Uh oh....

I knew it would happen--I just didn't know it would happen this fast. That's right kids--the big 40 is just around the corner for me. Two days to be exact. I've decided that I should maintain a low profile and let it be like any other day. In fact, I've scheduled in my "well woman exam" for my birthday. How much fun can that be!

I don't normally blog without some type of image to go along with it, however, I just don't have an image... well at least not one to portray my current train of thought.

40.... people say that's middle age. I have noticed a few more wrinkles and the desire to retire early... like tomorrow. But other than that--I just don't feel like 40. In fact, it's got me thinking about what I could do to keep feeling like I'm not 40. Rowing is keeping me active and has been inspirational. So many of my rowing friends are older than me and they look great. Into their late 40's, 50's 60's and going on 70's they defy the norm. For sure, I'm holding onto the sport. And maybe I might add a few more...

Consciousness... Now I'm even more intent on using plastic baggies more than 3 times and recycling as much as possible. Living lightly on the earth is a major goal and not doing so is a concern. I question those that need to have more things and I look up to and admire those that are simplifying.

Health... in my 20's and 30's I worked out to keep from buying larger pants. In my late 30's and soon to be 40's I'm working out because I've discovered it actually makes me both mentally and physically younger. I'm counting on my activities and sports to get me through what I've felt will happen at some point--being diagnosed. It's no secret in my family that the cancer gene runs rampant. Staying true to my sports gives me hope that I might outrun "it". And if I can't, then at least I'll be strong enough to fight it.

Family... I don't know that I should even want to continue on to 50, 60 and beyond without them. My first real loss was losing my grandparents within a year of each other. I still miss them dearly . And despite sometimes differing veiwpoints-I might crumble without the rest of my family.

Friends... I'm not always the best friend. Neglecting to write, e-mail or call. However, my friends understand and I understand them when they are to harried to keep in touch. We never lose track of each other in mind and spirit and when we reconnect--it's as if only a day or two had passed by. They've all turned 40 before me and I'm sure they're quite happy that I've caught up to them again.

Marriage... Many my age have found that the first one didn't work out for them by 40. I feel lucky to have married for the first and last time. My best buddy and my best friend--Matt keeps me young on a day to day basis with good humor and lots of support. Even when I don't make enough money--so he can quit his job--he forgives me and takes another smack from corporate america so we can live in relative comfort.

So my friends... 40 isn't so bad for "e". I've got a good attitude, good life and good health.

Here's to 40 and beyond!

Living in the "Hood"

The pictures below are the result of some vandals in our neighborhood on Saturday night or Sunday morning....
I suspect it's from rock slinging (with a sling-shot by the damage that was done). A peice of evidence was left for us.
Unfortunately, we have teenagers with friends in our neighborhood. My guess is that they have to much free time and a curfew that isn't enforced enough to keep them from getting bored. Nor have they learned consequences. Quite a bit of damage as they managed to dent the car as well as break the glass.

My neighbors Tom and Jan got a stray flying rock that broke a tile off their roof. Today I'll be making an insurance claim and likely a police report as well.


Likely this was the source of the damage.


The tempered glass is one tap away from shattering everywhere.


One impact point that dented the car.


Another impact point on the back of the hatchback.

Marathon Picture Page

As promised I've uploaded my rowing marathon pictures. CLICK HERE to view the page.

Natchitoches Rowing Marathon

I'm back in town after completion of my first on the water rowing marathon. We had a great time in this cool little town. The marathon was action packed with 24 crew eights competing. I think this may have been their biggest participation year yet as they ran out of T-shirts!

The Cane River made for an "attentive" row. Lots of winding curves and unfortunately some 20 mph (seemed like more in my scull) headwinds and at times crosswinds. The night before there was a big storm and the temperature dropped 20 degrees. Lots of tree limbs were hanging out in the river. I actually snagged one and afterwards was more cautious and tried to stay towards the middle of the river.

