George's VT 100: Non-fanfic Part One: Pre-Pacing

 Sorry.  I know this is late, but it's gonna have to be in installments:

I just had a discussion with my Ryan as to why I would be titling this "non-fanfic".  He said it's not like you've been writing fanfic...well, yes, but I also haven't been writing other people's race reports.  I know I could just do a pacer write-up... but...I'm such a George fan and especially a fan of his VT 100 race that I thought it more appropriate to call it fan-non-fiction.  It is a fan's take on what actually happened from my perspective.

Let's get it down from the start....

I was secretly(?) jealous of all the TMs heading to the VT100 in either capacity, running or assisting. The Peak experience was so special; I think cause there were so many Monsters involved.  Even though we each had our own races, it was a team event.  I just wanted to keep that feeling.

At Erik and Brenda's (p)reception (what I've been calling their fun run/party the day before their real event), people were discussing the VT100.  Rick mentioned he'd be in NJ that weekend; that I should go to VT!!!  Then, I think, George made some comment about maybe pacing.  Could this really be real?  Are you kidding?!  Do I want to pace?!  For George??!!!  Hell, yeah!  Then Ann asked for a confirmation that I was serious before almost tearing up that George would have a pacer; she'd have way less to worry about.  It wasn't George's regular 100; it was pretty close to MMT.  He normally likes a little more time between 100's, but his DNF from last year's VT was gnawing at him too much to not run it this year.  Yay!!! I was going to get to be part of it.

I'm not sure how long it took me to ask Xar if she wanted to come along.  I knew she'd love to soak up the 100 vibe and, as well as loving her company, knew I could use someone along for the miles.  I don't sleep well, but tend to fall asleep driving.  Not only was she game, but she emailed the race director to see about volunteering for pacing.  Yup, she's that cool.  So she'd be along for a lot more than just the atmosphere.

I'm not sure now if there was a reason I didn't sleep the Thursday night before the big weekend.  I don't usually need a reason, but it was a particularly bad night of sleep.  Grrrrr!  I didn't even get four hours.  Xar was coming to sleep over Friday night so we could just get up and go Saturday.  We traded emails about what we were bringing, what we were thinking, how we were feeling.  By the time we settled down (after I'd introduced Xar to old "$25,000 Pyramid" shows), it was 11pm.  We decided to leave at 8am, unless people were still sleeping.  After all, we really had no duties till 9pm-ish.

I was able to go right to sleep.  No interruptions, till, BOING!  My eyes opened with a start.  It was 4am exactly by my clock.  They were off!!!  I tried to go back to sleep, but it was not good.  When Spot started stirring, I just got up.  I puttered around packing what I hadn't and doing the odd house-hold chore.  I couldn't stand it.  I knocked on Xar's door, "Time to wake up; I'm bored."

We still weren't really on our way.  Besides what it took to get us in the car, we had some stops.  I needed to buy some money.  Xar needed to buy some Gels.  It took us a few stops to be successful.  Oh, and throw a stop in for some good coffee into the mix; I don't think we left Portland till 9:30am.  We didn't stop again till just before the NH/VT border where we stopped for lunch at a Subway at a gas station.

From there we didn't stop till we got to the start/finish area of the VT100.  OK, now what?  This wasn't where we needed to be.  Not much was gonna be going on at the finish area just 10 hrs after the start.  We did marvel at all the horse trailers and electric fencing.  There were some brief directions from George showing how to get to the B&B that Ann was staying at from where we were.  Guess that's where we'd head.  I tried to call Ann, but had no signal.  Xar got out her phone.  Though there was no signal showing, we were allowed one phone call before it would also be done.  At least Ann knew we were in VT and making our way to where she was - at least that was what we tried to do.

