Wednesday, October 29, 2008
On the Ironman while visiting Amy
When biting off more than you can chew, it helps to have a fantastic cook around!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Golf of Mexico
October is drawing to a close. In a few short days, it’ll be Halloween. Halloween used to be my favorite holiday and I still love it, though it’s been replaced in the Favorite category by Thanksgiving.
This year, I will be spending Halloween at the home of my friends Kurt and Amy and their fabulous boys, Berg and Kai. I’ve adopted Berg and Kai as my nephews since my brother had both girls and I wouldn’t get a chance to be an uncle without boyz. Besides that they are super cool kids.
The boyz are dressing as pirates for Halloween. I’m particularly glad of their choice of costumes. Because they are going to be pirates, I know they will be out on their pirate ship the next day and will protect me in my swim in the Gulf of Mexico. I know Pirates aren’t known for protecting people but I would bet that even a pirate will protect someone he loves… and besides, I have no treasure to pillage except the love I have for these boys and they can have all of that they can handle.
The day after Halloween, I will work off the Halloween candy I won’t be eating by swimming with 2200 of my very best new friends in the Gulf. You see, I misread the travel brochures… and thinking it was the Golf of Mexico, I thought it was a lot like swimming in those poo poo balls at McDonalds or Chucky Cheese. But alas, it is real water and salty to boot.
With me on this swim will be a little boy who is very, very sick. I have laminated his photo and will carry it close to my heart. My struggle is nothing compared to his and I will give him whatever strength it brings me to complete this swim-bike-run. If you have a little extra strength of your own, please use it to hold out the best and highest good for a certain sweet little boy and his family.
When I finish the swim, my pirate friends will be cheering me on while I ride the bike… their Mommy’s bike, actually. And after that, the run… or walk… or crawl, whatever it is by then.
And then there is the day after this event… the day after the culmination of a year’s worth of learning to swim (and doing little else in the way of workouts)… it will be Berg’s birthday. And oh, what a celebration that should be. In a way, it’s my birthday too… because this race is all about my birthday and meeting a new challenge as I start my 45th year.
Vacation… much needed and much fun. It doesn’t get much better than that.
This year, I will be spending Halloween at the home of my friends Kurt and Amy and their fabulous boys, Berg and Kai. I’ve adopted Berg and Kai as my nephews since my brother had both girls and I wouldn’t get a chance to be an uncle without boyz. Besides that they are super cool kids.
The boyz are dressing as pirates for Halloween. I’m particularly glad of their choice of costumes. Because they are going to be pirates, I know they will be out on their pirate ship the next day and will protect me in my swim in the Gulf of Mexico. I know Pirates aren’t known for protecting people but I would bet that even a pirate will protect someone he loves… and besides, I have no treasure to pillage except the love I have for these boys and they can have all of that they can handle.
The day after Halloween, I will work off the Halloween candy I won’t be eating by swimming with 2200 of my very best new friends in the Gulf. You see, I misread the travel brochures… and thinking it was the Golf of Mexico, I thought it was a lot like swimming in those poo poo balls at McDonalds or Chucky Cheese. But alas, it is real water and salty to boot.
With me on this swim will be a little boy who is very, very sick. I have laminated his photo and will carry it close to my heart. My struggle is nothing compared to his and I will give him whatever strength it brings me to complete this swim-bike-run. If you have a little extra strength of your own, please use it to hold out the best and highest good for a certain sweet little boy and his family.
When I finish the swim, my pirate friends will be cheering me on while I ride the bike… their Mommy’s bike, actually. And after that, the run… or walk… or crawl, whatever it is by then.
And then there is the day after this event… the day after the culmination of a year’s worth of learning to swim (and doing little else in the way of workouts)… it will be Berg’s birthday. And oh, what a celebration that should be. In a way, it’s my birthday too… because this race is all about my birthday and meeting a new challenge as I start my 45th year.
Vacation… much needed and much fun. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Small Victories
Last weekend was a weekend off. I went to Amarillo for a race and Guy partied and worked.
