Summah

Afternoons on the veranda [thanks faux gf] with some sweet tea and some friends, maybe a little grilling out, some yard games, yeah, summer is back on my good list - for now. Come August with your humidity and death heat, and summer may be back on the outs. But let us consider the goodness that is in the now. Open windows are just as qualified as air conditioners, as long as it isn't raining and raining and raining, which happens here and there [but mostly here]. We ride bikes to our Monday night Bible study and I sing a song about our bike gang [lyrics forthcoming]. My first summer class isn't terrible, and I'm actually doing really well in it, so that's good. And I've been able to get up early and enjoy the summer mornings whilst running just a little bit.

Speaking of that - I did indeed finish my half-marathon, and with a better time [2:03] than I expected [2:10]. Much thanks to all of you who encouraged me in the days leading up the race!! I felt great as I finished, and then a half hour later the bottom fell out of my legs, figuratively speaking. My fascia lata [IT band] has been sore, but is getting better and I have resumed some light running. I now know what an actual big race is like, and so in October, in Grand Rapids, with a beard and some friends I am hoping to do much better - I have four and a half months to get on it.

A group of us went to Parkersburg this past weekend, and it was astouding to see such destruction [an F5 tornado crushed the South side of the town]. As my friend Kevin and I surveyed the damage he noted that "it's just wind", but how fierce a wind. We didn't do much, but I'm glad we went, and we might set up an ongoing realtionship with the family that we helped. What else? Yeah, that's all I have for now. you have my love.