Home for Christmas (2006)

Well...we're back home now after a week in Cincinnati visiting our families. On the way to Cincinnati we hooked-up with Jane's brother in Breezewood and convoyed to Cincinnati. The drives out and back were okay--no complaints. We arrived in Cincinnati last Saturday and enjoyed dinner at my niece's house. On Christmas Eve my whole family gathered at my older brother's house and we had dinner and opened presents. Among our holiday traditions are tasting my Dad's homemade italian sausage (this year's batch was exceptional) and the game Me Got-Me Want-Me Take. This game must have originated some time in antiquity because it sounds like Caesar's Veni-Vidi-Vici and, as the number of presents dwindle, is played with the same ruthlessness--jokingly of course and everyone has a good time. I'll write out the rules for playing Me Got-Me Want-Me Take on some future post. I always enjoy my all to short and infrequent visits with my siblings at Christmas. On Christmas Day we sat around my parents living room (Mom, Dad and Astro are pictured above) and opened presents. In the afternoon, we moved over to Jane's sister's house and had second Christmas. We opened presents, met Jane's sister's recently adopted puppy, Eliot (Jane with Eliot in her lap are shown at left) and had a great dinner of steak and tater tots. We all sat around and played Scene-It, a game that Judy got this year for Christmas. All of us played against Jane's brother who is a trivia maven and movie buff, but we managed to win one game. We had a great time with our relatives and were sad we couldn't spend more time.

We went on a couple of outings. One to Findlay Market, a Cincinnati landmark with a farmer's market in the summer and year round specialty food shops. Findlay Market was renovated a few years ago and it was nice to see that there is a substantial retail trade going on there but the downtown area surrounding Findlay Market is still deeply depressed by urban blight. We were there the day after Christmas and all, or mostly all the stores were closed for the day. We had made the trip to Findlay Market with Jane's brother who wanted to purchase Cincinnati sausage and cottage ham to bring back home. So when we saw that all the stores were closed we quickly improvised a plan B.

Plan B was a visit to Mount Adams, an oasis for the hip and trendy in Cincinnati nestled on a hilltop overlooking the downtown skyline. Here, the stores were open but the streets were completely isolated-there was no sign of people going about their daily activities. The ghost-townish feeling was was just a tad eerie. I took the picture of the church steeples (see below) while we walked aroung the deserted streets of Mount Adams.

Lastly, we desperately wanted to go on hike and scheduled a day trip to Miami Whitewater Forest, a park approximately 30 minutes from my parents house. The trails were okay, not exactly what we were looking for but it was a nice sunshiny day and as the temperatures warmed we felt great to be outside getting some exercise. On the way back, we took a side trip to Oxford, Ohio to have lunch and drive around Miami University. Elroy was with us but didn't really have much interest in exploring the campus but wanted to get back to grandma's house to watch TV and play with his cousins. The woodsy picture below was taken at Miami Whitewater. Sadly, we departed on Friday. Today as I'm writing this post it is New Years Eve---Whoopee!!!! We'll be fixing appetizers for dinner; pigs-in-a-blanket, pop-in-your-mouth sausage balls, shrimp and cocktail sauce, cheeses and plenty of chips and dip to complement the champagne my Dad provided. Sooo, if anyone reads this post---we wish you a very happy and healthy New Year.

Running Log (12-30-2006)

The Friday before we left for Cincinnati was a 16 mile run--and so two weeks ago was approximately 28 miles. Over our Christmas vacation Jane and I ran three times for around a total of 16 miles and this Saturday did 11-ish on the Rock Creek Trail for another 27-28 miles. I'll have to pick-up my mileage this first week of the new year.

I think Jane and I will target the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail Marathon & 50K, which will be held on March 3rd, 2007. The next question is whether we do the marathon (26.2 miles) or go for the 50k (31 miles). I think we can decide in real time as were running. Okay, so we have a goal.....that is the first step!!

