Last Saturday, I started the day out with an 18.5 mile run. As with last week, Jim joined up with me partway through the run, which was very much appreciated. Not surprisingly, after I got home and showered and ate, I decided a nap was in order.

It was partly in order because I knew I’d be out late that night. Saturday was CVCA’s annual auction, and the organizers always want me to be there to make sure the computer check-out system is working. They also kindly let me bring Meredith, so it is as pleasant an evening as it can be considering that I end up worrying about computers for hours. The auction usually goes until 11:00 or so, so I figured a nap would help.

The auction has a theme every year – some years it has been Italy, or America, or the 1950s. This year, it was “An Evening in Paris.” The decorating people always do an amazing job, especially with the entry hallway, which this year was made to look like a street in Paris, with cafes and shops and such. They always deck the hallway out in pretty lights, and it is a good way to set the tone for the evening.

Supper is buffet-style, and usually tries to match the theme. Since I am not crazy about a lot of French food, I was happy to find excellent roast beef sandwiches, of which I ate too many.

Mer likes the auction as well. She usually does not like to shop, but the auction brings it out in her. Her best guess is that the factors of a good cause, competitive bidding, and bargains combine to bring out her inner shopper. She does have some ground rules; it is Meredith, after all. She only will bid on the opening bid of an item and will not bid past that. She still always ends up with some items, but she had fewer this year – I took it as a good sign that people were bidding more. She ended up with about half a dozen items, three of which were certificates for multiple sessions with personal trainers. She is going to be buff!

The auction went off without a hitch. I felt the live auction, where there is an actual auctioneer, dragged just a little. The live items tend to be big trips or a car or the like, and so the live auction often involves just a handful of bidders. Still, it is for a good cause (keeping CVCA tuition down), and dessert was served right before the live auction, so that helped pass the time for those of us who were not bidding.

So ended another CVCA auction; I think that was my ninth, and I have been blessed that we have never had a major computer issue in that time.