Peru (Third Mission Trip)

Tipton

Don't CLIMP up over the walls

Friday August 5

Left for airport. Checked my big back pack but carried Sidney's and a small pack on.  We are TSA pre so the beginning of security was easy. I was randomly chosen for the controversial machine. I really don't care.  There was a roll of TP in Sidney's bag that required a closer look. They also did a wipe scan of the pocket the TP was in.  The machine alarmed and I knew we weren't going anywhere fast.  I had to empty the back pack. Which meant repacking it.... And I was subject to a full body very personal touch search.  TSA was very professional and doing their job.  Our work gloves were in the pocket of interest and we have used them to do everything from roofing to yard work.  I suspect fertilizer and they will be checked on the way home.


We caught up with the rest of the group in Houston before boarding.  It was nice to see Ed, Michael, Alysa, and Anya again.  There were also two new members to the team, Allison and Jane.  Allison has been before but Jane has not. Allison came with the Woodlands church two years ago. 

The flight to Lima was long, although it was the earliest we have ever landed coming into Lima.  We landed at about 10:45.  Passport control was a disaster. It took forever. And hour or more.  Sidney and I got pulled to a "preferred" line for families.  It didn't move much faster but "A" for trying.  On the way to the line as we were walking, someone came quickly through a door that opened into the packed area.  Fortunately he hit by bag and not my face.... Still almost knocked me over. 

Water system to Tipon

We finally made it through passport control and got our bags. All of us except Anya.  Her bag never left Houston.  Hopefully it will come to Cusco on Sunday.   Sidney and I also lost our apples.  We forgot to eat them. The airport dog smelled my bag and apparently gave the "apple" bark.  The handler knew right away we had an apple. Bummer...

After all the bag getting, paperwork doing and customs, we got on the van for the hotel.  We actually got in to the very hard bed at 2 am.

Saturday August 6

Morning started at 8 which would normally be sleeping in except for not getting into bed until 2.  Breakfast of coffee and bread before heading back to the airport to go to Cusco.  Our airport adventures weren't over. Sidney had packed a bag of pencils and stuff in the smaller carry on bag.  Apparently there were scissors in the bag.  They are now in a big collection box for things you can't carry through airport security in Lima.  I guess we will buy more school scissors.  TSA in the US failed on that one.  

Kitchen the we arrived

Sidney and I got empanadas at the airport. My ham and cheese one was fabulous. Her chicken one was OK.  We needed more solid food than bread and coffee.

We arrived is Cusco and got checked in to the hotel.  We stay at Hostal Santa Rosa de Lima, www.hostalsantarosacusco.com.  It is a wonderful little hostal.  Friendly staff, clean and safe and it is located within a private girls school.  We have stayed here twice and I really like it.  We went and exchanged money in the Plaza de Armas and had a snack. Sidney ordered strawberry with milk and I had strawberry with water. They are almost like smoothies. Yum. Sidney fell asleep on the table before her drink arrived.  It was pretty funny....

Collage

We went to the market, not trying food one but the crafts and cloth market.  Sidney got some new finger puppets.  They were a kangaroo with a joey, a lion and a snail.  

After the market we made a quick stop at the hostal before dinner.  There is a play area that you walk through to get to the hostal part. There are posts similar to what you would use for tether ball. But these have a smaller ball.  It actually looks like a bit of pantyhose with a small ball inside. It is very small and soft.  Anyway, I hit it towards Sidney and naturally it hit her face.... In front of everyone.  She was fine, I was exhausted and couldn't stop laughing and I won the bad mommy award for the day. 

Bathroom

Dinner was amazing. The restaurant used local and in season meat, fruits and vegetables.  There were two soups or a salad for the appetizer.  Trout, chicken or alpaca for the main course and pudding or quinoa cake for desert.  It was all so good. But after we finished you could see us all fade into exhaustion.  We walked through the plaza to return to the hotel.  There was a free concert in the square and it was wall to wall people. 

We tucked into our much softer beds and fell asleep quickly. 

Sunday, August 7

A somewhat early morning to start the last leg to Ayaviri.  Breakfast and then haul our stuff to the bus.  Anya and Sarah went to the airport early to find Anya's suitcase. It seems it might be permanently lost....In addition to it having all of Anya's clothes it also had many art supplies.  So we will now have to get more creative.

Bathroom

Getting out of Cusco took some time. We had to wait for Urpi and Gabby. Urpi has been on all our trips and Gabby is her daughter.  Gabby has good English and will be helpful.  Urpi ensures that in general we stay healthy and well fed.  She also teaches many things to the women.  Then to the airport to get Sarah and Anya.  Then to make copies of a letter to let someone get Anya's bag if it ever comes.  Then to pick up Manuel, our other translator.  Hurry up .... and wait. 

We stopped at Tipon, an inca ruin on the way to Ayaviri.   Tipton is all about water.  It was an area that the Incas funneled water into and controlled to grow crops efficiently and effectively.  Water still flows through and supplies the village below Tipon.  Sidney and I had a cob of Inca corn and a slice of cheese at Tipon like we did 4 years ago on our first trip to Peru.    We also saw the biggest hummingbird ever.  It has to have been as large as a swallow but it was indeed a hummingbird.  It looked like a slow moving giant.  I got a picture but not a good one... sad face.  

Better ladder

Urpi packed is lunch for the trip. Two cheese sandwiches, an orange, a banana, chips, cookies, quinoa bar and chocolate.  It was awesome.

We stopped about three quarters of the way from Cusco to Ayaviri at the seminary. I tried to give my corn cob to a sheep. He head butted me. Fortunately he was on a leash and I could run.  It was funny though. 

Then we had a bus problem. It wouldn't go up hill... Spent 30 minutes on side of road trying to fix it.  Something about the computer.  We left the hotel at 8 am and arrived Ayaviri after 6.  I was not sure the bus would actually make it.  It was really slow going at the end. 

We had only 40 minutes at the hotel. We have an outside room but for now it is pretty warm.  There is an attached bathroom with a toilet with a seat and TP. In theory there is hot water in the afternoons and evenings because they have solar hot water. I'll try tomorrow after how I hear it goes for others. We are sharing a room with Urpi and Gabby. For some reason our room is the warmest of anyone's. It's actually pretty pleasant. This is the same hotel we stayed at last year but it is an all new outside section.  It was pretty nice compared to the last two years.  

We went over to church to go to a service.  Except there wasn't one.  We did see the kitchen which is still missing a lot.  There is the brick oven, tile, two sinks and some cabinets.  But not all the wiring is in or faucets or burners....what is there looks nice.

Look at the red wires

While I was in the kitchen I knocked a hammer off a chair and it landed on my big toe.  Ouch.  The pastors wife started calling church members to come have at least a small service.  So we sang a few songs and prayed.  In the middle of the service Sidney shows me something. It's a tooth.  Another baby tooth bites the dust.  

