Rock Climbing

Last Saturday we went rock climbing at Reimer's Ranch with Live Adventure. It was only 94 degrees out, but the humidity made it quite oppressive.  Our guide, Brandon, was great.  He was patient, and all about safety.  We learned (or relearned) how to tie the figure 8 knot, how to belay, and all the commands. Despite the heat I really had fun.  We tried to hang out in the shade as much as possible. Brandon pointed out some poison ivy and we managed to avoid it.

Here I am presenting my knot to Ross so he can double check it.

Video of me climbing.  Those large steps with one leg shredded my thighs.  I am finally almost recovered.

Video of Ross climbing.  He wore the climbing shoes I got him cheap at a thrift store. Yay bargain hunting!

This adventure lasted from about 930a to about 230p.  I think we managed 5 or 6 climbs.  After we hiked back to the parking lot we could have taken a dip in the Pedernales River, but we were just too exhausted to hike down to it.  Instead we got some drinks at Sonic Happy Hour, took a shower, and I took a nap.

I would definitely do this again.  I feel a lot more comfortable belaying.  Of course I would just like it better if it weren't so hot and humid next time.

Kite Festival

My parents were here this weekend and we went to the kite festival downtown.  Wow.  We stood in line for about 45 minutes to get the shuttle downtown.  Zilker Park was crowded!

People everywhere and kites filling the sky.  I tried to fly one of my kites, but it was so crowded, and the winds were too much for it.

 We moved to a different area of the park and flew our parafoils for a little while.

Ross's kite is the big white and purple one.  My dad is in blue out in the distance.

After we flew kites we decided to check out the vendors.  I like fresh lemonade, and Ross likes funnels cakes.  Problem?  Lines.  The lines were so long to get anything to eat or drink.  I said forget it.  We decided to leave, and the line for the shuttle looked 2 hours long!  We all agreed to walk the 2.6 miles back to the car.  We stopped off at Shady Grove for some lunch and then hoofed it back up to 15th and Colorado.  I slept like a baby after all that walking!

The Big 6-0

We went to El Paso to help my dad celebrate his 60th birthday.

First we went to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico to relax in the hot springs there.  The price of the room included one soak on each day, so we had a soak the night we got there and one the next morning.

 Then on Sunday we went to Rudy's BBQ.  Here's the birthday boy.

My dad requested a lemon cake, and I don't have a particular recipe for one, so I used the Mint Cake recipe as a base and doubled it to fill the honeycomb pan.

My dad has been wanting this grill, and I thought they had them in stock in the store, but we ended up ordering it for him and he can pick it up soon.

Kalachakra Mandala

On Saturday I went with my mom's neighbor, Dorothy, to UTEP to see the kalachakra mandala that Losang Samten has spent the last month creating with sand--grain by grain.  We were able to hear the monk speak and get a close up look at the mandala. A woman read from a book explaining what certain parts of the mandala mean. The sand is layered, so a spot may look white, but have pink, red, and blue sand underneath and each layer has a meaning.  The mandala was very impressive.

When the mandala is completed the final step is to dismantle it. This teaches the impermanence of life.  The University has asked Losang Samten to keep the mandala.  Usually the sand is put into the river or handed out to people as holy, blessed sand.  The monk said he would be handing out blessed sand from somewhere else as part of the closing ceremony on Sunday.  I was lazy and didn't go to that.

Here is a time lapse video courtesy of the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Center of El Paso:

Bucket List: Liberty Bell

When the move became official we came up with a bucket list of things to do before we left the East coast.  I wanted to see the Liberty Bell.  I have no idea why--I just did.  We headed to Philly one Friday afternoon and saw the bell.  The whole history of the bell as a symbol for freedom and equal rights is interesting.  After we saw the bell we went to the Reading Terminal Market.  I got a Guinness whoopie pie.  Then we walked to the Famous 4th Street Deli for some pastrami and cake.  Stuffed we were, oy!  I mapped it out and I think we walked like 4 miles or something!

Longwood Gardens: Lilies

We went to Longwood Gardens last night to see their special exhibit: Light.  When we walked in at 7p we saw a sign that said there was a talk about lilies scheduled for 630. I wasn't upset that we missed it, but I was excited for Ross to be able to see the lilies while it was still light. I've seen the lilies a few times before, but Ross had never seen them. When we got to the lily pond area the talk was still going on. I learned a lot about the life cycle of the Victoria water lily and got to see the underside of the lily platter.

