Rain, rain and more...

Kate singing the rainy day blues
I don't think it has stopped raining since my plane landed at SFO last Wednesday evening. This is a really good thing for snow in Tahoe, but if you (more importantly I) can't go to Tahoe to take advantage of it-it really doesn't help. KDG has figured out that she can crawl faster than she can walk and so that is still her preferred mode of transportation. Every now and again she takes a few laps around the house in two wheel drive instead of four, but she won't be entering any field and track events for a while. With that being said, a new source of entertainment in the house is watching Kate push her dirty clothes basket around. With all the toys from various friends and family that have wheels on them for her to push around, doesn't it figure she would choose to push a wicker basket around instead? It really gets amusing when she goes from hard wood to carpet as she gets that determined look and squished up face and starts grunting as she heaves the basket up and sets back out on her way. Hilarious!
Here she goes with the basket

Today in history:
1912 Jackson Pollack birthday (a good day).
1959 Vince Lombardi was named head coach of the NFL's Green Bay Packers (a good day).
1986 Space shuttle Challenger exploded 72 seconds after lift off (a really bad day).

One of the couples I was very pleased to have met on my recent windsurf trip to Baja, Jerry and Janice Evans who live on Cape Cod, have been posting the daily weather report on the Vela-Baja web site. Being able to "check in" with the people and conditions down there has almost made it an extended trip for me which has been very cool (there is even a mention and photo of yours truly). As a result I have added a few links we like to the blog. Vela.com, Jerry's World (in case you are wondering what the wind is doing in Chatham, MA) and Angela's Pilates studio homepage (can't believe I didn't have that on there already).
I still haven't managed to sit down and figure out how to post video so these new pictures of Kate will have to do for now.
Ok thats it, take care wherever you are, and I hope to hear from you soon.
This one is for Mimi

Baja and Big News

Talk about heaven, look at all those sails and boards rigged on the beach ready to take sailing on the sea of Cortez
Two tents like this full of sails.

Sunset behind the Vela center with the croquet court lights visible on the right side
Why is it that just having your passport in your pocket makes you feel good? Just got back from a week in Baja and had a great trip (more to follow on that) and the big news is... Kate Dylan is walking! That's right she now stands up at will and takes off. In the time I was gone she is longer (taller) makes all kinds of new sounds and is definitely saying something, we just haven't quite figured out what language it is yet. The other day she just started taking steps on her own with a big smile on her face.
On less important news my passport has another stamp in it, another visit to Mexico and this time returning with out any broken bones. Baja was great. The wind didn't quite cooperate as much as I would have liked but I got a couple of days of amazing sailing, a couple days of marginal sailing and a few of days of absolutely no wind. I met a few people who qualify for the most annoying person in the world competition (if there is one) and I met some really amazing people as well. Had bonfires on the beach under a full moon, came in second in the Los Barriles international croquet competition (croquet is taken very seriously at the Vela windsurf resort at the hotel Playa del Sol and an international croquet competition is held almost every evening and twice on no wind days) and I also did some stand up paddle boarding, which I really enjoyed.
View From the Monument
You guessed it... The Monument