My goal was to finish the marathon in 4 hours, however, after fighting the wind for the first 10 miles, I decided finishing upright would be a more realistic goal. I finished in 4:43 minutes and I was unchallenged in my master's class. My boat number was #9 and so I thought the gal that started in front of me and had bow #8 was in my class. We went back and forth passing each other for the first 23 miles and then I realized that she looked really, really young for her age. Come to find out she was a college gal and not even in my class.

Kathy and Rebecca kicked some serious butt. They rowed so well that despite high winds--they still managed to set a course record in the Women's Master A class. I was so proud of them! During the course of the race there was a college men's 2X that stopped to take a rest when they caught up to me. I saw Kathy and Rebecca in the distance and told them that 2 girls were about to pass them up. That got them rowing! It's kinda fun to bring down those young kids huge egos for entertainment. I have no doubt that Kathy and Rebecca eventually passed them up.

Dave did great too. It's really hard to row a single in the wind and he took a beating from it. He jokingly said he should have quit at the 12 mile mark... but we know he wouldn't have. His family and friends were there and they were so wonderful. They whisked our boats away and unrigged them after the race and helped set up before. My M-I-L Wanda made the trip with me and was my "pit crew" so to speak. She drove me everywhere and knew the town like the back of her hand within a day. Plus she braved cold winds to shoot some pictures from the Front Street bridge. It certainly wouldn't have been as much fun without her. AND most importantly, she somehow tricked me into eating tomatoes. Fried green tomatoes! Anyone that knows me knows how I feel about raw tomatoes so this was a major breakthrough for me. I actually ordered them on my own the last night. However, I assure you all that I still do not like red tomatoes.

I'll upload all the pictures and add a link to the photo page soon. Also, I'm sure Rebecca--who is far more diligent with her blog than I-- will have lots of pictures as well. CLICK HERE for her blog Stained Glass. Also see pictures as the Arizona Outlaw blog is updated. There's some great pictures of the Hot Head that Rebecca took. CLICK HERE for Arizona Outlaw blog.


Sporting our gold medals... which look silver. We were assured that they were "Gold" in theory. Lots of people were looking at their "Gold" medals saying "These aren't Gold!" So we were content to sport them as is.


Rebecca posing for a picture with me while getting my scull ready to go.



Here's Dave finishing out the race.

Green Protest In the News... NOT!

While in London, Wanda and I came out of Lillywhites (sporting good store), to witness a protest march down Picadilly Street in London. I didn't have my camera so I ran all the way back to our hotel and then caught up with the protestors. Well at least some of the 10,000 or so marchers.

I'm sure this didn't even make the news in the U.S. Especially so close to an election here in the states...

I am somewhat of a "granola cruncher" and I think it's OK to actually care about our planet. I also would agree with these "Brits" that it's shameful for the U.S. to not take the Kyoto agreement seriously. And like them... I'm not very proud of our President and his anti-enviromental policies. Fortunately for me the protestors didn't mind me taking their pictures and I don't mind giving them a little press on my blog because I happen to agree them.

Hot Head Regatta 2006

Last Saturday I participated in the Hot Head Regatta on Tempe Town Lake. It's a 2.75 mile head race--which means it's a staggered start and best time wins. I rowed a double with fellow Arizona Outlaw, Kathy Moum, and we won our Master Women's 2x race in 20:34. I was also going to row in the single race but it was cancelled due to high winds. Although I think I could have handled the waves and probably the wind, I'm sure it would not have been a pleasant row. I was somewhat thankful that they cancelled. The Arizona Outlaws did well in all the sculling events. In fact, we placed first in all that we entered.

More Images from Burgundy

I finally got a chance to put some images up on a photo page from France. I took a cajillion, so I had to select just a few for the photo page. Some of the pictures look like they have a mist over them. That's because it was foggy for at least 3 days. The fog would usually burn off later in the day. Certainly, it made the old chateaus look more mystifying. To get to the photo page CLICK HERE

Below are a few more added to the blog. Next week, I'm off to London with Wanda and then onto Louisiana for my rowing marathon. So check back soon for more travel pictures.


