Whistle-stop
Today I am grateful for the people I work with; from colleagues, to students, to parents. I am also grateful for peanut butter and jelly on toast.
Whistle-stop is a unique "w" word. Technically, it is more like two words, but let's consider it one hyphenated word to keep it in line with my one-word trips through the alphabet. It most often refers to brief appearances in many communities by campaigning politicians or to the small communities themselves.
It also happens to be the name of the second marathon I ran-the WhistleStop Marathon in Ashland, WI in 2005. I have fond memories of that marathon, largely because my sisters Zita and Ruth and my friends Beth and Melissa all ran the marathon too. My sister Aileen ran the half-marathon, and my sister Leonice and sister-in-law Annie came along to cheer us on. It meant a lot to have Zita running. She had planned to run the Chicago Marathon the previous year but ended up being diagnosed with breast cancer and being in the midst of treatment. She was able to finish the WhistleStop and that was a cool thing to witness.
It was a far different marathon than Chicago. From urban with tens of thousands of participants and spectators, to rural and small. We were bussed to the start area and then ran back into Ashland on a trail created on an old rail line. That seemed like a long bus ride, and as the miles went on during the marathon, it seemed like it was taking a long time to get back to town. I liked the scenery and solitude, but it was mentally challenging too. I was sure glad to see Ashland come back into view. The WhistleStop Marathon was an overall pleasant experience.
The Whistle Stop Cafe was also a central location in the plot of the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes."The movie is from 1991 and included performances by Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jessica Tandy and Mary Louise Parker. Bates was my favorite in the movie, but I enjoyed the movie overall.It is one I enjoy watching again from time to time.
Back to the original whistle-stop, or quick stops along a route. I guess I could do whistle-stop gratitude throughout my day's journey. Sounds like a plan!
Whistle-stop is a unique "w" word. Technically, it is more like two words, but let's consider it one hyphenated word to keep it in line with my one-word trips through the alphabet. It most often refers to brief appearances in many communities by campaigning politicians or to the small communities themselves.
It also happens to be the name of the second marathon I ran-the WhistleStop Marathon in Ashland, WI in 2005. I have fond memories of that marathon, largely because my sisters Zita and Ruth and my friends Beth and Melissa all ran the marathon too. My sister Aileen ran the half-marathon, and my sister Leonice and sister-in-law Annie came along to cheer us on. It meant a lot to have Zita running. She had planned to run the Chicago Marathon the previous year but ended up being diagnosed with breast cancer and being in the midst of treatment. She was able to finish the WhistleStop and that was a cool thing to witness.
It was a far different marathon than Chicago. From urban with tens of thousands of participants and spectators, to rural and small. We were bussed to the start area and then ran back into Ashland on a trail created on an old rail line. That seemed like a long bus ride, and as the miles went on during the marathon, it seemed like it was taking a long time to get back to town. I liked the scenery and solitude, but it was mentally challenging too. I was sure glad to see Ashland come back into view. The WhistleStop Marathon was an overall pleasant experience.
The Whistle Stop Cafe was also a central location in the plot of the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes."The movie is from 1991 and included performances by Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jessica Tandy and Mary Louise Parker. Bates was my favorite in the movie, but I enjoyed the movie overall.It is one I enjoy watching again from time to time.
Back to the original whistle-stop, or quick stops along a route. I guess I could do whistle-stop gratitude throughout my day's journey. Sounds like a plan!
I have many fond memories of that day/weekend as well!
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