Summer Recap '08

Yikes! It's officially autumn and I haven't blogged since late June! And since my audience, my blog-followers, all 3 of you, have recently mentioned the lack of new blog material, I feel it's my duty to bring you up to date.

I'll start a Summer '08 recap here and continue with details and photos in separate blog posts to follow.


I. Fun Stuff Having Nothing To Do With Triathlons, Training or Racing

- School was out June 17, and a return to an old tradition was needed: Car Camping! I took my Camille and her friend Carolyn, a couple of 12 year olds, out to one of our favorite places, Fort Flagler, for 2 nights of car camping on the beach. We were met by Camille’s cousin Corinne, Uncle Chris and Aunt Jamie who live across the water in Port Townsend. The weather was clear, but the stiff wind all day allowed only a few warm hours during midday. Otherwise, it was a chilly few days of camping. Evenings we huddled around the campfire with smoke stinging our eyes as the wind shifted constantly. Marshmallows and chocolate kept us happy enough though.


















- I went to the Fremont Fair and saw some of the Solstice Parade. Love the naked bike riders! Maybe I'll join them some day? I would need excellent disguise (best to avoid: "Oh look, isn't that Camille's mom?" or "Gee, I think that's my home care nurse there on that bike"). I would love to post some of the great photos that a photographer acquaintance of mine emailed to me, but who knows what kind of trouble I could get into for that. If you would like to see some of those creative, humorous, bold, nude cyclists and know me well enough to have my email address, just ask and I'll provide the link.

-Camille joined me at the University Street Fair on what felt like one of the hottest mornings of the summer and convinced me to purchase a "Sky Chair", a sort of hanging, hammock-like chair that is oh-so-comfortable when you try it out after walking around at the fair for a couple hours. I have enjoyed it many times on my back porch this summer!

There is Camille in that "Sky Chair:"

-I joined some old swimming pals and met some new ones on the Fourth of July Road Trip to Deep Lake in Eastern Washington for some car camping and an open water swim. Check out my blog entry from last year for more about Deep Lake: http://agingup.blogspot.com/2007/12/more-deep-lake.html and http://agingup.blogspot.com/2007/11/deep-lake.html

My friend Patty joined us for some camping and relaxing. When we were returning from our 2.7 mile out and back swim, the lake was eerily empty of other people - they had been evacuated while we were out on the swim. There was a fire burning in the narrow canyon leading up to the lake and you could hear the crackling and see the smoke and flames approaching. There was no real danger, but it seemed exciting enough to snap a picture on the way out.

Next up:

II. Backpacking