Sunrise 5:49: Visiting ducks

Over the many years the Dawn Joggers went around Lake Lagunita, they stopped at Troll's home near the Narnia housing to check on who'd "stopped by for breakfast." In years like this one - when the lake never filled - guests visits have been spotty. So the female DJ was surprised to see a duck couple enjoying Troll's hospitality this morning.
It is moments like this that are hardest to do solo...

Sunrise 5:50: Round 'em up

Some of the best things about jogging at dawn are the surprises. On a cool, breezy overcast morning, the female Dawn Jogger returned to her Wednesday Big Dish run after being away. She was close to the cattle grate on the Alpine side when she spied a man on horseback herding some young cattle. He was joined by two other horsemen behind a larger group. Yep, a round up, just an everyday event in the middle of bustling Silicon Valley. In other nature notes, Birdie is back and from the amount of poop on the hummingbird feeder has been hanging around in the DJs' absence...

Sunrise 5:50: Back on American soil

So it was off on the regular Tuesday Lake Lagnunita route for the female Dawn Jogger while the male DJ took Cassie for a quick spin. The earth has turned very brown in the last 10 days. But all else is regular including the weekly catchup with Dawn Jogging community member Judy who's soon off to participate in the Covered Bridges Half Marathon in Vermont. One sign sign the female DJ spotted seemed out of place on the Stanford campus. Maybe better for pointing to a designated camping section at Taize...

Sunrise 5:57: Lyon along the Saone

The Dawn Joggers were in Lyon nine years ago and many of the sights are familiar, including the distinctive suspended foot bridge across the Saone and the basilica that presides over the town. Because it's a holiday today in France, there were few people this morning when the female DJ jogged along the Saone at sunrise - the only time she's been up that early the whole trip. Some people were just leaving the clubs; others out were the garbage men and street cleaners. Mixed feelings are the DJs head for home...

Sunrise 5:57: A packed 36 hours

Today's post begins with last night's "last blush" - the Saturday evening Taize service attended with Father David (hmmm...don't think we've ever actually called him that) and his son Steven. Wonderful magical chants that the DJs had heard before but never experienced first hand. This morning the female DJ jogged along the Voie Verte pathway from Cluny, then it was into the car for the Sunday Eucharist at Taize with David and son Michael, a chef who effortlessly cooked lunch for eight at the Perry's rented home in Ameugny. Tonight they're spending their last night in France in Lyon...

Sunrise 5:57: First a walk, then...

It was still bright and sunny as the Dawn Joggers ate their petite dejeuner on the lovely terrace of Chateau d'Ige, which adjoins their rooms. ("Mr Snail" has been a steady prescence just outside.) They headed out for a morning walk - the male DJ for a loop around the neighboring tiny village of Domange, the female a longer route that took her to the Chateau d'Aine (near Aze) and then back high amidst the vineyards. By the time she returned the promised weather front had arrived with light drizzle. Now it's off to Cluny. Update from Taize tonight...

Sunrise 5:58: Above the vines

The female Dawn Jogger finally gets it - the villages of the Maconnais are primarily in a valley (partially Le Val Lamartinen). So a walk means up. After the morning spent in the nice town of Tournus (she could picture living there and getting up every morning and jogging the path along the Saone), she headed out after lunch from Chateau d'Ige following a familiar yellow footpath sign marked 2 kilometers to Chateau la Bruyere, a fanciful complex still in the winemaking business. Continuing on, she got higher than the vines to pastures before eventually descending through a forest back to the vineyards above Ige. It was a good workout, thanks to the climb. The church in Ige is marked with a Star of David for reasons undiscovered...

Sunrise 5:59: Walk among the vines

The Dawn Joggers were joined by friends David and Ricki Perry for a walk in the vineyards and surrounding hillsides of the medieval town of Brancion (whose narrow streets are getting a significant face lift). The vines - almost certainly chardonnay grapes which makes up 90% of the production of the Maconnais appellation - were being carefully trimmed. The 3-mile walking circuit is known for its varieties of butterflies, including the rare - but not this morning!- blue butterfly, which was fluttering by in abundance. They shared a pleasant lunch in Brancion, which was filled with school children on field trips...

