Westmoreland Asays

Nice socks (I have a pair) For the first time in five years of photographing Hood-to-Coast, everything went smoothly: no panic attacks at thinking I had lost my car keys, no equipment malfunctions, no getting lost on the course, and no scorching heat or pesky rain showers. The sun still burned my summer-dark skin, my thighs hurt like I had run 26 miles while powerlifting my weight, and the little sleep I scavenged failed to ward off my drowsiness late Saturday. But 2012 was easily the best experience to date. But I also have some myths that I wish to debunk: I am NOT a volunteer , so quit elevating me to such a holy state. Just because I wear a reflective vest all day doesn't automatically grant me my angelic wings that the true volunteers have. I say this because most runners I encounter say the magic words, "Thanks for coming out here today." I'm getting paid, people--this is not a form of charity. My job is NOT easy . Every year a handful of runners throw...

The Booren clan--40 strong--all gathered at grandma an grandpa's house for a short reunion on their new homestead in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Meg's parents moved here last fall, leaving behind their home of nearly 20 years in Oregon--a move not exactly welcomed by us . Of the eight Booren siblings, four now live on the east coast, one just moved to Utah from Oregon, and three (including Meg) are still strongly rooted in Oregon (right, guys?). We divided up the families between two houses, which made for getting to know each other very easy. Wednesday We started Wednesday morning driving 20-30 miles north to the US Marine Corps museum (Meg's dad and youngest brother are Marines). Edward and I had a good time looking at the exhibits, including a re-enactment of the landing at Iwo Jima. Meg got stuck with Ian and reported that he was a pain and a half. We got stuck in traffic on the way back. Rant: I can't believe how bad traffic was in Virginia. It was the middle of th...

Question : What is the largest city in Virginia? Unscripted fun in abundance Answer : Where I swam in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. We didn't stick around the in-laws house for long before packing our bags and heading for Virginia Beach, the largest city in Virginia and home to the largest pleasure beach in the world. Meg had taken the boys to Virginia Beach a few weeks prior to my arrival, but now she sought to prove to me what a beach is supposed to be like. For those who grew up in Oregon and went to the beach in the summer, you got used to wearing pants and sweaters while on land, and only the brave or stupid attempted to wade out in the ocean beyond their calves. I have been to Hawaii before and loved swimming in the ocean surrounding those islands, and I trust that the Atlantic is warmer, but still: it's hard to erase behavior that has been burned into your brain for decades. Ian preferred to stay on dry land After a three-hour drive south and east...

Washington Monument The alarm goes off at the usual hour of six a.m., but I purposefully stay in bed knowing I have time to burn. But sleep overtakes me. I wake up 30 minutes later and rush through my routine, although I wasn't able to watch the segment on Johanna brooks, Jon Stewart's special guest on the Daily Show. After checking that the house was secure, I grabbed my stuff and walked two blocks to the bus stop. After a short bus ride to the Lloyd Center, I transferred to a MAX train to the airport. And thus began my maiden voyage to our nation's capital city. Night-walk in D.C. My flight to Baltimore was pretty easy, with a stop in KC to drop off most of the plane's passengers and pick up some fat cattle other people. Armed with my Zune, my Nexus 7, and my old-skool Kindle, the time passed quickly. I turned my phone on as soon as I could and found a text from my mistress, with whom I had scheduled a brief rendezvous to ease back into life with a fa...