Pretty berries on a bush outside the apartment.


Mmmmmmmmm, fromage (stinky cheese). No one does stinky cheese like the French. This was taken at a local market where Wanda and I gathered fresh goodies for and evening meal.


A view of the apartment from the road. We had a vineyard as the front yard. Merci to Joe and Susan Howe for going on vacation to let us have the run of the place.

Bon Jour and Au Revoir!

Today we are leaving Paris for the States. We spent a week traveling around the beautiful French countryside. Very rural with lots of little villages within a few kilometers of each other. As we were in wine country, half the enjoyment was being able to drive up to farm houses with the sign "Cave" (French for cellar) and "digustation" (for tasting) and try out the local wines. So many great wines and a shame we can only bring 2 bottles back each. The only mishaps of the trip were transport related (rental car/s). The first day our auto had a flat and the last day the NEW Ford S-max mini-van just turned off on a highway exit and wouldn't restart. We were in a rural area-- so it was a long day of waiting for tow truck, taxi's and re-renting. All a learning experience for sure and I learned quickly how to talk to non English speaking policemen through broken French and sign language. Wanda was a good interpreter throughout the trip. I really think if she stayed another month or so she would be speaking fluently.

Below are a couple pictures of our trip. I'll post a picture page when we get home. Au Revoir France! Bon Jour U.S.A.


One of the farms we drove up and did a tasting. Not very far away from the apartment we stayed at.


Wanda was quite happy to go wine tasting in the area of Chardonnay.


Here's Wanda's next house.


Matt at a tasting place where they have Brouilly wines (grapes from the area of Mont Brouilly and Beaujolais). Definitely our favorites. We would have loved to be able to ship home cases, however, the cost was prohibitive.

Kick In The Pants...

A shopper's woeful story.

I hardly think that I'm so weird shaped that the clothing industry would spite me. However, after spending to much time actually shopping and trying on pants, I'm convinced that the current pant styles were designed by the fashion devil.

E goes shopping.
I started out with high hopes since it seemed all my pants from the previous year were a bit loose (from all the rowing I've been doing). I actually had visions of the perfectly fit, cute, pinstriped pants that would look snappy with a cute sweater set. I can see myself in them--sipping a glass of wine in a French café. And wouldn't it be cool if I could actually find more than one pair and at a reasonable price?

First stop: Kohls
After all, I did find a bitch'in pair of dressy Capris there last year that fit me perfect. Surely, they would have a similar style in a long pant. WRONG! My J-Lo butt and smaller waist created the perfect gap for someone to toss some peanut shells down my backside if I actually sat down in them. "No biggie, just get a smaller size" .... WRONG again. The waist was still to big and my legs looked like two sausages stuffed inside. I thought "Maybe a little liposuction would make them look better". Anyone that knows me, knows that would be a totally against my "love yourself for who you are" attitude. Luckily, I came back from the dark side to remind myself that I could have several pairs of pants tailor made for a lot less.

Next Stop: Macy's
Ahhhhhh a department store with lots of different designers and brands of pants. This has to be the place. SOMEBODY must have designed a pair of pants just for me. I immediately went to the petite section a.k.a. "short person section" and lo and behold--cute, gray, and black pinstriped pants! God, I hope they fit... they were exactly like my pre-shopping vision. Just to be sure, I picked up several different styles and practically skipped to the dressing room. With 10 pairs of different pants, the sales lady was concerned that I didn't have tops to try on with them. I assured her that I was doing focused shopping. I would NOT be able to move onto tops until I found the perfect pants.

"How are you doing in there?" I heard after trying on 5 pairs and with the 6th pair half pulled on. "I'm not quite sure" I replied. This must have perplexed her as there was a long, long pause. "Is there another size I can get you?". Guess it was better that she didn't say ".... BIGGER size".