It turns out that Los Barriles is a world class mountain biking location as well as windsurfing and kiting destination. So with the wind not showing up a few days I decided to take a couple of rides. First trip was to the monument south of town, a decent ride with a fair climb (it's hard to tell by these pictures because the only camera I had was the Dick Tracey sized waterproof camera that Jenny let me borrow for my trip). the pictures show the view from the mountain looking north up the coast to towards where I was staying. The second ride was out the road to nowhere. I rode about 9k out before turning around, that's right 18 kilometres round trip which I realize is not much for some of you but for me that much time on a bicycle seat is almost worse than the way my legs felt from peddling. The road to nowhere was a multi million dollar highway that was started by a local politician and after getting about halfway to wherever they had planned they ran out of money and the road just stops! There is apparently a small village at the end but basically you ride through a series of climbs through these dessert mountains up one side down the other and then do it again for something like 50 km. I made it up the first hill which is 9km up hill with the angle getting steeper and steeper as you go. As I started to coast down the other side I immediately started to think that I couldn't possibly climb back up this hill again today and quickly turned around took a picture (with the tiny Dick Tracey waterproof camera ) and headed
Looking down the road to nowhere towrds Los Barriles
back to the beach.
The second day of good sailing I busted out the waterproof camera. I attached it to the boom on port tack (headed back to the beach) and snapped away at a few pictures hoping to capture some of the feeling of blazing through the big swell and choppy water that I was enjoying carving through at high speed. Unfortunately what I captured where embarrassing pictures of my ear and double chin. What is even worse is that this was the last big wind day of the trip so I never got a chance to play around with the angle of the camera. After seeing the results of my first efforts I think I could have gotten a few coll shots with the camera mounted on the mast for better a perspective. Oh well maybe next time. Anyway for your viewing pleasure I have attached a few of the less painful shots.


Nice chin!
As fast as vacation goes and as much as I cant wait to get back on the water or have a seat at an uncrowded pool side palapa bar to sip on a margarita after a draining day of windsurfing, hearing Kate's giggle as I tickle her leg and seeing Angela's smile as I walk in the door makes me very happy to be home.

Mavericks tomorrow (not me)/Baja Tuesday(yes me)

Mavericks is set to go off tomorrow with the contest on. They are actually asking people not to go and watch. I wanted to take Kate to see the biggest wave spot in NorCal but it sounds like it will be a traffic jam unlike Half Moon Bay has seen outside of the annual pumpkin festival. Anyway take a look at http://www.mavsurfer.com/main_page/ for more info.
Tuesday I am headed to Baja for a week of windsurfing. Really looking forward to getting back on a board. It will be weird going on a vacation with out Kate and Angela, but Angela is pretty sure I'll get used to it quickly (especially if it is windy). A photographer friend of mine who works with me at Crushpad has lent me a water proof camera that you can strap on your wrist so I am hoping to capture a few action shots to post on this site while I am away.
Today in History: 1991 Congress empowers Bush to order attack on Iraq
1980 Debut of the Pretenders
1973 Trial of the Watergate burglars begins in Washington DC
1973 American League adopts designated hitter rule
If you have never listened to Nina Simone or if it has been a while I encourage you to head straight to the nearest itunes and down load her greatest hits. I have had the song "sinnerman" stuck in my head for days now. The way she plays her voice in that song is incredible.
All right that's it.

Second post same day

Sir Edmund Hillary died today at the age of 88. I am not sure why but I have always been interested in Ed. Not that I have any real interest in joining the pay to play mountaineers that are currently littering the top of the world, but you can't help but be amazed at his accomplishment of conquering Everest more than 50 years ago. I have always felt a little bit sad for his climbing partner Tenzing Norgay though because everyone knows Ed's name but I bet most people don't remember Tenzing (who actually might have been the first person to really summit the mountain). Aside from Sir Edmund's incredible achievements in expeditions to Everest, the North and South Poles he was also a philanthropist who gave back to the people of Nepal and created a trust which helped build schools and hospitals in the Himalayas.
Speaking of great accomplishments KDG is sooooo close to walking. She takes 2 or 3 steps unassisted and then drops down and takes a knee. Anna says she has taken as many as 5 steps with her. I hope she either does it before I leave for Baja on Tuesday or after I get back.

First Post

Gigi and Gramps sent KDG her first Buckeye gear to wear for the big game against LSU in honor of our families joint ties to Ohio and Ohio state. Kate was all fired up at the start of the game but as the clock counted down and the LSU side of the scoreboard went up, Kate's spirits sank. Poor kid, she doesn't yet realize that between her dad and grandad's favorite teams she most likely has a life of sports disappointments ahead of her.