First Blush: Surprised by a creature encounter

It was hard to tell who was more surprised this morning around 6:30 am on the Stanford campus – the raccoon or female Dawn Jogger. That it was a bright sunny morning made the encounter even more surprising. Most of the critter encounters the DJs have had over the years have happened in the dim light just as the sun is rising, and the raccoons and skunks are rounding up their nighttime foraging and heading back to the their dens for the day. That the raccoon froze while the female DJ passed was not typical behavior; they usually scamper away immediately. She thinks that it’s a young raccoon whose mother had already gone into the drain area on the other side of the walkway; he or she could only wait for her to pass before following her. Hence her up close and personal encounter…

First Blush: more clouds in the future

Once upon a time it was all about jogging at dawn. Then life interfered – things like glioma and an Achilles tendon injury that required surgery. Now the female DJ is up and jogging at dawn again. The thrill is still there but not the passion about blogging – at least as pertains to the dawn experience. Some good things have taken its place. But what to do about jogging at dawn…

Frosty morning for an encounter – and a mini jog

The female DG never had a gym membership before, so it was always up and out – in all but the most inclement weather (aka strong, windy rainstorm). But there was a split second temptation to head to the Y and avoid the very cold (by Bay Area standards) temperature this morning. But it was good opportunity to test some of the “windstopper” gear she’s bought for an upcoming trip to New York. And, as it turned out, to integrate a bit more jogging into the outing – four different tests to be exact, all under a quarter of a mile. No ill effects. She sees Oloff tomorrow and Heidi over the weekend, so the experts will soon weigh in.

Side observation: is there any other campus in the world that sports an equestrian sign next to a practice golf course and features a sprightly Irish Setter? Only on Stanford, she thinks.