Sep5

marathon du medoc.

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The Marathon des Chateaux du Medoc 

is a famous 42.195 km (26.2 mile) marathon held every September

through the wine-producing vineyards of the Médoc region in Bordeaux, France. 

The 40th Edition of the Marathon:

will take place on Saturday, the 5th September, 2026, (yesterday)and the theme will be “80’s !”     

 Key Features:

Wine and Gourmet Stops: 

 Instead of just water, the course features around 23 wine-tasting stations at local châteaux, alongside gourmet food stops.

Costumes: Runners are required to wear fancy dress or costumes, which follow a different theme each year. 

Atmosphere: The race focuses heavily on fun, music, and celebration rather than strict personal bests, featuring dozens of live orchestras along the route. 

2026 Official rules – the 5th September 2026- THE MEDOC HAS TO BE RACED FANCY DRESSED !

The Medoc Marathon is a 42.195km race restricted to runners only ;
if you just want to walk, the recovery ballad organized on Sunday in our beautiful vineyards (9-10km) is for you !

 Registration limited to 8 500 participants.

The Médoc marathon is open to all runners born before 5 September 2006 (20 years old).

Departure / Arrival

Departure at 9:30 am on the River banks of Pauillac and arrival at the same location. Race time allowed limited to 6:30 hours.

Time Out runners – A team of Medoc Marathon organization called “runners brooms” will run the race during 6.30 hours. They are carrying signs to identify them without confusion. Any runner crossing the finish line behind this team will not be classified nor rewarded. In the mid-race, any runners who is behind these « riders brooms » will be stopped, disqualified and not rewarded.

Bicycles, dogs and Nordic walking batons are banned due to the narrowness of the roads, the presence of many dust roads, and the large number of participants, as they may be dangerous for the safety of the runners. Because of the abundance of tasting stations, any personal assistance is unnecessary.

The Race Director reserves the right to ban any racers or carts which seem dangerous to him for the safety of marathon; he doesn’t have to justify his decision.

Abandonment:

Any runner who wants to leave the race will have to go to an amateur radio spot which are located every 2kms next to all the drinks bars or next to the medical tents. A shuttle will take you back to the finish line.

Awards on arrival:

All entrants will be rewarded until 6:30 hours race.
This time is long enough to enjoy the marathon even for a beginner.

  • many drinks Supplies 
  • many wine tourism activities (optional) 
  • many music band animations 
  • many castles crossing;
  • Many tastings of gourmet food

ATTENTION:  FINISH LINE CLOSED AFTER 6:30 hours race.

NO REWARDS NOR AWARDS beyond this time limit (the 3 000 volunteers who manage this race will thank you about that ).

Bottles of wine as a reward on arrival are not to be consumed on site.

Awards:

At 4.00pm on Saturday 6th on the banks of Pauillac. The prizes will be given only to the runners who are in.

  • For the winner Male and Female : their weight of Medoc wines .
  • A case of fine Medoc wines for the winners of each category.
  • A case of Medoc wine to the first 3 Challenges : Chateaux and Company Challenges.
  • A large number of nicely dressed runners will be rewarded on the finish line by a case of a Medoc wine. 

Special Awards:

  • Wheelchair runners (separate ranking).
  • A challenge for Chateaux contest and for company sponsor contests by the addition of the 5 fastest times.
  • Women’s Challenge for Chateaux contest, for company sponsor contests and for laboratories contest on the basis of the 3 female fastest times.

Charity:

We provide an annual financial and logistical support to many charitable organizations present at the village show : child welfare, league against cancer, organ donation, transplant, etc..

Note: The organizers of the Medoc Marathon remind you that alcohol abuse is dangerous for health and invite you to consume with moderation.

 

 

‘try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell.’

-william saroyan,

*american novelist, short story writer, playwright, pulitzer prize and academy award winner

 

 

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source credits: a lady of leisure, forbes, food and wine magazine, mental floss, wiki

Sep4

two birds.

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Two Birds

M.C. Escher, Regular Division of the Plane (Birds) no. 18, India ink, pencil and watercolor, February 1938

About Two Birds

M.C. Escher created his iconic interlocking motif Two Birds in 1938, exploring how repeating, interlocking geometric shapes can fit together without any gaps. His fascination with interlocking figures began in 1922 when he visited the Alhambra, a 14th-century Moorish palace in Granada, Spain. He spent days sketching the complex, colorful tile mosaics that covered the walls and floors.

 Though the Moors avoided depicting living creatures due to religious tradition, Escher adapted their mathematical tile designs to feature recognizable animals like birds, fish, and reptiles.

Escher had no formal training in advanced mathematics, but he intuitively grasped geometric symmetry. By 1938, works like Two Birds and related prints such as Day and Night, marked his deep dive into tessellations – where a single bird shape serves as both the primary figure and the negative space outlining its counterpart. 

 —

‘mighty is geometry; joined with art, resistless.’

-Euripides

 

 

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Source Credits: Artchive, Wiki Art, M.C Escher, The Graphic Work, Royal Publishing House

Sep3

tiny spaces in big places.