Sunrise 6:00: Visit with faithful friends

As recounted on the male Dawn Jogger's blog, the DJs awoke in a castle on their first full day in Southern Burgundy. A morning spent walking around Cluny was followed by lunch at the home their friends, the Perry's, who are staying about a mile from Taize, the ecumenical community that attracts young people from around the world. David first visited shortly after seminary; he and Ricki brought their children with them about 30 years ago - they were the "old" family amidst the young adults. On a personal tour, David showed the DJs how the community has grown, including adding the Orthodox domes during the Cold War as an overt sign of solidarity to Christendom around the world (while always welcoming people of all faiths). They will return for the two big services over the weekend, with as many as 10,000 expected for Pentecost...

Sunrise 6:01: Walking the rooftops of Paris

It was a few years ago that the Dawn Joggers first discovered one of the most magical walks in Paris - the Promenade Plantee, which runs from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes, initially along what was once a elevated railway. At this time of the year, this section of the path is lined with fragrant roses. There's no place else that one can stroll along side the rooftops of Paris - and come eye to eye with some unusual sights such as the a building adorned with giant statuary. The viaduct ends at Reuilly Garden where there's a wooden footbridge the stretches from one side to the other. Today there were groups of preschool children in some kind of competitions between schools. Another successful file mile outing - now off to Macon...

Sunrise 6:02: Leafy glade high in Paris - plus PM update

Recalling previous trips to Paris that focused on neighborhood walks, the Dawn Joggers set out this morning from the 4th through the 11th, 19th and 20th arrondissements - destination Parc des Buttes Chaumont, a undulating leafy glade built out of a quarry. It was a challenging four miles from the Place des Vosges for the male DJ, who handled it well. After lunch at a cafe, the female DJ decided to walk back along the Canal St Martin, now dotted by numerous - and very entrenched - tent cities. The organization Doctors of the World first passed out tents to the city's homeless in December 2005. They're now an item of controversy. Tonight the DJs head to another chef-owned restaurant...

Indeed the DJs headed off to Chez Catherine - way across town from their hotel (but then coming home they got to see the Eiffel Tower do its "light thing.") Lovely dinner and all that (the male DJ bought the cookbook!) but what most surprised them, seated at the next table, was the same threesome who they had sat next to last night at Bofinger - Americans, retired and living in Florida. There must be 10,000 places to eat in Paris, what are the odds...

Sunrise 6:03: Monastery in the city

Note to gulker.com readers: a technical glitch has prevented the male DJ from posting - solved just a short time ago, so stay tuned.

The sun rose this morning but didn't shine due to persistent rain. The Dawn Joggers know it rains all year long in Paris but realized that in their many visits it hadn't rained on them. The inclement weather didn't deter their morning plan - to worship with the Monastic Community of Jerusalem - who they'd first been introduced to in Vezelay.

The Paris-based group, consisting of separately-governed monks and nuns, was founded in Saint Gervais Church on All Saints Day in 1975. They're stated goal: "...to put prayer in the city and to carry the city in their prayer...to create an oasis in this urban 'desert' of solitude and anxiety, yearning or indifference, by bringing to life a place of silence and prayer which is also a place of welcome and sharing."

What amazed them both was that in this very secular city, in very secular Europe - in an era (at least in the States) when mainstream religion is increasingly going "pop" to attract worshipers - the mini cathedral size church was packed with people fully engaged in the traditional - albeit very joyful - chanted Mass of Jerusalem.

Over a fabulous lunch at Mon Vieil Ami (and yes the male DJ met "celebrity" chef-owner Antoine Westermann - maybe he'll blog about it now that he's finally up and running again), they concluded that authenticity and substance can be the winning formula (so much for rock guitars and projected screens).

Their day concluded at the the classic brasserie Bolinger a short distance from their hotel (and yes it was still sprinkling)...

Sunrise 6:05: Joyful Paris morning

The Dawn Joggers saw something this morning that they hadn't seen together in some time - the first blush of the sunrise. This occurred from their airplane about an hour outside of Paris. A number of photos were taken from a very dirty window - but none worth showing.

