Fave Run - PIT

On of my favorite places to run is the Montour Run Trail, near Pittsburgh, PA. Whenever you can catch it on a beautiful fall afternoon, like the one we had today, it can't be beat for a place to click off some miles and unwind after work. The trail section that I use whenever I'm in town follows the run (a creek to us Southerners) past wooded hills, over a rail bridge and through a train tunnel. The surface is near perfect, the grade near flat, and you almost always cross paths with fellow runners, cyclists, dog-walkers cross-country teams or power walkers. There are parking spots interspersed along the trail for easy access. I always hope for decent weather just so I can run here.

Update: Added photo

Chinese buffet...in France

Yes, it's true. The ubiquitous strip mall Chinese buffet has made its way to the land of Brie and fois gras. As my son says, it is somehow reassuring to know that it is the same all over the world. There were nonetheless remarkable differences. Frog legs, lightly battered and fried, took the place of chicken wings. There were four different salads including a type of slaw made with long tender strands of cabbage. Most of the sauces were spicy rather than sweet, the Calamari were hotest but the lemongrass beef was divine. The fried dumplings were a disappointment (I love dumplings). There were ten different fruits on the dessert table and a freezer with a dozen different flavors of quality ice cream. Sorry, no Jello. Other notable absences included General Tso's chicken, sweet and sour anything, and fortune cookies. We had thirty-nine people at the table, some of whom hadn't been together for years. In the French tradition, we spent about three hours at the table eating and talking. French meals fill the soul as much as they fill the belly. As my nephew put it, none of the food was especially appetizing, but it fills you up. I'm glad to see that some rings never change.

Mobile Blogging from here.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]