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on a visit to the university of michigan’s law library

walking through the arch to the quad

inside waits

the reading room

silent and beautiful 

downstairs

in the underground library

among all the many, many books

near the rare book room

happened upon

something i had never seen there 

tiny little rooms, each one unique, tucked away in the great big books

 a welcome quote and greeting

when taking a picture

  one of the librarians

came over

she had created

this delightful space

  took a very long time

to make each one

to bring a bit of joy

to all who found them

this tiny jewel

was such a treasure 

to discover

in these hallowed halls .

—

’embracing tiny living is embracing a life of adventure and meaning.’

-author unknown

 

 

 

 

 

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image credit for first two big photos: university of michigan

image credit for the tiny places: me

ann arbor, mi, usa, 2026

Sep2

a quiet day.

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‘september is like a quiet day after a whole week of wind.’

*mildred walker

*mildred walker was(  1905 – 1998) was an American novelist who published 12 novels and was nominated for theNational Book Award.  She graduated from Wells College and the University of Michigan. She was a faculty member at Wells College from 1955 to 1968.

 

 

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furstenberg park, ann arbor, mi, usa

Sep1

the melody lingers on.

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A Dolly Parton-inspired corn maze in Grand Rapids that was planned before her death

has been given new meaning as a memorial to the late American icon ahead of its opening today. 

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Michiganders will have a chance to celebrate her legacy while getting a little lost along the way. In America, a corn field can become a memorial fit for a queen. Here, 6½ acres cut into a maze form the contours of Dolly Parton’s face.People from all over are expected to flock to the maze and find their way through the Queen of Country’s big hair, musical notes, acoustic guitar, and her signature symbol, a fluttering butterfly. 

The maze will give thousands of families a place to go to spend time together this fall through the first week of November, but also to mourn and feel a little closer to Parton, a luminary who left a legacy of music, homespun sense, and good deeds.

“Dolly Parton’s story and what she stood for really resonates with a lot of America,” Allan Robinette, 34, told the Free Press. His family owns the farm, where the maze is and is awestruck by the interest. “It doesn’t matter who you are, you feel what she’s done is downright inspirational.”

When Parton died last week, Americans couldn’t help but take a moment to think about all the ways she had been part of their lives for decades even if they had never met her or been a fan, as a part of their lives through her music and cultural influence.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, saw the news of her death flash across his phone while in a meeting with other auto company executives, the Free Press reported. The group took a moment to paused the conversation to reminisce about Parton.

An annual fall attraction at Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery, the maze features a different design each year.The more than a century-old farm sells apples, peaches, cider, treats, and wine.This year, the maze was intended to be an homage to Parton. But, since the 80-year-old’s death, it has turned into something more.

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‘the song is ended but the melody lingers on.’ 

-irving berlin

 

 

 

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source credits detroit free press, the gander, usa today network

Aug31

‘i don’t hear anything, do you?’ – olive to pete the cat. ‘nope.’- pete the cat to olive

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olive and pete the cat, actively ignoring me

using their selective hearing skills

when i call their names

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Why do cats ignore humans?

 Cats pretend not to hear you on purpose. They clock your voice instantly, they just weigh whether responding is worth it. Nine times out of ten, it isn’t.

They can hear a can opening from halfway across the house, and yet sometimes they don’t even twitch an ear when you call them from the other end of the couch. Are they ignoring you? Yes, they sure are!

 Science confirms they hear you perfectly-they are just actively choosing to ignore you.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo conducted a study and  determined the following:

Science:

  • Voice Recognition: The study showed that cats clearly recognize their owners’ voices and know when they are being called. 
  • Subtle Reactions: Instead of coming over, a cat will often just twitch an ear, move its head, or dilate its pupils to show it heard the sound. 
  • No Pack Instincts: Unlike dogs, cats were not bred over thousands of years to obey human commands or follow pack rules, so they feel no obligation to answer. 

Why They Ignore You;

  • Selective Attention:  Cats weigh whether an action benefits them before they decide to move.
  • Relaxation: If your cat is resting or comfortable, your voice is registered as low-priority information that does not require physical movement.
  • Autonomy: Felines prefer to dictate the terms of their own social interactions.


    Your  cat certainly understands you when you call them-they are simply choosing not to respond.
     Only 10 % of cats who recognize your voice will choose to do anything about it.

”if cats could talk, they wouldn’t.’

-nan porter

 

 

 

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source credit:

Atsuko Saito and Kazutaka Shinozuka, University of Tokyo

“Vocal recognition of owners by domestic cats (Felis catus)”Animal Cognition: 2013

art credit: gary larson, the far side

Aug30

toothy tips.

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(not me, or my teeth, but i loved his toothy grin)

 

i read an article about the top tips and habits that dentists wish we’d stop doing to our teeth

it began with the list of the usual suspects:

 brushing too hard, skipping floss, drinking sugary and acidic drinks, all day grazing…

and then

the last ones, which were a bit more alarming and that i didn’t know were a habit for some:

Using your teeth as tools – Your teeth are built for chewing food (not ice) and that’s it. This may sound redundant to some, but you really should not be using them to open bottles or tear into packaging as it can crack or fracture a tooth (sometimes deep enough to reach the nerve and push you into root canal territory). Keep a real bottle opener on your keychain and scissors nearby instead of using your teeth as a tool.

