Auburn

After Monday's exam (of which my mind has almost wholly erased from memory thanks to directly related post traumatic stress -- don't ask...) I was grateful to have a bus ticket out of town for 7:30 a.m. the next morning.

Hello, Auburn, NY!

My visit was filled with lush green country views, home-picked and homemade wild blackberry pie, a dozen (or possibly more) cats who each have a distinct personality and a variety of indoor/outdoor habits, a giant fruit salad that lasted days (at times with ice cream), reading for fun (!!) and, most importantly, meeting and getting to know the lovely and hilarious May, Nathan's mama.  Her dry, sarcastic sense of humor had me in stitches the entire trip.

Her cats also had me in stitches.  Like Binky, who has a version of the feline virus that Sadie and Merus have.  But instead of eye drainage, Binky has full-on sinus congestion complete with wheezing, massive sneezes in 10+ quick consecutive reps (head tipped back with nose pointing up the entire time), and frequent goobers hanging off his nose and/or chin.  He also has incredible comedic timing and is a total goofball.  Call his name and he'd stop and stare at you with his mouth slightly open.  I wish this video could at least have caught the wheezing...

We ran the Cazenovia July 4th Foot Races, specifically the 10 mile race around Cazenovia lake.  The entire event was incredibly well organized, the perfect blend of a relaxed vibe but seriously respecting the parameters of the race.  I wish more races were like this one.

I saw two triathlete looking women at the start whose pace I liked.  If I kept them in sight throughout the race then I'd be happy with my results.  One had trouble breathing in the heat.  I managed to stay within 30 seconds of the other woman, who was continually cheered by name by all the spectators as we looped around the lake.  What was raucous cheering for her turned into a few pity claps for me.  Actually, to be fair, I got a handful of claps and high fives along the way (especially from a few women cheering a fellow woman -- hazzah!), but once we neared the last mile I was able to close the distance.  I credit lots of task-specific downhill training.  Turn the tables into arm wrestling or a pushup contest -- not to mention a swim or a time trial bike --  and I'd get beat to a pulp.

Anyways, Marybeth was obviously a beloved hometown hero.  The locals didn't know what to make out of me.  I chatted as I passed, giving her major props for her history of Iron Man races.  As I neared the finish I found it odd that very few people were cheering us on.  Maybe the leaders were so long ago that everyone is already over it?  Just before turning the last corner I heard a guy yell "First woman!"  Say WHAAAAT?!?  Turns out Marybeth had been lead woman until I passed her.  I had absolutely no idea.  I hadn't even intended to go for the kill -- I just figured that getting a negative split (second half faster than the first half) would feel satisfying on a day with such heat and sun.  Got my name in a local paper and everything.  Full results here.  Nathan also managed to go sub-8-minute mile without any training... as usual....

Also found out that Marybeth, at 42 years old, is good enough at Iron Man triathlons to qualify for Kona.  Meaning, she's good.  She is now on my list of personal heros.  Like I said, my win was probably more circumstantial luck than anything else.  But it does make it feel like more of an actual win, considering who I had to track down and pass. 

What really excited me on the way home was that the race was a great excuse to have more pie for lunch.  For dinner we made mashed kale and avocado salad to go with May's bbq pork chops, followed by the fruit salad of perfection and ice cream.  I was in bed pretty early that night.

The next day Nathan and I toured the home and museum of William Seward, former senator and governor of New York as well as the Lincoln's secretary of state.  We walked around the small downtown area and had lunch from Wegmans, the wannabe Whole Foods of local renown.  That evening we saw the Auburn Doubledays' (single A short season) demoralize the Lowell Spinners by 10-1.  They were super close to getting a no-hitter too.  But then in the 8th inning the drunk guy sitting next to Nathan blurted out loud that the Spinners had no hits.  Nathan was pissed, saying baseball superstition over something like that is legit enough that you just don't say it out loud.  Ever.  I shrugged it off.  Not even one minute later and the Spinners had their first actual hit of the game.  Nathan: "SEE??"  Lesson learned, y'all.

A random tree outside of the Doubledays stadium:

My last day was a sweaty easy run in the morning followed by taping up dozens of small window panes in prep for painting.  One of May's many volunteer efforts is to help renovate the Kase Mansion, former home of the man who invented the talking movie that is now owned by the neighboring church, into a home for veterans.  Her portion is one of the many bedrooms.  The bay window looked like stained glass a la newspaper.

Then it was a drive to Syracuse, lunch at a local diner, and the bus ride back to NYC.  I was very sad to leave.  The only thing that kept me from getting angry at everyone while negotiating Port Authority and the subways home was the thought of my two kittehs eagerly awaiting my arrival.  I was welcomed home with meowing that continued for hours after feeding and triple-digit heat.  Sad to be back in the city, but grateful for the mental relief of time away.