My boss at CVCA is Jim, and he is a long-distance runner nut too. We decided this year to run the Akron half-marathon again (late September), and then have an eye out for a late-October marathon to maybe run. I have been trying to ramp up my miles, but have had very little success of late. Because school is starting up again, I needed to switch my running from early morning to afternoon, and it has been hot. Last week, I ran 45 minutes (about 5-6 miles), 30 minutes (about 4-5 miles), 30 minutes, and 23 minutes (3 miles). I was supposed to run 12 miles at least once this week, if not twice.

So, I approached Jim about running this morning, early. He agreed, but said he wanted to go 17 miles. We decided to take separate cars down to the towpath to run – that way I could leave after 12 miles if I wanted to, while Jim could run on.

This morning was a perfect morning for running (cool and dry). We met up a little after 7:00, and started off. We both felt good. My legs started to feel things around 40 minutes, but not too badly, so we continued on. I made up my mind, based on how I was feeling (good), that I was going to run at least 2 hours. Once that happened, we only had 2 miles to go to get to 17 miles, so I kept going with Jim even though my legs were really tired (I was only supposed to go 12 miles by my home-grown training schedule).

The results were encouraging: we made it. We ran 17 miles in 2:17, which is just (barely) under 8-minute miles. Our goal for Akron is about 7-minute miles, but that is only 13 miles, and is still a month away, so I think the run was a good one this morning. Now I’m going to take my weary legs and go nap!

Last Saturday was Jo’s real birthday, as well as the evening concert of Great Big Sea that got the whole outing going. We puttered about at the house while everyone got ready, and we left around 10:00 for our first exciting Greater Akron destination of the day – the Towpath Trail in the valley.

The Towpath is a trail built near and around the old canal that went through the valley. As a towpath, it is very level, and so I run on it from time to time. I admired what I saw, so I thought it would be a good destination for our guests. I went to the parking area just off Bolanz Road, near a very good farmers’ market (Szalay’s market). We parked and headed south on foot along the trail. It was a beautiful morning, and we saw some wildlife (turtles and herons) along the way. My ultimate destination was the beavers’ marsh – an area that is flooded several feet because of some ambitious mammals. It is about a mile walk, mostly in shade, and passed quite pleasantly.

Once at the beavers’ marsh, we hung out and looked at the thousands of lily pads, and there was a friendly park ranger hanging out explaining about beavers (including having a pelt and a model skull). Meredith then summoned us over to one edge of the foot bridge that spans the marsh to look at one mean-looking, moss-covered snapping turtle. There were a bunch of small fish (about 4 inches) swimming around and looking at us, so I assume they normally get handouts of food.

We ambled back to the parking area, but I wanted to show everyone Szalay’s market. This was not met with any protests (other than a plea for a bathroom stop), and so we found ourselves in a kick-butt farmers’ market. I am not the world’s healthiest eater, and I will eat fruit a few times a year, and vegetables a fewer times a year. But boy, did the food look good at the farm! They had fruits and vegetables of all kinds (especially corn, which is grown in the adjoining fields), but they had cookies, jams, cheeses, and more. I picked up two cookies and a jar of raspberry spread. Shannon scored two corn plates and two quarts of blueberries. James snagged some mixed nuts, and Jo tried fresh corn-on-a-stick after buying black licorice. We all tried out seats outside that were made from old tractor seats and rims, which were surprisingly comfortable. After Jo had eaten her corn, we headed back to the car and then the house to stash our foodstuffs.

We then headed out for more foodstuffs. Mer and I took everyone (in Shannon and Jo’s rented van) to the Cuyahoga Falls Sheridan, to the restaurant Piatto Novo, where they serve a jaw-dropping and waist-expanding brunch. We had fun with a sarcastic grill man (who told Mer she could only have a waffle OR French toast, which was not true), while he made us (in various courses) French toast, Belgian waffles, and eggs to order. The brunch also had a large fruit bar and trays of breakfast meats and breakfast potatoes. I was so stuffed from the regular food that I passed on the dessert table (I was also aware of the cake still at home). Piatto Novo also has a wonderful view of the falls, since it is built right on the river and the river-side walls are all glass. We had much fun watching one duck swimming back and forth across the rapids.

After brunch, we walked along the river walk for about four blocks north. The river was very pretty, and the weather continued to be very fine. We cut in to the shopping area of Cuyahoga Falls, and walked back toward the car though the pedestrian zone. I was pretty surprised – in three blocks, we probably only saw about 5 or 6 people. It was a perfect day in summer, on a Saturday, around 1:00! That does not bode too well for the Falls pedestrian shopping area, which is too bad – it is nice not to mess with a car.

