Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2009: 17
Monday, August 31 , started with a large mass of rain to the southwest, heading northeast. It was cloudy much of the day. Cathy went to the gym. Bill watched the weather radar and did 3 crossword puzzles. Finally, he decided to ride his bike on "laps" from Wildwood Avenue to the canal. Each lap was about 7.5 miles. There was a pesky north wind blowing and it showed on the breakdown of the 30 mile ride at 12.4 mph:
We ate lunch inside as it was a bit chilly with the clouds and the wind. After lunch, we shopped at Wal-Mart for a few items and then stopped at Cape Camping to buy a water filter, toilet chemical, and a sewer doughnut. Later, we went out for a 10 mile bike ride. The sun had finally come out, warming the day a bit. Afterward, Bill made a cappuccino and then cooked a dish using quinoa, sweet onions, raisins, and walnuts. We viewed "Entourage" during dinner and "True Blood" after dinner. We topped off the evening with the ultra chick flick "Nights in Rodanthe." The acting was good.
Tuesday was a beautiful, fall-like day. Bill did 3 crossword puzzles while waiting for the 60 degree air to warm up and then went out for a 10 mile run:
Bill's plantar faciitis provided a nagging reminder during the whole run. Meanwhile, Cathy went to the gym. After lunch, Bill found some advice for dealing with PF:
Bill did the stretches and exercises. He also looked into the VFF Trek, which is touted as a good train running shoe for those trying to wean off of the highly supportive, but maybe weakening, running shoes. During and after dinner we viewed the very good movie, "The Walker." Bill preferred watching Woody kissing Rosie Perez to his kissing the guy in this movie, but the acting was superb and the cast outstanding.
Wednesday was a beautiful day which started out very cool. Bill did 3 crossword puzzles. Cathy went to the gym. At 10:30 AM, Bill went for a paddle into the Cape May Canal to the end of the harbor. The NE wind was strong and gusty, so it was a strenuous trip. After a short break with 2 PowerBars, Bill paddled back out of the canal. The last leg up the Bay had a constant headwind. The trip statistics showed the effect of the wind:
The 18 mile paddle lasted for 4 hours and 21 minutes. Bill noted a number of issues for the around the island swim on September 13. Bill had an outside shower. We went to a very good dinner at Louisa's, where we enjoyed bluefish and flounder. We viewed "Two Nights in Paris" and realized that we had seen it before. It's a quirky movie with some funny moments and mostly provides a lot of Parisian scenery.
Thursday was mostly cloudy all day and a bit on the cool side with a persistent north wind. Cathy went to the gym. Bill did 3 crossword puzzles, watered the flowers, did some sit-ups and stretches, and finally went out for a 7 mile run. He felt sluggish and just coasted through the route:
We ate lunch in the solarium. After lunch, we both got haircuts at Artisan in West Cape May. Afterward, we went to Wal-Mart to buy a couple of items. For dinner, we tried a corn/quinoa pasta with Cathy's tomato sauce. It was a good experiment. We viewed "Nanny Diaries" - surprisingly good, great cast. Then, we viewed the first ESPN college football game of the season on DVR, South Carolina versus North Carolina State. It was a very sloppy game played by two very unprepared teams.
Friday was another mostly cloudy day. Bill was taking it easy on physical activities. Cathy went to the gym. Bill did 3 crossword puzzles, did some sit-ups and stretches, and worked on tightening the loose porch light fixture. We saw two WWII bombers fly over on their way to the Cape May County Airport. After lunch, we took a 10 mile bike ride. The area was already filled with shoobies for the Labor Day weekend. When we got back we used the big step ladder and our RV brush to wash the outside of the windows of the solarium. Afterward, Bill made a cappuccino. For dinner, Cathy had chicken and a twice-baked potato. Bill made quinoa with sweet onion, chick peas, and sun-dried tomatoes. We viewed the very good movie, "Pride and Glory."
Saturday was a beautiful day. Cathy went to the gym. Bill took a rest day, so worked on 3 crossword puzzles. When Cathy got home, Bill replaced the passenger side taillight. The job went easier than expected. We ate lunch on the deck. During the afternoon, Cathy took a walk. At 4:00 PM, Victoria Papale came over for some instruction in using Microsoft Word. A bit past 6:00 PM, Beth and Bob Finley and family came over for snacks and sunset. It was a very pleasant night, pretty sunset, and bug-free thanks to a big flock of dragon flies that provided air cover. It was after 8:00 PM when Bill and Cathy headed to Panico's for dinner. We had a long wait, but had a good meal and Bill was able to carbo-load for the Tim Kerr race on Sunday. We got home a bit after 10:00 PM and viewed the Virginia Tech/Alabama game on DVR.
Sunday was partly cloudy. Bill awoke at 4:50 AM and started to hydrate with Cytomax and eat breakfast. He watched SportsCenter as he prepared himself. He had a Gu pack before he left for Avalon at 6:50 AM. There was already a good sized crowd for the Tim Kerr 7 Mile Island Run, scheduled to start at 8:30 AM. Bill picked up his packet, stretched, and walked a bit. He had another Gu pack about 30 minutes before the start of the race. During the run, Bill felt good and was able to average 8:46 minutes/mile for the run:
Bill came in first in his age group (65 to 69) and won a long-sleeved shirt and pair of socks. On the way home, Bill tried to stop at Starbucks, but it was very crowded so he didn't stay. Although it was sunny for the race, it became cloudy for most of the rest of the day. After lunch, Jim and Linda stopped by on their kayaks. We all sat on the deck until the tide time dictated that the paddlers head back down the Bay. We had quiche for dinner and viewed a chick flick which shall remain unnamed.
Bill and Cathy