We stopped for some street snacks on the way back to the hotel.  There is popped inca corn that is lightly sweetened.  Also some large noodle that is sweetened also.  Sidney was happy. 

The beds are hard as rock. We will see how sleep is. 

Monday, August 8

Scary ladder

It was an ok nights sleep considering the rock bed.  Woke up pretty earlier. Tried to make my instant coffee which wasn't very successful. It was weak and not very sweet. Oh well. Later I lost the washer from my cup down the drain at the church darn it.  First day I used the cup.  

Breakfast was at the restaurant we ate at every morning last time. Sidney has two buns, one cheese, and scrambled eggs.  She also has juice which is more like a multi fruit smoothie.  I had a fried cheese sandwich although I was forgotten (Urpi gave me hers...).  The cheese is the squeaky cheese again. It squeaks more when it is fried. Others have egg and cheese sandwiches.  There is also a cooked chicken thigh with rice and potatoes for the hearty eaters.  

Drum and chair safer then ladder

After breakfast we walked to the church.  I tripped over some rebar and hurt my hip again.  Limped a while but it is better now.  Nothing was ready at the church.  They hadn't even picked colors for the kitchen.  So we spent a couple hours deciding colors and getting supplies. Some people also worked on collages using pictures from our past two trips.  We also wrote three songs in English, Spanish and Quechua.  We wrote them on big posters so all could see them without books.  Quechua is tricky.  Very long words but few of them. They must be compounded.  

There were construction workers building the bathroom walls.  So mostly we watched.  Once the paint arrived we got started.  We had rollers but the long handles were broomsticks.  I could still barely reach the ceiling which meant a lot of paint on me. Also there were no trays so you dip the roller in a bucket.  And the paint has to be watered down.  It is easy to over thin the paint and then you have to put on many coats.  Yellow walls, purple accent and white ceiling.  

We made our name tags out of painters tape and on the first day Sidney was Zidney.

Walkway upstairs

We stand on chairs, counters and drums to paint.  Michael dropped a container of paint down the side of the counter.  Containers are made of what ever we find but usually the bottom of larger water bottles. 

Sidney helped teach English today.  We also took a rainbow ball for the kids. The kids liked it.  I have a new one for every day and a little hand pump to inflate them.

Lunch was chicken soup with squash, potatoes, carrots, quinoa, spinach and a bit of ginger followed by pulled cool chicken with onions, broccoli, potatoes, carrots with a slice of sweet potato and rice.  Always yummy food by Urpi.  

We walked back to the hotel at about 5. On the way back to the hotel we saw the most loaded truck ever.  It was a tall truck loaded at least five feet over the top and had to drive on whatever side of the road had the highest wires.  It was funny.  We took a hot shower. Steamy blissfully hot.  It was wonderful.  

Nearly complete kitchen

We did not go to the church for dinner which is the first time in the three years we have been coming.  It feels weird but it is nice to have a break.  We went to the chicken place.  We ordered 2 and a 1/2 chickens cut into eight pieces each for all of us and plates of french fries.  

We think our room has a ghost. Every time we open the bathroom door the outside door opens.  And our lights turn on and off randomly.  





Tuesday, August 9

We had the normal breakfast and I didn't get mine again.  Sad face. After breakfast we walked to the church.  I spent hours scraping paint off the floor.  Apparently drop clothes aren't used.  Every tile in the kitchen had to be scraped.  I am not sure I will be able to eat tomorrow or move. 

Tow ladders are safer than one...

Urpi was teaching about cooking today and about using normal ingredients in a new way.  She taught the ladies how to make hummus and passion fruit juice.  It was a lovely treat.  We were the taste testers.  She is also still teaching about cooking safely in a way the won't make people ill.  She fussed about how the blender had not been properly cleaned by taking it apart and so it had not been properly cleaned at the blades.  She also talks about washing dishes and ensuring they are rinsed in water with bleach.  She is trying to teach them to let the dishes air dry instead of wiping them because the towels might not be clean.  

Stairs

I took another rainbow ball today.  It and the other one were put to play as soon as the kids came. The schools are so overcrowded here that some kids have school in the morning and some in the afternoon.  There is no art or music.

Ed got shocked working on an outlet.  Wiring is questionable and there aren't volt meters.  If you get shocked it is still live.  

The kids did English as well as beads today. The Sunday school teacher class also continued.  This is a class being taught to help Sunday school teachers know how to develop curriculum and teach.  I also have some great pictures of wiring.  There are no wire nuts used here. The wires are connected and shoved in the walls.  It's a good thing everything is build of bricks, mud bricks or cement.

Painted oven

After lunch of semolina soup with fried potatoes followed by rice with a tiny bit of beef, potatoes and carrots I helped wash dishes and make ties for the concrete forms for the pillars for the bathrooms.  The builders paint diesel on the forms so the concrete won't stick.  I went with Manuel to get the diesel in two 1 liter water bottles.  It was all very interesting.  

Tomorrow we have a bit more painting to do.  Just around the oven.  There used to be a rooster and a chicken at the church but I have not seen the roosters mate.  I think she must be gone. Someone tossed out some rice in the grass fir him though and he was a happy rooster. I found him in one of the classrooms also.  The classrooms are multi purpose like everything else.  There are mattresses up against the wall in every class room that can be pushed onto the floor for the visitors. 

We had pizza for dinner. There are 13 of us and we devoured 4 large pizzas. We also had two bottles of hot sweet red wine. That was really nice.   

Wednesday August 10

Not sure what I was thinking

Had the normal breakfast for me, squeaky cheese sandwich. Sidney got special of the day which was orange chicken with rice and potatoes.  Breakfast and lunch are the big meals in Peru.  Sidney made a pretty big dent.  

Anya's bag came.....finally.  It is was like Christmas for Anya and for art. She brought art supplies to stamp, paint, and collage.  The kids made some amazing collages. 

Jane and I painted the bottom of the oven.  We painted a blue section on top and yellow below, like the walls.  Michael, Rusty and Ed helped pour pillars for bathroom walls.  I brought the largest rainbow ball but it was difficult to inflate.  I brought a small pump but I didn't have the right fitting for this ball.  So it became how many people does it take to blow up a rainbow ball.  There were at least six of us involved.  It was the biggest hit of the rainbow balls but unfortunately it was too loved and only lived for about 24 hours.

Lunch was beets with onion, green beans and red pepper with crackers followed by chicken with potatoes and rice.  I mentioned the art supplies earlier.  The older kids made some lovely art.  They painted and stamped their boards first and then decoupaged with fabric.  They are a talented young group.

