Kenneth & Sarah lunch

With Jody and Kirsten in town, we met for lunch in Salt Lake. It was so good to see those that came. Gene was also there but left before this picture was taken.

Robert & the Baltimore Marathon

Five men who have completed every BaltimoreMarathon explain what the race means to them

Why do they run? Different people have different reasons. But they all keep going.

6:21 p.m. EDT, October 13, 2010

There are 36 runners — 34 men and two women — who have run in every one of the previous nine Baltimore Marathons.
Here's the story of five of those men, all locals who have different motivations and varied views on running 26.2 miles through the city's streets.

The energized one

He was, admittedly, a geek as a kid.

"In junior high, I was always the last one chosen in baseball and basketball," Robert Olsen said. "I had a hard time hitting or catching anything. My hand-eye coordination was very bad."

His feet? They're another story.

Olsen's feet have taken him around the world. The Fells Point resident has run marathons on all seven continents. He has raced along The Great Wall of China and in Antarctica. Saturday will find him chugging down the streets of Baltimore where, at 71, Olsen will be the oldest 10-time marathoner in the field.

A retired architect, his goal is to break five hours, no small feat for one his age.

"Friends call me 'The Energizer Bunny,' " Olsen said. "I'm not terribly fast, but I'm persistent."

Consider his obstinacy in 2006, when he pulled a calf muscle at mile 11 and nearly quit the race. At 67, who'd have blamed him?

"I was ready to give up but thought, 'My streak (of consecutive Baltimore Marathons) will be over,' " Olsen said. "So I took some Advil at the aid station and slogged it out. At the finish line, I kept yelling, 'I made it! I made it! I made it!' "

Pardon his exhuberance. Olsen didn't take up marathoning until almost 50. Before that, he said, "I had a belly because I liked the deli. The first time I ran anything was one-quarter mile around the Baltimore Museum of Art. I almost died."

But he finished. Then, as now.

The Ties that Bind

Grandpa's Sister's Grandson moved to Alaska last year with his family. It has been so fun to have family close, for our kids to have a cousin, for relationships that are forever.

We've had dinners with the Fishers, celebrated birthdays together, and gone out on Brent's long boat. Just little events here and there that remind me that there is nothing in this world like family.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Dad. March 7, 1905.

Cookie Exchange ~ Kinda

Hey since we can't really all get together for a cookie exchange would you be willing to post your favorite cookie recipe here? Then it would be like we had one but not really. If you want to then just post it. Here is a scone recipe I want to try:

Pumpkin Scones/Nancy

2 cups flour
2 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 teas. cinnamon
1/2 teas. nutmeg
1/4 teas. allspice
1/4 teas. ginger
1/2 cup raisins(optional)
Mix altogether

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup cream
3 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 teas. vanilla
Mix together and add to dry ing. until moist then roll out into a circle and cut like a pizza. Bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes then brush cream and sprinkle with sugar. These kind of scones are like biscuits so be careful not to over mix or they will be really dry and ucky. Now get the hot cocoa and enjoy these little morsel's.

Carrot Cookies/ Grandma Sarah's recipe Delicious!

3/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 c. cooked, mashed carrots
1 c. chopped nuts
½ tsp salt
1 tsp B. P.
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
powdered sugar, abt. 2 c.
butter, 2 T.
canned evaporated milk
Cook and mash carrots.
Cream shortening, sugar, and egg. Add other ingredients. Drop dough onto cookie sheet. Bake 350 for 10-15 minutes. Frost.

Pumpkin Cookies/Aunt Mary

1 ½ cups pumpkin
½ c. butter
1 c. sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. walnuts
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp B.P.
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients in order given.
Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes.