Last Day of the Races!

After a long season of driving up into the Cascades, XC racing has come to a close for high schools in Oregon! This past weekend, we were in Bend on Mt. Bachelor for the 2009 OHSNO State Championship Nordic Races! The photos will tell so much more! In this shot (one of many I took during the melee) kids from different teams are attacking one another. The mass snowball fight lasted more than 45 minutes, involving more than 100 skiers!
My handsome husband, George, and I rarely have photos of us together. We scored on this one!

My view after a hard day out, on my way back up to the lodge. Mt. Bachelor ahead...

My son and his friend. Erin and Collin have been competing together for several years.

Night Races and Hot Pursuit

Last Thursday, we sped up into the mountains, again, after school. It was "Night Races" time at Hoodoo! My son and 11 other kiddos bucked up, scrambled to finish homework during the drive up, and braved a cold night to race against some of Oregon's best XC skiers in the dark. It was magic. Last year, the course was blinding. There was a blizzard, with snowbanks 19-23 feet high. We couldn't even see the lower windows of the lodge. This year...cold, but no wind nor snowfall.

Start of the boys' race. Lined up and ready!

The lodge glows at night. Brad and my son, Collin (right) after the race. Yeah, so the "Valley Kids" can't really compete with those boys who started skiing at the age of 2, but it's so fun!

Hot Pursuit!

A Hot Pursuit Race is spectacular. Racers have a mass-start, beginning on Classic-Style XC Skis. They race for approximately 2K on these skis, up a mountainside, essentially. On the slope of the mountain, they'll come across their "Skate Skis," stop, take off their classics, put on the skates, and continue on the course for another 3K. We were at Teacup Lake Nordic Ski Area on the edge of Mt. Hood. BEAUTIFUL!!! Our 4th trip here this year and it was THE BEST! Snow began falling just after the race ended and we relaxed in a warm, woodstove-heated cabin!

The race started at 11:00 a.m. The kids had to stand at the line for almost 15 minutes, which caused many of them to "meltdown" and get cold.
Here is my son, coming off of "Wahoo!" From this angle, you really can't tell how tall the hill is. I had to ski through the backcountry to get to the hill so I could catch some shots. He zipped by quickly!

Lunch in the lodge, but a warm fire. It's pretty primative, relatively speaking. No running water or restrooms. There are smelly outhouses outside that the kids try to avoid for as long as possible.

Another Skate Race Under His Belt

Drove another load of kids up to the Cascades today! We left at 6 a.m. and made it to Mt. Hood by around 8:45. Freezing fog was a big issue during the drive. As the sun rose, we came across this view...Here's Collin (my son) during the "transition"section of his race. It's uphill at this point, which requires an excellent skate stride. He zoomed by, heading downhill, much faster than I could imagine going. Ah, youth...
And, finally, here we are..."The Moms." We provided food for over 200 people! It was only 18 degrees out, so we were, at times, a little miserable.

I Wanted One. I Bought One.

It's a classic, too!

Leather seat.

Leather hand-grips.

Solid steel fenders. My New Trek Allant.
Came with a pre-installed rack!

I love it! Even though the temp. will only be around 34 degrees in the a.m., I'm riding this bike to work tomorrow!

The Differences Between My Son and My Daughter...

Similarities first:
1. Extremely intelligent
2. Very friendly and well-received by others
3. Thoughtful
4. Never said a mean word to anybody...outside of this house, that it.
5. Organized beyond belief
6. Creative and multi-dimensional
7. Handsome and beautiful
8. Excellent students and community members.
9. Able to handle change with a snap
10. Able to cook and bake like pros.
11. Both are very musical, playing multiple instruments and having huge music collections.
12. Both are stellar athletes
13. Both LOVE being outdoors, hiking, skiing, camping, backpacking, boating, flying, jumping, swimming, and more!

Differences:
1. She's chatty, he's not
2. She's demonstrative, he's not.
3. She argues, he rarely speaks.
4. She was involved with boys much earlier than he is involved with girls, in terms of "relationships."
5. She's very emotional and psychological, he's not.
6. She NEVER made curfew, he does.
7. She lives far away, he's here.
8. She still comes over to sit with me and hug, he won't.
9. She is all over the place, he's stable.
10.She would study for 6 hours each night in high school, he only studies for 5.
11. She frustrates me, and...hmmm...so does he.

I love them both to death.

Signed up for a Master's Program

After many long years of working my tail off to achieve success as a teacher in my school district...and raising 2 successful teenagers, I'm finally going back to finish that Master's Degree! I've decided to jump onto the "Read Oregon" program, which will also allow me to receive a Reading Endorsement from TSPC (Teacher Standards and Practices Commission). I won't receive any extra pay/incentives for completing this program, but I will feel stronger.

I figure I have at least 12-14 more years of a career in education. I'll never recover the cost of this program, but I better do it before my brain cells begin decreasing at an ever-increasing rate!

Go, Beavs!

A little late in posting this, but I am just so proud of the OSU Beavers!

Teacup Lakes Nordic Ski Area

We spent the last day of Winter Vacation skiing on Mt. Hood! The drive was uneventful, although we did have to take the "long route" in order to avoid the closure on Hwy. 26, due to slides. We left Corvallis at 6:00 a.m. and we out skiing on the trail by 9:30. My son and daughter were there! It was great to meet up with them on the mountain. They'd been in Antelope and had spent Saturday at Smith Rocks, participating in the Audubon Winter Bird Count.
I'm so happy Malory actually agreed to have a photo taken with me!

Hubby and I had so much fun together! He learned to XC ski in just one lesson! What a great guy!

One Lucky Woman!

I am so frickin' lucky! My son, my daughter, and my niece are the best! Thanksgiving Dinner was awesome this year!