Christmas Cookies!!!

Whew! I finally left work today at 12:30 pm and don't plan to go back until January 2nd. Yesterday was our Christmas skit, which several of us had spent around a week writing (just silly spoofs and funny songs) and a whole hour rehearsing. Anyway, I came home and together with Jane put together a couple of cookie trays for some of our neighbors that Elroy and Judy will deliver tonight. Judy and I had worked hard over the past week baking and decorating cookies with quite a few successes and a couple less-than-stellar end-products--however when the basic ingredients are butter, sugar, flour, and egg one can hardly do badly. Here is a picture of the cookies....not bad for our first attempt at multi-cookie Christmas baking. Included are sugar cookie cut-outs (Christmas trees, stars and bells), chocolate covered peanut butter balls, Amish raisen cookies, pistachio and cranberry biscotti dipped in white chocolate, chocolate-chip-toffee, black and white, and crisp chocolate bites.

Running Log 12-19 and 12-20-2006

I been having a little difficulty updating the blog--between making cookies (look for pictures of these soon), work and the kids schedules the past couple weeks have been hectic. I currently have a backlog of posts to enter, but these will have to wait until the end of the week or next week when the family is in Cincinnati, Ohio for the holiday break. Anyway, I did want to make a quick post to the Running Log. Yesterday and today I ran 6 uneventful miles. Jane and I will do a long run on Friday, soooo Thursday will be a rest day. On Saturday we'll be on the road--therefore this week's total will be around 28 miles.

Running Log forWeek of 12-10 through 12-16-2006

Saturdays are dirt trail runs through beautiful Rock Creek State Park. Jane and I almost always run together on Saturday mornings with our trail group buddies (a few are pictured at left). However, today Jane and I ran alone (due to scheduling problems). Mileage on trail runs are always approximate but today I'm giving myself 12 miles, although I may have done a little more than that. I was out 2 hours and 16 minutes, but some parts of the run were walking, some were scrambling up shear rock cliffs 50 feet above the Rock Creek. It was a nice run, but I was really tired at the end. Over that last 7 day period I ran approximately 43 miles, and that is a lot for me. Next week will be less.

Running Log 12-14-2006

Had another run with Jane yesterday morning. We were out for 1 hour and 6 minutes for approximately 6.4 miles. The temperature at the start was ~40 with heavy fog which made for a nice run. I used my Adidas everyday shoe. It was nice running along Rock Creek Park as the fog gently lifted. Today is a rest day, no running. Wednesday was a good day for the Elroy and Judy. Elroy wrestled on the varsity squad and won his match despite getting mat bruises on his arm (the result of a vicious take-down), getting his shoulder wrenched a little and throwing-up. It seemed like he had a good time and I'll try to get some pictures posted over the weekend. Judy ran in a developmental meet and tried the 2 mile run for the first time in indoor track. She ran ~13:25, which she was happy with and thinks she can do better once she gets the pacing down.

Judy told me that these Running Log posts were boring. Hey, like I said earlier, they just for me. But I thought I would jazz this post up with a couple pictures of Desiree Ficker.

Running Log 12-13-2006

Today Jane and I went out for a nice, approximately 6.34 mile, run. We left the house around 6:15 am, the weather was ~50, there was substantial ground fog that turned into a nice, gentle rain about halfway through the run. We we're out about 1 hour, 7 minutes--which is about right for an approximate 10 minute pace. I wore Adidas Supernova shoes and felt very relaxed--my hip has not been a problem, during the run or afterward.

Jane and I had watched a former MCRRC member, Desiree Ficker, finish second in the ultimate Ironman Triathalon Competition in Hawaii recently and her performace has been a source of motivation in my recent running activities. Anyway, she has a blog-website that....well promotes her of course, but also gives some interesting training tips if I ever decide to do a triathalon. Let's see....first, learn to swim.