DIY your own dental work –Filing your own teeth with a nail file, getting “veneers” from anyone who isn’t a licensed dentist or whitening with baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, or charcoal can cause permanent damage — chemical burns, brutal sensitivity, a thrown-off bite, and enamel erosion all won’t revert back.

Taking your advice from social media – Influencers may sound sure, but most of them don’t back their tips with evidence. A hack that’s fine for one mouth can absolutely wreck another mouth. Before you try a viral dental trend, please ask an actual dentist.

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Full disclosure: one of my daughters did make ‘braces’ for herself out of open paper clips because she was jealous of her older sister getting braces (until she really did need ‘real braces’ a year later and was no longer jealous), this may have fallen under the DIY dental work warning above.

 

 

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*jos’we do have a zeal for laughter in most situation, give or take a dentist.

-joseph heller, american author of catch 22

 

 

 

 

Aug29

why didn’t the chicken cross the road?

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driving down the track

leading to my granddaughter’s house

we met one of her pet chickens

mr. rooster

who had made the choice 

to just stand

in the middle of the road

not inclined nor heading

toward one side or the other

no way to go around him

we had to wait it out 

he was

playing chicken with us

we waited some more 

he finally got bored

proved his point

moved to one side

with each of us thinking

we had won.

 

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‘the chicken did not cross the road. the road passed beneath the chicken.’

-albert einstein

Aug28

‘i, kusama, am the modern alice in wonderland.’

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Yayoi Kusama, an icon, rebel and visionary, passed away this week

 

10 interesting facts about Yauoi Kusama

  1. Yayoi Kusama arrived in Seattle in 1957 with two kimonos and 200 paintings. This is the first city Kusama visited when she moved to the US.
  2. Kusama was pen pals with Georgia O’Keeffe, Richard Nixon, and the President of France.
  3. She partnered with Louis Vuitton to design a clothing line in 2012.
  4. Narcissus Garden, a rogue performance piece by Kusama, was installed outside of the 33rd Venice Biennale in 1966 with the support of one of the curators, however she was asked to leave the premises.
  5. She was making Pop art before Andy Warhol.
  6. Assemblage artist and filmmaker, Joseph Cornell and Kusama had an intimate friendship that prompted his mother to dump a bucket of water on them once when she caught them kissing.
  7. The quintessential polymath, Kusama has published numerous literary works.
  8.  A firm believer in love forever, Kusama performed a gay marriage way before gay marriage was legal.
  9. In 2016, she was ranked as the most expensive living female artist on aggregate.
  10. Yayoi Kusama produced art work for more than six decades.

    Kusama was an avant-garde artist who died at the age of 97. She worked across painting, installation, and sculpture, and has covered rooms, trees, and buildings with her iconic imagery. Kusama started painting her famous polka-dotted sculptures in the 50s which put her problems into perspective. “I wanted to examine the single dot that was my own life. One polka dot: a single particle among billions,” she said.

‘more and more, i think about the role of the arts, and as an artist,

i think that it’s important that I share the love and peace.’
-Yayoi Kusama

 

 

 

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source credits:galerie, chelsea werner-gatzky

Aug27

may just be fairies?

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hummingbird moth (Strawberry Clearwing) on an american germander plant 

enjoying a visit to my daughter’s native garden

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Hummingbird moths have been seen as a lucky omen. Lore has it that a swarm of the moths was seen flying across the English Channel on D-Day, the day of the Normandy landings in WWII.

One of the sweetest insect visitors in a garden is the hummingbird moth. They fly and move just like hummingbirds. Like them, they can remain suspended in the air in front of a flower while they unfurl their tongues and insert them in flowers to sip their nectar. They even emit an audible hum like hummingbirds. Often people notice what they think is a tiny hummingbird fleeting around the flowers and are shocked when someone explains to them that what they just saw was not a bird but a moth.

Hummingbird moths are rather plump; the tip of their tail opens into a fan. Their wings are covered by scales; some species lose many of the scales from patches on their wings, so are called clearwing hummingbird moths. They are tiny and have a body length of 1-2 inches and a wingspan of 1.5-2.5 inches. Like most moths they have a very long tongue which they carry rolled under their chins and that they use to reach the nectar of long-necked flowers. Such nectar is inaccessible to many other flower visitors, so it seems that these flowers prefer long tongued pollinators and try to keep the others away. 

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moth-ku

sweet hummingbird moths

  flying beauties flitting wings 

may just be fairies

—

bk

 

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photo credit: oldest daughter, HP

source credits: *Phillip Prichard, University of Georgia, U.S. Forest Service, Discovery Journal, Native Suburbia

 *Phillip Prichard, is a Paulding UGA Extension Master Gardener, Master Birder, and a UGA Master Naturalist, who teaches  horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia.