2009 Archives
Waddell & Reed Marathon || October 17, 2009 || Kansas City, MO || August and I returned for another run through KC. The course was unchanged from last year, but the result was an improved time (2:31:16) and a first place finish. Results || Course Map
JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge || September 16, 2009 || San Francisco, CA || Coming into this race as defending champions, our 4-man Google team had to contend with a field made more competitive by the incentive of an invitation to the World Championship in South Africa. Crosby Freeman led the field and our team pulled out another win, our second (unofficially third) in a row. Individual Results || Team Results || Race Recap || Course Map || Team Photos
Nike Hood to Coast || August 28-29, 2009 || Mt. Hood to Seaside, OR || A very strong Google team ventured back up to the Pacific Northwest for the largest relay of its kind. The results were impressive: we finished 2nd in the corporate division (behind powerhouse Nike) and 8th overall. We completed the 197-mile course in 19 hours, 40:42, a 5-minute improvement from last year. Travel difficulties didn't keep us from enjoying a great weekend overall. Results || Course Map || Leg 1 || Leg 2 || Leg 3 || Team Photos || Team Blog
Lake Tahoe Weekend || August 14-16, 2009 || Fallen Leaf Lake, CA || This weekend introduced me to wave-boarding and Fallen Leaf Lake, one of the hidden jems of the Lake Tahoe region. You can see the fourteeners on either side of the lake. It was a great way to spend a few days on the water and relaxing in the mountains. Biggest regret: that I didn't have my camera in the boat when Carlo was up on his wakeboard--nasty. As it is, I got some great pictures of Allie's wipeouts. Thanks to Dante for his hospitality.
Upstate New York Retreat 2009 || July 24-26, 2009 || Skaneateles, NY || The yearly family reunion was combined with a reunion at Higgins Harbor. For such a short weekend, Caitlin and I packed in a lot: hiking Carpenter's Falls, water-skiing, sailing and the required trip down to the Glen Haven. It was great to see Chris, Will, Julie, Amanda and James up there.
Chip Visits for the Fourth || July 3-5, 2009 || San Francisco, CA || Chip made it up from Lemoore for Independence Day. A hike up Mt. Tam was followed by Tainted Love, IOUs and some illicit fireworks--all part of the duties of house-sitting. We learned that Cash isn't a fan of fireworks.
Shannon & Michelle's Wedding || June 18-21, 2009 || Beaver Creek, CO || College redux as Shannon tied the knot. The weekend was great--the bachelor party in Vail, the rehearsal dinner and ceremony with the Yale crew. And Julie demonstrating that she hasn't lost the touch with Mory's cups. A few videos from the wedding are posted here. Congratulations to Shannon and Michelle!
Mom & Helen Visit || June 5-7, 2009 || San Francisco, CA || Highlights included a trip to the DeYoung Museum and Golden Gate Park, lunch at Google and sampling the best of Thai and Indian cuisine in San Francisco.
Carmel Weekend || May 29-31, 2009 || St. Lucia Preserve, CA || A drive 3 hours south of San Francisco ended at the St. Lucia Nature Preserve, inland of Carmel. The weekend was gorgeous, with a run up the canyons around the Preserve, lunch in Carmel, a little batting practice. But no horse-back riding.
Helen's Graduation || May 22-25, 2009 || Kansas City, MO || Pembroke Hill's Class of 2009 graduation weekend coincided with Memorial Day. Maggie and I were excited to be on hand for the big weekend.
Ragnar Relay New York || May 15-16, 2009 || Woodstock, NY to NYC (Van Cortland Park) || Two weeks after a dominating performance in California, a decidedly more east-coast Google1 team took part in the inaugural running of the Ragnar Relay New York, a 181 mile course through the Catskills and central New York down to New York City. The geography was different, the results the same: another win by over an hour (18:50:05). The weekend was a whirlwind of baseball, red-eyes, client visits, racing and late-night happenings in the Big Apple.
The Relay || May 2-3, 2009 || Calistoga to Davenport, CA || A rebuilding Google1 team completed the 200.9-mile course in 21 hours, 26:35, leading the field from start to finish to complete a three-peat championship. The weather made for terrible running conditions, raining Saturday and Sunday. Highlights included a 2:00 AM run through San Francisco and a vertical drop of 1300 feet off of Skyline for my final leg.
Google Spring Break || April 24-28, 2009 || Ft Lauderdale, FL || Vacation in America's retiree capital. It was a weekend of reading, running, football on the beach.
PHS Reunion (SoCal Edition) || April 17-19, 2009 || Santa Monica, CA || Met Tim, Chris and Chip in Los Angeles for a little taste of the SoCal life. Stayed in Santa Monica and hung out on Hermosa Beach Saturday.
PHS Reunion (Miss'ippi Edition) || March 6-8, 2009 || Meridian, MS || ...or in Navy parlance, 32'35"N 88'57"W. On this trip, I learned (in a simulator) that I should never try to land a plane on an aircraft carrier and I learned (in real life) that newly commissioned Navy pilots can drink a lot. Congratulations to Chip on getting his Navy wings.
The Passion According to St. John (J.S. Bach) || February 26-April 11, 2009 || Calvary Presbyterian's Chancel Choir, following the well-received performance of Bach's St. Matthew's Passion during the 2007 Lenten season, is putting on Bach's other choral masterpiece for 2009. Courtesy of Lala.com, click here to listen to highlights.
January highlights included the Winter Wine Festival over MLK Jr. weekend and Lauren & Aaron's wedding in Houston, where I got in touch with my Texas roots (see below).
Christmas at Home and New Years Skiing || December 23, 2008-January 4, 2009 || Kansas City & Winter Park, CO || The family was in town for the Christmas holiday, featuring Christmas Eve with the rich baritone of "Five Golden Rings," delicious food, and midnight service at Village. For the New Years holiday, I joined Chip and his family for some great skiing in Winter Park, CO.