Weekend

Pretty much every weekend since I've been on the west coast has been an amazing one, but this past weekend was especially epic. It started Friday night with a celebratory birthday dinner with friends and a round of a new board game that had me weeping with laughter. Saturday Jon and Lauren arrived from Santa Rosa, and we spent a glorious day out at Joshua Tree, scrambling on the rocks, taking lots of pictures, and trying to feel the spirit of U2. Sunday Mandy and Erin drove out from Loma Linda and we enjoyed a Sound Bath at the Integratron (activating various chakras and balancing our brains!), a pilgrimage to Giant Rock (former home of the Giant Rock Interplanetary Airport), lunch at the Park Rock Cafe, and a windy sunset at Keys View in Joshua Tree.

Here are a few of the many pictures that were taken; as always, you can click to watch the slideshow and double-click to go to the galleries (where you can see larger versions, read the captions, and make comments).

Joshua Tree pictures:


Integratron/Giant Rock/Joshua Tree pictures:


Next weekend, of course, will be the marathon, which is always exciting. I am nervous, as always, though perhaps especially so this time around. I very much have the sensation of living in a marathoner's body, but the last time I ran any distance greater than 10 miles was at the Twin Cities Marathon in October! Granted, I've run many miles since then, in shorter increments, and I've toughed out runs in single-digit temperatures and, since I've been out here, ones up substantial hills and at elevated altitudes. Phoenix will also mark the first time I've run a marathon in a city where neither I nor an immediate family member lives, which increases the drama slightly. It will be an adventure!