The East Atlanta Village Strut was great, as usual.

Husband and I ran the 5K in the morning. The weather was perfect for the field of 200 or so runners. The course is pretty easy, with the exception of The Widowmaker (a.k.a. Van Vleck hill.) All of the volunteers were wonderful, and it was nice to have some of the neighbors out in their yards, cheering us all on. I will admit that i was a little disappointed that more of you weren’t out – How hard is it to pour a cup of coffee and walk out your front door and wave at some people running? It also would have been nice if some of the neighbors had scheduled outings before or after the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. hour of the race; It is not fun for a bunch of runners to pull up to let the idiot lady pull out of her driveway and into the course mid-race. All in all, though, it was a great experience, and well-planned. Did I mention that the winner’s plaques are very East Atlanta, and very cool? Wooden, hand painted plaque picturing the Strut flaming sneaker. I covet.

One other disappointment? No breakfast after the race. I thought for sure something other than the Australian Bakery would be open to take advantage of the post-race crowd. I’m not knocking the Aussie Bakery, and in fact, i love the place, but I really wanted a big brunch, complete with Bloody Mary. We ended up having to go to Ria’s. (Oh, the hardship!) Not a big deal, but it seemed like a missed opportunity for local businesses.

With brunch and showers and lunch, we missed the parade, but plenty of shutterbugs got great shots of it. Looked like a good time, and I’m not sure who the Abominables are, but love the name. We made it back in time to check out the Artists’ Market, grab a beer or three, and take in the wares. I bought a beautiful bib from Adrienne at AngelArts, and Sarah’s kids’ smocks were adorable. Loved J’s comics-inspired paintings. My daughter took an odd liking to his likeness of Johnny Cash giving the finger, which probably doesn’t bode well for me in about fifteen years. Lori K’s quilts were totally cool, and i love her idea of memorializing pets in quilted form; I predict cat and dog ladies of the world will be knocking her door down in the name of their dead Fidos and Fluffies. I also bought a cute shrinky-dink necklace from the Guh Guh and Phangs guy. Just in time for Halloween!

We had a great time, and my only regret was that I didn’t last long enough to take in the bands that night. Oh, and that I didn’t win that plaque. Damn you, Van Vleck!

My pics here. More great pics here.