Reflections on mud — A Crooked Trail or Two

In The House of the Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, "Life is made up of marble and mud."

He was making a point about the highs and the lows of life, contrasting the noble, important things (marble) against the trivial, less important things (mud).

But I'm guessing that Mr. Hawthorne never went on a muddy trail run -- the kind of mud that has the consistency of moist chocolate cake, and leaves you running in "platform heels" -- with two very happy dogs. Sure, the joy we derived from getting totally sloppy is fleeting, but those moments are no less precious to me. Here are a couple photos. I didn't take more because I was laughing too hard, and slipping around too much.

Enjoy, and see you on the trail!