Roof coming off one

Wednesday is market day.  That is the day all the streets in the center of town have everything you could imagine.  The fruits are brought in from the Amazon forest area of the Puno region. There are new fruits every year as they are discovered. We tried many different fruits thanks to Urpi.  There are all kinds of clothes, tools, household items, and food.  The chickens on market day may be live.  There is also trout and smaller fish.  Oh and of course potatoes.  More than you could imagine.  The most fascinating item to me is the meat.  There is a wide assortment and no part of an animal is wasted. I saw a whole sheep with his skin and head on the sidewalk and the rest of him on the sales table.  He had been skinned right there.  People come from many miles to sell and to buy on market day.  It is the main day to do shopping, like Saturday in the US.  And as always Sidney's hair attracts a great deal of attention no matter how she tries to hide...

Roof coming off two

We went back to church in evening for the Wednesday service. It was a rather long service.  Each member of our team received a loco llama.  It was a very cute llama with an open mouth.  The son of a church member makes them.  After the service we had a traditional Peruvian dinner of rice with sweet milk and raisins.  

We watched some swimming after getting back to our room.  Sidney made the following comment about Michael Phelps big hands - all the better to breast stroke you with. 



Thursday, August 11

We went to the market with Urpi before breakfast to get fruit.  There is a small indoor market. On our way back we saw a motorcycle with two men on it.  One man was going to drive and the other was going to hold a piece of 4 by 8 foot ply wood. I really wonder how far they made it down the road.  What's really funny is the guy holding plywood is the first person on a motorcycle wearing a helmet.  

Roof coming off three

Sidney got something in her eye right before breakfast.  Urpi made camomile tea to wash whatever was in her eye out.  It worked.  

Michael and I cut 100 pieces of rebar for the bathroom project before helping take the roof off of the toilets.  We started taking the roof off by removing each individual sheet of roofing.  We were pounding out nails from underneath and wearing a lot of gross dirt.  We shortly changed strategies to removing the roof in one piece. The whole thing was held in with wire.  We cut all the wire and used long boards to lift the roof and push it backwards into the street behind the church.   Then we carried it in one piece around to inside the church walls whole so it could be used again. Best project ever!

Roof coming off four

After the bathroom ceiling Michael and I helped install the chimney for the kitchen oven.  This involved getting on the roof of the kitchen and removing part of the roof of the connecting office.  The roof was cool because you could see so far....Once we did that we had to move a support for the office roof and then pound a hole in the cinder block wall between the two rooms.  It was another interesting project. 


Right before lunch I observed the construction guys using a manometer to get a level line all around the new bathroom walls.  Who needs a laser level. 

Lunch lamb and Kancacho Ayavireño.  Lunch was a traditional Ayaviri meal.  We were honored to have lamb and this time is was cooked pretty good.  The side was creamy rice with potatoes and corn.  It was really good.

The roof being stored to re-use

I never thought I would think standing on drums was safer than standing on ladders.  All the ladders are homemade and made with nails and wire.  I know one rung moved while I was standing on it.  The wire needed to be tightened.


The concrete pillars poured yesterday for the bathrooms were too tall and 10 centimeters needed to be removed.  I helped with this using a hammer and chisel.  I needed to borrow a hammer from the construction workers.  They laughed and said they weren't used to a woman asking for a hammer.  It doesn't happen in Peru. I got my pillar chiseled down in the amount of time it took Michael to do two.  I was too conservative with my hits.  

Using the manometer

After that project and the bathroom roof I was super dirty and had gravel in my hair.  I took a nice shower before heading back to the church for our fair well ceremony.  During the ceremony we handed out small bags from the Woodlands church to the kids.  They had craft things in them. We also gave some Spanish English dictionaries that the kids illustrated.  They were really cool. 


After the rather lengthy ceremony we went to bless the new oven and kitchen.  The oven was being used to cook chicken and potatoes.  It was very crowded and very smoky.  It was more or less the last straw for Sidney as she slowly turned yellow.  We had also gone too long without food, which is my fault.

Lighting the oven

After the blessing we sat down to the eat the chicken and potatoes. After eating about two bites of the fabulous chicken Sidney was done.  Too hot, too tired, too smoky and too many people.  She turned really green and bailed.  She wanted to walk back to the hotel to cool off and get air.  We walked home a different way than our normal in case we needed a moto.  We got to see a house being torn down which also had a major road through town closed.  As such a semi trying to get out of town was stuck.  He could go down the street and he couldn't turn because the side streets were too narrow.  And there was a van behind him honking away.  

After we got back to the hostel I got us ready for bed and when I went to leave the bathroom the door nob came off.  

This is the fourth country we have watched the Olympics in.  They are on 6 channels here.  It's pretty cool.

August 11

Last squeaky cheese breakfast. So sad. 

Into the same bus we came in...it apparently is fixed because it did much better.  

Marathon Coat (I didn't bring it)

We stopped at the high point between Ayaviri and Cusco and bought a blanket and scarf.  The scarf is basically fluffy alpaca fur.  

I am always fascinated by how far up the terracing is in the mountains and how steep the slopes are that it is on.  It's amazing.  There were also cultivated trees way up on some pretty steep slopes. Most of the cultivated trees are eucalyptus.  Once we started seeing trees again I realized I missed them while we were in Ayaviri above tree line.

We stopped in Andahuayillas for lunch and to see the church there.  Lunch was three courses.  The first course was either half an avocado with dressing or mushroom soup.  I had soup and Sidney had avocado.  We both had trout for the main course. For desert we had ice cream and a pancake. 

Smallest fire hydrant

The church is called the Sistine Chapel of the Americas.  There are amazing murals and paintings all over the church. The frames of the paintings and the Chancel and altar are covered in gold leaf.  The church is called San Pedro Apostol de Andahueylillas.  There is so much history in this church and it truly is beautiful inside and out. The church like many in Peru, has a conflicted history between Catholicism and local religions in place before the Spaniards.  The town is also historical as it was a resettlement village in 1572 for local native populations following the Spanish conquering of Peru.  It was chosen for having good land and water to support population.  It is worth looking up more about this beautiful building and town.

We arrived in Cusco at about 5 just after the Inca Temple of the Sun museum closed. So we went to the chocolate museum instead.  We learned about making chocolate and tried a variety of samples from pure chocolate to high quality milk and white chocolate.  I bought a bar of 70% dark chocolate for me and milk chocolate with blue berries for Sidney.  I also bought chocolate tea which is made from the shells of the cocoa beans. It was really nice.  And finally I bought some chocolate and coffee infused liquor.  

After the chocolate museum we ate dinner at Papachos where Sidney and I shared Mac and cheese.  It was ok. Not as good as the bowl we had at the Lima restaurant last year.

After dinner, bed.  The beds were wonderfully soft....