We were encouraged to poke and smell the flowers and feel the lily platter.

The underside was spiky. The experts said that the platter could hold 110lbs, but the top skin is very thin.

This is a cross-section of the Victoria lily first night bloom. Beetles are attracted to the scent (pungent frou frou cheesy) and crawl down into the flower.  The flower closes up and traps the beetles inside. On the second night the hole the beetles entered through is shut tightly, so they force their way out--and in the process are coated in pollen.  The beetles move onto another first night flower--and pollinate it.  The first night flower is white, and the second night flower is more pink--you can see one on the ground next to the lily platter in the photo above (the large open flower.)

The lily pond also has night blooming lilies. Here is the before (still daylight) photo.

Here is the same flower later on--when it was dark.

Rockin' Roller Derby

My friend Amy invited us to check out the Charm City Roller Girls with her last night. The first bout was between the Charm City Female Trouble and the Philly Independence Dolls. My favorite roller girl was CC Bang Bang of the CC Female Trouble. She was so tiny, and so tough. Throughout the bout we learned about the pack, the blockers, the jammers, the different ref calls, and the basic rules. We were lucky enough to have Mighty Mite (a rollergirl herself), and her husband explain things to us.

So basically 5 blockers from each team line up as the pack. One jammer from each team starts behind the pack. The whistle blows and the jammers try to break through the pack. The jammer who breaks out first is the lead jammer. She skates around the track, comes back around to the back of the pack, and scores a point for each of the opposing team members she passes. That's a jam.

The second bout was crazy fast action. The Charm City Roller Girls All Stars rolled hard against the Philly Liberty Belles. V. Diva of the Liberty Belles had some kind of teleporting powers.  She'd bust through the pack so fast there was no way we could track her. And she made scoring look so easy. She conserved her energy and would dance through the pack as soon as an opening presented itself. I really enjoyed the second bout. It was fun, and I would definitely go again.

The Independence Doll jammer has broken through the pack. The officials and refs are in the center of the rink.

V. Diva has magically appeared ahead of the pack, which is still jostling at the starting line.

What a jam looks like.

FYI, the Philly teams won both bouts. Oh, and we couldn't understand one word the announcers/commentators were saying. It was ridiculous. At least the music--when we could hear it--was good.

Getty Center

Last Sunday we went to the Getty Center in L.A. It was a neat place with museums inside and gardens, fountains, and sculpture outside. We saw some very nice sculptures in the museums and some famous paintings, including Van Gogh's Irises--which was neat to see in person, but wasn't my favorite painting in their collection. The gardens were really awesome--as were the views from the Center.

8 lbs!

Yesterday we went and picked strawberries--8 lbs. of strawberries. Ross washed them and I hulled them all. I put some in the freezer and left some out to eat. We've already eaten a bunch. I'm hoping to make an Almond Cake today and we can have that with strawberries on top for dessert tonight.

My Introduction to Medieval Times

I hung my head in shame every time someone asked me about my weekend plans. You see, I was planning to go to Medieval Times on Saturday night. Yeah, that place where you eat while people parade around on horses and the servers talk to you in fake English accents.  I only went because our friend Richard asked me so nicely. He was in town from San Antonio and wanted us all to meet up at Medieval Times.

There were seven of us all together. I think we all enjoyed it. I'm not sure most adults would go there if there wasn't alcohol. I had a pina colada, and it was good. The food wasn't bad. I'd been expecting something barely edible, but the food was good, and I actually really enjoyed the dessert.

The horses were pretty and did some nice tricks. I liked the ring joust, but could have done without the choreographed jousting and fighting. The whole story/drama thing was so hokey.  Oh, they did have a falconer, and the falcon flew and swooped above the audience. I know Ross enjoyed that part.

I tried to be a good sport, and root for our knight--the red and yellow knight. He ended up winning in the end. Silly as it is, it felt good to be sitting in the winners section. Ha!

After the festivities at Medieval Times we headed over to Dave and Busters. I didn't like it. I was dehydrated and all the noise and mix of smells was not making me feel better. I don't remember Dave and Busters having tickets. I just remember spending money to play games. Now they give you tickets, like at Chuck-E-Cheese. Apparently Richard has like 68k tickets! We gave ours to Ainsmar, and accidentally brought some home.  Oops. I think I would have had a little more fun there if it had not been so crowded and I had not been so tired.