We went north, and I decided to show everyone the Ledges park, which is only a couple miles from our house. It is an area of exposed rock and winding trails that overlook the valley in a couple of places. We were not there too long – about 40 minutes, and we probably only walked about a mile, but it was a good time. On the way back, we stopped at an outdoor-sports supplier to look around. James ended up buying some kind of footwear, but I never saw what. I’m sure it was snowshoes.

We headed back home, where we all settled down to watch a DVD that Jo had brought of an older Doctor Who episode – The Five Doctors. I was a Doctor Who junkie when I was in high school, so it was good to see one of the older shows again. The experience was enhanced with a little cake-eating on my part.

After our movie break, we piled back into the car and headed Akron-ward again. We were headed to the same area we had been on Friday – the concert was at Lock 3, only two blocks from the baseball stadium, Canal Park. Great Big Sea is a pretty popular band, and NE Ohio is (oddly) a folk music hot spot, so we were worried that the place might be mobbed. We wanted to get there when the gates opened (6:30), so we were surprised to see the gates open when we did arrive at 6:15. There was a fair-sized crowd, but not overwhelming, so we were able to plant our blankets in the shade to the far right of the stage, only about 30 feet from it. They were decent seats.

We all whiled away the 45 minutes or so until the concert started with an opening act by wandering around. Mer went to look at the lock. James wandered all over the park to see what was around. Shannon and Jo stood in a line for Jo to get a t-shirt, and then again for Shannon to buy me a CD he owed me from a bet. I went to the food places to get some water for Mer, and then later to get some fries and something to drink. The time passed quite nicely.

The opening act started a few minutes late, about 7:20 or so. It was a singer that I had never heard of, Jeremy Fisher. He turned out to be quite good. It was just him and his guitar, but his music was solid, and his storytelling was excellent. He told a story of getting a free lunch at a university in Michigan, staying to court a girl whom he later married, and thus absorbed her school debt. His moral: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Jeremy played until about 8:45 or so, and Great Big Sea came on about 9:00.

Great Big Sea is a fantastic band. They have tons of energy, and they play traditional tunes but with lots of drive and attitude. The crowd was really into the concert, and I think the band fed off of that. At one point someone threw a cowboy hat on stage, which led to the band members taking turns wearing it and playing country songs. This was all ad libbed, and the crowd loved it (and the lead singer, who was not singing, kept cracking up). At one point the lead singer’s guitar was having issues, so the other guitarist played and sang “Lean On Me.” After an announcement that the band want to do an a cappella number, one of the band members joked about doing “Bohemian Rhapsody” a cappella. This led the lead singer to lead the crowd in singing the song, for over a minute. Everyone was having a blast. The band members kept giving each other a hard time, and the crowd was pumped and into the music. It was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. They finally had to end the music at 10:45 because the park closes at 11:00 (“Who knew?” asked the lead singer). What a great time.

After the concert, we went to the Ohio Brewing Company/Damon’s restaurant to get some light food, and so James could try some more local brews. I think we hit a gold mine there, because James was able to order the beer sampler, which featured six different kinds of beer in small-ish glasses. Mer and I split an order of mozzarella sticks and a piece of chocolate cake. Shannon ate some fries, and Jo had some food as well as James’s stout (James does not like stout).

Damon’s has about 1 huge TV for every two tables, and the Olympics was on most of them. We sat down in time to see the swimming relay where Michael Phelps was going for his eighth gold medal. We were watching with some interest, and as the last relay man hit the wall with 50 meters to go, a loud cheer went up from the bar area of the restaurant. I figured the bar folks were having a good time on their own, so I did not think too much about it until the last swimmer hit the last 10 meters, still ahead. The crowd near the bar let out another cheer that grew louder as he approached the wall and exploded into applause as he touched the wall in first and Phelps had won his eighth gold medal. It was a touching and neat moment to be a part of in a public space.

After the light meal, we headed home and went to bed. Shannon, Jo , and James headed out around 9:00 on Sunday morning to head to Columbus to pick up Jo’s ferrets. As they pulled out, I sighed to Meredith, “And there goes our summer, pulling out.” It turns out that Jo had forgotten her food from the farmers’ market, so I jumped in the car and ran over to the local coffee place, Rico Latte, where I managed to return the things to Jo.