To make a way to long time in that dressing room short... NADA! Not one stinking pair of pinstriped pants regardless of size looked right. Had to be the bad lighting and the mirrors. Dejected, I carried out all 10 pairs and put them on the "These looked like crap on me" rack.


Last Stop: Talbot's
Talbot's is hit or miss with me. Sometimes they seem to carry way to many "old lady" clothes. Granted I'm heading to middle age in a month, but who says I have to start dressing like it. In Talbot's defense--sometimes they have some cute, nicely fitting stuff. Which they may have had.... if I had actually tried anything on. For some reason I couldn't see myself paying $128 dollars for one pair of pants. Besides, I'm sure my spouse would use it as ammo for the next 10 years. I can see it now "We could have retired by now if you hadn't bought those $128 pair of pants..." or "We had to refinance our house, just so you could buy the top to go with those pants". Those of you with spouses know exactly what I'm talking about.

I left Talbot's and in my mind I started to wonder if starving for a couple of weeks would do the trick. Better think that out. So I sat down to rest the hamstring I had pulled trying to get out of a pair of pants in Macy's. I people watched or I guess I should say I watched other women and took note of what their pants looked like. Then it dawned on me--they ALL looked like they stuffed sausages (with the exception of one chick who looked like she had been starving herself for more than a couple of weeks)!

So what's with the story fatty pants?
Did you say that or was that my "inner E"? Regardless, the pant shopping experience made me realize that one can't get down on oneself but one can "dis" the fashion designer devils who are trying to tell us that this crap actually looks good. Who the hell are they designing for anyway? Even J-Lo's Jeans look like *#@% on a J-Lo figured girl. What's up with that?

I've given up on my perfect pant thoughts for now. If I'm not thinking or looking, maybe the fashion fairy will appear and turn a full fashion circle to show me how great they look. Then with a wave of a wand make them appear at a store close by with a tiny price tag attached.

p.s. If your ass hasn't been chewed off and you've found a pair of pants to fit over it that looks good--I want to hear from you! If you're a size 2 or 0 and everything looks good on you then I BETTER NOT hear from you (Yeah, that means YOU--Audrey and Wanda. Your day will come. A designer with a big tush is gonna get even).

Arizona Outlaw Erg Marathon

After a 3 hour nap, I finally mustered the energy to upload pictures (CLICK HERE to view) and blog about my first Erg marathon. For friends and family members that don't know--the erg is a piece of exercise equipment that most rowers use to train. Nonetheless, it doesn't move like my boat does and it's painfully honest in projecting your split time, projected finish time etc.

42,195 meters (26 miles) of rowing and everyone finished. Most everyone did it in 3-4 hours with a few exceptions to that rule. Ted Paxton was closer to the 2:30 mark (Can't quite remember--I just know it was way fast!) My goal was to finish within 4 hours and I'm happy to say that I accomplished that by finishing in 3:42.04. The last 5000 meters my legs were burning and mentally I had to fight through to the end. Now that I've had time to rest and reflect, I think it was a personal challenge and I'm already making notes on how to improve upon my time in preparation for my November rowing marathon. That one will be on water, which will certainly be a plus.

Tom and Kim Wilmer (family friends) were nice enough to let us use their super garage for the event. I think everyone agreed it was the perfect place. Lots of space, cool and easy access.

I'm sure the results will be on the Arizona Outlaws website soon. You can get to that from my links section.

Rest In Peace Lovable Leo

It's a sad day in our neighborhood as our friend and neighbor Leo "Bud" Ryan passed away at 11:00 a.m. This past year he fought off cancer as long as he could. He was affectionately known to many as "Loveable Leo" as he was always smiling, happy and joking around with his neighbors, friends and family. My neighbor, Tom and good friend to Bud, called him the "Mayor of Rancho Caliente" (our street). A fitting office for him as he always was helping out and supervising our home improvement endeavors, meeting us with his side kick "Lucky" to chat at the end of his driveway during nightly dog walks and sharing his great love for cooking by dropping off lemon merigue pies and goodies every so often. His green thumb made his plants always grow greener and many of my starter plants came from his yard. We truly loved him and will miss his Irish eyes and good humor.

