LONG RUNS WITH JOE IN OUR FINAL PREP ON VETERANS' DAY FOR MITP,
THE BOARD MEETING AND THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ISP,
AND PREPARING THE DENSE SCHEDULES OF THE HOLIDAYS
AND "TRAVELS-2002"
Nov. 15, 2001
It continues to be unseasonably warm and sunny in mid-day-a day crawling toward the shortest of the year in six weeks at the winter solstice, with sunset now at about 4:40 PM at this latitude-but a welcome prolongation of the glories of a late "Indian summer" here in Maryland. That much of that glory, which I captured in a few pictures when I was home during the slanting rays of twilight, is now spread out underfoot is a less glorious place for me to have observed it than hanging high and falling triumphantly in these glory days. I was out raking a bit, but my principle home triumph has been in the jury-rig assembly and construction of a new mailbox post, which had to be, somehow, attached to a Number Two regulation US postal mailbox, and the whole tenuously connected affair buried at the butt-end in the clay of the driveway margin. It is a year since the Hecht delivery truck knocked out the mailbox and snapped the sturdy four-by-four cemented in the ground, so I wonder how this more delicate white vinyl number will fare with a passing vehicle-like the postal truck. But, it is beautiful, with a male and hen wood duck-an appropriate emblem of the Derwood House in the deep woods-over the address and addressee.
First thing in the morning, it is very cold, with frost along the grass, as Joe and I have got out for our last runs. It was still shorts and singlets for the hardy, but we had to wear gloves and shiver at the start, coming in with a near perfect day a couple of hours and a dozen miles later.At 7:00 AM gun time this weekend, it should be dark and freezing, but it is predicted to rise to the 62* temperature about the time that Joe hopes to come in, putting in a competitive performance in front of this home town crowd, with his whole family looking on-just around or under four hours. It may be decidedly cooler when we give it a go at the Turkey Chase 10K early on Thanksgiving morning. After tidying up after this last one, I begin my Eastern Shore MD and Pine Creek Canyon PA Odyssey in the deer hunting seasons of each state.