New Trailer

First of all: here's the OLD trailer. Not bad for our first one, 25 feet long, but no windows front or back (just side ones), no slide-out, and imagine how we survived with just one door! Very primitive camping.

I am sure glad to be out of this heap; oops...I mean it's for sale! All interested buyers call me.

...and here's the NEW one. 30 feet, huge back window, 2 doors, and in better shape. Clicking on a pic should enlarge it. Your "back" arrow will then return you here.

Check out the 'super-slide". The side wall with the couch and dinette slides out another 4 feet, opening up the main room.

Step inside - pretty roomy. The slide out is on the right. It has four windows of its own. Pretty clean for a 2002 model.

The kitchen area has stove, oven, and microwave. Also a refrigerator and freezer.

Looking back to the bedroom. Haven't made up the queen bed yet. The bathroom, large shower and sink are on the other side of the wall.

Here's my low-tech moving method. Four trips from the old trailer to haul our junk to the new one left me beat.

Lisa got to relax in the evening after putting everything away. Very comfy.

I like waking up in the morning and looking out to the lake, sometimes covered in fog.

The the sun slowly comes up...

It's pretty relaxing to just sit here and look out onto the water. Here is the footbridge, gazebo and "the island."

...and, of course, our little friend.

Napa Winetasting wth Win 'n Mona

Last week, Mellissa and I met Winfred and Mona for a wine country get-away in the Napa valley. We booked rooms at the Silverado resort. Very nice. Four wineries, discount rooms, and a deli lunch all included in the low price. All thanks to Win's watchful eye on travelzoo.com.

So, our first step... Find the wineries!! "Let's see, if we turn left here, we can hit these five going out and another 10 on the way back!" Check out the Calif. Wineries link on the left of the blog page.

We locate the good ones and set out for some serious wine-tasting. Participating wineries included in our package are these:

We hang out, drink wine and champagne, and have fun...

..and after a glass or two....

We head out for more touring around the beautiful Napa Valley in search of other interesting wineries that offer our favorite thing: no fee for tasting!

Of course, we had to get a posed shot:

...and tell Mona a joke...

Check out the Brewer's Blackbird (those curious little birds who frequent the mall parking lots and actually prefer to walk rather than fly). Seeing another male, he decided to puff up to look larger and intimidate his rival.

We were sad to leave the Napa Valley, it's beauty and fine wines, and more importantly, our "buds" Win and Mona. But, the sun was setting and it was time to get back to reality and home.

Viva Las Vegas

I hate going to Las Vegas. During the day, there is nothing to do. I'm hot, thirsty, and have nothing to look at. I can't believe the things I have to endure just to please my family by going. If they only understood my suffering. Umm, hold on ...."Excuse me miss, can you chill the champagne just a tad longer?"

OK, it's not so bad, especially staying at the ever-beautiful Bellagio; to me, the best hotel in Vegas. Everything about it is beautiful; the outside....

Even the carport....

...and they have great bars and restaurants...

Near the Bellagio Cafe, our favorite breakfast spot, they have an ever-changing display, usually coinciding with the seasons. This time it's Spring with a butterfly house (behind the egrets in the pic) to visit. The flowers look great!

I enjoyed the butterflies and got some good shots up close. The large eyeball-looking thing on this guy is intended to look like a large eyeball. In the wild, a lizard would make a grab for (what it thinks is) the head, and only catch a wing, giving the butterfly a chance to escape. Cool, huh?

Here's something I learned about butterflies: The only look pretty from the top or side. Head on, it's a different picture.... click on this bad boy.

While still in the garden area of the hotel, Lisa gets a good shot of Mom with her sons.

...and one last pic from the garden of the giant water bucket (with shooting water) ... cool frog too.

This was a good trip and the first one where Amanda, Rebecca, and Judy all came together. Everyone had fun: Amanda got her hair done...here's the before and after shots..

And Rebecca won money playing video poker! (This shot will be used as evidence in the pending underage gambling trial.)

We never did see Rebecca again. She was so happy to win her money, that she stayed in vegas and is lost somewhere in here....hope she writes soon.

Mom was pretty happy to be in Vegas with her sons, Lisa, Judy, and the girls. Tina, William, and Maya -- we missed you!

Steve picked a real winner for dinner at the Social House. Sushi, sashimi, tempura, and more....fantastic!

Here we are looking smug..

...and I love this shot of Lisa. She is cracking up over something Dan said. It's hard to get a good shot of her laughing; not because she doesn't laugh, she always does, it's just hard to catch that "right" moment...

There are other hotels to visit, but we always like the Bellagio. We do like the Mirage to gamble and see shows....

and Caesar's is grand for it's statues and fountains.

Las Vegas at night...

..and a last shot of the rambler gamblers. A special thank you to Mom for making this trip possible and so much fun!

Triathlon Training

OK, let's get right to it: Triathlon training! Lisa has a triathlon coming up in late April and has been training (with the excellent help of her coach.) First job of the coach - get the unwilling athlete out of bed. Very difficult.

A triathlon is a 3-event race: swim/bike/run. The distances vary from short "sprint" triathlons to the "ultra" triathlons like the well-known Ironman. Lisa's race is a 1/4 mile swim, a 14 mile bike race, and a 3.1 mile run.

As her tri-coach, I decided that a helpful training aid would be to simulate the race by doing a "practice tri" at our local pool, bike trail, and running route, covering the same distances of the actual race.



For safety reasons, triathlons start with the swim race and end with the run, (although I once entered a "reverse triathlon") Better to get tired during the final event, the run, than to conk out during the swim. Here is my little fish:

Remember, clicking on each picture opens it and then click on the "back" arrow to return.

Triathlons have two transitions: the swim-to-bike, and the bike-to-run. The first one is when you come from the swim, grab your bike gear, and head out for the bike race. Placement of your equipment is critical, and making an efficient transition can shave off time of your race. Gear, like your bike, towels, water, helmet, gloves, glasses, etc., is all laid out before the race in a specified transition zone. For this practice tri, we set up the transition area in the parking lot of the gym pool. And, remember: it's a race, so every minute counts!

When the race starts, you hit the water, do the swim as fast as you can, run to your transition area, dry off, grab your helmet, and head out on the bike race. You're wet, tired, and excited. Only one thought crosses your mind: "Did I take the clothes out of the dryer?"

In case you're wondering, I waited in the parking lot during the swim, but rode with my sweetie during the 14-mile bike ride, (tougher than you think) and then waited at home while she completed the run. As coach and photographer, I had a lot on my mind. I need lots of rest.

Here is the fun transition: the bike-to-run. You're almost done, fairly dry, and ready to head out for the run. You throw off your bike helmet and gloves, and go!

And finally, the run. Just over a three mile race, but you're dead from the swim and bike race you've just completed. Your legs feel like Jello when you first leave the bike and start the run since different muscles are used. After a few minutes, you start to recover and settle into your pace.

3.1 miles later, it's over for the sprint triathlon. Hard to believe that the Ironman is a 2.1 mile swim, 112 mile bike over the hot Hawaii lava beds, followed by a marathon, a 26.2 mile run. For this practice tri, Lisa was glad to arrive safely at our house and finish. Lisa did great, but as coach, I was exhausted.
Look for the real race in late April!