Bud didn't want any of us to see him on the decline --so I wrote him a note to make sure he knew that his job was to make sure we all had a place to move into when we move into his new neighborhood. Whenever I talk about my neighbors to others--they've always told me that having such a nice neighborhood is a rarity. So many people only see their neighbors as their garage doors close behind them. Bud certainly didn't shut us out and as a result we became good friends and our neighborhood became a nicer place.

Above are a few pictures from his 80th birthday party last December. I still have those pictures posted. Just click on the December 2005 archive link.

Much love and support to his wife Barbara, and daughter Joan. He was so proud of his family, loved his loyal dog Lucky and for 80 years he lived the good life and brought sunshine into all of those lucky enough to know him. Those memories will certainly be cherished.

Helicopter Flys

Yesterday, Dan and Matt Sr. got to witness their helicopter take a test flight. See the video by CLICKING HERE.There is also a page of pictures for the pre-flight prep. You can click the link "Helicopter Flys" from the movie page and the movie from the picture page as well. If you just want to view pictures CLICK HERE.

Sin City Bad Ass Dudes

Perhaps I'm playing in PhotoShop a little to much... Ok, this one is my feeble attempts to get the "Sin City" graphic look. I had to search for some mean looking people. Apparently, I don't know many mean people. However I cropped a picture of friend, Gary, in Idaho and Matt from one of his snowboard trips. Do they look mean? Or just Cool? Maybe a little of both.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

I've always wondered what I might look like if I were just a little taller...
After playing around in PhotoShop today you can see the result. Oh, and of course I had to make the sky a little more interesting and the green more green...

Just goes to show--things are always more beautiful with a few PhotoShop tricks.

One Year Later

Today marks a year since my Grandmother, Mable Jackson, passed away. Even as time passes, I clearly picture her in my mind and miss her. It seems I have a ton of pictures of both her and my Grandfather on their sailboat. However, I really like this picture as it shows my Grandmother was a good multi-tasker. She's not only steering the boat but fishing as well.

In Memory of Beverly Bellile

It is almost a year ago when I saw my Aunt Kathy's Mom, Beverly, at my Grandparents memorial. My Grandmother passed away on August 25th last year. Well this August is another heartbreaker for my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Tom. Beverly certainly was part of our family and she will be remembered and missed. She was a beautiful woman. Whenever I saw her, she was stylish and looked far younger than she was. A classy lady. Her daughters are certainly fortunate to have inherited her good look gene (see picture of Kathy in my previous blog).

The picture is from a Cancer walk that Beverly and my Grandmother did together ( I scanned this picture in and therefore the numbers they are wearing are backwards). Below the picture is an excerpt from my Uncle Tom's e-mail of this morning.

With loss comes appreciation for the friends and family we have. We should all take the time to appreciate each day as if it were a new adventure.
Love to all,
E



Letter from Uncle Tom

All,

Kathy's mom died around 6:30 am this morning. She was 68. As you may remember, her mom had been battling breast cancer for over 6 years. This spring it had spread to her brain. Kathy has been fortunate to not have to work so she could spend a lot of time with her mom this spring and summer. She flew down two weeks ago last Friday and her mom picked her up at the airport. By that evening the tumors had affected her frontal lobes and she lost her ability to vocalize in any coherent way.

I think Kathy is fortunate that the progression happened so quickly after that. Kathy was able to bring her home from the hospital and cared for her around the clock at her mom's home. I know she is very tired but feels blessed to have had the opportunity for her mother to pass on in her own house attended by her daughter instead of an impersonal institution. Hospice was of a great help.

