10-31-14

Martin: Weight Watchers paradise.

Me: Swim practice: Howard's wearing his orange swim cap & I'm wearing my warm stocking hat while watching. Howard is just two weeks away from Ironman AZ!

PS: I would have loved to be eating one of those pastries from Madrid (thanks, Martin…for making me crave donuts!) :-/

PPS: Happy Halloween everyone! We had plans to dress up this year but missed our friend's costume party last Saturday. Tonight Bob's in Boston & I'm just gonna pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters (& try not to eat all the leftovers). ;-)

10-30-14

Martin: Plaza Mayor. Late afternoon on our first day in Madrid.

Me: Tool Time for Tots.

10-29-14

Martin: Puerta del Sol, Madrid. Not far from our hotel. This plaza was busy no matter what time we passed through it.

Me: "Frisbee, please. Throw the frisbee. Hurry! Throw the frisbee!!"

10-28-14

Me: 3:00pm and I'm sick in bed. :-( Harley & Bob are taking good care of me by keeping me company & feeding me soup. Sneezing, stuffy head, runny nose & body aches. Blech.

10-27-14

Me: I got a new phone today, the iPhone 6! My other cell phone was cracked & locking up frequently. Now I just need a college student to give me some lessons! I guess we'll call this a Halloween gift? Happy Halloween! :-)

10-26-14

Me: The start of a great outing with Team Vitesse. 50 miles in Scottsdale that included through Fountain Hills, Rio Verde, up 9 mile hill & back via Thompson Peak. Bob & I were tired from the ride so we relaxed this afternoon and even went to a movie!

10-25-14

Me: I forgot to post some pics from last Sunday, October 19th.

That was the day of SOMA; a 1/2 Ironman race. Wendy & I were there to support our friend & client, Howard.

Howard & I all smiles pre-race. This is Howard's second year doing triathlons. He did this race last year and has done some great training the past few months to prepare for today. His "A" race is actually the full AZ Ironman on November 16th but today was going to be a good test to see how his fitness was doing. He was nervous but excited and so were we!

Orange cap swimmers waiting for their wave to start. Go Howard!!

Here's a view of triathlon village. See ALL the bikes racked in the transition area. They are waiting for the swimmers to exit the water and start biking! The bike segment is 56 miles on a twisty-turny course around Tempe.

Howard's off the bike and running. Wendy is giving him encouragement for his 13.1 mile run on a VERY hot day!

Howard crossing the finish line!! Wohoo! GREAT job, Howard. His official finish time was 7 hours & 6 minutes (16 minutes faster than last year). Yeah!! There is room for improvement but this is wonderful progress & we are very proud of Howard. And he is happy!

10-24-14

Me: Pumpkins...

and a hayride!

Janna, Kavan, Riley, Carol, Bob & I went to the Botanical Gardens pumpkin patch.

Nice outing!

10-23-14

Me: Garden roses brighten up our kitchen.

:-)

10-22-14

Me: Bob had a 24 hour layover in Tulsa today. He heard it was "Food Truck Wednesday" so off he went to find the downtown full of cool trailers & campers selling yummy food.

I would have sought out the grilled cheese truck. Just say'n. ;-)

10-21-14

Grand Canyon trip part 2 (part 1 posted yesterday). You can click on any photo to enlarge & scroll through the photos this way too.

Me: Back to that bridge…

Here's a view of the Willie Wonka chocolate river we're crossing. If only it were REAL chocolate!! Mmm. :-)

And here's a fun photo of April taking a selfie on the bridge while Bob's taking another group selfie behind her (his selfie is the pic I posted at the top). Love this picture!

So why DID the hikers cross the bridge?...

To get our aching feet in the cold Colorado River & have some lunch on the beach! (and yes, to get to the other side).

"Hungry Warriors" = more food & more yoga poses.

Mike & Abbie soaking their feet while they lovingly cradle their SUB. haha.

April and Jason. Cute couple!

After hanging here for a while we walked to Phantom Ranch (a camping village with tent sites, cabins, ranger station, mule corrals plus a canteen where you can buy lemonade, snickers and postcards). We sent some postcards stamped "Mailed by Mule Train from Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon". Fun tradition.

The hike out (9 miles) was expectedly hard and a bit hot. We all put our heads down and kept our focus for the top. Not one photo was taken going up the trail (except this one near the top warning hikers NOT to hike to the Colorado River and back in one day). We seem to ignore this warning every time we visit.

TOP of the Bright Angel Trail, South Rim. We made it! 19 miles total and out of the canyon by 2:30pm.

"Hungry Warriors" dirty shoes with sore feet inside.

Adios Grand Canyon. It was a GRAND adventure with a special group of family & friends!

10-20-14

Me: Bob & I have hiked these trails (South Kaibab & Bright Angel) of the Grand Canyon a good number of times. Me around 12x and Bob about 6x. Each trip to the Grand Canyon is unique & always a beautiful adventure!

This trip was shared with nephew Mike, nieces Abbie & April, April's boyfriend, Jason and our friend, Kata (not shown in this pic). Our 6am start was a little chilly (perfect for hiking).

Off we went, 7 miles down a steep trail with too many switchbacks to count (Bob tried).

This is one of my favorite spots on the South Kaibab Trail. Love the rock lined path leading you down to what seems to be a drop off into the canyon.

The best part of a 6am start is experiencing a sunrise in the Grand Canyon. There is nothing quite like it!

The sunrise was so amazing that we broke out some impromptu yoga poses.
April.

Me.

On we go at a good pace but with plenty of stops for photos.

The orange rocks put off a gorgeous glow.

Here's our whole group; "The Hungry Warriors!"

We brainstormed this team name while hiking which is a tribute to our appetites and yoga obsession.

Proof of our appetites...Mike enjoying his enormous sub sandwich.

Proof of our yoga obsession!

Zen Kata & Zen me.

One of the neatest things on our hike down was the mule train that stopped in front of us.

Made for some cool shots.

This was Jason's first time seeing the Grand Canyon. It's extra fun to have someone in the group experiencing the Grand Canyon for the first time.

Miles of narrow paths and cliffs.
April & Abbie.

We started at 7,260 ft and our low point was the Colorado River at 2400 ft.

Really red dirt!

There's the Colorado River looking VERY muddy!

Last time we saw the Colorado River it was a clean green/blue color.

And there's the South Kaibab suspension bridge.

Why did the hikers cross the bridge?

Find out the answer tomorrow!!