Running Log 12-12-2006

I had a nice 6 mile jog today while at EPN. I went out around 10:30, got back at 11:30 so I'm estimating 6 miles. The day was bright, clear skies with temperatures in the high 40s. I wore Nike running shoes. My hip which has been bothering me, felt a little stiff when running uphill but felt fine after a hot shower. My hip hasn't been an issue as I've finished up at work after sitting at the desk for extended periods of time.

Running Log 12-10-2006

Serious runners keep a daily logbook of the running activities--recording various observations including, weather conditions, distance run, time elapsed, what shoes they were wearing and whether they experienced any physical ailments or noteworthy happenings along the way. There are several reasons, besides obsessing over details, to chart one's training. The most important is to track weekly mileage and types of training runs (speed, hill, or long-slow-distance, LSD) so one can gradually ramp-up weekly mileage and conditioning runs in preparation for a race without getting injured. So, I figure if Jane and I are going to prepare for some running event (still not sure exactly what, where or when), I'd start my own running log so I can chart my training. Therefore, if you reading this, I would seriously consider making better use of your time. These posts (under Running Log) are intended for me, but will be posted on this blog. Anyway, you've been warned!


First, before recounting today's run I want to mention the shoes I use during the week. My newest pair are the Adidas Supernova Cushion. I like the Adidas Supernova series. They fit my feet just right and are a good balance of support and cushion and generally last 4-5 months--which is a good thing. These are now my everyday shoe. I've only had these about a week and in the picture they still look new.


On Saturdays Jane and I run on dirt trails in Rock Creek Park and the shoe I'm currently using for those runs is an Asics (the one with silver and orange stripes). I'm not sure the precise shoe name; I got it at 50% off at our favorite running shoe shop that routinely sells going out-of-stock shoes at discount prices. This shoe is okay for trails but a little hard for running on streets. Asics generally tear my feet to pieces, but I have found these quite refreshing when used on dirt trails. I have another trail shoe I use when the trails are muddy--another Asics, the Gel Trail Attack. This is a dedicated trail shoe with a hard feel, but good knobby undersole for traction. I'll have these a long time since dirt trails are gentle on shoes and runner's bodies.

Lastly, is my occasional street shoe a Nike. I like the Nike Swoosh. All Nike shoes are fun to run in, they're so light and cushiony, but they don't last very long--at least not for me, so I only use this shoe the day after a hard training run as a treat.

Okay, now for today's run. The weather was cold and clear, in the low 30s when we left the house around 7 am. I wore the Adidas shoes and ran 12+ miles mostly along the bike path in Rock Creek Park. Total elapsed time was 2:04:20. My laps were comprised of:

Lap 1: 19:28:27 (~2 miles From the house to the trailhead)

Lap 2: 10:24:43 (1 mile)

Lap 3: 10:01:96 (1 mile)

Lap 4: 9:54:26 (1 mile)

Lap 5: 9:46:84 (1 mile)

Lap 6: 35:23:76 (~31/2 miles detour along the Capital Crescent Trail)

Lap 7: 9:49:37 (1 mile)

Lap 8: 19:31:53 (~2 miles home)

I took a short walk after leaving the bike path at the beginning of Lap 8, but jogged the rest of the way. The final mile I was pretty tired and had shooting pains running down the sides of both legs. Other than that it was a really good run I felt fine.

Advance Copy Christmas Letter, 2006

The complete note (with pictures) will be sent in your Christmas card, but if you can't wait, here is the blog version.

CHRISTMAS 2006. As we look forward to the approaching holidays, we once again review the year that was. Although “stay the course” isn’t a popular theme nowadays, much of the past year was just that for us. You could easily re-read our past Christmas letters and get a pretty good idea of how life has been here.

One high note was our summer vacation. This year we flew to Seattle, WA and had a wonderful time touring around the Olympic National Park. While in Seattle, we also got to spend some time with Jane's childhood friend and her family, which was really nice. We spent most of our time in ONP exploring tidal pools, hiking through alpine meadows and gawking at the huge 1000 year old trees that grow in its’ rainforests. Things went without a glitch—not sure if it was luck or the fact that I planned this vacation rather than Jane—probably luck had a lot to do with it.

