Last year's memories of Mountain Jam are a bit tainted. I'd had a really rough morning, thanks to my middle son, and my early afternoon proved that the day could, in fact, become even worse. As always, my friends pulled me through that day and were once again on hand this year to replace any … Continue reading Mountain (without the) Jam
Category: friends
Come on in my Cucina
See that post title above? I have a confession about it... I seriously almost used a more, shall we say, colorful homophonic version of the word "come," but chose not to because I was afraid it might be interpreted as vulgar. I may be salty at times with my language choices, but crass is something … Continue reading Come on in my Cucina
Rise up
Last year, I was blessed to spend Easter in the Black Forest. There was a dusting of new snow that morning and I attended mass alone in a beautiful church where the only word I truly understood was "Amen." It was perfect. In the little town of Neustadt, thousands of miles from "home," I had … Continue reading Rise up
Happy trails
At one point Sunday afternoon, as Chrissy and I ran over snow and sand and through mud and ice, I had to laugh at how lucky it is that we both find the challenge of trail running to be fun. Yes, fun. It's like being a kid again, running through the woods to either get … Continue reading Happy trails
What makes a tradition?
I remember Aloysius asking me that very question a couple of years ago as the Laker guys and I started talking about revisiting Mountain Jam. Since we had all gone together the previous year, was returning to the festival for a second time, in fact, a tradition? Operating on the premise that traditions bring us … Continue reading What makes a tradition?
Yaktrax and making tracks
It's been a rough couple of weeks for those of us who like to exercise outdoors. I mean, 5 degrees on the plus side just doesn't beckon to me, especially when the skies are grey and the wind is kicking up. After nearly a week without a run, I finally got out last Saturday during … Continue reading Yaktrax and making tracks
The Big Easy for little $
Planning for the recent girls' getaway began months ago. The topic had been bandied about like a pair of traveling pants, each of the four of us adding her own particular curve to the project. The criteria was simple: not too far, not too expensive, the simpler the transportation the better. When I came across … Continue reading The Big Easy for little $