There are more wonders to see in our neck of the woods, but I’ll have to save them for another time.

Everything started a few months ago when I noticed a band I liked was coming to Lock 3 in Akron. Great Big Sea, a Newfoundland group that does folk-based songs with energy and attitude, was coming to NE Ohio, and for only $5 per ticket. This was a great opportunity! I called Sonotmu, and mentioned it. I invited him out for the concert, and it turns out that the day of the concert (Saturday the 16th) is Jo’s birthday. In addition, Jo loves ferrets, and Ohio has ferret breeders in Columbus, so the ball got rolling for Shannon and Jo to come out since Jo wanted to get two ferrets. As the time got closer, it turned out that our mutual friend James (aka the Rev) was also able to come along, so we had a merry little party going for Jo’s birthday. This called for something big. Or at least something nice – it is Ohio, after all.

Everyone came out on Friday, getting here much earlier than I had expected – about 1:15. No one was here at the house (I was at work and Mer was out running errands), so the trio went to a local Chinese place for lunch and came back. By the time they got back, Mer was home and so they were able to get in; Jo had a migraine, and so went to lie down, while James and Shannon came with Mer to CVCA to see where Mer and I work.

I was able to join everyone about 3:00 or so, and so we puttered around a bit, with Shannon hooking up his iPod Touch to our TV, so he could show us the online video of Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a very funny online video made by Josh Whedon (of Buffy and Firefly fame). By the time the video was wrapping up, Jo was awake and feeling better, so we headed out to an evening on Akron town.

Shannon and Jo had rented a small six-passenger van thingy, so we all fit comfortably in their car. We got to Akron and found a parking garage with only one slight mis-turn, and we walked downtown to Lock 3, where our restaurant of the evening is located. I had chosen a sort of hole-in-the-wall kind of bar as a good place to eat because they specialized in seven different types of grilled cheese. The Lockview restaurant boasts a patio on the roof, but sadly, this was closed when we went (they were setting up for a party of some kind). Still, I liked the place – our waitress was fun and a bit sassy, and the menu lived up to expectations – Jo, James, and I all ordered various kinds of grilled cheese, while Shannon went with hummus and quesadillas and Mer got some hearty-looking mac-n-cheese. Shannon was also able to get an English imported cider that he likes, and James got a locally brewed beer that he seemed to enjoy.

The meal was fairly leisurely, taking about 45 minutes to an hour or so, and then we made the two-block walk to Canal Park, home of the Akron Aeros, the AA baseball team affiliated with the Cleveland Indians. It was a perfect night for baseball, and my memory had served me well in recalling that the third-base side of the stadium (where we had seats) was in the shade. I love Canal Park – it is a small stadium (it can hold about 10,000), and is clean and well-kept. The experience is fun – there is generally some sort of diversion between each inning. We saw a water-balloon-hitting contest, a race around the bases between a boy and the Aeros mascot (the boy won – the mascot, Orbit, is only 1-60 for the season), a dance competition between two kids from the audience (one had great moves), a race between people dressed as cream sticks (chocolate won, as it should), and more. I love the wacky things that go on between the innings – they make me smile.

I also like watching minor league baseball. It is impressive to watch how good these guys are, and yet they are still a couple of moves away from the big leagues. I couldn’t get over how fast the ball moved. There are a few more errors in minor league games that I have seen, but not so many as to be sloppy. The game we saw on Friday was very good, with a few really good plays made in the infield. Sadly, the visiting team (New Britain) had great pitching, and the Aeros only managed two hits all evening, and lost 6-0.

To wrap up the evening at the park, there were fireworks sponsored by Akron Children’s Hospital (it was cancer survivor day at the park). These fireworks are the best I have ever seen. The were launched from behind the left field wall, so they were only about 300 feet away, and most exploded near the ground. Many times you could feel the impact of the shock wave from the combustion. In fact, the fireworks were close enough that the three sections of seats closest to the fireworks were emptied before the show began, since that was a place where firework fallout could land. In addition to being close, the show was extravagant – there were always fireworks in the air, and often there were 10 or more going on at once. They combined close-to-the-ground streaming fireworks with more traditional ones that exploded higher up, and the entire thing was more or less coordinated with music piped over the loudspeakers of the stadium. It was great. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I figured they would not come out on the camera, and also I wanted to just relax and enjoy the show.

After the show, we walked the three blocks back to the car in the garage and headed home, except that with all the traffic from the game (and probably a concert from Lock 3), it took about 15 minutes just to get out of the garage. Still, that was okay – the company was good.

