I won some more Mariners tickets from the office and as you may recall from 2008, this is the second time I’ve had the honor of treating a Mermaid to a baseball game.
Unlike last time, TWO had some sort of a preconceived notion of what was to come.
She likely heard a bit about it from her sister but TWO didn’t want any cotton candy (shocker?)
It’s too sticky.
She wanted ice cream instead – and a foam finger.
All night she reveled in her cuteness. Every grandfatherly and grandmotherly seat host(ess) made sure that her cuteness-ego was pumped to it’s maximum PSI.
You are soooo cute…Want a card?
You remind me of my grand-daughter…Want a card?
—
I love your outfit.
Thanks.
It’s really cute.
Yep – and I get cards for it.
Ohhhh – would you like some more? Here have two.
She was pretty much a smile machine for everybody that passed.
Oh, and did I mention that a pitchers duel was occurring to our left?…all night long.
The score in the bottom of the 9th was 2-1 Rays – and the Mariners had done pretty much bubkus all night – great seats right on the 3rd base line.
A sharp single to lead off, a throwing error on an infield bunt moved em around and a sac-fly to right scored the runner at 3rd. Tie game.
Strikeout makes it two outs with a man on 3rd.
With a low pitch count the batter stabs at a low-and-away pitch and pokes a can-a-corn over the second baseman’s head, Mariners win.
Somehow we have managed a yearly outing to Dash Point for a number of years.
Some choice moments from this year, in no particular order:
Playing Survivor in a small island of sand built to withstand the advancing tide (lasting only marginally longer than the surrounding sand),
A perennial favorite, playing in the hammock is also referred to as “scaring TheMommy and TheDaddy repeatedly with teetering on the edge of flipsmanship in a way that appears to mere mortals as if a broken neck is imminent”.
In fact, LaGrande flipped only once this time and she held on with her feet bound up in the hammock, her hands holding on behind her (talking Gumby doll now) and her face only inches from the ground. Somehow TWO managed to ride that one out, perfectly upright, at the other end of the bronco.
Another emerging game is, of all things, checkers. TWO holds her own but the game itself doesn’t hold up to the likes of digging in the dirt and visiting the frog pond.
And yes, we had some sun on Sunday (pun not intended) that kept us at the beach long enough to A) waltz around in our bikinis (mermaids only)
…and to devolve into burying mermaids in fully in sand.
Rinsing off later, in the snow-melt, proved to be the parenting lowlight of the weekend,
Since my header image came from last years Dash Point trip…methinks it’s time to update it with a new one. Coming soon.
Oh, and a parting shot, much like Random (a.k.a. TWO) likes to do:
Talking to a ranger volunteer late on Saturday we asked several questions about sand dollars and racoons etc, TWO finally asked me to carry her and as I picked her and began to walk away she got the final word with the ranger;
Sometimes, I like to pretend ketchup is BLOOD.
I bet I could start an entire category on this blog dedicated purely to the seemingly random and oddly-timed quotes from that one.
Not much to say on my part, I’ve spent a fair amount of quality time with my new computer in the past couple days.
TWO is off galavanting around Utah with Gramma Nana and Maggie Mae while LaGrande has been attending convention, auditioning, and generally misbehaving like any self respecting nine year old should.
I did manage to snag a picture here and there.
In the middle of the week, I found some seriously tired mermaids.
So much so that one slept peacefully UNDER the other…at least until LaGrande managed to smash TWO’s nose with a well placed elbow.
On stage for awards, and still the energy of a caffeinated shrew, these mini’s even danced to the filler music.
Even though it’s blurry, I like this shot. It has the uneven buzz of the stage. I even like the ‘single lady’ in the top left looking right at me from 100 feet away.
When classes let out, I felt compelled to try and illustrate the impenetrable depth of legs in the room…and the six-packs!! My word you’ve never seen so many teensy weensy girls walking around with abs of steel! Serious athletes.
Even the lunch break couldn’t stop the handstand contest.
And tonight, Friday night, the ladies stepped out for a well deserved gala and celebration. Tomorrow we drive to St. George and I get to play with The Mermaids some more!
Note: Yesterday TWO and I had some free time in the early morning and so we took what turned out to be a four-overpass tour around the corner of Spring Mountain Rd and Las Vegas Blvd. No easy feat probably a couple miles round trip. We began and ended the tour at The Mirage hotel and I told TWO that we would take pictures of whatever we wanted and she could dictate this blog post to me afterwards while reviewing the pictures – telling you, the reader, what she has seen. So, without further ado.
I was gonna draw all of these. Yeah, I know, but there’s a lot of them so…you just want to tell me about them?
Ok.
I’m sitting in the letter.
I’m standing by the flowers.
I’m standing by the flowers again.
The monarch butterfly.
The purple flowers and the yellow flowers.