Springtime at Longwood

Ross and I went up to Longwood Garden on Saturday morning. It was a little misty, but not enough for an umbrella. The conservatory was, as always, impressive. The tulips and other bulbs were blooming. We finally took the plunge and bought a membership. We will definitely go back when my parents come visit, but hopefully we'll make it up there before that. 

Oh, and they were having an orchid sale. Orchids for only 15 or 25 dollars. I resisted! 

Flying Trapeze

The best part of Trapeze School? The flying trapeze! In a word it was--FAST. Once you jump off the platform you are flying and there is no way to undo it. We had a brief overview of what to do on the ground, and I wanted to get things (timing) exactly right so that I would have a chance to try a catch.  

Ross was actually the first to go. We were both really pumped. When I took my turn I really concentrated on doing everything Megan (lady on the ground in charge of safety and yelling commands) said (shouted). I had training on the ground with Elliot after my first fly. He said I just needed to do catch hands (which they hadn't shown us before). I went over the catch with him several times, and he was so patient with me. The bottom line is that you just have to do it. It goes so fast that you don't really have time to think through all the steps, you just do them. Letting go of the bar with your legs just happens. We got to do two solo flies, and then a catch. It was totally awesome.

We totally got sucked in. We purchased a second class---trapeze only, and got a third class free. We will go back next month for our next class. In the mean time I need to work on my shoulders--they are weak and loose. Oh, and I thought I got away with just a rug burn (maybe from the net) on my hand, but nope, I have a killer bruise on the back of my left calf from the bar. And as with snowboarding, I'm sore all over.

A great big thank you to our catcher, Donovan.

Aerial Silks

The second part of our class was silks. The whole reason I signed up for the class was because silks were offered. Ross thinks silks are super cool. Our group for partner balancing and silks was only 2 couples, and the guy in the second couple wasn't really into the silks, so there were just three of us, and we were really enthusiastic, so the teacher taught us how to do a foot lock. Well, first we had to learn to climb. That was tough! The silks were a real work out. Tough on the upper body and core for sure.

Ross wants to install silks in our house. I'm all for it. I had fun doing the aerial yoga and fun spinning on the silks.

Partner Balancing

Yesterday Ross and I went to the Trapeze School of New York---in D.C. for a Living Social adventure. We got to try partner balancing, silks, and the flying trapeze.

I wasn't excited at all about the partner balancing, but it turned out to be really fun. Turns out that the base is really where the balance is. The person on the bottom has to be strong and still.

Posts and photos of silks and flying trapeze to come. Oh, and video too.

Snowboard Trip #2 of the Season

Ross and I headed up to Pennsylvania again last Saturday for another round of snowboarding. We were excited because they had gotten some real snow, and it was supposed to continue to snow. When we headed out in the morning it was raining pretty heavily. I checked the forecast, and it said again that it would be fine on the slopes. It took us forever to get to the ski slopes. The weather was bad, so we weren't speeding, and then we passed the exit we were supposed to take. When we were almost there we found out that some buses were blocking the final way into the resort (if you can call it that), and we had to take a detour around the back side of the hill on some back roads.

We finally got there, got all suited up, got our passes, and got on the slopes around 11. It was very different from last week. The snow was fluffy and soft--not packed down and hard. There was some ice, but not like last week. I feel like I got much more of a work out this go 'round. My thighs were burnin'. I tried doing the toe dig again, but would either chicken out, or fall onto my face. My knees didn't take as much beating this week, but my right knee still looks pretty bad from our first trip, and it feels sore.

I managed 9 runs this time--3 of them on the longer blue course. Man, three-quarters of the way through those runs I would feel like I needed a break! It was tough on my thighs and hips. I did much, much better coming off the lift this week, but I did manage to fall over into a rock and get snow all down my pants.

We took one break during our 4 hour time and had some hot chocolate with a shot of espresso in it. I think I had a Kashi dark chocolate oatmeal cookie, and Ross had a gigantor blueberry muffin. When we were all done we changed into some dry clothes and headed to Logan's Roadhouse for some food. What to eat, oh what to eat? I just wanted Logan's rolls with lots of butter. I had 3 and a half. I also had a baked potato and a bowl of chili. Oooph. That was a mistake. That was way too much food. I should have just had 4 rolls and a side salad. Lesson learned.

