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.

Horses of Another Color

Meet Blond Actor. He's the third thoroughbred horse my friend, Jason, is part owner of.

It's been great fun betting on the horses. I've won some and I've lost some, but having a real reason to bet on and root for a particular horse is much more fun than picking a horse because of the name! While Brent was in Canada, Jason took me to the barn to meet his horses.

This is Jason's first horse, Sea Dancer. She's quite feisty. She wouldn't let Jason pet her, and if he didn't feed her the carrots fast enough, she'd snort and stamp her feet.

This is the most recent addition to the stable. His name is Communicator, and he's a big guy. He loves those red and white peppermint candies.

I really enjoyed my trip to the stable and even fed the horses some carrots. I missed seeing Whisper That Calls as she just had sinus surgery. But I hope to get back again sometime to check her out.

So long Blond Actor. Run fast. Make me some money! LOL!

Magic Meets

On August 15, I joined friends Renee and Deb for a little Disney Magic right here in Central PA. We joined 500 other Disney fans at the Radisson Penn Harris to listen to presentations and talke about all things Disney. Renee has more information about this event on her blog http://reneesrantsandraves.blogspot.com/.

My favorite, Justin Muchoney, won a Disney sponsored contest to become the Chief Magic Official. He was great. I also had the opportunity to meet Deb Wills of allears.net fame.

There was a silent auction which netted over $23,000 for the Make a Wish foundation. This was

one of our favorites. I had my eye on a Fess Parker wine item for Brent, but when it went over $100 I decided to pass.

I'm not as lucky as Deb or Renee as they both won great keepsakes of the event: a Grumpy music box and a Mickey pitcher. I had a great time though and am sad that next year they'll be doing a cruise. We won't be able to make that trip.

Lake Chautauqua

The Seitz family owns a wonderful "cottage" on Lake Chautauqua. We had been there once before, but that was quite a few years ago. With Kim laid off and the rest of us holding onto employment by the skin of our teeth, my "wings" group planned a long weekend at the Lake.

Kim, Matt, and I took off on Wednesday night after work. It was a relaxing day and Matt did take the jet ski out for a little jaunt.

On Friday, Brent drove over from Canada where he had been working for the last two weeks and Jim and Danna drove up from Harrisburg.

What an adventure. I'm blaming it all on Danna.

First, Jim and Danna decided to go into town for for coffee and donuts. Her SUV was making a racket and adding oil didn't help. They limped it along to a garage with the hopes that perhaps on Monday the mechanics could take care of it. Then we decided to take the boat out for a spin. Planing along, our speed suddenly dropped. Uh oh, Captain Matt was still at full throttle. I kept my fingers crossed that we'd get the sucker back to the dock.

We should have known better. Really. With our luck, what were we thinking. Matt and I decided to take the jet ski out together. I'm a little hesitant to take it out myself. If there were two and I could be with someone, I wouldn't worry, but by myself, I'm so afraid I'll tip the sucker over and not get it flipped around. Anyway, Matt and I set out to the middle of the lake and hop off to take a little swim. Ahhhh, it was beautiful. Until we tried to get back on. Matt climbed on, and I climbed up behind him but we couldn't keep the sucker balanced. Ok. Try again. I climbed on and Matt climbed up behind me with the same result. We were back in the drink. We tried another time or two and I was drinking the lake. Now Matt's idea was that I would drive the jet ski and he would hold onto the back. Two problems with that. One, Matt was in danger of losing his pants. Two, I didn't have glasses or contacts, so I really had no idea where I was going. Apparently Brent, Kim, Jim, and Danna were howling.

So, Kim and Brent decided they'd show us how it was done. They were a little smarter. They didn't go as far out into the lake as we did to take their swim. We all sat out at the end of the dock prepared with binoculars for a birds eye view and beer as we settled back to watch the show.

I feel vindicated. They couldn't both get on either. Then, they couldn't get the jet ski started and we laughed as they floated further down the coastline. Finally, they were close to a dock and Matt walked down, flipped the switch to the reserve tank, and it started. Yup...out of gas!

We made the mistake of taking Danna home with us. I'm telling you, she's jinxed! Shortly after crossing the state line into Pennsylvania, the GPS quit. We pulled into a rest stop to check the map and someone knocked on the window. "I think you've got a flat." Yup. Thankfully after Brent changed the tire the rest of the trip was uneventful.

We did have a good time while at the Lake, but I gotta say, it was one snafu after another!

Final Pool Day

Last Sunday (8/23), it was such a beautiful day. We had no shortage of things to do around the house, but in typical Brent and Donna fashion, we found something much more appealing to do. I called Paul and Diane to see if the pool was open and if they were into company.


Thankfully, they were into it and we headed north for one last day at the pool. Paul had a meeting so Diane, Brent and I prepared a great meal and when Paul got home at 9:30, he was surprised we were still there. Well, honestly, it wasn't the wine. We stayed out until the last bit of sun disappeared before making dinner. It was a great time with great friends.

Witness

On my way to work on Wednesday, I witnessed an awful accident. I typically travel back roads to work and it saves me roughly 10 minutes travel time. On this morning, I was stopped at a stop sign at the corner of Macintosh and Crums Mill Rds. The black car was travelling south, coming from my right. I waited for him to pass so I could pull out and turn left behind him. As he approached, I looked to my left and the red SUV was speeding over the crest of the hill.

This is a tricky spot. It's a blind hill and if you're going too fast you catch some air (...um..ok, I may have done this once or twice) and as you crest the hill, the road curves to the right. The red SUV never made the curve and crossed over into the other lane, hitting the black car head on, flipping over, and crashing into the telephone pole. A man staggered out of the black car which had spun 180 degrees and was now in the opposite lane. I will have nightmares of this guy, doubled over, staggering, looking right at me with his hand outstretched toward me, seeking help. There were no other cars in sight.

I immediately rooted through my purse, located my cell phone and dialed 911. When I was almost done with the dispatcher, a car stopped back behind the black car and ran first toward the SUV. By this time, two cars had stopped behind me and were running toward the man from the black car, now lying in the grass. The dispatcher told me I couldn't go until I spoke with the police.

At this point, and as you can see from the video, the telephone pole caught on fire. Sparks were flying and I was really afraid a wire would cut loose. Then, the SUV began smoking. The policeman used a fire extinguisher and then began breaking out windows. As I was speaking with the police, the man from the black car was loaded into the ambulance. They still hadn't gotten the person out of the SUV and I was afraid that driver may have been dead.

The next day, I say the on-line tv report of the accident. The driver, a woman, wasn't dead. No. She was DRUNK at 8:15 in the morning, with 2 open whiskey bottles in her car. A friend wondered why she had 2. Obviously one for each hand because clearly she wasn't using them to steer her car.

I was really shaken up, but headed to work like the good little do-bee I am. The other driver was taken to Hershey Med and I hope he's okay.

Baby Kiki Turns 50

Yes, mine brither has finally crossed that half-century mark. Rick, whoever said these are the best years of your life were liars. These would more appropriately be named "the years where everything hurts but you still have to drag your sorry butt out to a job you hate, working for a company that is in all likelihood mismanaged, and is just waiting to reward you for all your hard-working years of service by laying you off." But that was too long. Then they just shortened it to "the best years of your life." Like a beer commercial. But wait, I'm being cynical.

This is how the day played out. An aborted outdoor picnic was moved indoors due to the never ending monsoon season here in Central PA. But, all your family came to celebrate as did your long-time friend, Vere. We toasted the fact that our parents wanted you more than me and the fact that your niece, at a very young age could spout gross Zappa lyrics due to your influence in exploring musical genres, and the fact that your Mommy loves you. We feasted on another Kera masterpiece (yummy chocolate on more decadent chocolate) decorated very appropriately for a Floyd fan.
We were really tickled that Vere could come. And seriously, loved those pickles, man.

Rick, all joking and cynicism aside, family and friends are what make life good, and you are well loved. Happy Birthday!

Scavenger Hunt, Take 2

Are you as sick of this rain as I am? Sheesh. Whatever happened to brown grass that doesn't have to be mowed in August? Ah, but I digress...

Another rain threatening, overcast Wednesday so we were forced to move our second scavenger hunt indoors. All the clues pertained to something in the living room.

Clue: I want fabulous!
Gwen: I know, High School Musical.
Me: Which one?
Gwen: Duh, Grandma. HSM #2 (as she dashed off to the DVD's)

Of course. Who didn't know that. Clearly these clues need to be harder yet.

Healthy Yoga and Unhealthy Ice Cream

A few weeks ago, my yoga class decided to have an ice cream social following yoga. We went to Cold Stone Creamery. I'd never been there, so it was quite the experience. Just trying to figure out what we wanted took a little time. In the end, I opted for the Love it size French vanilla ice cream with apple pie filling and graham cracker pie crust. I went to Dottie's Weight Loss Zone http://www.dwlz.com/restaurants.htmlto try to calculate the number of Weight Watchers Points I'd just inhaled with delightful abandon. Gulp. 27 Points! Yikes!

Some Days

Yup. Some days are just so crappy you need a happy hour. While we Commonwealth employees weren't being paid and were facing this first round of layoffs, and it just seemed like the thing to do. My friend, Renee, thought my idea for a quick beer after work was good for whatever ailed us. Good friend + cold beer = better day.

Julie and Julia

If you love to cook and you love Julia Child, take the time to see this movie. Meryl Streep will make you forget you're watching a movie...she is that good. You will think you're really watching Julia. Going in, I didn't realize that this was a true story, that Julie really did blog for 365 days as she cooked her way through Julia's book. Although I am familiar with Julia Child's book, I never knew much about her life. For anyone who loved watching Julia's show, laughed through it while learning all sorts of stuff about French cuisine, you will love this movie. We did.

Does It Ever End?

Where does it all come from? Does it somehow multiply? How many shirts can one man wear in one week? He wore how many pairs of Joe Boxer Briefs in 7 days? Geez oh man.

Learning All the Time

As you can see, I had a big post weekend. Little did I know that I could actually have scheduled those posts so that they posted whenever I designated. That way, only one would post at a time and it would actually look like I was continually updating. My friend, Renee, told me that I could stagger the posts. So, this is my test to see if I can make this happen. I'm writing this on Monday, July 27. I want it to post on Tuesday, July 28. I'm not always successful with this computer crapola, so let's see how it goes!

Lesson 10 Compilation

This lesson was pretty cool. We created a rounded edge clipping mask, added 2 textures, added and overlay for type, and then used the burn edge technique from Lesson 9 (the one I was less than impressed with). I really liked the overlay for type because with busy backgrounds I can see where the type wouldn't show up very well. Here are my before and after pics.

Musselman Tri

Oops! Brent - I can't believe I posted about the wine tasting and completely forgot about your race. Sorry.

Kera is Brent's support crew at this race. She gets up early (4:45 a.m.) to drive to the race, helps him get into his wet suit, and waits to be sure he comes out of the water alive. Then she drives back to the hotel and helps me pack up the van so we can hustle back to the race to catch Brent coming in from the bike. Then, the long wait for him to come back on the run. Really, the only one having fun here is Brent I think! LOL!


This race is a half-iron triathlon which means there's a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run (a half marathon).

The assigned bike rack slots in the transition area had personal, inspirational messages in addition to the competitor number. This was a really unique touch.

Kera may have some pictures from the swim. Brent had a great swim, coming out of the water in 8th place (of 50) in his age group. He had a good bike too, finishing 15th in his age group. These pictures show him coming out of the transition area from his bike to start the run.

The run, however, was not so good due to hydration and fueling issues, which are always a struggle for Brent in long races. Time wise, he ended up 39th in his age group for the run.

The good news is that he finished overall in 26th place in his age group with a time of 5:53:45. He was 366th out of 875 competitors over all. Even with a bad run, he took 15 minutes off his previous time at this race. Not bad for an old guy!