The big leaves.
The red flowers.
I’m standing by the mermaid – the back.
I’m not in the picture Daddy, what do you want me to say? Whatever you want – and I’ll just write down what you say.
Ok – The front of the mermaid.
The yellow rose has yellow petals. And it’s really out in bloom.
I’m standing by the purple flowers and the white ones and I’m really happy.
Here comes the lizard dragon thingie!
This dragon is wearing armor and it has a shield.
I’m standing by the big tree and it’s really REALLY big. How big?
Those flowers are so pretty that they are white, orange, and red…and….and…and nothing.
And I’m standing with my dad next to the big dolphin statues.
The dolphin statue is really blue and it has waves and I can see the tail.
The baby duck is really super duper cute and she’s brown.
The momma duck is just like the baby duck.
And she has one black feather and she has two white ones…I mean three.
And the gold lion and the gold people are standing next to the big rock with all the jewels in it.
And the big mermaid has tentacles coming out of her hair and she’s really pretty and she’s on the front of a boat.
And this is me standing next to the big frog giving him a high four.
These are blue people and I’m standing next to them. They are really really big and they have black suits and black boots.
The camera is meant to be a flashlight but it’s actually a camera that we can see ourselves in.
This flag is standing next to some pretty chandeliers that are pink, white, blue, and red and this is the flag of the pledge of allegience.
And it has…how much states are there? 50
Daddy! I wasn’t saying…I mean writing…all thaaaat!! (pointing to my writing out her questions) 50 states. (just trying to keep her moving)
There are 50 states stars.
I’m standing in a circle and I don’t know where I am. See!!! Why because you look confused? Yeah! 🙂
Well, it’ official – LaGrande is at Nationals.
I’ve spent too many hours now goofing around with photographs** to spend much time on the backstory but the quick and the short of it is – these two dances that I DID get shots of took 2nd place with 4 or 5 stars in pre-qualifying (amongst a small group of pre-qualifying numbers) and the other one, King of New York, received 4 stars (I think, and they were the only one in their category too I believe).
She is sleeping pretty contentedly right now as I type, storing up energy to do it again tomorrow – this time against 30 or so other teams.
Enjoy.
And before I go…I mustn’t forget her little sister, TheWeeOne – who was so excited to come to “Vegas” that she sang about it most of the way here:
People on Vegas!
People on Vegas!
…And if you sing it sorta like a 6 year old Tiny Elvis – you might hear those words too!
——
** I took over 1100 shots in about 3 hours before the convention folks got ticked off and told me to stop.
To the casual observer, it may appear that The Mermaids do a lot of dancing.
The casual observer would be right.
For the record – LaGrande was limited to two pictures this year because if we got one for all of her class pictures…let’s just say I don’t like cup-o-noodle.
Yet at the same time, fair is fair – and Th’WeeOne got the same quantity of pictures as LaGrande got when she was 6.
Thanks to TheMommy for having such an outstanding memory for that sort of thing – and “…while you’re at it why not gimmme a nice paper-cut and pour lemon juice on it…”!
Whilst TheMommy was taking a nap TWO helped herself to a juice box and when she was done she located a hair clip, bent the straw from the juice box – just…so – and clipped it on in preparation for her musical debut.
When I was a kid my brother and I carved crude guns out of graham crackers – but this shows a sophistication beyond my means as a six year old.
Last weekend myself, BopOp, Grumpy, TBuss, and TheAmboyObserver all enjoyed…
[tangent]
I like nicknames, and for some reason – especially here; perhaps here more than ever anywhere. I especially like it when somehow they stick because then there’s like this little other “personality” that comes out on this blog – and it really doesn’t even have to apply to anything else, anywhere else – relative to this blog it works. Sometimes they’re borrowed – ala Grumpy and BopOp.
Sometimes they are mine alone, like TheWeeOne and LaGrande.
And I’m pretty sure I’ve dropped monikers on some folks (like TBUSS) before but their appearances here are relatively far between and so I’ve mislaid it/them (their monikers that is) and so there may be many – I wish it wasn’t so, but alas.
Anyway – somewhere along the way (pretty much right now) I realize that I’m not sure if I’ve EVER dubbed (hehe) my brother in this place, this blog, this…this…blief.
Not that I wouldn’t or couldn’t or even that I shouldn’t – I just don’t think it’s come up.
By all means, correct me if I’m wrong.
And, well, I hope that I’m wrong ’cause I’ve got a good one – and it’s even a clever backronym, which I think gives me the mnemonic to make it stick – whether he likes it or not.
Where was I?…oh yes Oregon…
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So we (BopOp, Grumpy, TBuss, and Tao) all enjoyed the vagaries of the Human Power Challenge in Portland.
Put on by the Oregon Human Powered Vehicles organization (OHPV.org), this event brings folks of like-mind and generally sound body together on one track for two days of pedal to the pavement madness; typically recumbent pedals.
Bodies are typically sound, at least, to begin the weekend, perhaps not so much by the end.
This year we were further treated to an epic downpour (one of the aforementioned vagaries) on Saturday night that saw well over 1″ of rain (closer to 1.5″ methinks) in less than 30 minutes. This rain squall not only sequestered BopOp under a canopy near the restroom for it’s duration but it also forced us, in the tent, to actually bail (water that is) OUT of the door of the tent.
This wasn’t a rainproof tent to be sure – but then again, this wasn’t just rain. Any tent would have been hard-pressed to endure such a deluge.
Besides two overnight rainstorms, the days were good and the wind was calm – perfect for bike racing.
This year, I participated in all five events in the Stock category and generally performed as well as or better than last year. The jury is still out on whether I did better in the time-trial – and technically I finished in the same place in the road race – but I’m skipping ahead.
The Time-Trial
This is not my strength to be sure but it’s the first event for me and I was able to maintain a decent pace (didn’t ever feel like vomiting this year) however, I was able to ramp my speedometer up to 30MPH in the finish straight and with an approximate avg speed of 23.4 mph for the near 10 mile course – that’s probably too much extra energy.
At one point, on the incline at the west end of the course, I sat forward in my climbing position thinking I would momentarily increase my speed and use some different muscles; wrong. I lost over 1 mph and just stayed tired.
The Drag Race
Two epic contests here – one with TheHumanTimeTrial (aptly named TT) and the other with Grumpy.
TT was actually being attacked on both fronts by two good sprinters, myself and PPlath. After taking down Plath in an all out grudge match (not sure there is such a thing at PIR really) he answered my challenge and after perhaps a slow start by me and a mis-shift by him we crossed the line 1/100th of a second apart – I edged him by a crankset length. Great race.
The other, more intense, challenge came from Grumpy and I wasn’t up to it. He was fresh off two other contests with BopOp and Tao so I self-imposed a limiter of one-gear and no-hands. Next year perhaps, but this year I chose wrong and he whipped me good – he’s written about it here.
Sunday morning, somewhat early, after all the excitement of the rain the night before, was my favorite event: The 200M Flying Sprint
I knew from experience that I only had one shot at this. My legs take much longer to recover from this effort than the hour we have. You wouldn’t know it unless you’ve tried it but 200M is really a pretty major distance when going great gonzo.
I started like last year, over-oxygenating and going VERY slow from the very distant start line. I started my run in earnest 100M closer to the start line and quickly rapped my speed up to over 36 MPH as I crossed the start line – that was good.
What I didn’t do well, I think, was pick the right gear – again. At the halfway point I had to shift for more speed, I had left over power but I had spun out and so the loss of forward momentum in that shift may have cost me as much as 1/2 MPH. I crossed the line at somewhere north of 35 MPH for an electronically timed 12.50 and an average speed of 35.79 MPH.
Despite my execution problems and with no real perceptible wind at the time – I think this might be a good estimation of my max – I will have a tough time beating that again.
The AutoCross
One of the most enjoyable (and dangerous right TT?) events is the autocross. Time doesn’t really matter but handling does. I did well but this year the course changes actually made it too “fast” in my opinion – it was fun to watch and toodle around. Next year I may enter my BMX in this event. 🙂 We’ll see.
The Road Race
Last year this event surprised me at how fun it was – an enjoyable 30 minutes trading pulls with a young upright rider and a sprint finish for 4th place was one of the best of that year. This year, I wasn’t so keen to rocket off the line like in 2011 (and then fade so quickly) so I held back just a bit too much perhaps and missed my chance at perhaps riding the wheels of TT and PPlath for a lap or two, or at least until I gagged on my own larynx. My early efforts made for a sizable lead over 4th place which nearly held, but not quite, and so I finished 4th. A valiant effort, but overall, the road race for me was more of a time-trial, not much in the way of “competing” with anyone else on the course – just the wind. Of course there was that lap and a half that I “drafted” Joe K – rather I stayed as close behind him as safely possible and purchased at great price what wind I could from his bottom-half-streamliner. That and I did stave off a late pass for a half lap with a well-executed hairpin turn – that was fun.
The Swap
TT by now recovered from his win in the Road Race wanted to try out my Silvio – which he did with amazing success. Me on TT’s Corsa, counter-steering for all it’s worth out of habit and he on my Silvio counter-steering for all it’s worth out of necessity took a “victory” lap.
I think my shoulders were more tired from holding back my habit than they were for the entire 30 min road race. The Bacchetta Corsa is an amazing machine – very nimble and light. I recommend it after just a short ride and especially after seeing what both TT and PPlath can do on the course.
blief 