This week Mick, the floor guy, came and worked on the bedroom floor.
The bedroom floor had started out with harvest gold shag carpet, saturated with decades of dog hair, foot traffic, and grime. Guy dragged it out the front door within a week of us moving in.
Beneath the carpet and the deep layer of dirt, he found linoleum. And beneath that, tar paper. Buried deep was a hardwood floor. We covered it with cardboard so we wouldn’t track tar all over the finished floors in the rest of the house.
After a couple weeks, Guy found Mick. He ground off the layer of crud on the floors, revealing the nice wood in the picture to the left.
The floors aren’t quite done yet but the first layer of finish is on them. The holes in the wall from old plumbing (top left) are plastered over. The blue trim is now bright satin white.
Yesterday the walls and ceiling got primed. And today we painted the ceiling with that ceiling paint that goes on pink and dries white. We took a photo of ME working so you’ll know that I’ve done a little more than photograph during this project.
After we return from Florida, the floors should be done. The walls will become bright yellow and we’ll move the bedroom furniture in. We’ll also populate the ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars like I had in my old house.
Smaller steps are a little easier. We had time this weekend for a party on Saturday night and a rally to see Barack Obama this afternoon. That and packing for Florida pretty much filled the weekend. Did I tell you I love paint… instant gratification!
Lisa and Guy
This week Mick, the floor guy, came and worked on the bedroom floor.
The bedroom floor had started out with harvest gold shag carpet, saturated with decades of dog hair, foot traffic, and grime. Guy dragged it out the front door within a week of us moving in.
Beneath the carpet and the deep layer of dirt, he found linoleum. And beneath that, tar paper. Buried deep was a hardwood floor. We covered it with cardboard so we wouldn’t track tar all over the finished floors in the rest of the house.
After a couple weeks, Guy found Mick. He ground off the layer of crud on the floors, revealing the nice wood in the picture to the left.
The floors aren’t quite done yet but the first layer of finish is on them. The holes in the wall from old plumbing (top left) are plastered over. The blue trim is now bright satin white.
Yesterday the walls and ceiling got primed. And today we painted the ceiling with that ceiling paint that goes on pink and dries white. We took a photo of ME working so you’ll know that I’ve done a little more than photograph during this project.
After we return from Florida, the floors should be done. The walls will become bright yellow and we’ll move the bedroom furniture in. We’ll also populate the ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars like I had in my old house.
Smaller steps are a little easier. We had time this weekend for a party on Saturday night and a rally to see Barack Obama this afternoon. That and packing for Florida pretty much filled the weekend. Did I tell you I love paint… instant gratification!
Lisa and Guy
Monday, October 20, 2008
The View From the Other Side
Palo Duro 50 as a volunteer
I’ve volunteered before and I’ve paced many times but never at PD 50. Every year I’ve made it, I’ve run the 50 K or 50 Mile and I’ve never been disappointed. This year, as a volunteer, I again was rewarded for attending.
I’ve bragged about this race since I first ran it, from the race director to the aid station food and everywhere in between. The trails are spectacular and the volunteers even more exceptional than at many other ultras (believe me, that’s a high bar!). I’m not sure I’m allowed to brag about the volunteers in general this year since I was one but I’ll share a few specifics. I would say it’s a “colorful” race… from the founders to the volunteers to the canyon itself… color, everywhere.
The night before the race, I sat at a picnic table between the canopies we had set up. I looked at the race banner in the moonlight. Rows of flags waited to be unfurled. It was quiet except the distant laughter of racers hovering over campfires making final preparations and the coyote yipping in the distance. The Milky Way stretched from north to south across the canyon and the Big Dipper was poised over the north rim to enjoy a scoop of the magic of the Canyon.
As always, the race started with a prerace check-in before dark. Bagpipes echoed of the cliffs of the canyon. I love bagpipes but this year they made me cry for the first of many times that day. Check-in is too fast and furious to think about anything else so we got people in order and they gathered under the start banner and the American and Texas flags. Runners lined up between a 100 yard path of flags, Texas on the north and flags for other states and countries represented by runners on the south.
