I Tried a Tri

For many years now I've been contemplating a triathlon and every time I remember how much I dislike cycling, I forget about it. Well this time was different. "No time like the present", "I'm not getting any younger", I signed up a month before my "local" triathlon - Cranberry Trifest. They have a sprint and Olympic distance - I'm fit - I run every day and swim just about every day in the summer; I wanted the challenge, so I picked the Olympic.

The majority of any triathlon is the bike, and now the realization starting setting in. Not so much the distance - I'm fit, I could muscle through the bike. Not so much the discomfort - I could ignore my flat butt, sit-bones pain for an hour and a half. No, the biggest issue with the bike on this - or any triathlon for me ... I don't own a bike.

Vacation Scare, Free Car?

While on our latest trip (Italy), Jen received an unusual text that sent us down a panicked rabbit hole trying to determine if our house at the least was broken into; at worst, hosting squatters while we vacationed.

Thanks for letting us use the pool. Who's white Cadillac SUV is in your driveway?

We don't own a white Cadillac SUV. No one we know owns a white Cadillac SUV.

Antiques, Beaches and Canals

We took the kids to Italy again, this time to Florence, Venice and San Miniato in Tuscany region to see the sights and enjoy the Mediterranean beaches on the northern west coast.

5k My Way

I mapped the course, measured it, ran it several times to verify the distance and practice when to push the hills. Still, I couldn't muster a sub-20min 5k this time out. A disappointing 20:08 🤣.

I finished 9th overall, age group champion. Here's me stealing the race director's hat, dipping and kissing her. Note, she was (and still is) my wife.

To Hell and Back

Of all the bands of my youth, the one I regret not seeing live was Helloween. By the time I was going to concerts, Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske had already left the band and although I liked and listened to some of their new material, the classics live without Kai and Michael just wouldn't have been the same. Knowing they all reunited and were playing huge festivals in Europe, I was eagerly awaiting a North American tour. The 40th Anniversary tour was it and they were coming to my state! The only problem ... I was going to be in Sint Maarten during their local show!

Luckily, Canada is "close", so the Toronto show it was!

St. Maarten Second Honeymoon

Jen and I and three other couples took a trip to St. Maarten to celebrate one couple's 40th anniversary. They had all come with us to celebrate our 20th anniversay, and since this couple originally honeymooned in St. Maarten, we all revisited with them to celebrate! We stayed at the Sonesta Ocean Point Resort in Maho Bay, a beautiful, adults-only all-inclusive.

The Mail Wasn't Delivered

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," goes the postal carriers' motto. Yet we did not get the mail Monday, 23 February, 2026. Or as it will be know in the future, "the great blizzard of '26" ... you can bet I still ran though! Laps in my basement since the road wasn't plowed.

And today, Tuesday, after clearing my and neighbors driveways, I got back outside to get my mile in! I should also add I'm dealing with a significant ankle sprain (see the brace on my left ankle).