Richard’s Almanac: Another successful 10K

As a follow-up from last week when I mentioned the increasing lack of bread served with meals at Island restaurants, I noted with joy that the restaurant I dined at in Sag Harbor last Sunday provided a plethora of hot rolls and butter with my steak.

And this was at a hip, high-end place that opened not even a year ago.

It was also fun to leave the Island to see what’s going on across the channel on the South Side. Sag Harbor did not have the  mobs it usually does and walking around the village was a pleasant experience.

I felt like I was blending in with the other tourists, visiting the shops and looking at the boats along Long Wharf.

Very different from the “Dodge City” I worked in almost 40 years ago.

On another subject, I watched with interest as the Shelter Island 10K runners along with the 5K participants, the wheelchair racers and the walkers passed my house on Saturday.

There seemed to be an endless flow that cruised by (which I did not think was going to happen because I did not see many attendees at the pasta dinner on Friday night).

The pasta dinner, by the way was excellent. From the three types of pasta to the salad, the bread and the delicious dessert. Bravo to the Island students who served and cleared.

I would also like to congratulate all the senior runners and walkers who took part — some I knew and others I could tell were of a certain age.

They all exhibited a seriousness of purpose and involvement that one could feel as they went by.

My 10-year-old grandson, Leonardo Dougherty, a 5K runner, smiled as he ran by the house. I found out later that his time for the 5K was 29 minutes.

I was heartened by his enthusiastic self satisfaction as he moved toward creating a lifetime sport for himself.

And my hat goes off to all the runners — old, young and in between — for keeping this more than three decade old Island tradition going strong. Also to the countless volunteers who make it happen.