How much better can Spring in Seattle be than to start off with a half-marathon (12-mile) run from Green Lake to Volunteer Park? The morning started out at something hovering south of 40 degrees Fahrenheit but quickly warmed up into the 50s by the time the pack got back to the Bathhouse Theatre at Greenlake around 9am. The small pack of three did a very solid 9-minute-mile for the entire run. I have come to appreciate myself and others who have the knack to set a pace and just keep it mile after mile: time just flows by effortlessly at these times. But what I really love about running in a pack is just the chance to spend time with strangers who, within 15 strides, become newly found friends; the conversation starts up and does not really end till well after the run is over.
I got home and cooked up some bacon and brown eggs which I followed up with with some slices of fresh, organic tomatoes (and yes, when it comes to tomatoes organic and especially organic heirloom makes a difference) topped by fresh basil leaves and aged Canadian cheddar (and yes, aged and Canadian do make a difference worth noting). After downing a pot of freshly burr-ground Seattle Coffee Works roasted beans in French press (and yes, as a foodie all these details about what I had in particular matters … to me … and because you read this to be amused by sense of specificity, right?) Once the gastronomic feast had been had, I got dressed, walked into the bedroom, and immediately feel to the bed to rest for an hour.
By noon I was at Cafe Victrola for quad-shot of espresso and a bottle of Pellegrino. If you have never had espresso with sparkling water then you are missing out on one of the more sublime experiences of espresso culture so oft overlooked in North America. The Italians, as far as I have experienced, have this aspect of life perfected and we should, like their suits, not hesitate to imitate immediately.
A few hours later a friend and I walked over to Volunteer Park. Yes; I was there last week. Yes; I went to the Conservatory. And yes; I got even more pictures. And this time I returned to the top of the water tower to get a view of the city and mountains beyond. If you know Seattle then you will appreciate that a person could see as far as the eye might imagine — well to Mount Rainier, Cascade Mountains and even to the Olympics which seemed sharper than the nearer Cascades, if that is possible. And while last week I enjoyed the rehearsal of As You Like It, this time they were actually performing it for reals [sic].
I am back at Cafe Victrola to rest and further relax. And while I am tuckered out, I think even more so is the super-hero guarding the door to the cafe.
