more fandango pics

And some pre-race pics from my buddy and fotog, Scottydog (that's him in the "I beat cancer" shirt.

thanks, Scotty!

Fiesta Fandango and food

So, my Saturday was spent at the farmers' market, buying supplies for JUGBABES book & bottle club on Sunday - then hitting Whole Foods & HEB - then endlessly prepping food and cleaning - then running the Fiesta Fandango 2.6ish mile fun run.  This is a fun run in front of the Fiesta Flambeau night parade - with FANS (and guys chomping on turkey legs, shouting "run faster, honey!").  There were many costumes, and I took pics along the run.  Thanks to Ceci and Tom for the pics, too!

 Ceci - the undead super fotog!  Check out her inaugural Dia de los Muertos run at http://diadelosmuertosrun.com/ - it's going to be COOL!

 waiting to jump on the bus at the Japanese Tea Gardens

 Very squinty at the start

 runners and floats

 more runners - those are 'Chilean miners' - they also had gals with 'Chilean wife' and 'Chilean mistress' with them.  There were about 1,100 runners.

 Accidental picture along the run

 head of the horse along the run (the ms. pac man folks were behind the horse)

 lifeguards in REALLY short shorts

 running with los muertos and Laura (who was surprised by Ceci, taking pics!)

 near the finish

 Sadie, the good dog, at the finish.  She does a LOT of tricks, listens, and obeys.  I want one of those dogs.

 These guys dribbled a basketball the whole run

 My favorite - the running chickens

 These are the guys you have to be faster than

 yep, really

 some night parade pics as we awaited the return bus

The Frost Bank tower - in Fiesta colors. 
The next day, I hosted JUGBABES book & bottle club and made about 70% of my meal from ingredients from the Pearl Farmers' Market.  This was one of the faves-I credit my cooking less than the very fresh ingredients that were picked on Friday and transported fewer than 150 miles.  Thank you, local farmers!

Beet Salad




4 bunches fresh beets without stems (I used white, golden, and red beets)

2 T oil (I used walnut)

1 T lemon juice

2 T white wine vinegar

1 T honey

2 T Dijon mustard

1 t dried thyme

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

greens (I used arugula, belgian endive, and endive frisee-however that's spelled)

1 cup feta cheese

one red onion - sliced thin

~ 1 cup candided pecans



Heat oven to 450 degrees, coat beets lightly with 2 T oil and roast for ~45 minutes until tender. Allow to cool, then peel and dice (use gloves - they stain) - chill in fridge. Mix the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, honey, mustard and thyme (I shake in jar). pour dressing over greens, onions, and beets. Top with feta cheese and pecans.



 

Fiesta First Friday Cruiser Ride

Well, Friday was First Friday, and that isn't an April Fool's joke.  And Fiesta is just around the corner for San Antonio, so we rode in style.  As you can see, this time, we had mascots (piñata and Jesse James Leija). 

This is our monthly cruiser ride from joint to joint along the King William and Southtown corridor.  We passed many tourists and the Run-a-Tab runners - and a homeless guy in a wheelchair who cheered and cheered.  Fun times, but it made for a tough 5k the next morning.

 Getting ready to launch with buddies Alexis & Herb (thanks to Alexis for the pic)

 First stop, listening to some tunes (they played "Mustang Sally" - grrrr)

 Our lucky mascot

 At the Alcapulco Drive In

 we outnumbered the motorcycles - but these are also bikes of a 'rival gang' that cruises out from Sam's Burger Joint for First Fridays

 On the road

refastening mascots

Fiesta Fandango

Well, Fiesta is officially over once again and it's time to return to some serious running.  Before that happened, I ran the Fiesta Fandango ~2.6 mile run along the parade route for about 700,000 adoring fans!

thanks to Tom Lake for the pics

Viva Fiesta!

Well, today is an official holiday in San Antonio - Battle of the Flowers, and Fiesta has been raging for the past week.  On Wednesday, I attended Corynation - the cheapest, raunchiest Fiesta event.  And it was FABulous...

Saturday, I will run the Fiesta Fandango 2.6ish mile race - in front of the Fiesta Flambeau night parade vanguard.

During Fiesta, there is a LOT of crowning of 'fake' royalty.  One of the 'kings' is El Rey Fido - and this year, it was DINGO!  Unfortunately, it was a different Dingo (the one with the tiara on the right):

While my Dingodog was happy that a fellow Dingo achieved such fame, she did comment, "C'mon, now, who is the REAL dingo?"

Fiesta and taxes

Happy tax day!  I love to watch people furiously scramble to make it to the post office to mail their tax returns by midnight.  It never makes sense to me - 1) this is not a surprise date - it is 4/15 EVERY year (or later, if it falls on a weekend) and 2) this is 2010 - file electronically and save the gas.  Of course, I filed my tax return back in January, which is why I can only shake my head in bewilderment.

