0d 16h 18m 20s until start of race.

In about 12 hours I will be in a van headed for the starting line of the Hood to Coast Relay.  My training is done and my bags are packed.  Tonight I meet an old friend from Ft. Wayne, Indiana for dinner (no drinks).  It’s probably been about 10 years since we’ve gotten together, another re-connection in this first year of retirement.  The last I talked with him, he came to Champaign, Illinois to watch Indiana University beat the Illini in a basketball game.  (See Post #61).  There have been at least two of these “reunions” every month this year, including chance encounters at ball parks, polo fields, pools, and bars.  I can attribute at least three of these to social media and ten to other friends.

I am the sixth and last runner in our first van.  The second van holds six more teammates and their gear.  After my first leg of now 7.1 miles, we’ll have about a 12 hour break to relax and eat, while the second six continues the relay.  I will then run 5.3 more miles and be rewarded with a shower and maybe some sleep.  The last 5.3 miles will start first thing on Saturday morning.  After the second van finishes their final five legs, we’ll join the last runner on the beach in a celebratory sprint to the finish line – 199.1 miles later.  The additional .1 mile was added yesterday to my leg due to some construction in the Sandy area.  Who knows what other surprises will await us?  I will catch the first van at 4:15 a.m tomorrow morning and find out.

I finished Yesterday today.  By that, I mean I’ve finished reading “Y is for Yesterday” by Sue Grafton.  Only “Z is for Zero” remains in the alphabet series and it will be 2019 before that final book comes out.  In the meantime, my collection of her books sits on an office library shelf, waiting for that final copy.  As I look through the alphabet, A-C are all about the same size, in the 180-210 page range.  “D is for Deadbeat” and “E is for Evidence,” each extend to 225 or more pages.  Once you get to “G is for Gumshoe,” a standard 9 3/8″ x 6  1/4″ size is established, with the exception of “H is for Homicide” that drops back to the smaller 8 1/2″ x 5 3/4″ dimensions of the first books from Henry Holt Publishing.  “P is for Peril” is significant because “P” also stands for Putnam Sons, a new publisher in 2001.

“A is for Alibi” was published 35 years ago back in 1982 and Kinsey Millhone, the main character, will be 40 years old when the series is finally completed in 2019.  I started collecting Sue Grafton books back in the mid 80’s, fascinated with her unique but simple plan to follow the alphabet.  I’ve moved some of these books many times from Indianapolis, to Decatur, to Austin, and to Portland.  They’ve sat in storage patiently waiting for me to have another shelf to place them on.  Finally, they are all displayed on one shelf as a personal reminder that I’m not getting any younger.  As I was sorting through my collection, cleverly arranged in alphabetical order, I noticed that several of my copies are First Editions.  I’m not sure I really understood the value or meaning of a first edition until I read John Grisham’s newest book, Camino Island.   As a collector of baseball cards, I can understand how the various markings and condition of the cover and pages can affect the value.   A first edition can also include several printings  if no changes are made to the original.  Second editions and beyond occur as changes or updates are made.  Apparently, there is a number system associated with identifying which copies were printed first, and those of course have the greatest value.  I began to investigate the value of some of my older copies that are identified as first editions, and the range of sale prices varies considerably.  Currently I have first edition copies of “D,” “E,” “G,” and “H” through “O.’  Some of the initial copies of the alphabet series were published in London, so these are rarer editions with much more value.  Also, I signed copy can add value, especially if it’s not personalized.  Like any other collector item, value is a factor of supply and demand.

Kinsey Millhone will never be a television or film star, and she won’t get any older than 40.  Sue Grafton has made it clear that “Z” will be Kinsey’s final appearance and she will not cater to Hollywood.  She’s even instructed her children that she will come back to “haunt them” if they try to sell the rights.  The books are simple mysteries set back in the 80’s when there was no internet, no cell phones, and primitive DNA testing.  Kinsey is a private detective that has never been married or had children.  Since she doesn’t cook, she loves to make peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.  She runs near the beach to relieve stress and always seems to stumble into a case.  There are many twists and turns in these stories that remind me of Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote, another of my favorites.  Apparently, I’m a sucker for female mystery writers.  “Y is for Yesterday” turned out to be a bit silly, as is honestly the case with most of the alphabet series.  Sue Grafton does have a great sense of humor, but death by an overweight woman sitting on you is a bit much.   Especially, since most of her novels rarely involve sex.  Kinsey and Jessica were just too busy solving murders in small towns to find companionship.

After a few days of running and a birthday celebration, I will continue my writing.

Tick. Tock.  Od 15h 5m 48s until race start.