Advertisement
Published: November 15th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Fire at the Doak's
A fire which reached 6 feet into the air while snow poured down around us. Perfect snowball snow... yes, by the end of the night we were soaked head to foot. Departing Boston... not so much fun. Three treacherous hours of snow driving is certainly one way to put a new car to the test. But walking the last few hundred yards through soft deep snow to arrive at a 'dance party' with High 5 crew and friends, was well worth it.
I can't remember such a large snowstorm before Halloween. However it didn't deter children and adults alike from taking the chance to costume up the following day and march proudly through the streets of Peterborough. A couple of sunny days with a friend passing out candy, walking old snowy roads, sharing good food and in good company at her lovely home in southern NH, was definitely appreciated.
Passing through Massachusetts (where I experienced the stereotype of Mass. drivers to be unfortunately true), I toured a Nature's Classroom visiting a close friend before settling for a few days in Southport, CT. with my brother Eli, aka: the crazy babysitter (one title at least).
I stayed long enough to witness a fairly new, sensational creation: "Camp Eli", named by the very kids that are involved. A child in adult size shape and form, Eli enjoys star wars battles, zipping
Halloween Hats
Decked out with hats from around the world and standing in front of the Mariposa Museum in Peterborough, we prepared to support the paraders. I'm holding an indonesian jack-o-lantern, made from a Papaya! on scooters, trampoline action and even a make-up session every now and then, at least as much as the 'true to size' children do. I have never seen an entire group of children equally latch onto someone so heartily. And although most would find organized play for nine 5 year olds to be a struggle, at camp eli, it's routine. It was the first of two sensational experiences of the week.
Saturday I joined a friend in NYC who had prepared to run the marathon. Rebecca ran for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society...to raise funds towards finding a cure, and in memory of her father who passed a little over a year ago. With my carefully crafted, cray-pas drawn sign in hand, Becca's mother, sister, sister's husband, and I sub-way'ed our way to Brooklyn to catch our first glimpse of the scene at mile 7.
A marathon, 26.2 miles. I'm thinking there's no way I could ever run and actually finish one. We found a place among the spectators and I immediately noticed how diverse the participants were: elderly, obese, handicapped. I high 5'd a woman in a wheel chair with no legs and pushing with
Camp Eli
Where's Eli? one arm, and my eyes began to burn. The amount of people in the streets supporting the event was incredible, but I quickly realized a crowd gains just as much from watching. The inspiration you receive from witnessing a variety of characters conquer such a feat, is enough to build an addiction to 'marathon watching'.
I heard Sarah yell and watched her jump half her height into the air. Becca was in sight. Her purple tank displaying her name on front and an appropriately placed 'Love you Dad' on back revealed itself. With a huge smile on her face she hugged each of us and continued on, leaving us teary and proud.
We saw Becca three more times. At mile 23, Sarah and I jumped in to run and encourage her towards the finish. It did the job. Becca mentioned needing to walk but changed on us as fast as the words came out of her mouth and sped up instead, passing runners left and right with her sister at her side until mile 26 (where Sarah was spotted and escorted out of the race). Becca kept on and zoomed full speed through the finish line, just as
Mile 23
Along 5th avenue, about to entre the park, I trail Becca and Sarah. her father always coached her to do during high-school track races.
Sunday, I fell in love with that city all over again. The grandeur of the race, the devotion of the thousands of supporters and volunteers, the determination of the runners. There's nothing like it. You think you've pushed yourself... challenged yourself as much as possible? Watch a marathon and I guarantee you'll find a new sensation.
Happy sensation hunting.
(please scroll down to see all photos)
Advertisement
Tot: 0.154s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 10; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0626s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Whit whit
non-member comment
Leaky eyes
Staying true to the leaky waterworks that I've become, this made me tear us. Thanks again for painting beautiful images.