mesa: the cubbies

Steve, my dad, and I just got back from spending a long weekend in Mesa. The sole purpose of the trip? Spring Training! Go Cubs Go!

First things first, time to lay out all of our gear.


Day 1: Cubs vs. Padres


Soriano!


HoHoKam Park.



Autograph time...Steve waits patiently while we line the field, pens at the ready.


Sean Marshall:



My dad meeting Matt Camp:


Brett Jackson working the line:


Then we found out that Fergie Jenkins was in the stadium!


Cubs beat the Padres 9-4


Day 2: Cubs vs. Dodgers


Steve waits patiently again while we hunt for autographs...and catches a line-drive while the Dodgers take batting practice!


It's Len and Bob! First televised game on WGN.


Marlon Byrd warming up...


and then signing.


Cubs take the field.


Soto and Dempster, ready to go.


Before we headed down to Mesa, I told Steve that my goal was to get a picture with Kerry Wood. Probably not likely, he said. And then in the 4th my dad and I went down to buy a bottle of water, and who do I spot out of the corner of my eye? WOODY!


Nicest. Guy. Ever.

It took 10 innings, but the Cubs beat the Dodgers 5-3.

february, part 2

Running--the other part of February. This is what running in winter here looks like.

The sign says "Animals on Roadway."


And it's a little hard to run when they are.

february, part 1

February got away from me. Steve was in NYC for three weeks, and I kept myself busy with skiing, running, and various social activities planned to keep Park residents from going crazy during one of the coldest months of the year. As I write this, the temperature outside is -20, as in Twenty. Below. Zero. Oh, and 15 MPH winds on top of that.

Running has almost completely consumed my non-work life, but before Steve returned from NYC, and back when it a wee bit warmer, I skied the Chittenden Loop with friends. But first, a pre-ski Cheddar Bomb burger at Buns 'n Beds in Cooke City to fuel up for the 10-miler.


Then we hit the trail. First stop, the winter-deserted Tower General Store and parking lot.


Then we climbed up the road to Tower Campground,


and skied past the campsite Steve and I camped at a couple of years ago. Steve remembers this campsite because there was a heavy snorer one tent away (it wasn't Larry Carr) who kept him up all night, 2 nights in a row. But I digress...


This route is only open in the winter, and as we climbed up the road we had nice views of the surrounding mountains.


We weren't the only people using this road. We skied alongside fresh wolf tracks as we went along...


Which makes sense, considering. I'm guessing a carcass log isn't something everyone expects to encounter when they're out for a ski.


And finally, views of Mt. Washburn in the distance,


before we skied back to Roosevelt via the road.

run run run

Sorry we haven't updated the blog in a while. The past two weeks have flown by in a blur of activity. And Steve flew out, literally--to NYC that is, leaving me with a fully stocked fridge and total control over our Netflix queue for the next couple of weeks.

The past two weeks were consumed with a) football, though it did not end well for my Bears


or Steve's beloved Patriots. Both of our teams were knocked out by their fiercest rivals, and we've finally moved on. Well, I'm trying to. Please don't bring up the words "Jay" and "Cutler" to me, ok?

The other thing consuming my time? That would be b) running. As in:



Epsom salts (that's a 12-pound box there!) and energy chews have found their way back into my life--a friend and I are training for the Eugene (OR) Marathon on May 1st. This will be lucky number 7 for me, and it's keeping me motivated through winter. Running here has its fair share of hazards, weather and wildlife being at the top of the list. Last week we had bison behind us AND in front of us, and that was in the middle of Gardiner. I'll try to remember to bring a camera with me on my next run.

But then there's this,


the view on our long runs, which we're doing in the aptly named Paradise Valley. Hard to beat.

am i the only one that has this problem when they park their car at work?

new year's weekend, lamar valley