4th of July - Mammoth Lakes, CA

Introduction to this Blog -I Love Mammoth Lakes:


So I couldn't resist trying my hand at blogging. And for the overlying topic, I think I want to share about the experiences I've had here in Mammoth Lakes...what it is like to live here and the amazing natural surroundings, the events and both the people that live here and the people that come here to visit.

My wife and I moved here 5 years ago right after we got married and started our new life together here. I think we can finally be called locals, especially after having survived the biggest and 2nd biggest winters (of '05/'06 and '04/'05 respectively) on record. But it is summertime now and we don't want to think about winter for a while.

I am a Realtor for RE/MAX of Mammoth, so forgive me if some of my posts have a slant towards real estate, but for this first post, I want to expound on why I Love Mammoth Lakes.

One way to do this is to chronicle how the 4th of July went a few days ago:

(1) Woke up and played with my 16 month old daughter and had the daily ritual of coffee with my 8-month pregnant wife.

(2) Loaded up the car, drove 1/2 mile to my office to drop off folding chairs on the parade route.

(3) Ran to the corner of Old Mammoth Rd. & Minaret to warm up for the 2nd Annual Freedom Mile, which I volunteered for by stuffing race bags last night with my buddies, Deena & Andrew Kastor (who put on the race). I therefore got bib #1, which brought on some unforeseen pressure to race well.

(4) Ran the Footloose Freedom Mile to the finish line near the corner of Old Mammoth Rd. and Main St., hearing Andrew announce over the loudspeaker that I finished in just under 6 minutes, which was my goal (5:57 to be exact). Not even close to the first place kid who ran a 4:37 or something like that! The race route was lined with parade spectators to cheer us on the whole way. Well done, Andrew!

Having placed 1st in the (unofficial) stroller division last year, I loaned our stroller to Meb Keflezhighi (Olympic marathon silver medalist) so he could run with his daughter, Sara. I told him he had a streak to keep alive, so he did me proud by placing 1st in the stroller division this year (like it was even a contest). The race also had an official "Strutt Your Mutt" division, which Deena Kastor (Olympic marathon bronze medalist) participated in with Aspen (her sweet chocolate lab).

(5) Parade: Hung out with my family, coworkers and friends (runners) to watch our small-town, hokey parade. My daughter was SO excited to see the horses walk by, shouting , "Neigh, Neeeeigh!" the whole time. No fighter jet this year. But the Lighthouse church band guys were rockin' out on their float with a statue of Iwo Jima behind them...and then we saw one of the soldiers move! Their makeup was incredible - wonder if they sweat it off by the end of the parade (was about 87° outside).

(6) Went to Mammoth Creek Park at 2:30pm to listen to live bands, watch a drunk 60 year old dance with a 3-wood golf club, collect my prize for getting first in my age group in the race, and people-watch. With a small town, you always know someone performing, working the event or attending, so you're never alone.

(7) Went to our friend Doug's, for eel and veal. Never been to an eel and veal party - but it was good! Doug is a wine fan and paired the veal well. Only bummer was that my wife and daughter had to go home early for my daughter's early bedtime (which also meant no fireworks).

All in all, a great holiday.