Saturday August 13

Moray

Display of art work

After a decent nights sleep we were off to the Moray salt mine.  We had a few missteps on the way.  The driver had different instructions so we headed out of town the wrong way.  We did get many nice views of Cusco and Saqsayhuaman before getting stuck in bad traffic going the other way out of town. There seems to be no concern with stopping on the railroad tracks here even in a bus....We were stopped because of construction.  While we were stopped I observed a remote controlled compactor being used.  It was very cool and certainly would relieve stress injuries and noise.  

The salt mine is as cool as we remember it.  There is a stream of salty water that comes out of a hillside part way down into a valley.  Many pond have been built to divert the flow into.  The flow tot he ponds is controlled with stones such that pools are always being filled.  After a pond is filled the water evaporates at least part way and the salt is harvested.  All by hand.  The ponds are managed to get various salt qualities from that used for animals to culinary and medicinal salt.  Every pound of salt produced here relies on human power to harvest it and carry it to the loading area, 50 kilograms at a time.  

Sidney teaching rainbow loom

After Moray we headed over to Chinchero for a "light" lunch and some textile lessons.  The "light" lunch was quinoa soup followed by chicken with potatoes and salad (which we could safely eat as Urpi taught these ladies to cook).  The lunch was no remotely light and we rolled out of the dining room stuffed to the gills.  

The ladies showed us the various techniques for harvesting, washing, spinning, dyeing and finally weaving.  They had lovely, high quality wares for sale.  We bought a few things there and enjoyed the education.  Only natural products are used to dye the yarns (bugs, leaves, other plants....).  

Moray

After our visit in Chinchero we headed back to Cusco to go to Qorikancha, or what was previous to being a catholic church, the Inca Temple of the Sun.  Inca's worshiped things that provided or controlled life, including the sun.  Before much of the site was destroyed to build the church, there was a large Inca stone structure that included an amazing sundial and was covered in gold.  Inca's did not value gold as money but as something for nobility.  Fortunately although much of this area is dominated by the church, there are still well preserved areas of Inca architecture and culture.  

While we were at Qorikancha, there was a rather large and loud strike or protest in the main street.  It was a protest against violence towards women.  Unfortunately women have fewer rights in Peru and alcohol and poverty make violence against women too common.  

We made a last trip to the market before heading off to a dinner of pizza.  It was a nice dinner and our last one as the whole team.  Jane would be going to Machu Picchu on Sunday while the rest of us started the long journey home.  

Sunday August 14

This was a day of travel and lines.  We headed to the airport to go from Cusco to Lima in the morning.  We all tried to get on the wrong plane in Cusco.  The lines for planes were not well marked so we went to the longest one.  Fortunately we were straightened out.  

Moray

After getting to Lima, we were off to the market there an then two museums.  The market stop was for a few more purchases for the Webster church market.  They will be selling the items they brought to raise money for further trips or to send back to the church in Ayaviri.  

The first museum was called AMANO.  It is a museum started by a Japanese man to preserve pre-columbian textiles.  The textiles that have survived were amazing and interesting.  The museum also talked about primitive and more complicated fabric making.  It showed a variety of textiles of all ages and conditions.  It was quite interesting.  

Hauling 50 kilos of salt

After AMANO we went to Museum Larco.  This museum has more than 45,000 catalogued archeological artifacts, most of them pottery.  There is the standing exhibits and thousands of items of pottery catalogued and stored on floor to ceiling shelves.  The museum was founded by Larco as he studied artifacts and developed timelines of civilizations as well as locations by studying pottery.  Many of his timelines have shown to be accurate over time.  The collection and descriptions are amazing.  One of the best museums I have been to.  

This is also where we ate dinner before heading back to the Lima airport.  The restaurant is high class great food.  A very pleasant place to enjoy our last meal in Lima.  

We were off to the airport for the long night flight.  Sidney and I did not have great seats.  She slept enough, I slept enough to be more grouchy....  We did get home safely with no problems.  

Rainbow ball fun

There was a tome of rain while we were gone and since.  I think over 10 inches since we got home. There has been so much rain the golf course has been closed most of the time.  I saw two bucks just on the other side of the course on Thursday.  I have never seen deer over there.  

Sidney and I volunteered at the San Antonio Food Bank on Saturday.  It was good hard work to help fill 1200 boxes with food for seniors in the course of two hours.  We were amazingly tired and more than a little sore.  

School starts tomorrow and Sidney's birthday is Wednesday.  She will be 11 and she is starting 7th grade tomorrow.  She is excited about school starting and we met all her teachers on Thursday.  

Summer Part 2

Summer part 2 has been as busy as summer part 1.  The first thing didn't affect Sidney and I so much but confused Kirk more than he is already (which, bless his heart is hard to do).  His foster home moved to Boerne.  It is a really good fit for the care giver and the guys who live there.  They like to go to the lake near Boerne and it is a quieter life.  It's a newer house with a bit more room outside.  Mary Ann has Kirk and another client right now and will be getting a third.  I am not sure he ever knew where his room was before.  I am not sure he does now.  The house layout is easier but one night apparently he got tired and went to bed.  Mary Ann was outside and Kirk went to sleep in her bed.  First bed he came across I guess.  Freaked her out because she didn't know he was in there and she couldn't tell who was in her bed.  The other Kirk news is that he has been very calm of late.  He also lost a crown so that had to get fixed.  

Searching for bugs

Sidney has been swimming 4 days a week.  We had the shortest yet longest swim meet ever a few weeks ago.  It was only Sunday morning but it was still long.  The pool was hot both in the water temperature and the temperature in the building.  And there were many mix ups that delayed the meet when heat sheets and timer sheets didn't match and there were puzzled kids every where.  Oh well. 

She loves anything alive

We had a friend come over for a visit.  It was really nice.  She and I alternated taking Sidney to swimming.  The person who stayed home had to cook dinner.  It was really great to have help that week because that was the first week the Olympic team was practicing at our normal pool and we had to drive to a farther pool again for 4 weeks.  That is finally over but it was not fun to go back to driving a longer distance to get to the pool.  

One of my staff members resigned a couple of weeks ago.  I was very sad to see her leave and wish her all the best.  It has made me more busy when I was already pretty over loaded.  I am working hard to try to keep my head above water.  

I sometimes go to Friedrich Wilderness Park to run or hike.  They have nice trails and its only 10 minutes from home.  I get their early and I am not the first car in the lot but I seem to be the first person on the longest of the trails.  I always get all the spider webs.  A couple of weeks ago I got another surprise, a scary one.  Something large ran across the trail in front of me.  I thought it might be a deer but it wasn't tall enough.  I also heard some of its friends crashing around in the brush.  It came back and stopped in the middle of the trail.  It was a wild boar.  I saw him and his three friends and freaked.  I don't thin I have been that scared in a while.  There was not another human anywhere. Fortunately they left me alone but I moved pretty fast for a while.  