The 50 mile and 50 K runners took off as we finished with the 20K runners. In a short half hour they would be off into the darkness too, seeking glow sticks and bogeymen in the trees. As it does every day, the sun rose and lit the canyon walls. I don’t get to see it every day and it always takes my breath away. I’ve been there in all seasons for trail work weekends and visiting… it always amazes me.
And so the volunteers wait. The 20K finish line was set out. The cooking crew was in full swing. Timer set up, computers and backups, were finalized. The aid station was arranged. And we waited. 50K runners started coming through on their first lap, then 50 milers. Once the 20K runners started coming in, we got very busy getting everyone tabulated. It’s not like those road races where you have a chute to stack the runners into… no pull off tabs… Here we call out numbers and enter them in the computer, we pass out finisher’s hats (not enough because so many people registered so late), we answer questions, and we guide people into the appropriate place so the 20K people don’t get run over by 50K and 50 Mile runners blazing through for another go ‘round.
My favorite thing about volunteering is getting to meet everyone. Hearing stories about streakers through the Little Fox aid station where Dos Locos Senoritas were in rare form, as usual. I wished I were out on that trail nearly as much as I enjoyed what I was doing.
This year, the race was put on by Bill and Wynn Ross and a lot of volunteers from the Amarillo area running and mountain bike groups. Bill and Wynn have been co-race directors for many years but this year, they got the whole tamale. It has been a tradition that the race gets a little bigger and a little better every year. It’s pretty spectacular so that’s not a small task to do. They more than succeeded. Their love of the race and the canyon comes through in how they handle the race and the volunteers. As much as colorfulness, this race exudes class.
Every year when I have run this race, I have attributed my luck to making a point to kiss the race director, Red Spicer, and anyone in his family that might be present (usually his daughter Revelle and some years ago, his son Phil) on every loop. Red was not there to direct the race this year. Nor did he get to receive kisses. But Red was very present on the whole course all day. Dos Locos Senoritas hung a triangle at their aid station and invited people to ring it for Red to hear. They gave out bells for people to ring as they crossed the finish line. Revelle was present and I did manage to give her one kiss when she came into the start finish for a couple burgers and more supplies.
Once the 20K was done, I helped time the 50 Mile and 50K. I cheered friends and visited with friends. I sent people on necessary errands and tended to whatever I could do. But I was still itching to get out on the trail. I knew one special friend was soon to come in on the 50K so I finally broke free to run out and find him. It was good to be on the trails that are so much like an old friend. The fall color was in full glory on Juniper Creekside and Sunflower. If I was lucky, I’d get to Red’s Rock before I found him… but he was too fast. I got to run in with my dear friend Jay as he finished this race for the 22nd or 23rd time in the 24 years it has been put on.
Did I tell you about the food? After a long day in the sun timing and a little run, a burger sure is a good thing. The cooking crew was working so hard and I knew they had something terrific. Somewhere in the stacks of the smoker there is always a veggie burger hiding for me and anyone else who asks. There are fresh grilled jalepenos and hatch green chiles if you are so inclined. The usual burger fixin’s are also available for more traditional types. One burger would leave just enough room for the volunteer dinner I knew they were working on. Primo, Bassman, and their faithful crew (too many to name them all) also deliver on bigger and better every year. .. cherry AND peach cobbler… It pays to volunteer.
At 6:30 as the last racer came in under the wire, the sun was setting on Palo Duro Canyon; every bit as beautiful as the sun rise. The runners packed up and went home or to their campsites and hot showers. But there is more to be done when the race is run.
100 yards of flags need to be rolled and packaged for next year. The finish banner needs to come down off its frame and all the electrical equipment for lighting and timing have to be packed up. That shower has to be unhooked and put in the trailer. Signs along the course, aid station tables, and every last scrap of trash has to be cleaned up. The course markings can be left for the mountain bike volunteers to pick up tomorrow along the trail where they offered assistance or encouragement to injured, dehydrated, and tired runners all day. Finally at 8:30 dinner and rest. I get to go home in the morning but the race directors and a few other local volunteers will have to clean out the rental truck of all the supplies. They will have to be cleaned and stored for next year. The end is a beginning in and of itself…preparation for the 25th running of the Palo Duro Canyon races.
Many thanks to Wynn and Bill for taking over the direction of this race under such sad circumstances and doing such a fabulous job. To Revelle for being a gracious hostess and aid station captain with her amazingly busy schedule and all she’s had to handle in the months leading up to the race. To the cooking crew who really know how to satisfy a racer’s appetite. And all the other volunteers who make this race special.
For starting all of this and leaving this legacy, thanks to Red Spicer and Bob Givens… and the others who got it going with them. Your love of the trails is given back 1000 fold to the runners whose simultaneous struggle and happiness echoes off the canyon walls.
Lisa B
I’ve volunteered before and I’ve paced many times but never at PD 50. Every year I’ve made it, I’ve run the 50 K or 50 Mile and I’ve never been disappointed. This year, as a volunteer, I again was rewarded for attending.
I’ve bragged about this race since I first ran it, from the race director to the aid station food and everywhere in between. The trails are spectacular and the volunteers even more exceptional than at many other ultras (believe me, that’s a high bar!). I’m not sure I’m allowed to brag about the volunteers in general this year since I was one but I’ll share a few specifics. I would say it’s a “colorful” race… from the founders to the volunteers to the canyon itself… color, everywhere.
The night before the race, I sat at a picnic table between the canopies we had set up. I looked at the race banner in the moonlight. Rows of flags waited to be unfurled. It was quiet except the distant laughter of racers hovering over campfires making final preparations and the coyote yipping in the distance. The Milky Way stretched from north to south across the canyon and the Big Dipper was poised over the north rim to enjoy a scoop of the magic of the Canyon.
As always, the race started with a prerace check-in before dark. Bagpipes echoed of the cliffs of the canyon. I love bagpipes but this year they made me cry for the first of many times that day. Check-in is too fast and furious to think about anything else so we got people in order and they gathered under the start banner and the American and Texas flags. Runners lined up between a 100 yard path of flags, Texas on the north and flags for other states and countries represented by runners on the south.
The 50 mile and 50 K runners took off as we finished with the 20K runners. In a short half hour they would be off into the darkness too, seeking glow sticks and bogeymen in the trees. As it does every day, the sun rose and lit the canyon walls. I don’t get to see it every day and it always takes my breath away. I’ve been there in all seasons for trail work weekends and visiting… it always amazes me.
And so the volunteers wait. The 20K finish line was set out. The cooking crew was in full swing. Timer set up, computers and backups, were finalized. The aid station was arranged. And we waited. 50K runners started coming through on their first lap, then 50 milers. Once the 20K runners started coming in, we got very busy getting everyone tabulated. It’s not like those road races where you have a chute to stack the runners into… no pull off tabs… Here we call out numbers and enter them in the computer, we pass out finisher’s hats (not enough because so many people registered so late), we answer questions, and we guide people into the appropriate place so the 20K people don’t get run over by 50K and 50 Mile runners blazing through for another go ‘round.
My favorite thing about volunteering is getting to meet everyone. Hearing stories about streakers through the Little Fox aid station where Dos Locos Senoritas were in rare form, as usual. I wished I were out on that trail nearly as much as I enjoyed what I was doing.
This year, the race was put on by Bill and Wynn Ross and a lot of volunteers from the Amarillo area running and mountain bike groups. Bill and Wynn have been co-race directors for many years but this year, they got the whole tamale. It has been a tradition that the race gets a little bigger and a little better every year. It’s pretty spectacular so that’s not a small task to do. They more than succeeded. Their love of the race and the canyon comes through in how they handle the race and the volunteers. As much as colorfulness, this race exudes class.