We got home and turned on the Olympics and I served up Jo’s birthday cake. It was not her birthday yet, but the cake was not going to get any fresher. It was a bakery-made cake, and was very good – white cake with chocolate and peanut butter layer fillings, with a white buttercream frosting.

All in all, I could not have asked for things to go better. The weather had been great, the restaurant worked out, and the baseball game (plus fireworks) was a great way to spend the evening. We all managed to head to sleep around 11:00 or so (we had a busy day planned for Saturday, but that is another post).

Today was the day. We had never wanted to be a five-cat family, and the other cats were having trouble adjusting to the new kittens (Emma never came out of the lower level of our house, and Bocca started peeing on the rug). So, with sadness, we gave Folio and Quarto to their new mother, our excellent house/cat sitter. I will miss the wee beasts – they are VERY cute, and Folio was so active, he was always fun to watch. Quarto is perhaps the sweetest cat I have ever met, and he had a plaintive (but cute) mewing chirp that demanded instant attention. He had taken to falling asleep in my lap, just this week. I wish Foley and Queuey the very best in their new home.

Last Saturday we got to go with Kelly, Paul, and WCN to the University of Alabama’s outdoor pool. I was picturing an athletic-style pool, but this was not the case at all. The outdoor pool is family-centered, with a kiddie pool (maximum depth of 2 feet), and a large pool that had a max depth of about 4 feet. The large pool also had a lazy-river section, where you could float with the artificial current. Most importantly, the large pool had a three-story water slide.

I played with WCN in the kiddie pool for a little while, until she started to fuss about going in the big pool. I left her in Mom’s expert care, and ran off to lazy river with Meredith, which was fun – we floated along together for most of the trip, separating when we threatened to run over a group of kids. Once along the lazy river was enough when compared to the siren call of the water slide, so off we went to the slide.

The slide turned out to be tremendous fun. It was certainly as big as any slide I had been on in my youth in Maine (think Bear Pond for fellow Mainers). I suspect that I had not been on a water slide in 20 years or more. Fun! This one was not super fast, but had plenty of corners which felt fast. I concentrated on speed by trying to keep my head back and keep my weight even across my body, and that worked well. I got quite a bit of height on many of the corners. I thought it was great. So, I rode it again. And again. And again. I conservatively estimate that I rode the slide about 30 times. I suspect the lifeguards on slide duty thought I was nuts.

After the swim, we mellowed much of the afternoon away watching the Olympics in Kelly and Paul’s beautiful loft. They even had digital cable! Certainly a better picture than the old rabbit ears give us here.

WCN’s baby sitter came over about 6:00, and the adults (and me) headed off to the newly opened Longhorn restaurant in town. Being new, it was mobbed, and the wait was over an hour. We were able to spend the time quite pleasantly in the nearby Barnes and Noble bookstore, where I came away with three books and a very nice triple-chunk cookie.

The Longhorn food was very good, but the service was spotty at best. I suspect they were still working out the kinks in the kitchen and in table management. The salads and soups came at the same time as the meal (which was slow in coming), Meredith did not get the dressing she wanted, I did not get all my food without asking two separate times, Paul had to wait about 25 minutes for a basic margarita, and our waitress, while nice, was not always attentive to us. I suspect that they will get their act together, but my recommendation is to stay away from restaurants for the first month or two until they get things figured out. Having said all this, the food was excellent, and the company was great, so it was still a fun evening.

We went with Kelly and WCN to Kelly’s church the next day (Paul was not feeling well, so he stayed home), where we heard a very good homily on God being into the spectacular, even in ordinary lives. The only bad part of church was they ran out of post-church donuts before WCN got hers, but that was rectified by a quick grocery stop on the way home.

Meredith and I had to head out after church – we wanted to do the 7-hour drive to our friend’s house while it was daylight. We left about 1:00 or so, and had no trouble in getting to Louisville. Beverly welcomed us warmly, and we laughed while Beverly told stories on how she met her late husband; she is quite the storyteller. It was a work (school) day for Beverly on Monday, so we turned in around 11:00.

I had planned on taking Meredith to Kings Island amusement park, which is outside Cincinnati, but that plan fell though when I did not sleep well (on the order of two hours’ sleep). We’ll have to catch it next summer. The early start did get us home early (around 1:00), where I was able to grab a two-hour nap.