Peacock feather from a friend

After that adventure Sidney and I went up to New Braunfels for the company picnic.  It was pretty fun.  It was nice to meet peoples spouses and children.  Several of us with kids rode the train at the park and then our kids played in the spring fed waiting pool for a while.  The kids all said the water was cold but Sidney could not care less about cold water.  I had to drag her out.  We really did have fun.

The cat has been entertaining of late.  She likes to sit on the bathroom counter and play in the water in the sink if I turn it on to just a drip.  Pretty funny for an animal that doesn't like to get wet.  She also spends lots of time sitting on the back porch dreaming of catching a bird.  I went out one time and she had caught a lizard.  I made her drop it but then she caught it again.  He did get away and I hope he lived.

I have been putting good meals on the table.  I have been able to cook the last few weekends.  Pot roast, fish, shrimp, chicken and lots of grilled yumminess.  And I am hanging to get veggies in too. 

Stormy trying to fit in the cat bed

Sidney has been busy with camps the last couple of weeks.  She had bug camp where they learned about bugs, spiders, reptiles, etc.  They dissected crawfish, caught and mounted bugs, and made maggot art.  I had to ask what maggot art was.  You put a few drops of paint on paper and then put a maggot in the paint.  It crawls around through the paint making art.  I was so glad I asked.....

This week she had fencing camp.  She was there 7 hours each day and then swam for almost two hours.  She has been sleeping well and eating tons and then some more.  Fencing is pretty technical.  There is a lot of protective gear and a lot of rules.  She had fun.  The fencers are also wired for lack of a better term.  The jacket is connected to a box that counts hits from the opponent.  It was pretty cool to watch.  

Fencing

We have a new neighbor.  She moved in across the street and I am really happy to have her there.  We have chatted some and look forward to getting together after we get back from Peru.  Sidney and I also went over to a friends to help with her horses.  We helped get her tack room in order and then washed the two horse.  They are appaloosas named Domino and Arapahoe and are 38 and 39 years old.  Sweet old boys who can't chew grass or be ridden but like attention.  Sidney was all for that.  She got paid and mostly hugged the horses.  I didn't and did the washing.  We loved it. 

We also have been trying to work some more volunteering into our lives.  Sidney has been going with some friends ever few months and we have signed up for a regular visit to the SA Food Bank.  But on Sunday we went downtown with our church to serve a meal to the homeless.  It was replay awesome. It was a good reminder of what blessings we have.  

We are off to Peru tomorrow.  We are looking forward to getting back to the church over there and seeing our friends.  There will be some new members to our team and some repeats.  Sidney can wait to see Michael, known for his pocket bread.  He eats large amounts of food and then takes any bread left over for later.  Hence the pocket bread....

I promise to take lots of pictures and good notes.  

Busy Summer Already

After Sidney returned from Mo Ranch we had 24 hours to wash all her clothes and re-pack her to go to Blueprint Ministries.  Blueprint Ministries is a non-profit organization in San Antonio that works to keep people in their homes by making repairs.  Without these repairs the houses are at risk for being condemned or deemed to unsafe to live in.  The people served are often the elderly or disabled.

Making Lunch

The middle school kids from Grand Lakes Presbyterian Church in Katy come over for a week each summer to volunteer at Blueprint.  Sidney was old enough this year to participate.  Sometimes the kids are drywalling but usually they are roofing.  There were enough kids from Grand Lakes to have three teams to work on three houses.  Sidney was on a roofing team.  Her team removed the shingles and sheathing from the roof and then replaced both.  The house they were working on belonged to a 91 year old woman.  Sidney is not so great with nails yet (we will need to work on that) but she apparently enjoyed demolition.

Each team member also serves the rest of the team by being part of the "Body of Christ".  Sidney was the stomach and helped make the lunches for each day.  They also do bible studies and chores at the building where they stay for the week.

I am super proud of her.  She worked hard and with a willing heart.  It was hot and difficult work.  And it was new and outside of her box.  She came home very happy and very tired but ready to go again next year.

As most of you know she is also creative.  I sent her to Blueprint with some things she would need.  Hammer, safety glasses, gloves, and dust masks.  She brought most of the dust masks home and for some reason they aren't in the garage....  The other day one came down from upstairs over the railing as a parachute for a Polly Pockets doll.  It was really funny.  And a good idea.

Our tomatoes are growing faster than Sidney and the squirrel can eat them.  The squirrel certainly puts up a good fight on trying to get to the tomatoes first.  He seems to like green ones as much as red ones.  Sidney does not like the squirrel right now.....

Stormy has been back to the vet for more blood work.  Nothing has changed and she still doesn't seem sick.  The vet recommended just watching her and doing routine blood work.  She has been deemed normally abnormal... As if anything in our life is "normal".

I have had two recent mom fails (or at least two that I can remember).  The first was bug camp.  I got her all ready to go to bug camp a few weeks ago, the week after Blueprint.  Took her to work before the crack of dawn, drove over to the park and had her sun blocked and bug sprayed.  For the life of me I could not find the camp.  I went to both sides of the park.  After calling the instructor, I discovered that camp wasn't in June but in July.  To my credit the email the instructor sent me said June.

My other fail is even better.  I am tucking Sidney in to bed and I notice she has a smoke detector in her room.  I am certain I never noticed it before.  Which means I have never changed the batteries.  I am one of the odd must change the batteries annually people so I was horrified.  There are smoke detectors in every bed room, every hall way, the living rooms, the garage.... really I must have 12 smoke detectors.

Sidney had a swim meet between Blueprint and Florida.  It was blissfully close to the house.  At our new home pool.  We could leave 15 minutes before she had to be there.  It was busy and a big meet.  She hasn't been in the water much because of traveling and other activities but she still did OK.

Turtle Tracks

We went to Florida for the 4th of July.  We spent a week in St. Pete Beach with some of Kirk's family.  We stayed at his cousin's house with his cousin and her husband, her daughter and her boyfriend, and Kirk's mom.  A few other family members payed a visit but stayed at a condo near by.  It was really great downtime for me.  I didn't drive or have to worry about food.  I could just unwind and relax.  I think I read three or four books.  I haven't read a book in forever.  I also spent a lot of time sitting outside on the back porch watching the world go by.  It was really great.

Kirk's family don't sleep at the same times that Sidney and I do.  Sidney and I are early birds no matter what we try.  They are night owls.  So Sidney and I would go to the beach or I would go run in the mornings.  Then she would eat cereal or yogurt and I would make a grilled cheese every morning for breakfast.  Yes weird.  They didn't have a toaster so that was the next best thing (actually better).

We chilled out our first day there.  We went out to eat on the beach at one of the many restaurants that has fresh grouper.  Sidney played in the ocean and sand I enjoyed my fish.  We hung out at the house afterwards and saw the friendly iguana.  He came to get some salad.

The next day I had a nice run on the beach in the morning and I had buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese.  It was so yummy.  We went to the beach in the evening and there were lots of little sharks and fish swimming around us.  Nothing over two feet long.  This was also the first of many days where we saw dolphins in the bay.

I convinced Sidney to go with me for a walk the next morning.  We played in the water a bit but mostly walked and talked.  We spotted some people digging on the beach near the grass and they looked official so we were curious.  We went over to talk to them and they were looking for a turtle nest.  They showed us the tracks the female made the night before coming in from the ocean and going back out.  They dug to confirm the location of the nest and then put markings around it to protect it.  They will check on it regularly until the eggs hatch.  They make sure all the little turtles make it at least as far as the water.  The female lays 100 eggs and will lay several times each year near the spot where she hatched.  1 in 1000 baby turtles will reach maturity.

We also went to the Florida state aquarium.  It was a pretty nice aquarium.  We met 6 young nuns there.  That felt a bit odd.  We went back to the beach in the evening with Kirk's niece's boyfriend.  He entertained Sidney for a while and was completely worn out.  We found a super cool fish skull.  Fish skulls are very interesting compared to a mammal skull.  Many more holes and cavities and a much smaller brain cavity.  It stunck to high heaven so it went back into the water.

We went to the Sunken Gardens as well.  It is a botanical garden in an area where a lake sunk.  It isn't terribly deep but it was very nice and a relaxing stroll.

Sidney and I enjoyed watching the pelicans and other birds hunt in the bay as well as watching the dolphins.  We also saw many fish off the dock including a number of pipe fish.  Some were only about 2 inches long.

Floating and swimming off the dock

We went to a pool for part of one afternoon.  Sidney swam in the pool a while but ended up back in the ocean.  She went searching for sea shells off the beach in the water.  She would dive down several feet and look for shells.  She likes to be under water.

Kirk's cousin bought a lot of fireworks.  The guys were lighting them for well over an hour.  They were very impressive (and a little scary).  They had a party with a number of friends and it was fun.  We had only one more day there after that.  Right before the party I got charged with changing the sprayer on the kitchen sink.  We discovered it was leaking water under the sink and I am the smallest adult....

We really had a nice time.  We ate good food, caught up with family and relaxed.  It is nice to be home and it wasn't so bad to come back after relaxing so thoroughly.  I felt like I could actually cope with reality again.

Sidney had another swim meet this weekend.  She swam 7 events and did pretty well in all of them.  She had some good improvements in some strokes and broke even in others.  I am anxious to see how she does once she has been in the water reliably.

This afternoon I found this toad on the back porch in one of the pots.  this may not seem like a big deal but the porch is 15 feet above the ground.  Either a pet brought him up, a bird brought him up or he decided to hop up the stairs.  I just hope he finds his way back to somewhere safe.  I am happy to have him eating bugs but worried about where he has chosen to settle.

Sidney and I are preparing for Peru.  We leave in a few weeks.  I am gathering things to keep us warm and fed and well.  We are excited to go back and see our friends there.

Kirk and his care giver, Mary Anne, moved to Boerne a couple of weeks ago.  They are in a newer house that is a bit smaller and better played out.  They also went to Boerne several times each week so hopefully this will be a good move for all of them.

Finally School's Out

We finally made it to the end of school.  Just like that 6th grade has come and gone.  Sidney came out with 5 As and a B.  Not bad for another challenging year.  I am very proud of her.




We did find a new swim team.  It isn't the same and there isn't the closeness.  But it is close to home.  10 minutes or less.  It is a nice pool, one of the pools that belongs to the school district.  We are now with the Alamo Area Aquatic Association.  Sidney is a group back from where she wanted to be but she has some technique issues to work out.  She practices Monday through Thursday with Friday and the weekend off unless there is a meet.  It is a little strange to have our weekends back....


It has continued to rain a lot up until the beginning of this past week.  We like the rain but were ready for some sun.  I forgot what a sunset looked like.  Of course now it will be hot and won't rain again.

Sidney went to the State Music Festival in San Marcos for piano.  It was a long day but she got a superior rating.  She got a bit nervous and made a few mistakes but it was a really good experience for her.

Work has been it's usual set of challenges.  EPA just published a new rule that applies to us and the record keeping and reporting requirements are onerous.  My team and I will be busy figuring out how to comply.  Job security.

Sidney and I have been down on the golf course a few times.  It has been closing early enough for an hour or more of daylight every once in a while.  So we go down and explore more than just in the trees near the house.  It is a pretty course.  Last time there was a lot of water on the course along with a bunch of turkeys.  We also saw frogs and turtles in the ponds.

We went to Houston over Memorial Day to visit friends.  I drove through the worst rain storm for over two hours.  I was exhausted when we got there.  But we got to eat some crab Saturday evening and go to church on Sunday in Katy.  We also went with our friends to the new water park in Katy called Typhoon Texas.  It opened up the Saturday of Memorial Day.  It was super busy but our friends got a cabana and we could relax in the shade when we needed a break.  The kids all had a great time.  They have some pretty crazy slides.

Stormy seems to be doing OK.  Her blood work has not improved.  She has a few more days of antibiotic and then we will get anther set of tests.  She still acts fine but Sidney and I are still worried.

Kirk has had a few ups and downs.  He seems OK now but the bumps are still really hard.  His caretaker is buying a house in Boerne and looking forward to a move.  She is of course taking Kirk with her.  It isn't any farther than visiting him where he is and will be a more peaceful life for all of them.

Sidney just got back from camp.  She went to Mo Ranch again this year.  It's a great camp.  Two of her friends went also.  She is tired and bug bit, but happy.  We are doing all her laundry today to get her turned around and headed into San Antonio to meet up with the kids from Katy.  They come to San Antonio every year to work for Blue Print Ministries.  Blue Print helps people stay in their homes by doing basic repair and construction work.  The kids will be roofing.  It will be an interesting experience for Sidney.

I am not sure how I missed this last year but on the way to camp is Stonehenge II.  It is a not exact replica of Stonehenge that started by accident.  There is also a Moai replica like from Easter Island.  It was pretty funny.

I got out on my bike on the green way this week.  My first day didn't work out to well.  My tire was ruined before I started so I got a new one Tuesday.  I enjoyed both my rides this week.  I saw deer on both rides and a snake on one.  At the end of the second one I also saw mom and dad ducks and their adorable, black and yellow, tiny ducklings.  They were cute!  A family of ten and made my day.  Right before that I did my usual bike behavior and fell over.... I have a couple of lovely bruises.  I didn't forget to unclip, I just lost my balance to the clipped side.  Some guy watched it all happen and then walked right by..... Oh well.

Some Tough Days

The last two weeks have been tough from the beginning to the end.  Monday week before last was the only OK day.  After that was down hill really fast.  Tuesday morning started with an email from Sidney's swim coach notifying us that the team was dissolved.  We started swimming just over a year ago, about the same time we knew Kirk would not get better and not come home.  Coach is a former marine and a strong leader.  He helped to fill a male role model void left by the loss of her dad.  And now he too is gone from our lives.  Sidney was heart broken.  To her coach had very nearly died.  She loved him and respected him beyond measure and this was another loss in her life.  We both cried for a good long time.  I think even a week later we are still mourning the loss of the Sharks.

Wednesday was not any better for me.  I have been fighting tendinitis in my left hip for several months.  I tried to wait it out but it got the better of me.  I can't sit for any length of time, am in pain when I run and wake up frequently in pain.  So I tried a cortisone shot.  The shot was ultrasound guided through the gluteus and into the tendon from the hamstring to pelvis.  It hurt like the devil.  I had a hard time even walking after the shot.  And based upon how I feel now, I don't think it helped.  I still can't sit and have all the same pain.  And to add insult to injury I have pulled my left tricep and have shin splints.  

After my shot on Wednesday I didn't feel very well.  I was in the field on Thursday and by then I was really miserable. Headache, nauseated, weak, confused.  I took my blood pressure when I got home and it was high. Not as high as before but still higher than it should be.  I made an appointment with the doctor for Friday.

Thursday brought sadness to my side of the family. My half sister, Dorina, lost her husband, Ralf, to cancer. He has been fighting for many years but finally lost his battle.  They live in Germany and the distance is difficult.  I want to be there and I know my dad does too but it's just too far and hard.  I so wish I could be there to love her in person.

Sidney was in a singing contest where she sang a solo and ensemble for a judge at school on Thursday.  It is the culmination of the year in choir.  She sang "The Song that Nature Sings" for her solo and "All Night, All Day" with three other classmates for her ensemble.  She got a superior, the highest rating, for both performances.  That at least made Thursday a little better. 

I went to the doctor Friday and the doctor said he thought I had a migraine.  He gave me some migraine medicine and I took that.  I did feel better Saturday but no where near my normal self.  I still don't feel like I am back to normal but the headache is under control.  I go back to the doctor Monday. 

Mother's Day was more or less another day.  I read in church and then we were planning to go to Fiesta Texas.  The weather was a bit too cold and wet so I just went over to some friends for a while.  Sidney was a touch sassy in the afternoon.  I guess she forgot it was my day.....

We started tryouts for new swim teams on Tuesday.  We started with the Wave which meets at UTSA.  The tryout was fine but the pool is only so so.  Wednesday we tried Alamo Area Aquatic Association at the Northside Aquatic Complex.  It's a really nice pool.  Both pools are less than 10 minutes from home.  Sidney liked the AAAA coach right away.  The last team we tried was Lifetime.  After the practice we knew that wasn't the team for us.  And after deliberations and discussions we settled on AAAA.  I am really proud of Sidney for being open minded and mature about the change. It wasn't what we wanted to do and it wasn't easy.  AAAA is a really big team and we have always competed against them.  But we think it is the best team to get her ready for high school which is what we need.  She'll practice Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 7.  I had to move piano but we'll sort the new schedule.  It also seems several other former sharks are moving to AAAA at various pools.

Friday afternoon was fun. Several of us at work volunteered for 2 hours at a place called Pets Alive. It is a shelter in town that is trying to get San Antonio to be a no kill city.  They have succeeded with cats but aren't there yet with dogs.  We spent the two hours taking the dogs for walks.  They aren't the easiest dogs to walk. I am actually sore from holding onto my dogs.  It was interesting that most of the dogs are dark colored and male. They are also large.  They have had some dogs for a year or more trying to find them a home.  They need volunteers to walk dogs, play with them and socialize them. All of those things make them more adoptable.  I think Sidney and I will commit to a day a month now that we aren't swimming on Saturdays for a while.  

Sidney spent most of Saturday singing in something called Together we Sing.  Kids from all of the middle schools in Northside ISD, over a dozen schools, participate in a Disney themed performance.  They learn the songs ahead of time and learn the choreography on Saturday.  I spent all day taking her to and from.  160 miles with all of the round trips.  Love my car but seriously.  They performed in the evening for a packed house and it was surprisingly fun and impressive.  There must have been a thousand 6th through 8th graders there. They did a really nice job. 

In the middle of running her back and forth I took the dog to the vet for some follow up blood work after her annual visit in April.  She had some abnormal blood work on her annual visit.  I didn't realize how bad her blood work was.  She isn't acting sick but all of her white blood cell values and her platelets are really low.  The vet thinks she might have acquired a tick borne disease, possibly before we got her.  I have never seen a tick on her and she has been treated since we got her.  But she spent her early life on the street.  We are getting a set of tests to see if it is a tick borne disease and we started a month of antibiotics.  I am not going to lie that I am worried.  She came to us just two days before Kirk's accident and we need her.... 

I am typing most of this while sitting at a swim meet on Sunday.  We were able to still get in the meet as unattached.  Sidney warmed up with her new coach, Coach Bahr.  I can tell she has been out of the water a while.  Times aren't great and form isn't either.  She hasn't swam in three weeks. But the experience is valuable and she gets to see some of the former sharks.  And it appears she is already in love with her new coach.  I have one of the most sociable children on earth. 

Sidney has a singing recital on Monday, and we start with the new team hopefully on Tuesday if everything gets processed.  Next Saturday we will be in San Marcos for another piano competition.  Because she got a superior during her competition here she can go to this State level competition.  It will be a good experience. 

Busy

Coming out of River Walk Day 1

Has anyone tried to grow a Venus fly trap from seed? It is harder than keeping a fish or parakeet.  First you have to read the directions....otherwise it will be a fail (and it still might be).  Step one, put the two tiny little seeds (think flea size) in their bag into ice water for 24 hours.  Step two, put the tiny little seeds into the refrigerator for three weeks.  Step three, soak peat moss in water and mix with sand.  Step four, put mix into tiny little pot and and put seeds into mix (no directions on how deep to put them in the dirt).  Step five, put the whole thing into a Ziploc bag and put it in a sunny place.  Wait six more weeks and maybe you will get a baby fly trap.  Maybe not.... We are two weeks into the wait.  It will take two more years of loving care (the right light, water, food and other care) for have a mature fly trap.... Really

Barbed Wire Day 1

We have had a ridiculous amount of rain.  Not as much as our Houston friends who have really gotten wet.  Unfortunately parts of San Antonio have been hit by serious hail.  The biggest we had at the house was marble size.  Many friends in San Antonio had much larger, up to softball size.  A lot of damaged cars, roofs and windows around.  All of the big insurance companies have set up large claim centers in the parking lots of stores and parks to manage all of the claims.  Supposedly the most costly hail storm in San Antonio ever.  All of our pool cars at work received some level of damage.  Entire lots of new cars were damaged... It has been bad.  Sidney's pool was closed for a few days because of holes in the sky lights.

