Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2008: 8
Monday, May 19, was windy and chilly. Cathy went to the gym for an interval class, while Bill lifted weights and walked for 6 miles along the Bay. When we got back together, we went to Lowes, with a Starbucks stop on the way, to buy some items for outdoors. The wind increased after lunch, so we hung around the house, working on small projects. During dinner we viewed the very silly "Evan Almighty". Bill watched 3 episodes of "The Wire" from the 4th season.
Tuesday was chilly and rainy. We braved the weather by going out on the deck and putting up rope lights for the summer. Later, Bill walked 6 miles along the Bay in the wind and drizzle. Cathy went to an interval training class at the gym.
Wednesday was mostly sunny, but still cool. We started the day with Becky's aerobics class. Bill spent the rest of the day powerwashing the deck furniture and setting up the deck for the summer. Cathy worked at the bookstore. Bill picked her up after work so we could go out to dinner at Lucky Bones. A thunderstorm passed over while we were enjoying dinner. Afterward, Bill finished viewing the last episodes of season 4 of "The Wire."
Thursday, Bill started with weights. Then, we went to Gloria's aerobics class. Afterward, Bill ran the 3.5 miles back home while Cathy shopped at ACME. The west wind blew hard all day, making it unpleasant to do anything outdoors. After lunch, Cathy went to the bookstore. Bill straightened up inside and outside in preparation for our company for the weekend. Bill also viewed the last two episodes of season 4 of "The Wire" with commentary. Bill rode his bike to WaWa for hoagies for dinner. Cathy arrived home at 8:20 PM. Ten minutes later, Alex, Phil, and kids arrived in two cars. We chatted for a while before bedtime.
Friday, Bill put the coffee on on the deck so as not to wake anyone in the house. Phil rode his bike in the morning. Cathy and Alex and Garrett went shopping. After lunch, Cathy went off to work. Bill and Alex went for a walk. Alex's back hurt, so she turned back, but Bill continued to the canal and walked back on the beach. It was warm and close to low tide on the beach. Later, all of us except Cathy went to Sea Isle City to visit Rich, Phil's friend. We joined with Rich's wife Christen and 3 kids to pick up triathlon packets for Phil and Rich at the VFW and then to dinner at the Deuville Inn. The restaurant was overpriced and mediocre, but we had a good time anyway. When we returned home, Cathy was huddled in the dark eating her meager meal. We chatted for a while and retired early.
Saturday began early. Bill and Phil got up a 5:00 AM and headed out. They stopped at WaWa for coffee and power bars. Phil dropped Bill on JFK Boulevard and Landis Avenue in Sea Isle and then proceeded to Rich's. He and Rich rode their bikes back to the staging area of the triathlon. Bill went to the beach to take photos and then to the promenade for more photos. He was right among the participants for the start of the swim leg and got a video of Phil's group running into the 55 degree water of the ocean. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a calm, but cold ocean. The triathlon was for the veterans and there were many disabled veterans participating. Here's a paragraph from Bill's blog about the event:
On Saturday I watched a triathlon which was dedicated to Veterans. In attendance and competing were several disabled veterans. My most memorable moment was watching a guy with an artificial foot jump off of a 5' high wooden jetty as he ran the 5K portion of the event. He landed on his good foot, stumbled a bit and took off running in the sand of the beach. What a courageous guy! Minutes before that, the same guy was helped to refasten his foot after completing the ocean swim in 55 degree water. Later in the day, I visited and chatted with one of my wife's cousins who was disabled in Vietnam. After a year or so of surgeries, he was able to spend 32 years working for the postal service. He complained to me, not about himself, but about the older military, called into service from their National Guard units, who, when disabled near the end of their 20 years of service, are denied one of the two pensions: 20 years of service and disabled veteran. On his part, he'd like to have his body back.
One of my son-in-law's friends, who competed in the triathlon, was an Airborne Ranger who served in the First Gulf War and was disabled on a parachute jump. He whipped my son-in-law in the triathlon, but he would have liked to have stayed in the service and joined the Special Forces. He'd also like his body back.
Alex, Cathy, and the kids arrived to watch the triathlon. Garrett enjoyed his first time walking on the beach. We all went to Rich's house on the beach at 79th street after the event. Bill and Cathy walked down to 67th street to visit with Cathy's Aunt Patty and two of her children, John and Tom. We had a nice time catching up with each other's families and promised to get back together in August. Bill and Cathy had grabbed a late breakfast at a spot at the 65th street shopping center. Bill and Cathy hung out for a couple of hours of the afternoon at Rich's and then drove home in Phil and Alex's Pilot. Later, Bill and Cathy went out for a great dinner at Marie Nicole's in Wildwood Crest, enjoying their best ever soft-shelled crabs as part of the meal. Shortly after they returned home, the rest of the crew came back from Sea Isle. Everyone was tired and ready for bed.
Sunday, Bill got up at 5:00 AM again and left at 6:20 AM for the Turtle Trot 5K in Stone Harbor. Bill had not been running much, so he took his time during the race and finished with a new personal worst time. It was good for him to see the usual crowd of runners and it couldn't have been a more beautiful day. Bill stopped at Starbucks on the way home. Everyone headed to Cape May for the beach. It was warm and sunny, but the water was cold. We had lunch at Louie's Pizza and returned home about 3:30 PM. Cathy prepared a wonderful swordfish dinner which we all enjoyed in the solarium. After dinner and a strawberry yogurt pie, Alex, Phil, and family packed up and left for home in PA. Bill and Cathy started watching the HBO movie, "Recount", but headed to bed early.
Bill and Cathy