Elroy and Judy are high school juniors and doing well. When not flexing their academic muscles, Judy is still pursuing cross-country and Elroy wrestling. Judy's XC team qualified for States this fall and it was fun to go and watch all the great young runners. Both started learning to drive this summer and after only four months behind the wheel apparently completely understand the rules of the road. However, when we're out driving there's still a lot of "you're not coming to a complete stop", "slow down you're going too fast", and my favorite…"wasn't that a STOP sign back there?" Anyway, now that we’ve recovered from their earlier driving efforts we’re planning for them to get some highway driving experience during our trip home to Cincinnati this year. We'll see how that works out.

Judy and I are fine and still in our same jobs. At home, we're slowly evolving into digital, wireless, and satellite TV people--an adaptation to our children's lives that we're becoming more adept at. To keep in touch you can go to my blog, Over the Hill, at http://experiencetk.blogspot.com/. Don’t be confused, I use aliases to protect our identities in the blogosphere. This site also has links to two other blogs we like.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
The Jetsons

Top Ten Photos of The Year (2006)

Here are my picks for the top ten photos of the year for 2006. These are photos that I've taken over the past year, some have previously been posted, but not all. They are presented in no particular order. Vote for your favorite and I will tally the votes after the first of the year and post the Picture of the Year. Of course, only one or two people will likely vote in this contest so here is my editorial policy on choosing the Picture of the Year. Majority rules, in case of a tie my vote will be the tie-breaker and if there is no majority on the best picture, my vote will count the most. I think if you click on the pictures you'll be able to get a larger picture in a new window.

Number 1. This picture was taken at the Kentsburg Labor Day Parade in Old Town Kentsburg. At the street festival after the parade there was a shop selling Indian clothing and these were some of the examples piled together.

Number 2. This is close-up of a spider plant that grew in our flower garden last year. Spider plants are one of Jane's favorite annual flowers; this plant either grew from seed (as spider plants readily grow from last year's fallen seeds) or was purchased. I thought the clarity of the picture and the purple hues against the green background very appealing.

Number 3. On our summer vacation to Olympic National Park, Jane and I took a hike in the Quinault Rainforest and came upon this old shed with a classic native picture of a salmon painted on it. Looking in the other direction, away from the shed was the crystal blue water of Lake Quinault. In back of the shed rose the rainforest. The shed was surrounded by fir trees and overgrown with vines; this picture was better than any artwork we saw in Seattle.


Number 4. The morning we drove through Port Angeles up to Hurricance Ridge in the Olympic National Park was completely fogged-in. The visibility was near zero, limited to only a couple of car lengths in front of us. We could barely make out the vegetation on either side of the narrow switchback road as we drove for over 30 minutes up the mountainside. We were unprepared and immediately awed when we finally broke through the clouds into the bright sunlight and caught our first view of the Olympic Mountain Range. It was magnificent.


Number 5. I was lucky to get this picture of Judy feeding a grape to a very friendly squirrel at the Pioneer Park in Seattle Washington. We had gone to visit the Seattle Asian Art Museum and were relaxing in the nearby park when the squirrel approached and seemed willing to take handheld food.

Number 6. This picture of a water lily was taken at Brookside Gardens. These are really pretty plants that you don't see every day. This particular flower had just bloomed and its' colors were vibrant in the afternoon sun when Jane and I stumbled across it.

Number 7. Not to influence the voting, this is my favorite. This picture was also taken at Brookside Gardens at the Japanese Tea House. I like the blue sky with the offset picture of the japanese red maple.

Number 8. This picture was taken at one of Judy's cross country meets. The kid wearing the bulldog costume, and his assistants, would cheer as the runners went by. The dozen or so teenagers and I were the only spectators at this section of the course which was well back in the woods.

Number 9. This picture was taken in the afternoon at an abandoned lot behind the Kentsburg train station. I like the contrast of images of the bent bicycle tire rim and newly fallen leaves as symbols discarded objects.

Number 10. Close-up view of flower. I don't remember exactly where this picture was taken and it isn't completely in focus, but this is my list and I still like it.

A Tale of Two Kentsburgs

This Sunday morning I went for a walk around town. Although Kentsburg, like most suburbs is a nice place to live, the town is segregated, geographically and philosophically into two towns. The dividing line is the railroad that bisects Kentsburg creating south and north neighborhoods. The southern section is dominated by old Victorian homes, churches and an antique district. The antique district has perhaps a dozen shops. Most are glamorized junk shops, but a few actually sell something a normal person might buy. A few of the old buildings are pictured below. The yellow-painted brick storefront was once a locksmith, the building caught fire a few years back and was burned-out. It was recently nicely renovated and made into a retail store. The owners sold eclectic merchandise, some old some new, mostly bric-a-brac. There wasn't enough business for them to make a profit and they have since re-located. Last night, as Jane and I were taking our daily walk, we noticed that the store was being stock with exotic items--definitely not antiques. The new owners are calling the store Thai Crossing, so I suspect the merchandise will be mostly asian imports. It is my favorite building in the antique district. My second favorite (the red building pictured below) is a used bookshop. We have occasionally shopped there and enjoy looking inside. Sometimes they have small gatherings in the evening, although I'm not sure what they do at these meetings. Just to left of the bookshop a new deli, The Big Pickle, has just opened, but it won't be around long. The town doesn't allow restaurants in north Kentsburg to sell alcoholic beverages, not even wine. So the only restaurant options in the antique district are a couple of seedy sandwich shops and now The Big Pickle. However, the menu prices for The Big Pickle are too high and there isn't a steady lunch crowd to keep them afloat.

The other building (pictured below) that has labeled across the front 'prevention of blindness' sells, as the sign by the door indicates, antiques and curiosities. Antiques and curiosities also describes the people I've seen shopping in this store.

All the buildings in the antique district are architecturally interesting, but I don't know how they stay open. That goes for the majority of the other stores (not pictured)--I just don't know who would buy the old, usually dusty objects, on their shelves.

Most of the folks in the southern neighborhoods surrounding the antique district like it this way. I think the idea is to limit the amount of traffic through their neighborhood by restricting the ability of serious business people to operate profitable stores. This sometimes leads to conflicts concerning how the Kentsburg town council wants to modernize and develop the business district into a more vibrant shopping center.

Anyway, we live on the north side of the railroad tracks. Although not comprised of Victorian homes, north Kentsburg has its' share of homes listed on the historic register. The neighborhood is a mix of old, not-so-old, and new homes. Furthermore, like many areas, home builders are beginning to buy up the existing modest homes, raze them and build huge new homes. This is easier done in our neighborhood since the existing homes are modestly priced (at least modest for this area) and there are fewer restrictions on development.

One nice aspect of where we live is the ability to walk to nearby shopping---pharmacy, barber, restaurants that those in south Kentsburg would probably have to drive to. There is also a liquor store nearby, so we have that going for us.

Happy Black Friday

Today I've been informed is Black Friday, the first big shopping day of the holiday season and indeed, we have just came back from shopping at a nearby MegaMall. So.....Happy Black Friday. Uncle Mike, who came to visit yesterday morning, went to the Home Depot to shop, Elroy is playing computer games and Jane and Judy are napping--so it's quiet now.

Reflecting on yesterday, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We ate our Thanksgiving meal early, around 1 pm, and then went to see Casino Royale--the new James Bond movie. After the movie we came back home for dessert and watched the end of the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Bucaneers game. The movie was pretty good, the new James Bond is a real hunk--Jane mentioned that I closely resemble the actor Daniel Craig who portrays Bond. So that was cool.....just kidding.

Speaking of good-looking hunks, for this year's Thanksgiving meal we had turkey breast roll stuffed with italian sausage with extra garlic, sage, rosemary and thyme (see picture at left). No parsley. This was really good; moist and juicy with interesting flavors emanating from the sausage and spices. And carving it was a snap! This was accompanied by a salad of field greens, grape tomatos and petite mozarella balls with a balsamic vinegarette, roasted garlic red-skin mashed potatos, green beans infused with orange citrus and cornbread stuffing with turkey gravey. Yum. It was pretty good, thanks go to Martha Stewart, Emeril Laggase and Rachel Ray for excellent menu ideas. This nice meal (see picture below) was complimented with a nice beaujolais nouveau that Mike brought.

This morning we got up and relaxed in the family room.

Jane was working on the computer, catching-up on some work (on the left in picture below), Mike was reading (on the right in picture below). Speaking of Mike he just got back from the Home Depot with a collection of tiles to make trivets from. Anyway, Jane had recently put up our holiday decorations--note the lights on the mantle, and the room felt very cozy. I hope my parents and everyone else had as nice a Thanksgiving.

The Point Is.......I'm Thankful

Since it's almost Thanksgiving, I've been thinking about things that I'm thankful for--good health, loving family, relative prosperity and job security. Although there's always room for improvement among each, those are the biggies. But, it also occurred to me that there's been a lot of other more modest experiences to be thankful for. Moments of less scale that happen every now-and-then that are remarkable at the time but all too often are forgotten in the day-to-day turbulence of life. I had one of those experiences Monday last week.

To start off with, Columbus Day and Veteran's Day are two of my favorite holidays. These are the two days out of the year when Jane and I have the day off, they being government holidays, but Elroy and Judy still have school---and last Monday was Veteran's Day. So Jane and I were 'home alone' and had made hot plans to do a 15 mile point-to-point (PTP) training run into DC. Training for what.....I don't know yet, but it sounded like a good idea at the time. I hadn't done a PTP in 5 years, not since I was part of the MCRRC First Time Marathon program in 2001. The idea is to run from a nearby metro stop into DC, have breakfast, then take the metro back to the car. It's a fun way to get a not always so-much-fun long training run into your schedule. So, after the kids were off to school we outfitted ourselves for the run into the city.

It's critical on PTP runs to dress appropriately with comfortable run-tested clothes, lubricate key areas to prevent chafing and pack necessary supplies: water, aspirin, candy, some paper towels (for the occasional emergency pit stop) and some extra clothes (kept dry in a zip-lock baggie) and stuff all these in a fanny pack. The extra clothes are to change into for the metro trip back to the car.

The weather was borderline chilly around the low 40s when we left the Forest Glen metro parking lot. From there we weaved our way along Rock Creek Park, skirting some dirt trails, and once past the National Zoo, pavement the rest of the way. It was a beautiful day, high blue skies and we had a very peaceful, relaxing run into the city. We came upon the C&O canal probably after about 12 miles. At this point even if you're tired you start to get excited because your getting close to the National Mall and the end of the run. We passed the Watergate Hotel (see picture at left), the Kennedy Center, a few hobos just waking up, and made a quick jaunt over to the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall.

Usually, by the time you arrive on the National Mall the tourists crowds are starting to get heavy. I remember when I was with the First Time Marathon group back in 2001, we would attract a lot of attention when we arrived on the Mall. Of course, those training runs were in August and early September and the temperatures were brutally hot and humidity was near saturating---the sight of about 150 heavily sweating, scantily clad runners of all shapes and sizes running by I'm sure was quite a sight.

Anyway, on our run, Jane and I didn't attract any attention. We took it easy the final mile or two past the World War II Memorial, which looked fabulous (see picture a right), to our destination the Old Post Office and a hearty breakfast. After a quick wash-up and change in the public restroom we chowed down on eggs, sausage and hash browns. It was good. I'm thankful for that.