Dunk Wall Day 1 - NOT HAPPY

A funny though.  In the middle of one of the storms we saw "fan bird".  There was a small song bird on the ceiling fan blade outside on the porch.  The fan was turning and so was bird.  He was going backwards but apparently was content.  He hung out there for at least five minutes.  It was pretty funny.






I suffered through my 40th birthday.  I really didn't intend to have a bad day but it wasn't a very nice day.  Not because of my friends of course.  They all loved me through it.  But stress, stuff at work, and fatigue all contributed to a rather blah day.  But Sidney got me the BEST GIFT EVER... The rainbow ball.  Several months ago there was a small rainbow colored ball on the other side of the neighborhood in a yard.  It was there several days and one day it disappeared.  Every day that I walked Stormy, I would see the ball and comment to Sidney how much I loved it.  Sidney bought be one for my birthday.  It's a bigger one, the size of a beach ball and I love it.  We have been playing with it a lot.  One day we played with it in front and she overshot me on a throw.  Down the street it went, and I mean really down the street.  We live on a generous hill and it rolled 10 houses down to the bottom.  With me chasing after it.  I gave up after two or three houses and walked.  It was hopeless.  It was funny.

Background - trying to figure out how to get out of this

So my mid-life crisis was two Spartan Races, in two days.  The first race was 8.5 miles with 29 obstacles and called the Super.  The second race was 5.5 miles with 24 obstacles and called the Sprint.  I have never done one before.  The course was beautiful, in the hill country northwest of Austin.  It was also challenging with some good running spots and some tougher hiking spots.  The list of obstacles that I can remember, in no particular order were, Over-Under-Through, hurdles (6 feet off the ground), a variety of walls with heights from 5 feet to 15 feet, two varieties of monkey bars (made of the biggest bars with widest gaps ever), barbed wire crawl, several net and A-frame climbs, atlas carry (carry a big rock), sandbag carry, bucket of rocks carry (really hard), mud pits, muddy water pits, culverts, tire flip, javelin, inverted wall, slip wall, rope climb, bridge, hoist, drag a sled of rocks, dunk wall, and fire jump.  And I am forgetting at least two or three.

Love from Sidney on Day 1

A beautiful area

I also had a few lovely fails.  The first was on the monkey bars.  I love monkey bars so I was excited. Until I saw these.  The bars were 2 inch pipe and the gaps between the bars were much wider than my wingspan.  I couldn't keep a grip and I couldn't swing far enough to not fall off.  And when I did fall off, I backpedalled into the hay bales used to get on the bars and proceeded to do a perfect (OK not really) back somersault.  The other two fails were your basic falls on the trail.  Skinned up my knees and elbows.  The skinned up knees didn't help when it was time to crawl.




Easiest - Barbed wire and culverts (really, I am small).  Tire flip and some of the smaller walls as well as all the A-frames and nets were pretty easy.  The Atlas carry and sandbag carry were pretty easy too.  The javelin should be easy but it has nearly the highest fail rate.  You have to get the javelin into the hay bale and it has to stay.  The mud and water weren't fun, but they were doable.

2/3 of the Trifecta

Hardest - Dunk wall as far as fear factor.  It was all I could do to talk myself under that wall in the muddy water.  All of you, including your head, have to go under.  Terrifying for me.  Physically the bucket carry and hoist were the hardest.  The fire jump is also more nerve wracking than I expected.  Mostly because of the big muddy water feature you jump into.  But it's the last obstacle... So the reward, the finisher's medal, is at the end.



The two races were one of the harder things I have done.  They weren't terribly long like riding the bike for hours for the MS150 but they were whole body and mind challenging.  I have never been as sore before, even with all the crazy things I have done.

I signed up for the third race in the series, the Beast, which will be October 29.  The Beast is 14+ miles with 35 obstacles and will be near Dallas.  I figure I am 2/3 of the way to the Trifecta by number of races.  I have 2/3 of the three piece medal set you can get in a year.  I am half way by distance as the two races combined were 14 miles.  I am way over half way on obstacles.  I did 53 obstacles in the two races.  Two races in two days was tough....Fortunately the second day I had my friend to help push me along.  I also didn't crash on the second day and I made it over several more obstacles without help.  And my friend and I both made the Javelin.  We couldn't believe it.  No one around us made it.  I skipped for a little while I was so excited.  I tried a different strategy on the barbed wire.   I tried rolling.  That was fine except I got so dizzy I couldn't stop and almost crashed into a pole.  Then I had to get un-dizzy.

Sidney did the 1 mile kids race.  She had a blast.  They had mud, logs, walls, A-frames, ramps, cargo net, crawl under a net, and they carried a big metal pole.  She is excited to try another one when we go to Dallas.

On day 1, for the Super, I was 34th of 201 40-45 year old females, 265 of 1697 females overall, and 1524 of 5535 people overall.  On day 2, for the Sprint, I was 61st of 221 40-45 year old females, 515 of 1951 females, and 1727 of 4600 overall.  I went into this worried I was going to die, or be last.

River Walk Day 2

Sidney volunteered to bring pond water to school for the pond water lab.  We like to go onto the golf course via jumping over our back fence, climbing down the stone wall, and getting through the trees. I am not sure if that is trespassing or not.... anyway there is a pond down the fairway that she likes to go to.  So we went down and got a liter of pond water, silt and three tadpoles (and a few snails).  I caught the tadpoles for her and I got the A+ mommy award that day.  The tadpoles are hanging out in science class in an aquarium the teacher has so they can grow into little frogs.  It was actually a lot of fun.

We had a minor cat problem.  I let her out one evening and kind of forgot about her... I remembered right before we went to bed.  She had escaped and was in the front of the neighbors house.  Through much stress, chasing, bribing, growling, hissing and scratching she was finally caught and brought back home.  She is only supposed to be on the back porch but her bird TV shut off when the sun went down so she escaped to find trouble.  And she had already eaten dinner so she wasn't food motivated. I was pretty terrified for a while and feel terrible guilty.

Dunk wall day 2

We had another round of hail last Monday.  We were on our way to piano when it started.  I got under an overpass and waited.  Glad I did.  When we got to the piano studio, there was really big hail on the ground.  Golf ball size and slightly bigger.  I saw several cars with broken windows.  I would have been pretty upset to have my new car damaged.  I am not sure yet if we have made it through hail season.  I sure watch the weather like a hawk.

The last note... We have a rat.  I don't mean a real rat (like the one in our attic) but a squirrel who for now is named Rat.  Said squirrel has taken many of Sidney's tomatoes and now is proceeding to eat into my storage box on the back patio.  The bird food is in there but it is in another container too.  He didn't try this last year. Rat.