Empty nest

not one

no one

can explain

make clear

just how much

you will miss

your

child

once

they are gone

My Best

work in progress...

weighted pullups

6 x 3 @ +55 lbs

3x5 @ +27 lbs wide grip

 

back atchya...

45

2013 has been a good year....so far...

the V-man ranked top 20 in the nation in his fly for 12-y-o boys

50 fly ~ tied 14th

100 fly ~ tied 18th

and yeah....my baby is now taller than me @ 5'9.5"

i reached one of my fitness goals:

weighted pull-ups for reps @ +50 lbs

i finally have guns

10 lbs shy of benching body weight

working sets @ 115 lbs

i still occasionally feel like that optimistic 17-y-o i used to be

me = 2nd from right, dark paisley shirt

45 ain't so bad

National Rankings: Top 10 Boys

 

V also garnered the 20th spot in the 100 fly with a time of 1:09.99

And She Was...

photo courtesy of Gaz

goggle-eyed

Short course season is coming to an end...
The V-man had an excellent State meet (almost a month ago).  Best times in everything.
King of Bronze...with one Silver.
Sectionals...on tap for this coming weekend.
Miss Stussy says...Swim Fast V!
 

Bad Boy ~ circa 1949

Merry Christmas

Stussy...

Cleo...

(newest addition to our family.  it only took me 7 mos after miss bean was gone...)

fat lady singing...

This past weekend was the

final

Noll Long Board Classic

Sweet 16

Bev & Rhyn (Noll) have opted to not continue with the contest.

Perhaps one of the other shops in town will pick it up next year?

Who knows....?

Here I am...

trying to cross-step thru the semi-finals

in what can only be described as

craptastic conditions

fancy white water twirl...

shaka cutie...

photos courtesy G. Link

crow...

It's a Girl

Meet...

Shao Bi Fu

(Little White Bat)

We call her

Stussy

She is Taiwanese Mountain Dog mix (Formosan) and was abandoned with a litter mate on a popular hiking trail in Taiwan at the tender young age of 7 weeks.  Her rescuer cleaned her up, got a round of shots in her and brought her back to Oregon.

The cute boy & I couldn't resist her ears....and adopted her 2 weeks ago.

She LOVES the V-man...

Stussy learning the way of Legos...

insex

...in my office garden

 

graffiti

green thumb

I haven't planted a garden since I sold my house over 5 years ago.

So...this year I'm taking advantage of some unused land at the office.

Just a small garden box.

Full of heirloom tomatoes (cherokee purple, black prince, hillbilly & juliette), lemon cucumbers, and sugar snap peas.

mmm...tomato sandwiches....my absolute favorite

huck finn

spring south

The cute boy & I are road tripping.
Headed south in search of some surf and maybe a springer (or two).

Stopped at my folks' for a little lunch & to check out all the work they've been doing in the garden.

This used to be the barn & pasture where we raised cows, chickens, cats, dogs and several ducks.

My mom's kitty....Annie....in the forgetmenots.

fruit

They tell me...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The V-man clearly demonstrated this...this past weekend.

North West Age Group Sectionals Swim Meet

163 teams representing 6 states:  Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska & Hawaii

The V-man qualified for 6 events total. (10 & under)

Friday results:

50 free ~ :28.85.  Dropped 2 seconds & a personal best.  8th place. (he went into this seeded 22nd)

He's in lane 7 far side of pool....red cap. (2nd in his heat)

Saturday results:

50 fly ~ :30.77. Dropped 1 second & a personal best. 2nd place! (he went into this seeded 5th)

He's in lane 2 far side of pool...red cap.

50 back ~ :35.02. Dropped 1 second & personal best. 18th place. (seeded 33rd)

Sunday results:

50 breast ~ :39.58. Dropped 1 second & personal best. 19th place. (seeded 19th)

100 fly ~ 1:12.63. Dropped 6 seconds & personal best. 9th place. (seeded 18th)

(I have video...won't load)

100 IM ~ 1:14.74. Dropped 4 seconds & personal best.  11th place. (seeded 40th...last!)

It was an absolutely phenomenal weekend of swimming for the V-man.

Sweet.

I am beyond stoked!

Harley

Harley Frances Bean
Harley Princess
Miss Bean

I got her from a pet store...18 years ago

a Siamese mix...chatty & social 

(always on her terms)

18 years

chatting barfing purring chirping biting bitchiness rubbing scratching playing napping

loving

  

I held her as her energy slipped away...sighing her last sigh

for all my complaining about having to clean up (and step in) barf....I did it daily for 18 years

from the time she was a kitten...she would sleep on me

on my legs...to be specific

she'd climb up onto the bed shortly after I crawled in

and settle on my legs

I'd move...she'd readjust herself back onto my legs

me...move

her...right back on

a dance step that was repeated several times nightly

eventually I'd give up & fall asleep with miss bean perched in her happy place purring away

I crawled into bed last night

without my dance partner

and cried myself to sleep

Bean had the most amazing blue eyes

April 21, 1989

I was going through closets...cleaning out old crap...when I came across this.

Yep...

I did a couple plays in college.

Even though I was an outsider.
Not accepted (at any level) by the theatre majors.  

I was just a stupid athlete.

A modern american lit shakespeare studying noam chomsky thesis writing stupid all-american athlete.

Why don't you go back to what you know? 
Like... drowning?

They all thought I was sleeping with the director.

How else did I get roles?

Whatever.

I loved it.

Learning lines.
Studying dialects.
Character analysis.
Opening up...

It's been well over 20 years.

Maybe one day I'll get back to it...