We drove here.  We drove there.  We asked various people how to get to Bailey's Mills Road.  No?  How about Bailey's Mill Bed and Breakfast?  Damn.  No one knew where anything was even if it was just a few miles away.  We drove more.  At least we were seeing runners.  We cheered them where ever we saw them.  Again we saw a person to ask directions.  "Are you from Vermont?"  "You mean originally?"  I thought that was a weird reply, but I guess my question was a bit odd.  It's just we'd asked a lot of people for directions recently who were only in VT for the race.  "Um, no.  Do you live here?"  Yup, she did.  Turns out she was originally from ME, but she had a Gazatteer :)  I picked up her black and white, friendly kitty while she retrieved the map.  She wrote down the directions for us.  Thanks!  In probably 15 minutes, we were approaching Ann who was standing on a corner cheering on the runners.

I'm wound down my window to say something to Ann, as I notice Xar wound down her window to yell out to a runner, "Are you M?"  Unbelievable!  We'd gotten there just as her runner was coming through!!!  She communicated that she thought she'd be at 10 Bear at 9pm, the place and time Xar would join her on her journey.  Holy Shit!  WoW!  It was just a moment, and then she was gone.  Ann said we could go put our stuff in their room.  The B&B lady was sweet.  We dropped our junk and headed back to Ann.  As unbelievable as our timing had been, it was that off.  We'd just missed George go by :(  He told Ann that I should expect him around 9:30!  That was 1/2 hour earlier than his pre-race estimate!!  He must be feeling good :D

OK, now what?  We all decided we should try to get a nap.  Ann had been up since just after 2 am with George.  Sweet, little Ann took the short sofa that was in the room.  Xar had brought a camping mat.  I got the bed :)  We debated on what time to set the alarm for.  Xar thought 5:15 or 5:30.  Both
Ann and I thought 6.  So six it was.  I thought I might sleep.  It was dark enough.  It was certainly cool enough.  Maybe too cold?  Ann was the first to bail on sleep.  She left the room to go back to her corner of the race.  A little after 5 I could tell Xar was awake.  "Have you slept?"  Nope.  We decided we might as well get up, get supper, and get at it.

This time when we found Ann, she told us we just missed Ian.  Shit!  Time to get some dinner.  We asked the B&B lady about the restaurant at the end of the street.  Yes, it opened at 5, but it was pricey.  She recommended the general store 4 miles away.  Xar asked about veggie options.  Huh?  Xar decided to check in at the restaurant to see what they offered before heading to the general store.

Ann and I were happy with the GS offerings.  I ended up with a TBLT.  Ann insisted that George was treating Xar and I to dinner.  :)  While Ann and I ate, Xar drove back to the restaurant.  Mmmmm.  My supper was very tasty.  Xar ended up with a salad and an order of the kid's pasta.  Very smart.  We drove back to the B&B trying to decide how to get to 10 Bear.  We heard it was just 1/2 mile up the dirt road from the corner Ann had been manning all day.  Yeah, we could walk or run, but then we wouldn't have access to all our junk.  Finally we decided to drive there.  If there was no parking, we had plenty of time to drive back to the B&B and run to 10 Bear.  Luckily there was a spot or two.  Still, we were at 10 Bear early.  It was exciting, but we spent a lot of time standing.  I think we were there by 7:30 or so.

Good time to stop...

Sleep

Sleep.  I complain about not getting it, but, when I do, I wake up not knowing how the Red Sox lost, not having laundry done, and not have written about the inspiring event, the VT100.  So, since I slept again last night, I still won't get to try to capture the experience in words.  Oh, and sleep makes me feel stupid most of the day...maybe I'll stop complaining about insomnia.

TThNR@Brad

Tuesday and Thursday after work I stopped in at the Brad.  Tuesday, I was greeted by a huge hoard of mountain bikers in the parking lot.  Hmmmmm.  Then I noticed Pathfinder!  He was just heading out.  I asked him about the same time as he asked me which side he was planning on.  I said which ever the bikes weren't doing.  He figured I'd be joining him on the mountain side.  Nope.  The bikes went right out the Northern Loop.  So I did my own thing for 4.2 miles on the east side.  I hope Kevin wasn't bothered by bikes.