Every year when I have run this race, I have attributed my luck to making a point to kiss the race director, Red Spicer, and anyone in his family that might be present (usually his daughter Revelle and some years ago, his son Phil) on every loop. Red was not there to direct the race this year. Nor did he get to receive kisses. But Red was very present on the whole course all day. Dos Locos Senoritas hung a triangle at their aid station and invited people to ring it for Red to hear. They gave out bells for people to ring as they crossed the finish line. Revelle was present and I did manage to give her one kiss when she came into the start finish for a couple burgers and more supplies.
Once the 20K was done, I helped time the 50 Mile and 50K. I cheered friends and visited with friends. I sent people on necessary errands and tended to whatever I could do. But I was still itching to get out on the trail. I knew one special friend was soon to come in on the 50K so I finally broke free to run out and find him. It was good to be on the trails that are so much like an old friend. The fall color was in full glory on Juniper Creekside and Sunflower. If I was lucky, I’d get to Red’s Rock before I found him… but he was too fast. I got to run in with my dear friend Jay as he finished this race for the 22nd or 23rd time in the 24 years it has been put on.
Did I tell you about the food? After a long day in the sun timing and a little run, a burger sure is a good thing. The cooking crew was working so hard and I knew they had something terrific. Somewhere in the stacks of the smoker there is always a veggie burger hiding for me and anyone else who asks. There are fresh grilled jalepenos and hatch green chiles if you are so inclined. The usual burger fixin’s are also available for more traditional types. One burger would leave just enough room for the volunteer dinner I knew they were working on. Primo, Bassman, and their faithful crew (too many to name them all) also deliver on bigger and better every year. .. cherry AND peach cobbler… It pays to volunteer.
At 6:30 as the last racer came in under the wire, the sun was setting on Palo Duro Canyon; every bit as beautiful as the sun rise. The runners packed up and went home or to their campsites and hot showers. But there is more to be done when the race is run.
100 yards of flags need to be rolled and packaged for next year. The finish banner needs to come down off its frame and all the electrical equipment for lighting and timing have to be packed up. That shower has to be unhooked and put in the trailer. Signs along the course, aid station tables, and every last scrap of trash has to be cleaned up. The course markings can be left for the mountain bike volunteers to pick up tomorrow along the trail where they offered assistance or encouragement to injured, dehydrated, and tired runners all day. Finally at 8:30 dinner and rest. I get to go home in the morning but the race directors and a few other local volunteers will have to clean out the rental truck of all the supplies. They will have to be cleaned and stored for next year. The end is a beginning in and of itself…preparation for the 25th running of the Palo Duro Canyon races.
Many thanks to Wynn and Bill for taking over the direction of this race under such sad circumstances and doing such a fabulous job. To Revelle for being a gracious hostess and aid station captain with her amazingly busy schedule and all she’s had to handle in the months leading up to the race. To the cooking crew who really know how to satisfy a racer’s appetite. And all the other volunteers who make this race special.
For starting all of this and leaving this legacy, thanks to Red Spicer and Bob Givens… and the others who got it going with them. Your love of the trails is given back 1000 fold to the runners whose simultaneous struggle and happiness echoes off the canyon walls.
Lisa B
Sunday, October 12, 2008
A lack of time, a rainy weekend, a parade, a concert, a huge packet to read, and a lot of work on Guy’s plate… not to mention a nasty cold… and not a lot got accomplished this weekend. Well, actually, a lot got accomplished but mostly smaller things… still important things.
First was the homecoming parade for CSU. The Engines and Energy Conversion Lab built a “float” using the Hydraulic Hybrid as a rolling bandstand. While the band rocked, the hybrid rolled through the judging stations on hydraulic power. It was a success for Czero and a load of fun for the students and faculty involved.
After the parade, the students and faculty came by the house for a pizza party. To the neighbor’s relief, the band didn’t play and a block party didn’t materialize. Better for all involved, I’m sure.
