June 2024 Part 2 - Friend's Wedding

(Just a quick note:  If you are landed here because of a comment I left on your book blog, you might be more interested in my review blog, Carstairs Considers.  But you are very welcome to stick around here, too.)

In the middle of June, I finally made it to St. Louis!  I'm not sure why, but I've wanted to go there for a long time.  Okay, so I was only in the city itself for a few hours, but I did get to go up in the St. Louis Arch.  Going up in the Arch itself was just okay, and I'm not sure I need to do that again.  But I would like to go back and spend more time in the museum.  I really missed out there.  Then I had dinner nearby.

After that, I headed to Southern Illinois, which was my real destination.  I was there for my friend Brian's wedding.  We hung out a lot in college and spent some time together when he moved back to So Cal later.  I was honored to be included in the day.  I enjoyed getting to spend time with he and his now wife and her family.  With the wedding going on, that was the focus of the trip, but I'm glad I was able to be there for him.

June 2024 Part 1 - Camp Pendleton Mud Run 2024

(Just a quick note:  If you are landed here because of a comment I left on your book blog, you might be more interested in my review blog, Carstairs Considers.  But you are very welcome to stick around here, too.)

Saturday, June 1st, I got to get muddy this year. Even better, it was at Camp Pendleton. 

The one mud run I had signed up for cancelled on me (sadly, since it was always fun). I thought I might not get a mud run in this year, but then Camp Pendleton announced they were having a mud run on June 1st and it was opened to the public again for the first time since 2019. I signed up right away!

The course was only 3.5 to 4 miles instead of having the full 10k (6.2) mile course like they used to have. We started and ended with the old route, but had a different part in the middle. 

It was a little cooler than I would have liked.  The sun did come out while I was there, but it was overcast to start with.  Still, I’ve done it in colder weather.

I was disappointed by how few people were there.  Granted, it made getting in and out easy, but even as other events started to die down, this one kept going strong.  I hope they don’t take this as a sign of lack of interest and don’t have it in the future.  The did only announce that it was open to the public six weeks beforehand.  And it was the first one in five years.  So hopefully, they will allow it time to build up again.

Because I had a BLAST.  I think I was smiling almost the entire time I was on base.  Even driving to and from the venue itself.  And yes, I was smiling while running.  It was so fantastic to be back.  Yes, I would have been happiest doing the entire course that I used to do, but I was more than happy to take what they offered me.

After a lunch at the Pit Stop Diner (love that place) in Oceanside, I started making my way home.  But I stopped to visit friends in Orange County along the way.  These are family friends from growing up.  I didn’t get to see everyone I would have liked to see, but it was nice to visit with the ones I could.

September 2nd's Joke

The bartender says, "We don't serve time travelers here."
A time traveler walks into a bar.