This night, I did do the mountain side.  In fact, I did the last loop of the Breaker.  Yup, that's a breaker of a course :)  At first, I was a bit mad at myself for the choice.  My toes we screaming at the downhills.  I didn't want angry toes going into pacing George.  I yelled back at them.  This isn't steep you weenies.  Then I realized that my shoes were way loose.  I was just sliding into the ends.  Sorry toes, my bad.

All during the run, I kept thinking I heard something just off the trail running through the woods.  It seemed like something was following me.  Finally, I decided it was the three IRS guardian deer checking on me, keeping me safe for VT.  Poor George - I'll probably have his hallucinations right along with him.

It felt so good to run without all that humidity!!!

The Scuffle

Spot got me up early Sunday, as usual.  I wished for more time to recover from yesterday's depletion, but...I was able to get laundry done and write a blog post before getting ready for the race.

Rick was running even though he hadn't run much in weeks.  He had just shown hints of getting back to form when he pulled a calf muscle.  He certainly hadn't done any hot runs.

As much as I like running, I like the Bradbury Dirt Series almost as much for the non-running parts.  I love getting there early and feeling the race excitement with all the TMs and the other runners we see only at the races.  As we drove in, I was so happy and moved to see Steve Day there.  Rick said he was coming if he felt good.  So, it was doubly good to see him - it meant he felt good.  Not only did he show, but he went out to an aid station to help :D

NJ Dave, s.b.k.a Gator, pulled into Bradbury a sweaty mess; he'd run to the race from Brunswick!  Badass!!!  May have hurt his performance a bit in the race, but he was more looking for a good effort to help with his pacing of Jeremy in the VT100 (!!!!!!!! can't wait!!!!!!).

Speaking of VT, George gave me my instruction sheet for my pacing job.  It was just a few directions on getting to the right place and his and Ann's cell numbers.  I think I've got a cake job as far as pacing someone goes.  We are gonna get him in under his time goal and have fun.  I'm also psyched that Unstrung is riding over with me and has someone to pace who may be on the same page as George.

After a moving tribute to Chris by Ian, the race started.

I had hoped to run the race right out of me yesterday.  I really didn't mean to do such a thorough job of it.  What I mean by that, is that I have a hard time just running a race and not really racing it.  I have a hard time even controlling my pace to not go out full blast.  Last year, I was successful at just running the Breaker cause the Squirrel and I had done the Ultra-Xtreme Badass the day before.  So the Breaker was still work, but I just ran.  Well, yesterday I meant to run a long way and be tired.  I didn't mean to bonk.  Hard.  Still, even though I didn't feel myself at the start, I felt the urge to run a little fast.  George was right with me.  So was Evan Morrison.  We stayed together for a while.  I felt better as I ran till around 2.5 - 3 miles.  Oh, the legs and lungs were there, but I had nothing in the tank.  Nothing.  I hope it didn't worry George too much when his pacer couldn't keep pace.   I'd decided to take way more fluids with me in my Nathan Pack than anyone should ever need in a 6 miler in Maine.  I drank every drop.

So I spent the rest of the miles, running pretty good when I ran, but walking a lot.  At one point I rejoined Evan.  His calves were causing him some trouble; he's transitioning to the Vibrams.  The rest of him was fine though and he was great company for a while.

I came in in something like 1:03:4X, around 7 minutes over my PR, but I can't complain (now, I think I did right after).  I can't even claim not to have been racing.  That was what I had to offer that day.

Rick kind of ended up feeling the way I had the day before.  The only thing that he was happy with, well, the only two things he was happy with were: one - his calf held up, and two - he has one third of the Badass earned.

We went home an rehydrated the rest of the day.