My Daughter is in this Photo!

Can you see her? She's the blonde...in one of the letters...wearing clothes...near a bunch of other people...smiling...with a cell phone in her pocket...has on shoes, too.

Oh, man, that man can cook! I'm a lucky wife!

That man can cook! He can cook and then we can eat! He cooks. We eat. I gain weight! Oh, but I'm soooooooo happy, eating what he cooks!

Tonight, George whipped up a batch of beautiful fish tacos! He used fish he'd caught in the Mighty Columbia River...Sturgeon! He steamed it to perfection, with just the right amount of salt and herbs. The fish steamed in lime juice, garlic, and a touch of virgin olive oil. He threw in cilantro at the end, along with a tad of cumin! He made this awesome open-ended salad, spicing it with fresh garlic, lots of fresh lime juice, salt, and cilantro!

The throw-on's included chopped fresh cabbage, diced white onion, chopped cilantro, grated queso, and green onions! Topped it with a custom killer sauce, made from fresh herbs from our garden, Nancy's Organic Plain Yogurt, garlic, lime juice, and chopped jalapenos! Woo-wee! It was spicy and tangy!

This was the finished product! My plate was full when I sat down at the table and empty when I got up.

ORBlogs! I'm Missing You So Much!

Ever since ORBlogs closed up shop, I'm just not into blogging the way I once was! A big part of the draw was in connecting with a wide range of bloggers from throughout this region. I understand why the owner of ORBlogs.com had to quit, but I can't understand why it wasn't passed on to someone to carry on! I know there's an effort out there, but I've seen the attempt and it's not pretty.

As a blog reader, I was informed and entertained by some of Oregon's finest writers! Portland must have a corner on the market for intelligence and variety. I learned about bicycle laws, art scenes, racial conflict, academic reform, drug violence, and pet care while cruising through the blog list available on ORBlogs. Now...eh...no drive to even Google for such information. Just proves I'm lazy (or time-strapped).

Anyway, here are a few pics from recent goings-on in my life.

Whoops! How'd that get here?

Phyllis, Ana, Anita, and me at a recent concert at OSU!

Hubby and me with our geodogs, after a hike and cache hunt.

The best-looking man I know and his happy dog.

Crabby, Crabby, Crabs

We headed over to Newport/Yaquina Bay on Sunday, hoping to score some fantastic Fall Crab. Hubby was delighted to get out his big boat and get us all in.This Little Crabby Crab tried to make an escape and hide. He dropped into one of the cup holders and worked his way down as deep as possible.
I picked him up and dumped him into the drink. Silly Crabby Crab. Don't you know you can't hide there?

My Granddaughter (yes...that's right...um...she's my step-granddaughter) had never been crabbing before, so she enjoyed the challenge of grabbing Crabby Crabs.

View from the frontof the boat, looking West. toward the Pacific Ocean. The Yaquina Bay Bridge was very beautiful and the bay water was calm. Ahhh.

Rocky Moutain High...in Colorado

Flew to Colorado for a long weekend with my beautiful daughter, Malory. She's attending CSU in Ft. Collins. We buzzed all over, doing as much as possible in 4 days as we could! RMNP was on our list of to-dos. Malory ran in a 5K race while I was in CO. It was great to see her run competitively, as it'd been almost a year since she'd competed.This is her new boyfriend, Bobby. He's MUCH cuter than he appears in this photo, and I SWEAR Malory is being an absolute dork. She hates when I take her picture.
The squirrels were very friendly on campus.
The dorm food is nothing like when we were in college! Fresh fruit, huge salad bar, Mongolian grill, pasta bar, wraps, Mexican bar....

Malory (right) with her new friend, Jane. Jane is from Philadelphia and she and Mal hit it off instantly in the dorms.Alberta Falls, up in Glacier Gorge. It was only a 1 mile hike in, so we were doing fine...except that we were at 8800 feet and quite winded.Looking up a ridge during one of our hikes. We had driven along a high road to get here. You can see a road sign at the bottom.On the plane, flying home. The Rockies were covered with snow as I left. A storm had hit while we were out there!

I cried while I slept in my hotel room that last night, knowing it'd been quite awhile before I'd see her again.

Oh, man! What a Debate!

Maybe it's because I'm old enough, now, to understand many of the issues that are a part of our everyday, American lives.
I'm having a hard time grasping all of the worry over the bail-out/stock market issues, as I'm just a lowly educator with few investments. No matter what, I realize that I will still always get up in the morning, drink my coffee, read my local paper, care for my teens, drive to work, feed my dogs, ride my bike, geocache, and plan on small vacations with my Wonderful Husband...regardless of who is in office.
But, my passion keeps me from staying quiet.
I ABSOLUTELY love Barack Obama.
I love his voice.
I love his ideas.
I love his youth.
I love his background.
I love his views.
After tonight's debate, I truly see that my feelings and passions are viable.
I think I hear a man speaking who GETS IT and will make life better, somehow.
When I think of Grandpa McCain in office, I get a few weird thoughts running through my head, such as:
Is it OK to have a president who cannot raise his hands above his head?
Can I stand to listen to his crackly voice?
At what point will I scream when I hear Sarah Palin's whiny, stupid words?
How can Americans elect a man who is slightly vicious? (I really do believe there is a deep evil lurking below the surface.)

My son is now 16. He and I had an interesting discussion this morning on the way into town. I said, "Do you realize that G.W. Bush has been president for 1/2 of your life and W.J.Clinton was president for the other 1/2 of you life?"
He replied, "Wow. I guess I have very little memory of Bill Clinton as president. I've just grown accustomed to hearing how stupid the American president is. I haven't known anything different."
I said, "Hopefully, that will change..."