In more pleasant news, today is officially the first day of Fiesta - San Antonio's special week-long holiday, with tons of events, fake royalty, and cascarones.  I will kick off the celebration with the SARR Fiesta 10k down at the Missions this weekend.  Then, I will start planning my non-running Fiesta events.

Back to back races, take 3

Yes, I have not had much luck running back to back races in the past year. There was the sore hip and the separated shoulder. Of course, those occurred after I ran a 10k trail run in the dark, followed by a 5k/10k the next morning. I will never do that again (until July).

This rendition of the back to back races is a bit easier - and more festive. First up, Saturday night is the Fiesta Fandango run. This (about) 2.6 mile run begins in front of the Fiesta Flambeau night parade and runs the parade route - but not in the complete dark like my other foolish endeavors. So, you have nice, wide open streets, lots of fans, and the lingering smell of tacos tripas. Okay, that last part is really bad - kind of like the smell of death. But it's a fun little run with folks dressed in costume and just having a fun, Fiesta time.

After post-race icy-cold refreshments and a bit of sleep, I will then run the University of the Incarnate Word 5k Run for Brainpower (insert "you need it" joke here). This is a nice, mostly flat run around the campus north of downtown.

So, maybe I am wising up a bit and taking the back to back races a little easier. The truth is that is just when the races fell, and I am a slave to taking ugly race pics. After Sunday's race, I will take a nice, post-Fiesta nap and wait for my new fostercat to be dropped off.

Cornyation kicks off with 'Flying Footwear'

It's still Fiesta here in San Antonio. And I attended one of my favorite events - Cornyation. It's the "raunchiest, cheapest event of Fiesta." Just my style. And where else would the City Manager (that's her below) sport spandex onstage while dancing with drag queens? She can work it, though, with her runner's body. Some of the drag queens, on the other hand. . .

So, here is the San Antonio Express News coverage:

By Lindsay Kastner - Express-News

There is probably nowhere else where the city manager goes by the name of King Anchovy, dresses up as Superwoman and shares a stage with drag queens during raunchy spoofs of everything from an upcoming mayoral election to a raid on a polygamist ranch.

Through Thursday, San Antonio — at least some of San Antonio — is proud to be that place.
Cornyation 2009 kicked off its annual lampoon of current events Tuesday night at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre complete with a send-up of Facebook and a brawl between Etta James and Beyonce Knowles. The audience loved a skit spoofing the Yearning for Zion ranch, especially when the polygamists revealed their fishnet hose.

This year's show, “The Court of Fancy Flying Footwear,” takes its name from last year's incident in which an Iraqi journalist aimed his shoe at then-President George W. Bush.
Coordinator Ray Chavez said he worried — he didn't actually sound too worried — that some audience members might start tossing chanclas on stage. People used to throw tortillas but they're now banned. “The cleaning bill was outrageous,” said Chavez, plus someone in the audience got whacked and filed a lawsuit.

Cornyation began in the 1950s at Night in Old San Antonio, but that didn't last.
“It got too zany for the Conservation Society,” Chavez said. “One of the costumed babies lost his diaper and we were asked not to come back.” Since then, the show has had a number of homes before landing at the Empire about six years ago, Chavez said. It's an official Fiesta event and a fundraiser for several charities.

The title of King Anchovy goes to someone in the city spotlight, but if you covet the crown, you're out of luck. Cornyation organizers began courting City Manager Sheryl Sculley, who said she has no theatrical experience, well before Tuesday's opening night. “Two years ago,” she said, laughing as she made her way to the stage for the second act.

The show was the third Cornyation for spectator Veronica Cortez, who was trying with limited success to carry an armful of drinks from the bar back to her seats. “It's the absolute best show,” she said, praising a skit about the mayoral race, which somehow managed to mix feather boas with songs from the musical “Grease.” “It's the best show of Fiesta,” she said.

Photo credit: BILLY CALZADA

Fiesta!

Now that Easter's craziness is over, and all that is left from camping in the park is a bunch of cascarones confetti, it is time for Fiesta! Which, for those crazies that camped in the park, means camping under the freeway to get the best free seats for the parades. True madness - even Friday the 24th is a City holiday. Fiesta is basically a week-or-so-long party/festival/event throughout San Antonio. I usually attend several events, then avoid downtown until it is over. This year, as always, I will kick off Fiesta with the Fiesta 10k at the Missions Park on Saturday. It is a nice, flat run, and my only obstacles (other than recent lack of speed work) are approximately 8 bouncy bridges that must be carefully crossed and the oak pollen that has declared war on my sinuses.