Wordless Wednesday

We were in Hawaii for almost two weeks, I'll share more details tomorrow, but here are some of the pictures I took:

 

 

Checking In

I'm not sure how I have gone a month without blogging, but here I am looking at the final week of April and this is my first post all month.  I'll try to catch up over pictures.  

 

Trail running continues to be my #1 outdoor activity.  Colorful sunrises and green hills take up most of the photos on my phone:

Last Saturday, April 15th, was the wedding of Vivian Gonzalez and Michael Klann.  It was a beautiful wedding and the church was amazing!

We left the reception a little early so we could go home and pack.  Early Sunday morning we boarded a plane from Burbank to Salt Lake City:

After a three hour layover and a yummy lunch, we got on our next plane for our final destination - Nashville, Tennessee.  Les had a work conference and I tagged along.  I got in some much needed girl time with my dear friend, Lori Long.  We didn't take any pictures together because we were too busy catching up!  I love this picture in her kitchen:

On Tuesday morning I walked with Les to the Music City Center where his conference was being held.  Downtown Nashville is a happening place!

Lori picked me up around noon and we enjoyed lunch and another afternoon together.  We never run out of things to talk about!  Les had a perfect description after I said how refreshed I feel after spending time with Lori.  "She's not a drain, she's a charge."  We picked Les up when his conference was over, then headed to Doug and Lori's so we could get Doug.  The four of us enjoyed dinner at the Loveless Cafe.  We then drove part of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  We stopped at the Double Arch Bridge, also known as Suicide Bridge since more than 40 people have committed suicide from this location.  A barrier has recently gone up.  It was a beautiful Spring evening in Tennessee.

We checked out of our hotel on Wednesday morning and went back to the airport to pick up our rental car.  This was the only glitch in our travels and it was an hour of time we will never get back!  We finally got our car and headed to Cookeville.  This was the first time we had been back since Dolly's memorial service and it was good to see Bill.  We spent Wednesday evening with Lisa and her two girls, Galina and Leksi.  I took a total of two pictures - both of them selfies with their cat!  She wasn't impressed...

Les took Bill golfing on Thursday morning, then it was time to pack and head back to the airport.  It was a bit of a whirlwind, but family time is never a waste.  We got home around 10:00 p.m. Thursday night.  

 

After a long, wet winter, Spring is finally here and my flowers are blooming:

And now I'm all caught up!

Friday Foto Dump

We spent the last eight days in Hawaii.  This was our third trip this Fall and it felt somewhat like old times.  I had some really good runs while I was there.  I ran around Diamond Head the first morning.  I stopped at the Queen Kapi'olani statue.  I love the little bit of purple and pink sunrise breaking through behind her.

Thursday night's sunset was remarkable!  We could not stop taking pictures:

A few of the boats in the Ala Wai Harbor are getting into the Christmas spirit:

On Saturday I ran the 10 mile Tantalus loop.  I had my best time ever on the 5 mile climb and was hoping to crush my previous PR for the full loop.  Unfortunately the road at the top is currently a mess due to a wash out.  I had to slow quite a bit on miles 6 and 7.  But I'm still very happy with my overall effort.

Sunday was the Honolulu Marathon.  There were less than nine thousand participants for the marathon and 10k combined.  Less than a third of the normal participants, but after being canceled last year, everyone was glad to have an in-person event this year.  

 

Yes, this is a woman in a long skirt!  I saw several dressed exactly the same.  I don't know what their story is, but they were running strong!

Les got to ride with the cycling team that escorts the wheelchair racers.  Previous multi-race winner, Masazumi Soejima, of Japan was not able to participate, so the race was wide open.  Two wheelers raced very close for most of the race.  With about three miles to go, Tyler Byers of Greenacre, Washington, made his move.  He finished in 1:42:57.  Valera Jacob Allen of Tuscon, Arizona was not far behind, finishing in 1:44:00.

Emmanuel Saina from Kenya did the race in 2 hours 14 minutes and 32 seconds - that's 5 minutes and 8 seconds a mile for 26.2 miles!

I had planned to run around Diamond Head again on Tuesday morning but woke to a downpour.  I'll run if it's lightly raining, but had no interest in those conditions.  An hour later it had cleared up and Les decided to join me for a short run at Ala Moana Park.

Later in the day I wandered through Waikiki to do a little shopping.  All my gifts ended up being for my niece Lauren's baby who is due in March.  This guy appeared right at noon.  The Pu (Hawaiian conch shell) is blown for ceremonies, festivals, luaus, and at sunset each day.

I ran around Diamond Head on Wednesday morning and had another great run.  I'll give a full health/fitness update soon, but I'm happy to report that 2021 is ending on a much better note than 2020 for me!

Of course it wouldn't be December in Hawaii without a little Mele Kalikimaka!