Musselman Triathlon

This was Brent's second year for the Musselman in Geneval, NY. Located in the Fingerlakes, at the top of Lake Seneca, it's a beautiful location. If you've ever been here, finding a decent place to stay at a decent price is a challenge. We were a little late reserving a room, so we were about 45 minutes away. This presented a challenge since I'm not much of a morning person. It was just far enough away that it made sense for us all to get up and leave the motel by 5:00...that's a.m. As Kera will tell you (and did on her blog http://dailysahm.blogspot.com/), she's wonderful and went to see Brent in the swim while I stayed in the van and slept. She's the only crew member for Team Bart and she managed to snap these pics.

Brent posing in his wetsuit prior to the swim.

Brent's in the green cap to the left - waiting for the start of the swim.

As you can see, it's a beautiful day for the event...at least at this point. Not that I would know because I was sound asleep in the van. Did I mention how much I hate mornings?

Brent coming out of the water.

Kera waited and positioned herself for a great shot of him coming out - until everyone decided to stand in front of her. Why is it the tall people always want to stand in front?

Brent coming out of the transition area following the swim.

Meanwhile, Kera and I thought we had a great set-up. Kicking back in our chairs, our little winebox table, having a little breakfast, and watching a movie. Until the rain started. It didn't take long before we were stuck in the van watching a tear jerker of a movie - P.S. I Love You while it absolutely poured. If you haven't seen the movie, it's at least a 3 kleenex flick where you will laugh and cry through the whole thing.

Meanwhile, back at the race....

Finishing the 1/2 marathon in the pouring rain.

Yes, it was an absolute deluge which started when Brent was about half way through the bike. Doesn't this look like fun?

Kera waiting for Brent to finish.

Brent at the end with his medal.

July 12 in 12

July 12 found us in the Fingerlake region of New York with Kera and I sampling the local vintages. Since Brent was doing the Musselman Triathlon in Geneva on Sunday, he was our DD for the day. Kera and I did our best impressions of wine snobs.We were on the eastern side of Lake Seneca. The view from many of the wineries is just spectacular.

Most of the wineries have lovely gardens. The first pic is from Bloomer Creek and the second is from Atwater. Lots of great landscaping ideas.

We had lunch at one of our favorite places - the Red Newt. The wine is good, and the food is delicious. We ate outside overlooking the lake - what a fantastic day. We toasted our Three Philosophers to Brent and his upcoming race.

Kera loves to pose and make funny faces. I have pictures from all sorts of cool places, all with her silly mug. Isn't she a beauty?

Fearless Fourteen

If any of you have been sucked into the crazy world of Stephanie Plum like I have, you will definitely enjoy Janet Evanovich's new book Fearless Fourteen.

These books are an easy, entertaining read - great for the beach. This would not be my favorite of the 14 books. I don't think I had any LOL moments, although there were some chuckles. Not much on the love triangle going either. But, it is entertaining, and if you love the crazy characters from the past, you will definitely enjoy this one too.

Smokin'

Friends invited us to their home for a picnic over the 4th holiday. Jeff is the king of ribs to begin with, but he totally outdid himself with 2 different kinds of smoked ribs. Oh man, they were just falling off the bone and were so yummy! Here's Jeff and his handy dandy smoker.

Following dinner, we had our first experience with the Wii. We bowled, we played tennis, and finally, we played Guitar Hero. It was a blast, but I'm glad I don't have a Wii. I would absolutely never get anything done. I would be glued to that thing until I mastered it. Renee was the undisputed winner of Guitar Hero - clearly she spends a lot of her free time with her guitar. She was definitely smokin'!

The Full Cup

I didn't post about this sooner because I wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing to do or not. I may regret it, but I'm going to talk about it anyway because that's just the kind of mood I'm in.

While researching things to do in Old Alexandria, I noticed a place called The Full Cup. It calls itself "a European bra-fitting salon, dedicated to the idea that buying bras should be a heart-warming, fun, and loving adventure, that makes us all feel better about our bodies."

Hmmm. Interesting I thought. We stopped in and were able to make an appointment for later in the afternoon. We hesitated, but the clerk assured us...more Brent really... that she was sure it would be worth his while. Hmmm again.

It was very interesting really. Who knew there was so much to consider when getting a good fit? Some were serviceable everyday wear, and then others were, well...worth Brent's while! LOL!

Osteoarthritis of the Knees

It started a little over a year ago when I had the brilliant idea to take a year and train for a half marathon. Six months into training, with tears running down my face because of the knee pain, my chiropractor told me to stop running immediately. Fast forward one year later, and I'm still having serious knee pain especially on yoga and training nights or days when I am walking a lot. My trainer, Amas, said it was time to go to an orthopedist and figure out exactly what the problem is. I have a love/hate relationship with Amas. At the moment, I'm hating him for forcing me to face some hard facts.

It was much easier to remain ignorant and whine about it. Now, however, I have to face the fact that I have osteoarthritis of the knees and need to do whatever I can to avoid total knee replacement. Of course, it's just a matter of time until that will be the only solution available. In the meantime, continue strengthening the knees (which I've been doing with yoga and training), taking glucosamine/chondroitin which hasn't worked in the past, and try to stave off antiinflamatories and injections as long as possible.

It's hell getting old.

At Home in Mitford

I read quite a bit and I do enjoy a good book series. I've been hooked on any number of of them, but I have to say, seldom have I enjoyed one more than Jan Karon's Mitford series. The books are an easy read, but are filled with colorful characters and are truly inspirational and uplifting. The books center around the life of Father Timothy Kavanaugh, a small town Episcopalian priest. You will laugh, you will cry, and I guarantee you will thoroughly enjoy them. Give this first book a try - you won't be disappointed. In fact, I think you'll want to read the entire series!