.
Which, by the way, will be practically deserted on account of it is on a very small Army base and it's autumn.


What more could you ask for, right?
What's that? You thought of something? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot (again).

There will be BEER!

I know this post is woefully late, but you can still register on the day of the race.
So, c'mon down for the fun.
You'll feel good about yourself.

Birthdays & Beaches

I had such a good time last weekend for all my birthday festivities, I decided to do it again. Yippee!! Wait, no? Oh, that's right, it is Beloved Son's birthday, the sweetest baby ever born!!

Long ago one sunny morn,
On the day that you were born,
The doctor tripped, and then then he said,
"Whoops, I dropped it on its head."

Also, he is the cutest baby ever born. I know everyone says this about their kids, but...

... come on people, is there really any doubt? There have been some close seconds, but I have not found anyone to dethrone him yet.

He is 26 - more than a quarter century. Shit, that suddenly makes me feel positively prehistoric. Today, in addition to having to work on his day of celebration (bummer), he is also housesitting his boss's dogs, so tomorrow we will go to dinner at Il Giardino (don't forget to support your locally-owned businesses), where they will be so good as to let me bring his ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery. I know, it's a chain. Sigh, but he loves those things, and today he gets whatever he wants. Although I remember once I had a scoop each of pumpkin ice cream & cheesecake ice cream together that was drop-dead delicious.

Today was also the 20th annual St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children 5k Run. In addition to the usual runners, Team Hoyt Virginia Beach was there to push a bunch of our kids through the race in jogging strollers. There were a lot of jogging strollers.

The number of people wanting to push strollers grows with each race, so more & more of our kids get to join in on the fun. So many that not all the kids would fit into the picture.

The race took place this year at Fort Story, a bitty little base plunked down in the most prime real estate in the city - at Cape Henry, where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.

The area above the road is the Fort, and just about all of the green treed area is a state park. Between those 2 things, all that glorious potential revenue-producing land is off-limits to the poor city. Heh. BTW - doncha just love Google Earth?

Every couple years, our good city council folk anxiously await the latest round of base closings, with just a bit of drool on their chins, as they dream of hotels, condos, and high-end shopping. Sadly for them, what appears to be a useless base squatting on pricey land is most useful in other ways. Other than the uses listed in the link, the Navy loves to use the Fort for SEAL training. You can't easily find all those miles of unspoiled, unpopulated beachfront & marshland in which to practice their sneak attacks.

I would really like to know what the rocky outcroppings are used for. There are other hidden gems at Fort Story. The Cape Henry Lighthouses are there, right across the street from each other. The first picture of this series is from the web. The others are mine.

The old one, which is now a national historic landmark, is open to the public. It was built in 1792, the first lighthouse authorized by the federal government. The 'new' one, which is still in use today but not open to the public, was built in 1881. This next picture shows them both in 1905:

I also like this picture I found of the lights with one of our Navy ships being deployed:

Also at Fort Story is the site of the First Landing in 1607.

There is a large granite cross there now commemorating the event. Access to the Fort is restricted, so be prepared to have your car searched if you want to go see these things.