I'd like to apologize for the following boring post

Tomorrow, I’m set to run in a 15k. Yesterday, I hurt my back. As of today, I’m too sore to sit for more than 30 minutes at a time or to even attempt running.

The funny thing is, my stiff back may be a knitting injury. There’s nothing more unhealthy than sitting. It not only makes your hips large and flabby but stiff and tight. I haven’t figured out how to knit without sitting, though. And, I’m eager to finish my current project, the cabled hoodie.

Then again, I may have done damage to myself by running fast on pavement Wednesday. I just felt so good; the air was crisp, the sun was shining.

All I know is that Thursday, I woke up crippled and crimped and thought to straighten myself out with a cautious walk/jog on the treadmill. As I felt better, I sped up, ignored the twinges in my back, and did a few short strides of 30 to 60 seconds. This was a mistake.

Sometimes the runner’s high is a bad thing; you don’t notice the impending catastrophe. If I feel OK, I’ll run tomorrow. It’s going to be a mild October day in a park by a lake, so even if I don’t run, I’ll be on the sidelines cheering Don. It’ll be fun.

Calm after the storm

Last night and today the first of the season’s big storms blew through. I love to run after a night of wind and rain. The ground is soft and the air is fresh. Less hardy walkers and runners are scared off by the prospect of more rain.

The empty trails are especially welcome on a Saturday morning when running on a narrow track can be more like dodging and weaving. On sunny days, the trails are crowded with baby-strollers, dogs, and the obliviati with headphones and cell phones (did I just make-up a word?).

Autumn really is the most beautiful time for both running and knitting: it’s warm enough to run in shorts and cold enough to anticipate sweater weather.

I ran six miles between systems. (I’m not so hardy that I like to run during a storm.) Then, I settled in for an afternoon of knitting.

I think I’ll use these clasps instead of the wood buttons I originally planned on. I love moss stitch for its texture and simplicity. It adds depth and sheen to otherwise matte yarn (Cascade 220, cranberry). But, now that I’m nearing the end of this moss-stitch-heavy project, I’m looking forward to knitting something more involved. Something lacy, or cabled, or both.

My hometown

I few weeks ago Don and I took a trip to Port Townsend, WA, where I grew up. Half my childhood was spent walking on this beach. I've no idea who that mystery guy is in the black, but the seagull and rock are old, old friends. The other half of my time was spent wandering around downtown among those old buildings pictured in the header. (The third half was wasted parked in front of the T.V. watching bad 70's shows.)
Here's the inside of one those old buildings, the Palace Hotel. The hotel was great, but didn't have a hairdryer, therefore, my head is lumpy. I think I'll start carrying a fan as a prop during photo shoots. The thumb-hooked-in-pocket is getting really old.
Here's the paper mill where my father and grandfather worked. It's not as smelly as it used to be. If I ever run for public office, this mill will figure heavily in my self-narrative: "I'm the son of a mill worker. I know what it means to work long, hard days, to come home at night stinking of pulp and paper and grease, to ache from the never-ending, backbreaking labor that sucks the life out of a man before he's 30!!!...or, at least my father does..."

After drifting away from P.T. on the Keystone Ferry, we headed to Bellingham for a couple of days. I found a used copy of E.Z.'s Knitter's Almanac for $3.75 at Michael's Books. Very satisfying.

And, we ran in the Fairhaven Runners Waterfront 15k. I didn't feel prepared for the distance, but ran better than I thought I would. I finished in 1:17:51, by my watch. The chip-time added 9 seconds. Screw the chip! Don's watch agreed with mine.
Even though I tried my best not to die on this hill around mile 9, an older man passed me on the way up. That's his elbow in the foreground. Later, when his name and age were called out as the winner for his age group, I learned he was 70. (Do you think I should buy a 5x7 print of this photo for $10?)

Here's my latest project. Someday soon it will be a hoodie. But right now, it's mainly just a thorn in my side because of my tendency knit slower than rust.