They're plane arrived a good 30 minutes early, and as they were whisked into town in the the usual Paris traffic, they were faced with either getting cranky about the fact "you're room is not ready" or seeing Paris on an early Saturday morning in a way that few Parisians do. So they headed out from the Place des Vosges (where their hotel is located) to the Ile de la Citie and finally to Notre Dame. This cathedral is one that they've rarely been called to visit, but the Episcopalian catholic female DJ, thought "there's no harm in lighting one of those mega Virgin Mary candles." And so she did.

The day was capped off with a female chef at a local bistro cooking one of the best starters they'd ever had - a mushroom provencale. The big bonus: between the early morning walk and the last afternoon errands, the male DJ walked about five miles...

Sunrise 5:58: Glowing grasses

The female Dawn Jogger was struck by the height of the wheat grass [or whatever the proper name] - given the lack of rain - in a field along Sand Hill Road. Now that the sun is up well before she sets out each morning, it high enough in the sky to be catching the ends of the grass, given it a cheery glow. Tomorrow the DJs head off to France...

Sunrise 5:59: Tall mustard shows off

Pretty, tall mustard was still in bloom amidst the growing patches of dry tall grass surrounding the Big Dish. The female DJ increasingly values the Wednesday dish runs...

Sunrise 5:59: Trying to be rosy

The female Dawn Jogger hadn't worn her hat (on purpose). Dawn Community member Judy hadn't brought her iPod (on purpose). On a gray spring morning, they were both in a bit of a funk, and instead of meeting briefly and going their separate ways, they jogged together this morning, sharing the challenges brought by busy, complicated 21st century Silicon Valley lives. The lake bed is increasingly brown, but there remain a few rosy remnants...

Sunrise 6:00: Bug's delight

One of the female Dawn Jogger's favorite Menlo Park front yards - often filled with tulips in spring - this morning was home to a large lady bug balloon. Maybe a Mother's day remnant...

Sunrise 6:01: Mother's day visit

After a walk around Lake Lagunita with Casssie, the Dawn Joggers were joined by John and Julie and John's brother, Patrick, for a Mother's Day celebration. After brunch the main agenda item for the female DJ and mother-to-be Julie was sorting through some fabulous shoes that had arrived on Friday night. Julie feel immediately fell in love with a brown pair of Manolos, but was equally thrilled with other quite a few other pairs, as was the female DJ.Birdie (shown in a photo taken yesterday) made an early morning appearance as well, tap, tap, tapping on first the bedroom and then the kitchen window. For the first time he/she was joined by a second bird (the male DJ just missed snapping a pix)...

Sunrise 6:02: Dish goes golden

The hillsides surrounding the Big Dish are turning golden, and all signs of green will undoubtedly be gone when the DJs return from France on Labor Day. Lots going on this Mother's Day weekend. Birdie work the DJs up this morning, unhappy that the Roman shade was down...

Sunrise 6:03: Sign of the past

The roses are so pretty this year that the female Dawn Jogger decided to do a neighborhood run this morning rather than going across the Stanford campus. And she did see, as expected, lots and lots of great roses, many of them covering fences and arbors. What she didn't expect to see was a remnant from her childhood, a Fox and Carskadon sign, vintage late 50s/early 60s. This company held a prominent place in mid-Peninsula real estate while she was growing up - and still does in its new incarnation run by the founder's son. She just saw daughter - and Hillview School classmate - Bonnie when the old gang was in town two weeks ago...

Sunrise 6:04: Birdie persists

The female Dawn Jogger had no sooner walked into the kitchen following her run around Lake Lagunita this morning when Birdie appeared. He/she perched on the hummingbird feeder and then moved forward to peck on the window. When the female DJ moved to the back of the house to shower, so did Birdie, pecking on one of the bedroom windows. He/she has been around the DJs house for over two weeks now. The reincarted spirit idea is taking greater hold...

