Category Archives: fun

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, (today) 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

 

 

—

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

Apr8

big wheels.

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Hundreds join SF Easter fun with annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race
Hundreds of people lined Vermont Street in San Francisco on Sunday to celebrate the 24th annual Bring Your Own Big Wheels downhill race event.
At the top of Potrero Hill, people climbed into child-sized plastic tricycles and other small-wheeled vehicles to zoom down the curvy street at the annual San Francisco tradition.

Over 600 people registered online, according to Bring Your Own Big Wheels organizer Frog Gilmore, but many more signed up on the day of the race.

Gilmore said she started riding and volunteering at the event when it was originally held on the city’s twistiest tourist byway, Lombard Street, before neighbors started complaining. Ultimately the event was moved to its current location on Vermont Street, which is actually San Francisco’s most crooked street, with hairpin turns and steep drops.

“It started out as just a handful of people in 2000 and then it picked up gradually,” said Gilmore of the daring urban descent. “When it moved here, more and more people started hearing about it, and it spread like wildfire. More and more people really want to do the fun, cool San Francisco thing.”

The city is synonymous with hills. Locals have become all too familiar with long and exhausting uphill walks when traveling across the city. Easter Sunday’s event, however, showed a glimpse of when people decide to buy into their curiosity and ride down the iconic Potrero Hill. Adults and children alike donned colorful costumes and prepared their wheels by decorating them with balloons, bubble machines, and streamers.

Rider and local artist Misstencil wore a papier-mache horse head attached to a baseball hat on her head. She has lived in San Francisco for over 25 years and continues to find joy in the community that has helped her embrace her artistic side.

“I don’t think anybody in San Francisco has had a proper childhood until they come here,” said Misstencil. “It’s a very steep hill but it’s not as dangerous as it seems. Celebrating with so many people in costumes is really the San Francisco spirit.”

Brandon Dodge started attending the event in 2013 after a friend invited him to experience the city’s culture. He now brings his two sons to share in the tradition that has meant so much to him.

Audible “oohs” and cheers sounded as children and adults rode down the hill. The loudest applause echoed through the crowd of hundreds when people who got knocked over got back onto their wheels and continued riding.

“This is the San Francisco we know– where you get up and go,” said Gilmore.

—
‘a grownup is a child with layers on.’

– emma ward, author

—
source credits: abcnews, Bay City News
Nov20

not much to report.

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thought I’d just see if the neighbors had anything going on

welp… not much to report

same old, same old. 

—

‘the most revolutionary thing you can do is to get to know your neighbors.’

-karl hess

—

image credits: google images, gary larson, the far side

Dec14

live!

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dinner at the irish pub
live music and dancing at ‘live’
for the infamous ann arbor happy hour (6:30-9:00)
musicians from the past back for another round
quite a contrast, quite a mix, quite fun
we’re not done yet.
 
—
 
The New York Times
Screen grab of NYT article that sparked nationwide interest
in the “Ann Arbor Happy Hour” with the over-65 crowd.

Nationwide media attention is growing to unusual proportions over a story out of Ann Arbor.

It all started with a New York Times article about the over-65 crowd enjoying dancing and music at the city’s Live nightclub.

Since then, there have been requests for local interviews from NBC’s Access Hollywood, CBS’s Drew Barrymore Show, Vanity Fair, WGN in Chicago, by a documentarian who produces pieces for Netflix, and a reporter from our national network at NPR.

72 year-old Randy Tessier is a writing lecturer and a musician who organized the Ann Arbor Happy Hour at Live. He was even flabbergasted learning ABC’s Kelly and Ryan did a feature on them. “Kelly and Ryan? And I’m in the suburban homes where they’re eating Wheaties. Unbelievable!”

Since the New York Times article, Tessier says he’s even been contacted by U-M’s president, Santa Ono.

—

‘to be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.’

-pema chodrun

 

—

source credits:  WEMU News , cathy shafran, nyt

Dec6

a night at the circus.

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perhaps i was out a bit too long

this must have been a lot of fun though

while i’m not sure exactly what went down here

 i do feel that i know

who the ringleader of this holiday circus may be. 

—

‘i was walking along and this chair came flying past me, and another, and

another, and I thought, man, is this gonna be a good night.

-liam gallagher, oasis

Dec26

fun and games.

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 intense competitors at play in the action-packed shenanigans of

the get the diaper that is around your ankles moved to your bathing suit area without using your hands game

it just wouldn’t be our traditional christmas

without the crazy fun and games.

 

—

“life is more fun if you play games.”

  • roald dahl
Aug16

i’m not joking.

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every august 16th it’s national tell a joke day

 not my best holiday

 i’m a horrible joke-teller

i’m more of a story-teller

 a whole other skill set

all i’ve ever been able to remember

is my one go-to joke

(and even this is iffy, as i often add part of the answer into the question part of the joke)

“what animal loves summer the best?”

“a hot dog!”

(i learned this years ago when my daughter was in a kindergarten talent show and did stand-up comedy)

she got an amazing response perhaps because she was a brave kinder doing stand up and the audience ate it up

i decided it would be my standing joke from that moment on

sure to get a laugh

though when i tell it, in whatever convoluted manner it manages to be delivered

i generally either hear groans or silence from any audience of any age or any number

so i guess the joke’s on me. 

“i’m gonna fix that last joke by taking out all the words and adding new ones.”

-mitch hedberg

 

 

—
credits: “hot dog” by doug salati (caldecott award winner), penguin random house, google images

Mar14

destination: fun.

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when you have a barbie head on your dash

and a beachball in the back seat

it’s clear you are headed

for destination: fun.

 

—

“you must not ever stop being whimsical.

and you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.”

-mary oliver, wild geese

Feb12

*yoopers.

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I
It took a month to make some of the incredible snow sculptures that were part of the annual Michigan Technological University Winter Carnival. Phi Kappa Tau extended its winning streak to five years with a huge rendition of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. (Photo: Daniel Staelgraeve | Michigan Technological University)
—
what you do in the winter (and sometimes in may),
when you go to college in the upper peninsula of michigan
* yooper – a native or inhabitant of the upper peninsula of michigan
—
 “i wrote, and sometimes, when i was stuck, i hit the road.
i ate pasties in the upper peninsula and hush puppies in cairo.
i did my best not to write about any place i had not been.”
– neil gaiman
Sep27

“well, i didn’t vote for you.” – peasant to king arthur (monty python and the holy grail)

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an adventurous visit to the michigan renaissance festival

way back when

in days of yore

i took my daughters

to this very shire

 all of us dressed up

now my grandsons

have picked up where we left off

 as brave knights

“look, it’s my duty as a knight to sample as much peril as I can.”

– Sir Galahad (Holy Grail)

people enjoying the day

being whoever they imagine themselves to be

villagers from far and wide are all welcomed here

no matter their dress or look or form

 and what could be better than spying a kilted warrior brave enough to pick up his own hot latte?

—

“live every day as if it’s a festival. turn your life into a celebration.”

-shri radhe maa