Melt Down

There were lots of TMs in the Brad's parking lot at 7 am.  They were all there to mark the Scuffle course.  Ian had told me they had plenty of people, so I decided to run.  I took pictures of the virtuous volunteers as I headed out and when I saw them out on the trails. I had to keep track of the time because I was meeting Pete and Mindy back in the lot at 8.

I time it just right; It was right at eight when I finished up my mish-mash of trails on the east side.  I was already pretty wet with sweat, but  having a good run.  I noticed there were more deer flies than the evening before, but it seemed like they were all on the snowmobile trail east; the west side of the snowmobile trail had none to speak of.  Zak had given me a special deer fly strip to tape to my hat.  It had a couple, but had gotten crumpled, so not really able to do its job.  Zak, who'd been only on the east side when I caught up with him (probably 25 minutes into my run), probably had 20+ on his strip!

heading out to mark

The 2nd crew

Planning

Zak and Lenka finishing up

Julia was in the parking lot.  We chatted waiting for Pete and Mindy and anyone else that might show for the 8am run.  Very soon, Pete and Mindy pulled in.  That was to be our group, not surprising given that most Monsters were doing the Scuffle Sunday.  Pete wanted to run the beginning of the Bruiser.  Julia wanted a 2 hour run.  Mindy and I were just looking for miles, but also were planning to proof read the job the markers did on the Scuffle.  So we all decided to start out with Pete and peal off at the 3 mile mark to head over to run the Scuffle.

Somewhere on Ragan, I needed to pee.  Just off the trail as I went to squat, I noticed a peace sign of rocks.  It was slightly overgrown; I never would have seen it if I didn't have to pee right then and there.  It made me smile.  When I rejoined the others and told them, Mindy made a funny comment which made me say, "go in peace".

go in peace

At the big rock, the 3 mile Bruiser landmark, Julia, Mindy, and I ran off on the convenient trail that short cut us back to the snowmobile trail.  We ran straight down that and back to the parking lot; I wanted to drop off my camera that was getting way too wet.  It didn't matter if it was in the front pocket of my Nathan Pack or in my hand; Everywhere was dripping with sweat.  At the car, we saw Christian, who had helped with the marking.  After a brief chat, we went to Scuffle.

As we left Knights Woods, I realized I shouldn't be in the lead.  I knew the course so well, I kept forgetting to pay attention to the markings.  So Julia took the lead.  The markers guided her perfectly through the course.  Unfortunately, I needed more than markers to help me.  A few miles into the course, I began to get lightheaded, then dizzy.  I needed to walk a bit.  Julia and Mindy dropped back with me.  As I stopped being dizzy, I'd run.  I felt bad.  I got the chills and goosebumps.  Julia offered a salt tablet.  I looked at them, but didn't think I'd be able to swallow one.  As I struggled more, I decided that I'd try the salt.  It certainly couldn't hurt.  I think it helped a bit, but perhaps I needed more or I'd just waited too long and was too depleted.  I tried to convince them to finish their run; I'm very comfortable being out on the Brad.  I knew I could walk it in if I had to.  It took a while, but Julia did run ahead for the last few miles, knowing the Squirrel was with me.

We actually didn't finish all that far behind her.  When I look at the garmin data, there was less walking than it seemed.  I ended up with 14.9 miles.  I'd managed 11.8 miles at 11:30 pace, 1.5 at 9:34s, and 1.6 were walking. 

Pete was waiting back in the picnic table area.  We hung out there for a bit trying to stop sweating.  I felt less like shit, but decided I needed to put more effort into electrolyte management in the heat and humidity.  Julia told me all the stuff she'd researched about it.  I pointed out how even my shoes looked like I'd run through puddles; they were saturated with sweat.

At E&Ls, I was no longer dizzy, but feeling sick to my stomach.  I couldn't even look at food :(  I manged to drink two Ginger Beers.  By the time we left, my stomach was a bit less queasy, but I still didn't eat anything till about 2:30pm.  After that, and more fluids, I felt better.  Wow.

I'll post the pics later.  I need to get ready for the Scuffle!

Brad!

I think instead of "Not Bad", yesterday's title should have been "Not Brad".  Today, I made sure I put all my gear in the car on the way to work.  I was a little bummed by the heat, but still felt like I needed a run.  When I pulled into the parking lot, I found way fewer cars than all the other evenings I'd gone.  There wouldn't be as many mountain bikes out!

It was hot, but there was a breeze.  The trails were dry and hard packed.  It was easy to go a little faster than normal.  I enjoyed every step.  The only downside was having to stop.  Just 4.5 miles, but very, very healing steps.

Not Bad

but it wasn't the run I had planned for the day.  I told Rick I'd be stopping at the Brad on the way home.  I really felt like I needed Brad.  Half way to work, I realized I forgot my clothes.  I only had my shoes - that's a switch!  I debated going out at lunch to buy cheap shorts and a shirt, but... 

Ended up running our fields when I got home.  They have no shade, more deer flies, and, well, just fields.  Still it was better than no run and the 4.5 miles helped my spirit some.

TNR

A nice, easy Scout and Squirrel edition of TNR at the Back Cove.  We had time to get in 4 miles.  There might have been time for more, but we spent a lot of time with one special Australian Cattle Dog puppy.  She was one sweet, little dog.  The dog mom was very happy to tell us all about the pup. 

Early Sunday Morning

Spider Web for Ann

You can see where a critter walked

Even milkweed can look beautiful

I was sure getting out so early this morning, I'd see all sorts of wildlife.  I brought my camera to capture it.  Well, I had a nice easy run thinking about what a beautiful day it was for Kate and Jamie's wedding.  As I ran the day got even nicer and my thoughts did, too.  I only ran 4.5, but appreciated every step.

Saturday Away from Brad

Scout and Squirrel and their guys headed to Wolfe's Neck State Park for a run.  We thought it would be a good time to run near the water and maybe catch up with Tami.  Another big plus was that we knew we would have to stop at Wolfe's Neck Farm to see Wee Pig:

Turns out Tami doesn't start till afternoon on Saturday's, but we enjoyed the trails.  Everyone was super soaked cause of the humidity, but the temperature wasn't too terrible.  After visiting the Wee pig, who was too busy rooting to even notice us, we hit Stone's Cafe for an amazing breakfast.

Rope-a-Dope Position and Yelling

Thursday,I needed to hit Bradbury after work.  I had slept very little Wednesday night.  I woke from fitful sleep at 2:40am and was up for good.  It had taken forever to fall asleep cause my brain wouldn't shut off.  If I wasn't woken up by hot flashes, I'd probably gotten decent sleep, but, with the rude awakening, my brain immediately started working on work issues. 

I started out on the east side, unfortunately my brain still at work.  Crap.  Damn it.  I wanted to be like Ann.  I tried to direct my thoughts elsewhere, to have no thoughts.  No such luck.  It took a while, but I noticed a squirrel or two.  OK, Brad, work your magic.  Near Fox West, Jeremy Squirrel startled me.  Yup, I was actually really smiling now.  Unfortunately, not long on to Fox West, I ran into a group of mountain bikers.  The first three of four went by pretty uneventfully.  I moved far to the right, on the edge of the trail.  They moved far to the left of the trail (their right).  There were more riders, though that had not been communicated to me.  The next guy was going like a bat out of hell right down the middle of the single track.  He made no attempt to adjust.  I tried to move off best I could, but ended up in a rope-a-dope-type position, yelling, "I have the right of way!"  I got no sorry, no anything.  I kept yelling after him, "I have right of way".  A few more riders from the same group followed.  They were in more control and one even said sorry. 

I had adrenalin flowing.  I started running fast.  I was angry.  I imagined what I would do if I actually knew what the idiot looked like.  I envisioned me running the trails till I found him, where upon I would tackle him off him bike and kick the shit out of him.  After a bit, I chastised myself for wasting such energy on the idiot.  Instead, I began to appreciate how fast I was running without even realizing the effort.  I finished up my run with 4.6 on the garmin. 

Score!

My work calendar indicated we get the 4th of July off.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised with the 3rd of July off as well.  To sweeten the deal, Gnarls and Squirrel were available to run!  Emma had seen some of what was to be the BBU course, but never run the official course.

Some times when things line up, they really line up.  Not only did I have this bonus day with Gnarls and Squirrel as running partners, but much of the humidity was gone.  We chatted away as the miles went by with so much less effort than on Saturday.   My only complaint was the deer flies.  Fortunately for Mindy and Emma, their bug repellent worked and/or my super powerful bug-appeal left them fairly bug free.

We were even going to add a bit to the distance to share Wiccahenge with Emma, but! there were people about.  We skedaddled back down the path, pretending we never strayed from the course.   We'll save that for the next Gnarly run.

When we all were doing some calories, I tried my new find (mostly due to something Mindy had tried during Peaks), Happy Tots baby food.   It was yummy, went down easy, and has good stuff in it.  I was surprised to find chia seeds as one of the ingredients.  So far, Sweet Potato, Apple, Carrot, and Cinnamon is my favorite flavor.  On a side note, today I bought a refillable tube to be a little more green about this new idea.

I think I may finally have been getting tired by Lunch Break, but was really happy with the way the entire run had gone.  It made me especially happy to have Emma saying what a great course it was :D Linda was back at the picnic tables when we finished up.  She'd run the Scuffle plus some and was pretty happy with her run, too.  The only, only non-perfect part was that E&Ls was closed.

Justifiable Delay

When Spot woke me up extra early today, I said I'd catch up on my blog.  Instead, I was thrilled to find Joe's Western States race report was posted.  Holy Shit!  He put together an amazing report about his incredible journey, from lottery to finish. 

The Pancakes of Cathance

...were extremely plentiful and yummy!  Triffittville was packed with TMs Sunday.  Ryan and Danielle hosted what has become a semi-annual event: a fun run through the trails of the Cathance River Preserve and a fantastic post-run feed.

It was another hot, humid day, but that didn't stop Zak, who'd ground out 33 miles at the Brad, or Joe, who just a few days ago Silver-buckled at Western States from running.  The main group, lead by Danielle, got in just over 7.5 miles.  A few of the boys went ahead to get in a few extra miles.  Then there were a couple who took a more leisurely track.

I ran a good chunk with Yana (!).  I'm always happily surprised when she's able to join in the fun.  I felt pretty good for the first 4.5 miles, but then began to feel the effects of the heat and, perhaps, from not rehydrating enough from Saturday's miles.  Whatever, by 6 miles, I also developed a stitch, then chills.  Yana dropped back with me, perhaps I looked like I needed a doctor ;)  Near the very end, Mindy and Danielle came back to make sure we knew the trails to get back.  We were good, but nice to know we were being looked out for.

Lenka and Ryan had been very busy while we were out running.  There seemed to be a never ending stream of pancakes piling up even as the hungry Monsters chowed down.  There was also mass quantities of bacon, sausage, fruit, and muffins.  There was almost as much food as there was TM fun. 

Soggy Saturday

There was a good turn out of runners for Saturday's run again.  Ian had plans for a modified BBU.  Instead of doing the east side portion of the course, he was replacing it with the Scuffle so he could see how it looked; the race is in two weeks.  Zak and Jeremy were going even longer. 

It became obvious that the group I was in wasn't gonna hang on to Ian and the faster group so I proposed following the actual BBU course.  That was fine with everyone.  Lets see, we had the Squirrel, Blaine, Julia, Susannah, and Mark.  There was some mud, but the course was mostly dry.