I drove down and brought Kathy supplies last Friday and just returned late last night. When I arrived in Michigan, Beverly (mom) was clearly drifting in and out of the borderline of reality, but she made eye contact with me and nodded to acknowledge she recognized me. Kathy called this morning. We had an air bed I'd slept on when I was living in the River House in Milwaukee last year while Kathy (and our furniture) was still in Eden Prairie. Kathy slept on that on the floor by her mom's hospital-style bed at the end. She gave her the medication at 5:00 and fell asleep. At 6:30 she woke up because she didn't hear her mother's labored breathing. Her mom was still warm when she checked her pulse.

Beverly was in a lot of pain from the brain tumors and it is a good thing she passed quickly. She pressed hard right to the end, coming for a week to Milwaukee this summer and going to Charleston, SC to visit her best friend in July, plus working still until three weeks ago.

The funeral is at Sawyer Fuller, 2525 12 Mile Rd, Berkley, MI, 48072 this Wednesday. Her mom went to Berkley high school and Kathy's dad and grandparents are buried there.

Health and prosperity to you all,

Tom

I'm Just A Tad Behind...

I'm usually a little more on top of the blog updates, however, I've been a blog slacker for the past few months. These pictures are from the 4th of July when I took the ferry across Lake Michigan to visit my Uncle Tom and Aunt Kathy with my parents. They recently relocated to Milwaukee and found these really cool townhomes right on the Milwaukee River. They have a really nice patio overlooking the river and city. We could see fireworks from 3 different parts of the city on the 4th of July.

Being the great hosts that they were, they made sure for that even though we were there for a short period of time we got in some good city touring walking.

My assessment of Milwaukee is that it still has small city feel but is growing with character. I love to see interesting old warehouses being revamped into cool living spaces. This is what is happening along the river and soon the River Walk will be bustling with residents and activityr. The Milwaukee Rowing Club is about 500 meters from my Aunt and Uncle's townhome. Rest assured, I'll make sure I get in a row the next time I visit!


Cool sculpture on a walking tour. My parents, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Tom.



These are the townhomes. The empty lot is for the next set of riverside townhomes.

Tempe Town Lake Gets TV Time

A couple months ago Arizona Weekly Entertainment filmed some of us rowing for a segment. I'm sure you'll recognize a few people or at least the ones with names on the screen. As for the instruction--what can I say--good instructors are hard to find! I'm not sure I like the amount of time my "ass" was in this clip--however, if you are of the opposite sex--you're not looking at that anyway!

You can see the video by CLICKING HERE. WARNING: If you have dial-up, you will not be able to see this. Mom, you can always view it at Cori's or Aunt Jill's house.

PC users: If you don't have Quicktime Video installed on your computer, you can get it FREE by CLICKING HERE.

Feeling Sheepish?

I took a quick trip home for a cousin's party over the 4th of July week as well as Ferry trip across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee to visit my Uncle Tom and Aunt Kathy (Pictures for those events are coming soon). For those of you I didn't get to see while I was there--don't take it personal. It was a quick trip and everyday had an event. My last day I went and picked some black raspberries on the farm and took my camera along. I got some nice farm, flower pictures.

The sheep found me annoying with all that camera clicking noise while they were eating.

Summer on the farm has everything green and blooming. Even a simple ground cover flower (clover?) is beautiful.

The bees are busy with all the flowers on the farm.

Oops... Give Credit Where Credit is Due

After getting the race results for Rumble in the Jungle today via spreadsheet, it would appear that mathematical errors and confusion will make my first place a second place. Apparently, I was mistaken for Julie Busskohl and she for me. As Julie is a few years older than me her time handicap got applied to my time giving me a few more seconds of handicap than I should have. Thus making it so I was 5.5 seconds behind the ZLAC rower.

A bit of a letdown but I'll certainly make up for it the next time I race! That being said--I'm removing my medal smiling picture!
I'll try and get one at a later date : )