The next up on the list was sanding the plaster repairs in the bedroom and painting everything before the flooring guy comes Monday. But, my cold was not going to tolerate breathing plaster dust and the weather decided not to cooperate either. Saturday was cold and rainy with a high in the 50s. The forecast at mid-day was for rain to turn to snow in the Front Range with up to an inch of accumulation.
Needless to say, that necessitated a change of plans. The outdoor plants had to come in. Some of them needed some serious rehab and replanting so I got to it and made a makeshift plant shelf in a west-facing window to afford the ailing aloe some warm sun. Meanwhile, Guy got busy working on a cold frame for the herbs. It seems that he’s been promised a turkey for Thanksgiving and probably something yummy around Christmas (after our travels) and is excited about the idea of some fresh herbs.
The garden beside the house is almost all clay (plus the two huge bags of coffee grounds I mixed in). So Guy dug up herbs and began prepping the area. The drizzle kept him wet and cold most of the day, a perfect combination with me exposing him to my cold. I hope he doesn’t get it this week while he is traveling!
By the end of the weekend, Guy had the cold frame 95% done and functional. As is usual for Guy’s projects, it will be standing much longer than the house! I mixed in some good soil and replanted the herbs.
While Guy worked, I felt badly that he was out in the drizzle, though he barely noticed. So I made him a nice steamy pot of chili with about ¾ lb diced roasted green chiles and some terrific New Mexico red chile powder. Enough pepper and vitamin C to ward off any cold! That kept him going for the afternoon and staved off enough hunger to get us to the evening’s activities.
We went to Avogadro’s Number, a local mediocre veggie restaurant and terrific music venue. Peter Mayer, a fave folk musician from Minnesota, was playing. As usual, his concert was top notch. Something about seeing a favorite musician in a small venue with about 100 people is great. Check him out at www.petermayer.net
When the chores moved inside, Guy managed to create a ski rack for all our gear. We are beginning to look organized! And ready for winter…. Which, it seems, is coming fast!
Oh, and I finally took a photo of the clothes line Guy put up for us. It’s a bit too rainy now to use it… but once snow flies, it’ll be dry outside again and we’ll be able to use it.
So all in all, this weekend was a nice mixture. Some fun, some work, and some resting.
Next weekend will be a bit of a break as I’ll be at the Palo Duro Canyon 50M/50K/20K working an aid station with Red’s daughter Revelle. I’m sure we’ll be sharing some wonderful memories and probably more than a few tears. I look forward to seeing my Texas friends and getting in a short run on some of my favorite trails ever. I know Red will be with me every step of the way.
We’ll get in one more short weekend of work before heading for Florida on the 29th. Keep sending good ju ju. The house has prevented 99% of the training I needed… the other 1% is pure laziness. ;-)
Running Shoes
Running shoes
lined up by the back door,
orderly children
waiting for the recess bell to ring.
Dust gathers,
Layer by layer
old insulation
bits of wire
drywall dust
One pair,
held in hopeful isolation
at the bottom
of the gym bag,
is passed over again and again
for lycra and goggles
save the rare morning run.
I am woefully unprepared,
except for the swim.
As if I could train
to run and ride
by carrying boxes
and wielding a paintbrush.
But I will toe the line,
wishing for a handful of miracles
and the forgiveness of my shoes.
Perhaps an Iron will is enough.
LB 10/09/08
__._,_.___
lined up by the back door,
orderly children
waiting for the recess bell to ring.
Dust gathers,
Layer by layer
old insulation
bits of wire
drywall dust
One pair,
held in hopeful isolation
at the bottom
of the gym bag,
is passed over again and again
for lycra and goggles
save the rare morning run.
I am woefully unprepared,
except for the swim.
As if I could train
to run and ride
by carrying boxes
and wielding a paintbrush.
But I will toe the line,
wishing for a handful of miracles
and the forgiveness of my shoes.
Perhaps an Iron will is enough.
LB 10/09/08
__._,_.___
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