Back in the parking lot, Susannah and Mark had the miles they wanted.  Blaine and Julia were going to stay with us for a bit more before calling it good.  By the time we were on the connector, it was down to Scout and Squirrel.  The good news was that Mindy's shins seemed to be better.  The bad news?  Both of us were feeling the effects of the heat.  There was some walking of hills.  No worries, just adjusting to conditions.  Neither of us is really in training mode right now. 

David joined up with us just after we returned to Brad from the Connector.  We'd decided to see where the new trail, directly crossing the Boundary Trail where the Connector connects.  I'm not sure it's supposed to be there, but it was marked with red flags.  Not far, maybe 20 yards in, there was no more trail, just red flags.  We bushwacked along.  We popped out on the trail that's just below where the Reverse Mindy joins the trail that connects the Tote to the Boundary.  David went his own way here.  Mindy and I took the Tote to the summit.  There we saw Zak and Jeremy pop out from the trail.  Wow!  We did fists bumps and cheered them as they headed off for Lunch Break.  We headed down the mountain, ending up with 13.85 miles. 

Even though I changed my clothes, I was pretty well soggy again by the time we got to E&Ls.  As we were heading in, Julia, David, Jeff, and Ian were heading out.

Team Burphy Run

The happy couple

                                  
What a great concept: the preception!  TMs Erik and Brenda hosted a pre-wedding party that included a trail run at Wolfe's Neck Park.  They provided Team Burphy shirts in bright pink.  I don't think I've seen that many pink-clad people in one spot, ever!  
 

I headed out with the lead group.  It was faster than I'd normally run, but nothing crazy.  Blaine and I chatted steadily for a few miles.  Then I decided I should put to work the camera that I'd brought.  So I turned around, running back to the next group of runners.  I took their pics, then headed back to the next group.  When I met up with Christine and Mary, I decided to join up with them.

 Not long after, Dora ran back to run with us.  She said she found herself with all the guys, but was feeling like a little catch-up with the girls.  It was fun to pump her for info ;)  Not long after that, Blaine ran back to our group.  He wasn't looking for girl talk, but didn wanna see if I was interested in another loop.

 I did want to run back to the beginning of the trails to get a shot of the water (it was so pretty), but didn't want to do another full loop; Rick was back at the party and I hadn't seen much of him lately.  Well, the water was so inviting and the evening so warm, Blaine and I took advantage of some steps down to the ocean to take a dip.  He took off his shirt and wedding ring.  He was afraid the ring would slip from his finger in the cold water.

The water was warmer than I expected, but still felt refreshing.  We just swam a tiny bit then headed up the stairs.  Blaine fumbled his ring and it bounced once or twice before plummeting over the edge of the stairs!  Shit!  He ran down the stairs.  I peered over the side.  Phew!  I saw it stuck in the little mud that there was on the edge of the water.  From there we made our way back to the party.

There most everyone was already back, enjoying yummy food, fun conversation, music, and the farm animals.  I was heading to get some dry clothes when I ran in to Danielle.  She was heading out with Sam, but asked if I'd seen the baby pig.  Baby pig?!  No, but thanks for the heads up.  Oh, oh, OH!  I found where the sweet little thing was.  After watching him a little, I had to locate the Squirrel to make sure she'd seen him.  I think we both squealed talking about him :D

Finally, I needed to eat.  I sat next to Rick.  Mindy, Ann, and George were there.  Talk turned to the VT100, of course.  I'm not sure how it came about, really.  I think Rick might have suggested I go since he'd be in NJ anyway.  So!  I'm going to pace George!!!  I'm so happy to share in a piece of it.  Ann made me feel really good about it, too.  She said she wouldn't need to worry about him now :) 

Rick had to get back home because he had weekend duty.  He'd need to be up very early.  It worked out great because it made us go by the pig pen when his person was showing him off.  I GOT TO HOLD HIM!!! <3 <3 <3  Get this, his name is Wee.  It's very special to hold a Wee pig.