Sunrise 6:05: Break in the heat

As the female Dawn Jogger made her way up the Junipero Serra side of Big Dish this morning, there was no sign of fog on the Western Hills. But by the time she was back down the other side and headed back to Menlo, a high overase was appearing in an unusual pattern from the north, as if it was coming in through the Golden Gate and heading down the Bay. So it looks the the three day heat spell is over. The female DJ figures all the grass will be brown by the end of May...

Sunrise 6:06: Bumble bee bike

Near the same Stanford co-generation facility where the female Dawn Jogger sometimes spots shiny big truck cabs, she saw a bring orange Harley Davidson this morning. It really did beckon, "come ride me." Riding Harleys on the weekend remains quite the rage with a subset of the Baby Boom set, but she has no desire to take up the hobby. She does admire the hog's sleek design...

Sunrise 6:07: Old media

Posters are old media, especially when affixed to a community kiosk (and not the interactive. But they bloom on the Stanford campus in spring, starting with the student body elections and going right through graduation. Many have an old-timey feel. Most are eye catching enough to catch the female Dawn Joggers eye. At some point they'll be torched so a new batch can be posted...

Sunrise 6:08: What's Cassie thinking

The Dawn Joggers and Cassie set out on a Sunday spin around the Lake, with the male DJ extending his distance from yesterday, this time turning for home at the corral gate. Cassie and the female DJ continued on what turned out to be a warm morning. At the lake, they spotted a group of breast cancer walkers on a training outing. Lately, on the way home, Cassie gets a bee in her bonnet about something and starts pulling at the leash, which makes for a brisk pace. Her somewhat willful nature has always made leash walking difficult but it's a necessity now that she's deaf. The female DJ is a bit puzzled about this hurry-to-get-home behavior. Maybe the old girl has her mind set on her kibble bowl...

Sunrise 6:09: Leave it to the birds

Great breezy morning for running the Dish, observed the female Dawn Jogger this morning.The 'general birds' were fluttering around the mustard; one perched on the oak scupture that's adjacent to the Dish ridge path. The outing was capped by meeting up with the male DJ and Cassie near the end of the route for a walk back to the house. The DJs have been talking about another bird over the past 10 days. It comes to the bedroom window along side the garden and pecks furiously. Does the same thing at the breakfast room window, where the female took its portrait. The urgency of it signal has started the female DJ wondering if it's a special soul

Sunrise 6:10: Roses are good this year...

It's the shared small things that made the morning ritual of running at sunrise so precious to the Dawn Joggers - and that left such a void when brain journey began last fall. But for the second morning in a row, the male DJ and Cassie the Australian Shepherd set out at the same time as the female DJ. While they once again parted ways at the bike bridge, they both spotted the pretty, rain-drop adorned roses in a neighbor's yard.The roses are good this year, commented the male DJ...

Sunrise 6:11: Company at the bridge

For the first time in months, the male Dawn Jogger and Cassie set off with the female DJ this morning. The DJs had been so encouraged in January and February by the fact that the tumor was shrinking, and the male DJ was slowly but surely building up muscle strength. They thought they'd marked a turning point with a hike out on their much traveled Portola trails. But three days later, fatigue from chemo hit, followed by increased muscle weakness from the steroids, and then a whalloping build up of edema that pretty much shut down his whole left side. It knocked them both flat emotionally. After coming home last night from an author talk at Trinity, the male DJ remarked that he felt like he was getting his life back. An encouraging development for them both...

Sunrise 6:13: Misty Dish morning

There was a light rain falling as the Dawn Jogger made her way up the Junipero Serra side of the Dish this morning. Late season mustard was bright set agains the gray skies. Few around except the desert hares - and no sign of last week's strange beast.
Some days start out quiet and serene...

Sunrise 6:14: Who crosses here?

There's a path that goes diagonally across Lake Lagunita from the Narnia dorm to the the Lagunita dorms. Its well-worn enough to look like it's been there for awhile, but the female Dawn Jogger only noticed it this spring. It was probably under water last year at this time - and may well look different when the lake bed is brown. If it didn't' go all the across the lake, she'd think it was used the by model airplane enthusiasts who use the lake. She's never seen a student use it. A mystery path...