It was a short trip, but it was great to see Kelly, Paul, and the WCN. It is nice to be able to picture their house, and to know where Paul works. I’ll have to see what else I can buy for WCN at CVCA’s next auction to give me a good excuse to go again.

Friday was our first full day in Alabama, and it was Mer’s and my tenth anniversary to boot. We had a good day of it!  We slept in, and then I got up and showered and went downstairs, where I had cereal with Sammy and we watched a Richard Scarry cartoon about the alphabet. We had a leisurely time while Kelly and Meredith got ready, and then we all headed out to the Childrens’ Hands-On Museum.

CHOM was fun. We did not see too much of it, since WCN generally got fixated on what she was doing for a fair amount of time. First, we went to the farmer section, where WCN slid down a silo, played on a bridge (I was briefly the troll under the bridge), and then sorted vegetables into separate bins. We then headed over to the beaver dam section, where there was a beaver dam house and slide. Everything is small-sized for kids, but WCN wanted mom and me to get into the beaver house with her. I managed to squeeze in, and once I was in, it was plenty big.

We spent about an hour or so at CHOM, and then we headed to a sandwich/wrap place where we ate very well (I like wraps). We swung by a German bakery, and then walked home, where Mer and I ate our chocolate-filled, frosted croissants. Yum.

It was then time for WCN to have a nap, and in a display of support, I had a nap too. After my nap (WCN was still sleeping), Kelly took me and Mer to the gym so I could run and Mer could read in the lounge. I managed to run 7 miles at my last year’s half-marathon pace (7:08/mile), so I was pleased. The University of Alabama’s fitness center is a very nice facility – the place was spacious and clean, and the treadmill I was on was soft on the feet, and had a built-in heart meter (I maxed out around 182 beats/minute). It was a good workout.

The University of Alabama is a nice campus. The buildings are all red brick, and the campus has a nice uniform feel to it. Even the frat buildings look nice. Not too surprisingly, the football stadium is pretty central to the campus, and can be seen from much of the school grounds – it is huge.

We went back home to an awake WCN and Paul, and we got cleaned up so we could get messy eating  barbecue. We went to a nearby restaurant, where Mer, Kelly, and I got good pulled-pork sandwiches, while Paul got ribs and WCN got chicken tenders.

After supper, we went home, where Sammy got ready for bed, and we headed up to Kelly and Paul’s loft to watch the Olympics’ opening ceremony. It was a nice day.

As we headed into Alabama on Thursday, Meredith needed a bathroom break, so I pulled off at the first rest stop, which was also a state welcome center. It was near Huntsville, which is where they manufactured the Saturn rockets, so happily, the rest stop had a Saturn III (I think) rocket on display. Needless to say, I was happy about this rest stop.

We got to Kelly and Paul’s about 6:00. We were greeted by Kelly and Paul and the World’s Cutest Niece. It was good to get here, and the welcome was very warm, although WCN was a bit shy. We brought our stuff in while WCN watched from the safety of Mom’s arms. Mer and I then brought in our present for WCN – a fancy rocking horse that we got at the CVCA auction for WCN. She was still a little shy, but seemed to like “horsey.” She still has not ridden it, but pets it and gives it kisses. Did I mention she was the World’s Cutest Niece?

Kelly said we were going to go out for supper, and we could go for barbecue, or we could go to a local Arts Night, which happens on the first Thursday of every month. Since it only happens once a month, I jumped at the chance to go to the Arts Night to hear some music. The fact that Arts Night is put on by Mary’s Cakes, a bakery, had nothing to do with it….

The bakery is a short ride (15 minutes) from the house, and we were one of the first ones there. The weather was threatening, so it was a smaller crowd, but that was okay for us. I think it topped out at about 30 people or so, and the atmosphere was very relaxed, with people wandering around, chatting, and even dancing (mostly with the abundant numbers of toddlers).

The band had a good sound – it was blues with guitar, sax, drums, and an Englishman (the English play blues?) on keyboards. The leader, a woman, was very interactive with the crowd – chatting with us, encouraging people to dance, and even wandering into the crowd (she had a wireless electric guitar). They were fun.

Supper from the bakery was pretty much limited to sandwiches, but that was fine. The real fun was in the bakery. Mer and I got chocolate-covered brownies (very nice concept!) that had a hidden bonus of mousse inside – chocolate brownies topped with chocolate mousse covered in chocolate. Mmmmmm. As if that were not enough, one of the bakery employees had a birthday, so they gave away free cake. There were two cakes, one white and one chocolate. Each had four separate tiers, and each tier was a different flavor of filling. Cake and brownies and music and family, in a relaxed atmosphere outside. Very nice.

