Basil

City living doesn't provide much opportunity for gardening but I do have a basil plant that has been flourishing in my kitchen window for quite a while now.  Usually I buy these plants and barely get one use before they sort of wilt and fade away.  This little guy has a bunch of new growth and the basil looks so fresh and ripe for picking.

I made some bruschetta tonight with my fresh basil, ripe tomatoes and olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.  So simple but so beautiful.

 

Weekly Back Cove 5K Series-Week 1

I went for a run around Back Cove Monday night.  I planned to go again on Wednesday.  That night, at home, I was looking online at stuff and read about the Back Cove 5K series.  Coincidentally it was starting this week on Wednesday.  It's free to register and I figured that since I planned to run anyway it might help with my motivation to do this race.  I wasn't really feeling ready for a 5K but why not...  It felt even more like the right decision when I registered and got my race number that I will use through the whole series.  My favorite number is 3.  My race number is 333.  I think it was meant to be.

Here we are at the start.  There were 256 racers who showed up on a random Wednesday night...love it.  I am behind the guy in a green shirt.  I have a white visor and pink tank. It was really, really windy and for the first 1 3/4 miles I ran right into the wind.  You can even see in this picture that the trees are leaning. 

I felt really good the whole race despite the wind, baked bean smell and I295 construction.  On the uphill this lady pulled slightly ahead of me.  She later told me she had been following me for a while and I provided motivation for her.  Once she was in front of me I used her pace to be sure I kept up and she didn't get to far ahead of me.  When we had the finish in sight I started sprinting.  She followed along and we ended up crossing the finish line at the same time.  Great camaraderie...even with dismally slow times!

2011-05-11 Photos Courtesy of Roger Morse on Facebook
http://mainerunningphotos.com/

Pink Tulip Project

Last year I noticed all over Portland these little gardens of pink tulips planted as part of the Pink Tulip Project.  I watched them grow as I took walks around Maine Med and the Western Promenade.  I drove by them daily on my drive home past Deering Oaks and Longfellow Square.  But then they suddenly went from not quite blooming to completely spent.  I missed them in full bloom!  This year I tried to make an effort to catch them at their peak and took my own little Pink Tulip Tour. 

My first stop was at Post Office Park which turned out to be my favorite picture.  It has to be the best people watching spot in the city and even though you can't tell in the picture there were tons of people around.  So, these perfect little tulips are a real breathe of fresh air in a sea of concrete.

Next stop, Lincoln Park which is at the corner of Congress and Pearl.  The tulips didn't look very well maintained but the park itself looked wonderful.  I didn't even know it existed!

At Maine Medical Center a lady saw me taking this picture and we chatted about the tulips for a while.  These gardens create goodwill in many ways.

My favorite spot: Western Promanade.  I pass by here on almost every run or walk that I take.  They had two gardens and they were both really nice.

Next up- Deering Oaks Park.  I pass by here on my way home from work each night.  In the winter there are really cool ornaments hanging from the trees.  It's nice that now they have some color in the spring as well.

 

Last stop on the tour was Longfellow Square.  This is another interesting people watching space.  It's the closest garden to my home and it made for a great last stop on my tour!

5K Spring Season

2011 5K training commenced the first of March and I've been dedicated and strong and steady for the past 9 weeks.  I am finally, once again, at the point in my training where I am not taking any walking breaks.  My last two runs have been 25 and 28 minute ones.  I have been able to finish 2.75 miles which is right on target for where I want to be in that time frame. 

I registered for Hustle for Hoops happening May 22 at Williams-Cone School in Topsham.  I attended elementary school there from grade 4-6.  It seems there is a basketball court (which I don't remember but that's beside the point) that is in need of repair.  A fellow former classmate has organized this 5K to benefit the school and court.  If you are interested in running or donating: Hustle For Hoops.