Unknown Knowns

Slate has compiled a 'tongue-in-cheek' collection of Rumsfeld's poems that I find amusing. The poems are the exact words of the former defense secretary, as taken from the official transcripts on the Defense Department Web site. The poems are quite funny, my favorite is The Unknown.


The Unknown
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.

—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing


I think Rumy's big problem was that he didn't recognize that there were also unknown knowns, things that we don't think we know that we actually do know. Like whether Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Moon Over Hartford High

It's about 5 PM on Saturday night as I am beginning to record my thoughts about today's State championship cross-country race. I'll admit to being a little worn-out. We got-up early to drive an hour and a half to the high school (let's call it Hartford High) hosting the State championship. Judy's team was running in the 4A division (the toughest in the State) and their race was slated to begin at 10:00 AM. The girls were pretty relaxed but for parents, the combination of a tough field of competitors and what has to be considered the States most challenging course created a "perfect storm" for generating anxiety. It was a real challenge for Jane and I, but our training paid off. In all seriousness, this was my first time at any State championship event and it was exciting. The temperature was great for spectators, but maybe a little too warm for the runners; the sky was crystal clear and the moon was hanging around. The spectators were kept in a fenced-in corral that had a good view of the race, but we were definitely kept at a distance from the runners and were not allowed anywhere near the finish line. There were a couple of amazing athelets that were very impressive to watch run this course. Judy's team had a great race finishing tenth out of the twenty teams that qualified to run at States, which was the best they had hoped for. Below is the starting sequence at the beginning of the race.

About 5 minutes before the start of the race. The girls walked to the starting line in their warm-up clothes and then lined-up for the race to start in their team uniforms.
Bang! The girls are off, fighting for position in the pack. Whereas you don't want to go out too fast, it's important to get somewhere near the front so that your not at the back of pack and spend the whole race running around all the slower runners. Not that I have had that experience.
After this picture I saw Judy a couple of times but couldn't get any good pictures, because I was too far away from the course and had a hard time picking out Judy in time to get focused. Anyway, it was a good day.

Introducing the 2007 Subaru Forester L.L.Bean Edition

With Judy and Elroy learning to drive we've been thinking lately about getting a new car. Not that the new car would be theirs (I'm just stating this for the record), but a car with an automatic transmission that would be easier for them to drive in heavy traffic. Although both are progressing at driving our current stick-shift cars, we are concerned that driving a manual introduces one more element for them to think about; Jane and I are worried that a momentary lapse while driving in heavy traffic (which is routine in our area) could be disasterous. So without any further ado, I will introduce our latest vehicle.......our first automatic transmission, totally new, 2007 Subaru Forester L.L.Bean Edition, as yet unnamed.



It is easy for me to understand Jane's attraction to this car by making a comparison between it and me. The outside is two-tone, Newport Blue Pearl and Urban Gray Metallic. I have Newport Blue Pearl eyes and the rest of me could be described as urban gray. The Forester is also described as the perfect blend of ruggedness and comfort (just like me). Equally adept at taming twisty back roads and absorbing the bumps of off-pavement trails (once again--just like me), the Forester L.L.Bean Edition combines the best attributes of an SUV and a passenger car. And it boasts a number of unique features (need I mention my unique features?), including an electronic compass on the rear-view mirror (well, I usually avoid anything having to do with my rear-view), a durable water-resistant surface on the cargo area floor and rear seatback, as well as extra-rugged floor mats that stand up to years of use. Outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the ample cargo room (no comment)– and the self-leveling rear suspension that helps when driving with a full load (again, no comment!). Anyway, you get the picture, George is stamped all over that car. I'm sure that Jane, at least subconciously, wants to be in the driver's seat with George. Hey, maybe that will be the new name for the car....George. Below are George's instruments panels.