We took a brief wander in an antique store to look at the antique prints and maps, and then we went home. It was a nice evening. 

We are visiting my sister and her family in Alabama. It is about a 12-hour drive, and I can’t do drives that long anymore, so we decided to break the drive up. About five and a half hours into the drive is Louisville, Kentucky, and that seemed a good distance, especially if we left after I got home from work. As a great added bonus, we have a friend and former colleague who lives in Louisville, so we could stay with Beverly and visit (and save on a hotel room).

We left Ohio about 4:00, and had a nice day for driving. We stopped just south of Columbus around 6:30 to eat  at a Ruby Tuesday. We had a gift certificate, so the meal only cost $10. I had a really messy, but really good, burger, while Meredith had some Mexican egg roll things with a salad bar. It was a welcome respite from the road.

We used the last of our daylight getting through Cincinnati. I had never been through Cincinnati before, but it looks nice. It has the Ohio river, and lots of hills, and the downtown looks fairly happening (at least while going 55 mph), but is small enough to look manageable. Maybe some weekend I’ll swoop Meredith away for a two-night stay there – it looks fun.

We finally got to Beverly’s house about 11:00. Her mailing address may be Louisville, but she is a long ways from downtown – we never even saw it. She must be a good 20 miles or more from the actual city. She lives in a very nice development, and I do not often describe developments as “very nice.” The houses in the development are all brick, and while there may be similar models, the same style houses are not side by side, so it does not look like a cookie-cutter development. They also have a lot of trees there, and that helps enormously.

Beverly is a wonderful Southern lady – she is hospitable, funny, and no-nonsense, She always makes me laugh with her stories and opinions. She loves her students, but puts up with no foolishness. While at CVCA, she told a student that she had thought he was a good-looking and smart kid, but she had changed her mind – now she thought him lazy. She encouraged him to try harder, and he did. Beverly can pull off stuff like that – she is a really good teacher.

Even at that late hour, Beverly took us on a tour of her lovely house. It has a fireplace, and lots of windows, and high ceilings, and lots of open spaces. Our bedroom had a lovely bed with a huge headboard (and the bed turned out to be very comfortable!). Everywhere we went, we were followed by Beverly’s 15-year-old Persian cat, Yossarian.  Yossarian may be the most mellow cat I have ever met – he let strangers (me and Meredith) hold him, and he just purred up a storm.

After the tour of the house, we talked and laughed until 1:30 in the morning. It was good to catch up with Beverly – she is good people.

Beverly insisted on cooking us breakfast in the morning, explaining that “it’s a Southern thing.” We had Beverly wake us up about 7:30, with my goal to be on the road by 9:30 or so. Beverly got us up at 7:30, and Meredith and I both took showers, and we chatted with Beverly while she made biscuits from scratch. We ate a great breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits, and we chatted more. I took a quick look at Beverly’s computer (it had 70+ spyware programs on it), and we got on the road. At 11:00. Beverly has too many good stories to tell to get on the road at 9:30.

We stopped about 12:00 at a Dairy Queen for a pick-me-up (and to get gas). It was quite a happy cultural experience. The DQ had a smoking section, and it was twice the size of the non-smoking section. The older lady who took our order had a thick accent, and she was very nice. All the people working there had thick accents, and the people ordering from the drive-through had accents. As Meredith said, it is nice to see in this age of chains and mass-media that we still have local cultures.

Ten years! It hardly seems possible. Meredith and I have been married for TEN years! I am a very lucky man – I love my wife and she is my best friend, She makes me a better person, and we laugh together all the time. She is great.

As appropriate – this morning an alarm went off by accident at 7:00 am. I could not find it, and Meredith came over to her bag (where the alarm was) to help me. As she turned the alarm off, she said cheerily, “Happy tenth anniversary!”, to which I responded with a loving, thoughtful, “Grrrrr-uuuggggh!” as I went back to bed. My language center was not working yet. She must really love me!

We are in Alabama visiting my sister, her husband, and their daughter. We had a nice day today, including eating out twice and getting ice cream. I took a nap, and while I was asleep, Meredith left me this note on my suitcase:

“I have now been married ten years. I know what it is to live
entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself
supremely blest–blest beyond what language can express; because I
am my husband’s life as fully is he is mine.”

It’s from Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. My wife is a gem!