June 28 Run: Meet at Virginia's house 1200 Lancaster in Regent Square

Thank you, Virginia! for hosting our next outdoor klatch at her house, 1200 Lancaster, Regent Square (map.)  We'll meet there and probably head down into Frick Park.  Due to the sad but necessary physical separation of humans, please BYO mask, coffee, biscuit, Bloody Mary, whatever.  But, we still have our loud and raucous voices to wake the neighbors and keep us together and sane.  If we are actually still sane.

Last week we managed a real run through Schenley Park and a real convo at Sharon's - getting a little closer to normal!  Endorsed:

• Bubbles and pods - getting to hang out with at least a few people
• St. Benedict the Moor Church gets to keep its iconic identity!
• Deer Valley Camp and Mt. Davis - getting away
• Sunset at Chataqua (nobody is there now!)
• Sharon's part in saving the world as her group starts working on the Blessed Vaccine
• The Droll Yankee Flipper squirrel-proof birdfeeder.  See what happened this morning in our backyard. We felt it approached Cirque de Soleil.  (No squirrel was harmed - we checked - in the making of this movie.)

June 21 Run: Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead (see map in message) - then outdoor coffee at Sharon's!

Run/walk will start at the famous Wendy Bennett Trailhead (map). Wendy, please come back to your Trailhead soon!! We'll find the widest trails in the park and/or the CMU campus to spread out in. 

Afterwards, Sharon is hosting the next socially distanced outdoor coffee hour at her nearby house: "5612 Woodmont (near corner of Woodmont and Wightman). I’ll get water and snacks and happy to make a pot of coffee or people can BYO"  - which will be another much-needed and perfectly cautious get-together. 

Much to discuss as always and hopefully I won't lose the napkin this time.  Here's a good theme, as seen in the vicinity of Frick Park:

June 14 Run: Back to the Cemmie! Meet at entrance to Frick Park at S. Homewood and Reynolds

During this distancing time, we'll be having cemetery runs for a while, due to their wide avenues, breezy hilltops, beguiling statuary, and run-ins with groundhogs and other members of the animal kingdom.  We won't comment on the funereal symbolism, but hey, it's kind of right for the moment. So let's meet at the same place, corner of S. Homewood and Reynolds, which only coincidentally allows me to sleep an extra 15 minutes.

Photo: Masked walkers on Sunday.

Coffee hour on Wendy's patio felt like a blessed spring shower after the in-person talking drought of all these weeks, so we're doing it again, invited this time by Max, who lives a half block from there at 1411 Severn St. (around the corner from Five Points if you want to wait in line for ambrosial cardamom buns.)  Like last time, please BYOC (bring your own coffee - or tea - or vodka - everything goes now) and something to keep you from fainting from hunger.

Endorsements:

• Tuesday (tomorrow) 6-8 pm there is a protest bike ride sponsored by Major Taylor Cycling Club, "Honoring Slain Citizens" starting at the Trader Joe's parking lot.  See you there!
• Article: "Wendy Bennett keeps history from fading"!!
• HomeMadeMimi - "Yes, you can spackle. It's like putting on foundation."
• Another bike and walking trail:  Samuel Justus Recreation Trail
• Lainy's manicure lady at Pearl Nails which has just moved to Murray near Hobart.
• When you're on the highway and have to choose the least infected bathroom, RG recommends Sheetz.  If you want a movie theater, a shower, or to make your own milkshake, though, it's the truck stop you'll be looking for.
• The liberating feeling of living without lipstick, manicures, packing for conferences, hair coloring, pants.
• But if you do have to go to a conference some day, try the Denver Marriott in Cherry Creek.

Not endorsed:

• Gargling with hydrogen peroxide (now required at the dentist)

P.S.  Anyone wanting a blue VOTE face mask, just email me back with your address.

June 7 Run: Homewood Cemetery, meet at the entrance to Frick Park at S. Homewood and Reynolds

Yes, we're officially green as of today, and we're actually going to do a run again, but bring masks and your sense of a 6 ft. distance. The cemmie (as we know it) has nice wide avenues for spacing, and good breezes for blowing away germs.  Also a lot of critters these days.  We'll meet at our usual spot at the Frick Park gate at S. Homewood and Reynolds, so our last run isn't uphill.

AND, courtesy of Wendy, who has just the right setting on her patio, we will also have a REAL coffee hour! seated decently apart and with our favorite masks on.  (Though drinking the coffee will be a challenge.)  See the left side for details.

We'll talk about everything as always but NO HUGGING and NO SHARING.  Even though we will literally be in Mr. Rogers' own neighborhood.  This is something he never could have foreseen.  Don't forget to bring your own coffee and comestibles!