We're Going to The State Championship

Thursday was the Regional Cross Country Championship for the girls and boys teams. Judy and her team had a good day placing sixth overall in the girls team competition. The top six teams go on to the State Championship next Saturday. This is a real accomplishment as this particular region is the most competitive in the State. Anyway this should be a great experience for the girls.

The day before the race had been rainy and the course was slick in spots, but otherwise it was a perfect race day. The day started out a typical crisp Fall day, but with a lot of sunshine throughout the day the air was gently warmed. By the 3:00 pm start time the air was sparkling clear in anticipation.

As the teams nervously assembled at the starting line, some teams would huddle together with their coaches in the infield, probably for a last minute strategy check and pep talk. Before breaking up they would scream in unison their team ethic, "hard core" or something to that effect that would echo out over the field. Then as the race organizer delivered his final instructions to the runners, every person (parent, coach and student) standing around the starting infield become very quiet---fixed on the spectacle about to unfold. After the crack of the starter's pistol firing all hell breaks loose for the next twenty-odd minutes as the girls attack the course through the screaming throngs of supporters that surge to the sides of the course.

The course for the regionals is tough, hilly terrain. Not rolling hills but steep hills that turn your legs to jello by the time you reach the top--and the downhills are technical as well. If you're not careful it's easy to take a spill. As mentioned, Judy had a good race but did fall on one of the hills that likely cost her a few seconds. I walked back to the hilly part of the course which is back in the woods that overlooked the infield and was surprised to see many students along the course who were there to shout support for their friends and teammates. You needed friends in these woods to fend off the wildlife.

Jane! Stop This Crazy Thing!

I was just reading about the Jetsons on Wikipedia and came across this description of George Jetson:

George's personality was that of a well-meaning, caring father, who often was befuddled and stressed out by the problems of both his work and family lives. George only worked 3 hours a day and 3 days a week for a short, tyrannical boss named Cosmo G. Spacely, owner of the company Spacely Space Sprockets.....Daily life was characterized as being comically leisurely due to an incredible sophistication and number of labor saving devices. George's work day consists of pressing a single computer button (or on occasion a series of buttons) on a computer (named RUDI in the 1980s series of Jetsons episodes). Despite this, characters would often complain of travails and difficulties of living with the remaining inconveniences. George's most famous catchphrase is "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!"

Hmmm, Ironic.....Isn't it.

Walk Around Town

Last weekend I spent one day just walking around town taking pictures. That walk landed me in hot water, but that's another story for another day. Anyway, like any town, where we live (let's call it Kentsburg), has its' iconic structures and eyesores. Sometimes it hard to tell whether any given structure is one or the other, but all thngs considered I like where we live. Pictured to the left is the famous Kentsburg train station. Most of the outlying burbs have actual subway stops, but not Kentsburg. We have a train station that, although less convenient and more expensive to ride, does manage to transport a fair number of Kentsburgians downtown to their jobs. Truth be known this is a blessing in a way. Wherever a new subway stop is added to the metro system, high density townhome developments follow. Of course along with the new home development comes increased traffic congestion--which is bad enough around Kentsburg as it is.


Just across from the train station, the old cement factory has finally been torn down after more years of neglect than anyone can remember. In its place will be.......a parking lot to provide more for spaces for the train commuters. Supposedly, some type of shopping or restaurant facility will also go in at some point in time, but I'm not holding my breath. These leftover cement supports will likely become our Stonehenge or Moai cultural attraction that will one day attract a growing tourist trade. Who built them and why?

Pictured here are three scenes from the bike path I frequently run on. These are just representative pictures at various points along the path that winds alongside a sparkling creek. These pictures were taken in the late afternoon, whereas I normally run in the morning. Of course, the temple (see the golden temple spires below) is majestic even in the early morning when the little angle blowing the horn is lit-up by the rising sun. The bike path is especially pretty in the early morning as the sun is just starting to rise. That is my favorite time for running this path.