I've been in Hood River, OR, this week, on spring break. I'm working on a piece I plan to post on Thursday, May 29. So far, it's 14 pages. I hope I haven't scared anyone off from reading a piece this long, but if you have the chance to read it at anytime, I would certainly be most grateful.
Here's my synopsis:
'A veteran track and field blogger, observer, and prognosticator looks for meaning in the most challenging year of his life and finds it in an unexpected meeting with an Olympic champion.'
Why May 29? The date is quite relevant to the ending of the story, and while I hope the piece will stand on its own no matter when it's read, there will be a timely twist for those reading it on the 29th.
This evening I had dinner at Nora's Table in Hood River, an excellent restaurant if ever there was one. I was on my own when two women sat down next to me, J and A, from Condon, OR. "Condon, Condon, Condon," I kept saying to myself - why did this sound so familiar? Finally I asked, and they reminded me that that was where Nike sponsored a new track for the high school in exchange for the waffle iron on which Bill Bowerman created his legendary waffle-soled shoes.
This is of particular interest to me as I have a pair from the waffle iron - not to mention Waffle Trainer prototypes as well as six pair from Blue Ribbon Sports.
Here's a terrific article by Rachel Bachman of The Oregonian, about the recovery of the waffle iron and the building of the track:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2011/02/nikes_holy_grail_bowerman_fami.html
I'm respecting the privacy of my dinner companions as we just met and I'm not sure they expected their names might be put on the net an hour later. I just want to say what it a pleasure it was meeting two such interesting and dynamic women, and I want to thank you, J and A, for sitting with me - you made my evening!
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