Leap Year! in Everyday Ramblings

I know, I know, 2015 is not a leap year in the traditional sense but Carlo wanted me to say that 2015 is the year of the leap. He is going for his personal best.

So, the bridge above, this is our Steel Bridge. That is what it is called. It has car traffic and bus and light rail traffic above and train, as in mostly freight but a few passenger trains a day going underneath. Next to the train tracks on the lower section is a bike and footpath. The middle part of the bridge raises straight up for ship traffic. There is a large grain storage and transport facility right next to it on the other side from this shot.

Now, imagine it is night, a beautiful cold clear night with a bright half moon. The river is black and oily and there is a cold breeze near the bridge.

Imagine hundreds of folks, maybe even a thousand dressed in running tights wrapped in tulle with tiny disco balls on springs on their heads and gloves with LED lights in the finger tips all different colors.

It is just after midnight on New Years Eve. Everybody is in a good mood and being silly, it is only a few spectators along the riverfront walk that are not sober, shouting inebriated encouragement and listing a bit to one side or another.

A couple of party boats are out on the river and there are women out and about in couples wearing too few clothes for the temperature, which is well below freezing, and way way too high heels.

The countdown to the New Year at the start gate was fun, very congenial and not to packed. Nobody was running this for time. One fellow we talked to had a discreet video camera strapped to a sweatband around his head. He said he wanted to capture the experience.

I for one, can safely say, that I have never been out walking the river loop at midnight. S., my student and I, although we have known each other for 15 years through Women’s Circle have never actually just hung out before and that was lovely.

She is in pretty good shape for a person with two knee replacements and is overweight. She works hard in yoga and I know what she is capable of so I was a little surprised when we started how fast my inner pony wanted to go. I wanted to run. But she needed to walk so we did.

(I took my pony out on the track late morning today and let her trot happily at her own pace in her own time so got that out of my system.)

The race was very well organized and was friendly to walkers, which was a marvelous thing indeed. All the folks in fun costumes went by and this was a constant source of delight. I particularly liked the girl in the fitted green velvet doublet…

It was a really great thing to do for the turning of the year. To be out in the mix, hanging with healthy (mostly younger people) and moving and whooping it up.

I wore silk sock liners and my feet were warm enough. I just need a little bit better system for protecting the bunion on my right foot (that is not to bad as bunions go but still affects my gait) when it is well below freezing.

The hardest part of the whole thing was staying up so I could go. I took Sudafed and read and listened to podcasts and confused the heck out of the cats. Diego was in full overtired two year old brat mode.

When I got home about 1:30 AM, Carlo had already given up on me and gone to bed.

Diego, was, oh, too cool! Mom is here, we can P-L-A-Y.

Last updated January 02, 2015