Great American Wine Tour

Yes, the Brooks clan gathered again to tour the wineries along Keuka lake. Oh my. Who knew there were other fantastic wineries besides Dr. Frank? I think we topped our all time high expenditures this year.

Although we numbered only 12 this year, we were thrilled that my cousin Paula and her husband Bill, GAWT virgins, were able to join us for the first time. I believe Paula had a marvelous time and I think Bill, a beer connoisseur, was surprised by how much fun was to be had on a GAWT tour.

It was a beautiful fall day along the lake, but a tad chilly. We ended up eating our lunch in the bus - just too cold and windy to brave an outdoor picnic. My Aunt Caroly and cousin Jaqui pose with their purchases outside Dr. Frank, our very first stop of the day.

Rick, Dad, Mom, Marta, and Maureen debate what wines to taste next. Jaqui's got an armful and Brent just can't decide...to buy, or not to buy.....BUY, of course!

Maureen, the Dog Whisperer. Brent and my Dad, the big spenders, and proud of it.

Thus ends another GAWT chapter in history.

How Time Flies!

Holy moly, there's just nothing to ...oh, I don't know....3 months or so. Time just flew by. I didn't realize quite how much time until Chris emailed me today with a sarcastic, "Nice blog," comment. Smarta$$! And that was after mine Brither who wubbers me nagged me not once, but twice. I'll be posting some stuff on our annual Great American Wine Tour, our neighbor's wedding, Halloween, our trip to CT and NYC, Mom's birthday, Kera's race, Christmas, and just some miscellaneous pics. Phew! More happened in 3 months than I thought.

Harrisburg Half

Renee and Jeff Myers have been training for the Harrisburg Half Marathon held 9/13. While Renee has run several halfs and full marathons, this was Jeff's first half. They were concerned that there were not enough water stations on the race, so Renee asked if I would mind waiting at the half-way point with some fluids and fuel (energy bars).

They were looking pretty strong as they went by...the first time at just about the half way point. There was actually a turnaround point a mile or so beyond this point, and they opted to get the Power Aid and gummy bears on the return loop.

They were looking good, as they came by and headed down the river toward the finish. In fact, Renee posted a PR in this race! Great job, guys!

Summer Is Fading

Our neighbors Loren and Deb invited us over for a bbq. Loren smoked a brisket, and Deb had all sorts of fresh veggies, not to mention her awesome homemade salsa. Yummy. And Deb does make the best pina coladas from scratch. Oh yeah.

Our picnic time is quickly coming to an end. I'm so not ready for the end of summer. I've always heard of people moving to warmer climates as they age because they get tired of the winters. I never understood it. Until now. Oh well, we're going to make the most of these nice fall days while they last.

Speedwell Forge

Yet another rainy weekend during the summer monsoon season here in Central PA. It was one of those misty, drizzly mornings. The kind where you don't seem to really need an umbrella, but you find yourself getting wet if you don't use one. We've had enough rain where the venue was pretty muddy. And since the promoters of this race were insistant upon herding all the spectators into very small roped off sections like cattle, we had no chance of remaining not only dry, but clean. But I digress.


Brent's attitude about this tri wasn't the greatest (due to the weather?), and his results perhaps show that. This Olympic distance triathlon has been around for a long time, although Brent hasn't done it for years. The .9 swim, 26 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run are challenging enough without the dreary weather factor.

Put it on, take it off. These wetsuits are like body girdles. The athletes struggle to get the suckers on, then, wasting no time coming out of the water, they start struggling to get them off.



Brent didn't feel as though he had a great swim. Watching, I thought he came out of the water in better position than he really did. Once we viewed the results, he was right, this wasn't his best swim. The bike course was treacherous. Very wet, hilly, and one S curve right through the middle of a farm, complete with slippery cow patties on the road. Ugh! Brent made it through without mishap though, thankfully.

Brent looked tired coming in...of course, he had just completed the Olympic distance tri! He placed 4th in his age group, which he considered a sad ending to his tri season. Nothing left at the end but a messy clean-up!

Another Scavenger Hunt With Grandma

Our Wednesday nights together have been strange this year. So many rainy nights seriously curtailed the bike rides so that often they either didn't occur or Kera and Brent rode downstairs on the rollers and trainers. This night was no exception. The last ride planned before Kera's tri and it was, of course, a torrential downpour that started 30 minutes before they were due to leave. I guess that's better than having the rain after they started out though.

Gwen was eating dinner and she whispered that maybe we could do a scavenger hunt again. About 20 minutes before I was leaving work, I thought maybe I should just whip up a few clues just in case. Grandma is learning to be prepared. Good thing I did since we were stuck indoors and Gwen had tv and computer privileges yanked.

Grandma, you are so sneaky!

I can read these clues all by myself!

Behind the soap? Whoda thunk it?

What's my prize?

Yes, there always has to be a prize for a successful scavanger hunt. I've learned to collect little things as I find them, and bigger things when I find them on sale. You never know when they'll come in handy.

Kera's Marsh Man Tri

Kera, Brent, and Chris - last minute strategy

It was a brisk 48 degrees this morning. The lake at Marsh Creek State Park looked eerie as the steam rose over the water. The water temperature was an invigorating 65. A glorious morning for Kera's first triathlon in 20 years. (We're not counting her kids tri as a 13 year old!)

Kera and Chris visited the venue last weekend and Kera has been worried ever since. Curiously enough, she seemed to be most concerned about her strongest event, the bike. Yes, the ride began with a very steep hill and the overall course was hilly, but Kera's a strong rider with lots of experience on Central PA's hilly roads. I thought she'd be most concerned about the open water swim since she's never done one. But, she didn't seemed worried about that at all.

Kera (right) coming out of water into transition.

After seeing her plow through the water this morning on the 1/4 mile swim, I can see why she wasn't concerned. She had a great swim. Her strategy to start at the back of the wave worked out fine as she swam her way through the pack. Shewas strong coming out of the swim.

I considered the bike her strongest event, and she did, in fact, have a super 12 mile bike. While Kera rode up those hills she was worried about, she said many people were walking them, especially the first one. She came into the transition in good shape for the run.

Coming out of the bike transition into the run.

The timing mats were slippery as the competitors came out of the bike transition and into the run. Kera looked like she was tired, perhaps in a little pain, but still looking good as she started out on the 2 mile run. We found a good spot to park our chairs and wait for her to come down the home stretch.

Heading for the finish line.

We were ready with our cow bell to cheer her down the last stretch of the run. Obviously she was tired and hurting, and she later told us that she had some severe stomach cramping which forced her to stop running for a few seconds as she was doubled over in pain. But, she pulled it together and continued on. As the racers ran by, we could tell that, while she wouldn't place in her age group, she was having a great race.

As it all turned out, she was 13th in a field of 40 in her age group. Overall, she was something like 258 out of 750 athletes. A very fine race indeed.