Semicentennial

 

My 50th birthday fell on Election Day this year. I took my last birthday bike ride with Caroline through the Battle Road, which was cut short by a flat tire.

That was an omen for the disappointing national election results

And then the next day I found a deer tick embedded in my arm. It wasn't engorged and I trust that the single-dose doxycycline treatment eliminated any Lyme bacteria trying to infect me.

The weekend after my birthday I flew to DC to see my sisters. At Claire's I attended my first ever high school football game. Claire's family do the marching band and that is Brooke on the front right tooting her saxophone. In the South marching bands are a big thing. 

The big event with Katy was running a 10K road race across the Annapolis Bay Bridge

We coordinated with Jon, Heather H, and Bevil to join us 

Katy, Bevil, Jon, and I were all running in the 50-54 age bracket for the first time. Katy, Heather H, and I ran as a group and finished in 58:09. For me that was #114 in my age bracket, #35 for Katy, #80 for Heather H. Bevil and Jon ran much faster, with Jon's 47:29 earning age place #15 and Bevil's blistering 45:56 earning #10. 

On my way back to Claire's place, I visited a few DC NPS sites, such as the Carter G. Woodson home

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House

and Robert E. Lee's family estate, now Arlington National Cemetery

View from the top of the cemetery across the Potomac to the Lincoln Memorial

A 2nd weekend indulgence was a guys trip up to Montreal to see the Canadiens play

After the game we ended up at the Peele Pub, home of the 3.5L pitcher. I had been to this same bar 30 years ago back in 1994 while on Spring Break from William & Mary. 

A classic poutine with fries, cheese curds, and gravy

Back home Erin celebrated her sweet 16 a few days late because on her actual birthday she was in NY ahead of the XC regionals race

At the RMV she received her driving learner's permit

Next April will be the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord. As preparation for the semiquincentennial celebration, our town erected a giant countdown calendar.

Caroline's chamber orchestra was invited to set the calendar one morning

For Thanksgiving Grandma Joan and Grampa Ed visited. The girls were sort of helpful in the kitchen.

Our activities included the usual jigsaw puzzles

and our family dominoes game, crowsfoot. We learned this from one of my cousins on the Ehmann side and apparently it is more commonly called chickenfoot. 

Erin's XC team hosted a turkey trot 5K on their hilly home course

I was dying at the end, but my 27:51 team was a new PR, and only 8 min slower than Erin's best time

Not much meat on the bones of the sparrow

Tessie moved up to the 11-12 year-old swim division. She's in lane 2 and check out the solid flip turn