Latest Posts
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Niagara Falls marathon
Setting a goal to run and finish 1000 marathons, I stood at 70 in January of this year. I did the math and decided that four marathons per year for eight(!) more years could get me there. Or perhaps I need to run a few more at my current (relatively) young age? Then I came…
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Housekeeping / Gilead; by Marilynne Summers Robinson
See my full-length book reviews for these two at the following page link: Housekeeping / Gilead; Marilynne Summers Robinson – Welcome (10000daysreadwriterun.com) These books are off the beaten path for me. Recently I have found some works of historical fiction by very accomplished American writers. Willa Cather wrote a century ago, she was a revelation to…
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pale blue dot
I have always thought that the image called the Pale Blue Dot was taken on a flyby of the moon by the crew of the Apollo spacecraft. This is the image we all remember. It was taken aboard Apollo 8 by Bill Anders, showing earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the spacecraft circumnavigated the…
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running uphill
The running journey started long times past with modest goals. Simply to run every day and begin to see the benefits of stronger legs, to run back-to-back basketball games with the young guys. Of course, at the start it was a challenge; and then you surprise yourself as your weight drops and your lungs expand…
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return to Ventura
For five eventful years in a time long time past, I lived and worked in Ventura California. For a marathon my youngest son Mike and I jumped on planes (he from Austin, I from Houston) landed in Los Angeles, and drove up the coast past to arrive at this wonderful seaside town. My best recollections were of…
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my top ten (twelve) books
I wrote a book review (Klara and the Sun – Welcome (10000daysreadwriterun.com)) and remarked within the review that I liked the book but did not love it. A friend of mine challenged me to share books that I truly loved, and that got me thinking, leading to an attempt to list my top ten books…
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Why Fish Don’t Exist
I wandered across this book in the staff recommended section of Barnes and Noble. Perhaps I could have found it recommended in an online book review or “best of” list, but the whimsey of a chance bookstore discovery is why we love to browse. “Picture the person you love the most. Picture them sitting on…
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Hyde Park
cold clear mid-afternoon, early winter, 2019 The sun hanging on to the southwest, dusk approaches soon. Legs unsteady, expecting a quiet Monday solitary run, surprised by the humanity. How is it possible to run straight into an amusement park today? Streaming groups of teens and adults with laughter and anticipation, bundled up babies more than…
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reflections on 20 years of running…
Many years ago, when I lived in Ventura California I began to run, first on the local college track, and then on the local streets, initially to stay in shape for full court basketball games with younger players. Running did not come naturally to me; in fact, I had initially hated it, and to this…
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book review My Antonia
I find books from a variety of sources, and collect reviews and quotes and snippets of material fill up and overflow from my collection folders and stuffed into my commonplace book. I remember some 35 years (circa 2008) ago coming across a magazine article in the Los Angeles Times magazine supplement an essay entitled Class Action by…