This past weekend I was in Mississippi visiting my dear friend Clarabella, which was a great way to wind down after the chaos of the last busy week of summer term. It was a local festival in her town, which hosts the 5K race we were participating in. There were also a ton of activities, food (including tons of local watermelon), a classic car show, and so on. We made the most of the weekend.

The race was Saturday morning at the ungodly (late) hour of 8:00 AM, at which point it was already blazing hot, yet the morning air still retained its dewy humidity. Perfect conditions for a race. We carried our own water bottles for the purpose of being able to dump water over our own heads any time we wanted. Our friend LitChick was running in the race too — it was her very first one! — so we all met up downtown to register and people-watch as everyone got ready to race.

Once the race started we each ran separately, so I didn’t see the girls until the finish line, where the angelic race officials were handing out water, watermelon slices, and icy-cold wet towels. Let me tell you, that cold wet towel was probably the best thing anyone has ever given me. We all survived the race and the hot temperatures (I set a new personal record of 26:38, of which I am perhaps disproportionately proud), and were ready to reward our awesome athletic prowess for the rest of the day.

After indulging in a delicious brunch, we took The Boy (C’s too-cute-to-be-believed three-year-old son) down to the festival area to look at the cars. If you want to amuse this kid, just let him run around looking at all kinds of cars — pure joy (and dirt!).

I was into the Fairlanes and Studebakers in pretty colors, but The Boy does not discriminate when it comes to enjoying a fine automobile. Classic or historical status? Not an issue! His favorite was this Jeep, parked nearby:

We also checked out some of the merchants, but didn’t wind up buying anything. These giant colorful armadillos were pretty cool, though:

Later: a decadent sushi lunch with wine and a brief nap and then it was watermelon cocktail time!

Ice, de-seeded watermelon, vodka, and triple sec.

Blend.

Serve in an adorable green tumbler, preferably a huge one, so as to fit more hooch into each portion.

Take out to the back deck and relax.

You now have the makings of a perfect summer evening! Stay up all night so as not to waste a single moment.

The next day we rested on our athletic laurels and hung around being delightfully lazy and gluttonous. Clarabella makes this amazing guacamole:

It was like a bowl of green heaven right there, and perfect with chips and refried beans.

All in all, it was a delightful weekend! I’ve got another fun one lined up next: I’ll be in Atlanta helping a friend move into her new apartment — can’t wait to see her! — and maybe doing a little window shopping and more relaxing. I hope to get as much vacation in as possible before the new semester starts. Here’s to that.