It was late when we finally got home (I drove because Ross had Roadhouse Tea.) We took a bath and then went to bed. I slept half of Sunday away. This trip really drained me. My knee needs a rest. Ross is planning on going by himself on Friday.

West Virginia

We spent the weekend at Cider Mill House in West Virginia. We'd been there before, and it was just as good as I remember. The owners tried to kill us with food at breakfast. Saturday morning we had: pumpkin bread, juice, tea, breakfast potatoes, crescent rolls, vegetarian sausage, and a zucchini and cheese frittata. Then there was dessert! We had a pear, poached in sugar water and rum, with the liquid over it as sauce, and a cranberry-whipped cream fluff. Holy cow. We didn't have lunch--on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday because the breakfasts were so hearty.  Every morning we had a feast. 

Critter spotting in West Virginia: pygmy goats, guinea hens, chickens, fox squirrels, grey squirrels, various birds, horses, dogs, cats, a donkey, a miniature pony, llamas, and buffalo!

NYC: Quick Trip

Valerie and I took a quick trip to New York City this past weekend. It was a whirlwind trip. We were there about 24 hours.

Our first stop was to get some food at Peels. Valerie had the shrimp and grits and I had the gobblecado sandwich. We both enjoyed our food. We also had drinks. Valerie went with the traditional Bellini and I had the Jasmine Cooler--very refreshing.

I wanted to go the Crafts on Columbus street fair, so we headed uptown. We took a walk across Central Park--and that is when the rain started. It came down really hard. Despite our umbrellas we were pretty wet. My purse (huge purse) was sticking out, so it was soaked. We waited under some scaffolding for a while, then walked to a couple of stores. The rain eventually let up and we went back to the craft fair. I didn't see the vendor I was specifically looking for--lots of vendors left early because of the rain. I did find some really nice earrings made from Victorian spoon handles. I bought them. The same vendor also had really neat bracelets made from old typewriter keys.

After changing our hotelroom--the first one reeked so badly of smoke I was crying--we dragged ourselves out to dinner in Little Italy. Of course we got some dessert across the street at La Bella Ferrara. We headed up to Times Square, where I guess we spent a long time, because we didn't get back to our hotel until after midnight!

On Sunday we slept in and then went to Ess-a-Bagel for breakfast. We ended up standing in line for 45 minutes and just got (bagel) sandwiches to go--it was almost lunch time. The bagels were huge! We made our way down to the bus stop, and that was the end of our trip. I was able to sleep both ways on the bus. I credit my noise cancelling headphones. I love them. This was a great trip. It makes me want to go back for another quickie trip.

Two new things that I'm obsessed with: getting a bigger, better umbrella, and finding some cool tights. Lots of ladies were sporting fancy tights around the city.

Oh yeah, we walked 5.6 miles!

Zippin'!

We got up really early on Thursday and headed to Flyin Hawaiian for some zipline action. The guys on the tour: Matt, Jason, Scott, Thomas, and Alika were very friendly. They had all our names memorized by the time we got to the top of the mountain. Since it was Tejal's birthday they carried her gear the entire time. The guys made a good experience really great.

The Hawaiian state flower is endangered, so we planted one and watered others that had been previously planted on the mountain. They are also trying to replace ironwood trees with endangered koa trees.

The zip lines were really fun. The last line was really long, fast, and high. I loved the view of the trees as I neared the end of the line. Oh, we even got to go backwards on one of the lines.

Here are a few videos to give you an idea of what it was like.

Yeah, I'm Cool

These are the waves here in Maui.

Tejal, Ross, and I took a surfing lesson this morning. Tejal has been surfing before, so she was a pro. I was able to stand up on my first try and rode the wave a good ways. After that I went brain dead and forgot what to do. On my last try I rode in standing up the whole way, and I was even able to stick the landing. My fear was that I was going to get frustrated, but I didn't get upset at all, and it was a lot easier than my first time snowboarding. I came out with only a scraped knee and one bruise (one very painful bruise.) Also, I'm sore from all of the paddling. I am so glad that we went surfing. Surfing is something I'd definitely do again.

Cherry Blossoms

Last Sunday I headed down to see the cherry blossoms with Evelyn and the girls. The trees were beautiful and I think we walked about two miles while looking at them all.