Valentine's Day

There were a lot of good things about running ten miles this morning.  First of all, it was a cool, overcast day, with just enough of a northerly wind to keep from overheating.  We started early and finished by lunch time.  Moreover, last week, I had picked up the pace in the last mile of an eight-mile run, something I used to do in marathon and half-marathon training, a test to see if I was still able to summon up a finish-line kick at the tail end of a long run.  I had been pleased with an 11:52 pace, fast for me these days.  Today I did the same thing and was even more pleased with an 11:35 pace.  Non-runners may not be able to appreciate how much just a few seconds can contribute to a feeling of blissful accomplishment.

Another good thing about running ten miles was that Martha was doing the same thing as I was, my wife of 40 years and my Valentine of 42 years.  We passed each other several times during our different back-and-forth routes to Fort Macon and back, and each time we did I thought again how wonderful it is to be able to share this joy of running (and many other joys) with someone I love.  On the kitchen counter is a small bouquet of flowers I gave Martha for this occasion, and two Valentine's Day cards that we gave each other but have not yet opened.  (The daffodil was liberated from a generous patch at the Maritime Museum in Beaufort.)

And finally, there is the matter of dinner tonight.  It is always nice to have a reward on the horizon after a long, hard run.  I have visualized a delicious dinner in the final miles of many marathons!  That dinner tonight will be a romantic one as well, and will be enjoyed at Amos Mosquito's, a local restaurant right down the road from here that only takes reservations on New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day. 

It is an unusual name for a restaurant, and its origin is explained on the website by Chef and co-owner Hallock Cooper:

"Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Amos.

Amos who?

A mosquito!

"Not very funny, but it really is where we got our name. We had a picturesque, waterfront location. We had a unique, outdoorsy decor theme. We had a good start on a tasty menu. And, we had a long list of really bad names for a restaurant.

"During a brainstorming session someone suggested 'Skeeter’s.' We all liked it because it went along with our décor, but felt it didn’t sound nice enough to reflect the high quality food and service we planned on providing. That’s when Pam remembered how Hallock would mis-tell this joke: Hallock always said “Amos Mosquito” instead of “a mosquito.”

 We are eagerly looking forward to it, our appetites made keen by many miles!