Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2009: 22
Monday, October 5 , Bill awoke at 5:25 AM and went downstairs to make coffee and eat breakfast (cereal, banana, yogurt). Around 6:15 AM, Bill heard, on the monitor behind him, "Will somebody put my blanket back on?" It was Garrett asking for help, so Bill went upstairs to Garrett's room, turned on the light, and asked Garrett if he wanted the blanket on. When Garrett assented, Bill covered him up, turned off the light, and closed the door. Bill went back downstairs while Garrett resumed his sleep. Cathy was up before we had to wake the girls at 7:00 AM. After dressing and breakfast, we all went out to the bus stop at 8:05 AM. It was 46 degrees outside, so we all bundled up. Erin got on her bus and we moved up the street to Bridget's stop. When she got on her bus, the three remaining went back inside. Cathy and Bill played with Garrett until Alex, Phil, and Rocky arrived back home at about noon. We all went to Cosi Restaurant for lunch. Afterward, Bill and Cathy stopped at Target for a cappuccino for Bill. We got home in Cape May Beach at about 4:30 PM. Cathy went to the store. We watched an episode of "National Parks" as we ate dinner.
Tuesday was a better day for weather: cool, sunny, with light wind. Cathy went to the gym. Bill started with a bike ride to Cape May Point:
Bill bundled up for the chilly air and wore his two sets of Skins. After the bike ride, Bill went out for a 5 mile run. He felt really good and ran negative splits:
Bill was pleased with the "brick". His nutrition consisted of 16 oz. of Cytomax and a Gu pack before the bike ride, 10 oz. of Cytomax and a Gu pack halfway through the bike ride, 10 oz. of Cytomax and a Gu pack after the bike ride, and 20 oz. of Cytomax after the run. After lunch, Bill went out for a fishing paddle in his kayak:
Bill trolled a silver spoon as he paddled. He went into the Rips and chased birds for a while, but there were no signs of fish. He was a bit tired when he landed at about 5:15 PM. By the time Bill got home, Cathy had left for another class at the gym after she walked along the Bay for 4 miles. Bill cleaned up and got things ready for dinner. He cooked quinoa with yellow onion, dates, and walnuts; Cathy cooked chicken. We watched the last episode of "National Parks" - we were delighted by the series. Lots of memories of Bill's camping with his family as a kid and our subsequent travels were stirred.
Wednesday was an extremely windy day. Cathy went to the gym. Bill did 3 crossword puzzles and worked on organizing our trip south in a couple of weeks. After lunch, Bill drove over to Steve and June Sheftz's house to adjust settings on their computers and to install a printer. We picked up Jim and Fran Lewis a bit before 6:00 PM and drove to Alfe's in Wildwood for dinner. We all enjoyed our meals and a lively conversation. We went Dutch at their insistence.
Thursday was still windy with a strong NW wind. Cathy went to the gym. Bill did a medley workout that he had devised earlier in the week. He alternated bike laps to the canal with 3 mile runs so that he did 4 bike legs and 3 running legs. The transition area was our house. Bill used Cytomax and Gu packs for his nutritional needs. Bill's total on the bike was 26.7 miles; his total on the run was 9.12 miles. His total elapsed time was 4 hours:
After lunch, we drove to Home Depot to buy supplies for painting our two bathrooms. Later in the afternoon, Bill chilled out while Cathy took a walk. We grilled burgers for dinner and viewed Bill Maher's show on DVR.
Friday, the wind shifted to the south. Cathy went to the gym. Bill did 4 crossword puzzles. He also watered the flowers and cleaned the grill. After lunch, Bill set up the deck and washed everything on it. Then he washed the outside of the windows on the house and the solarium. Finally, Bill washed the XTerra. We had a pasta dinner while Alex, Phil, and the kids were on the road with two cars, heading our way. They arrived at about 9:00 PM. We all watched a few late innings in the Yankees/Twins game before heading to bed with the air conditioning on.
Saturday, everybody was up early. Phil was up first and out to Wawa. Bill was next. A bit after 7:00 AM, Phil and the girls headed out for Erin's first soccer game of the day. Alex and Garrett left for the game a little later. Bill and Cathy left for a wedding in the Philly burbs at 8:15 AM. They arrived in Westtown, PA in time for the 11:00 AM wedding after a pit stop in Dunkin Donuts. Bill was looking for coffee, but there was a long line so we settled for bathroom stops. After Suzzane Devine's wedding, we went to the reception at the Northhampton Country Club. The food was good and the DJ kept the dance floor packed. Bill and Cathy danced much of the afternoon. We left at about 5:00 PM and stopped at a nearby Starbucks on the way home. We arrived back around 7:00 PM. We ate a tortellini dinner. The rest of the group were at a BBQ in Town Bank and arrived back at about 9:00 PM.
Sunday morning was another early one. Bill was up at 5:15 AM to eat breakfast and hydrate before the 5K race at Stockton College. Erin had another early soccer game. Bill left at 6:45 AM. He stopped at a Starbucks in Galloway Township on the way to the campus where he taught from 1996 to 1999. Bill enjoyed the Larry James Memorial 5K trail run and ran it with 8:33 min/mile average pace. He took second in the 60+ age group. The first place finisher in his group had just turned 60. Bill called Cathy as he headed south and arranged to meet everyone else in Cape May for lunch. Bill arrived there a bit before noon and joined the group at McGlades on the beach. Everyone had breakfast food. After eating, we walked around Cape May for a while. Bill and Cathy headed to the Lobster House to buy swordfish for dinner. After we arrived back home, Bill took Bridget and Garrett down to the beach. In spite of chilly water, the kids cavorted in the waves. We had a wonderful dinner of grilled swordfish and rice pilaf. Phil drove the girls out to get a Hannah Montana movie at the Red Box dispenser at ACME.
Bill and Cathy
