Swim Divas, Learning Ladies, Gangnam Style, Finn Hats, and Christmas Sweaters

Christmas 2012 was like no other and was clearly the best holiday season I've experienced in a long, long time. It started with the annual Sun Devil Masters Swim Diva Holiday Party -- what can I say? The Swim Divas are some pretty special ladies, and can they cook! We all got spiffed up for a fun time exchanging white elephant gifts and sharing in some exceptionally good food.

 The Divas with our holiday loot

 My white elephant gift started with a hunt. A poem on a card put me on a quest to "find the cow".

The cow I eventually found was hiding about 40 silicone USA swim caps!

The next swim club festivity of the holiday season was a Sun Devil Masters bowling social. A really fun event, with lots of great bowling and tons of high fives that were handed out. One of the highlights was catching our new Local Masters Swim Committee chairman, Terry DeBiase goin' Gangnam Style.

Terry "Psy" DeBiase

The SDM Bowling Crew

My score was a pretty measly 110, but check out Chandler's 199! Five strikes in a row!!

Another fun event was the annual "Learning Ladies" day at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. I joined four wonderful ladies I've come to know through the Society for Technical Communication, for great conversation while taking in the beauty of the garden. We enjoyed lunch on the patio where we were entertained by dozen's of Gambel's Quail, Doves, Cactus Wrens, and a Roadrunner. The garden typically has interesting art on display throughout the many trails, and this year we were treated to some very interesting seasonal sculptures.

 Summer

 Winter

 Fall, which was my favorite

This picture, which shows three of the four seasonal sculptures, provides some scale. Two of my friends are standing near the Spring sculpture. These works or art were huge!

Last but not least, was Christmas Day, where I spent a wonderful evening with my two lovely daughter's and  Cheryl's boyfriend, Phil. Lot's of fun gifts, goodies, and Christmas cheer was enjoyed by all. So grateful to have been able to share it with my loved ones.

 Cristina sportin' her Finn hat with Cheryl and Phil in their Christmas sweaters

 The table is set, awaiting the festivities

 Me and Cheryl with our Christmas Coffee

 Phil and Cheryl at her father's house showing off their adorable holiday sweaters

Me and my lovely girls, hammin' it up

After noshing on some yummy treats, we headed out for a walk through the neighborhood, where I came upon the most adorable Christmas lights ever! It was a string of little marshmallow S'mores. There are two little marshmallows decorated like a little snowman, sitting on a chocolate topped graham cracker square. Too cute!!

Swimmers -- you gotta love 'em

Meanwhile, in Croatia. :)

Can't wait for Santa this year

Not sure how he'll get this down the chimney, but who wants to go kayaking with me on Christmas Day? :)

The Real Ice Man

Polly Want a Cracker?

Whenever I visit my sister in Lakewood, CA, I can count on being woken up every morning by a large flock of "feral" Red-Crowned parrots that are making their way from their roosting area to their feeding area. Sometimes in the early afternoon, a few will roost in the large Sycamore trees that line my sister's street. I've snapped a few pictures of them, but without having a good telephoto lens, they look like green blobs with a splash of red.
Here are a few photos taken near my sister's neighborhood by someone with a decent camera (http://californiaparrots.us/RCPgallery/gallery_RCP.html).

These birds are so beautiful, social, and raucous!

You definitely know when they're in the neighborhood. :)

In a Sycamore tree notch 

 Taking flight from a Liquid Amber tree

A little toe nibble.

The Wild, Wild West

I work about a half  mile from where this happened. Yee-haw!!

Phelps vs. Lochte

Okay, this is a little old, but somehow I missed seeing this video that was put together by Speedo last year. Pretty cute! Ryan really gets it in the end. ;)

Swim Fast!

My swim club hosted the annual Ron Johnson Invitational this weekend. I swam yesterday even though it was barely 60 degrees, cloudy, and windy (yes, we're talking swimming outside). I swear, at certain times there were white caps in the pool. ;) Thank goodness for swim parkas!
I haven't really been training for competition lately, so I only entered a couple of 50's (Breaststroke and Freestyle), but upon arriving at the meet, I learned my coach had other plans for me -- yes, I was swimming in a relay. Not just one, but four, with two of them back-to-back 400 Freestyle relays (women's and mixed)! At first, I protested a little (yes, you could call it whining -- I've earned the right since I'm over 50 years old), but then I accepted my fate and stepped up to the block and swam for the team. I'm glad I did, because I learned I'm in better competition shape than I thought I was. I enjoyed one of my best meets in quite a while. Oh, and before I forget, a big thank you to Shirley for bailing me out in the last relay. You're a peach!

Here's the t-shirt given out at the meet. A good mantra for the coming year. :)

The "Party Relay" crew -- Katy James, Chandler Papas, Hank Hoffman, and yours truly. :)

It's beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

Early Fall snowstorm in Yosemite produced some beautiful Webcam shots this morning. I haven't been in the snow at Yosemite in far too long.

 Ahwahnee Meadow. I remember pulling my oldest daughter around on a snow saucer here one winter. You can see the Fall color on the trees to the right. And, a rare visitor in the center of the meadow.

 El Capitan. I wonder if anyone is climbing right now.

 Half-dome view from Sentinel Dome. Gorgeous!!

Yosemite Falls. Still no water, but wow, what an image -- from a webcam!!

Happy 3rd Swim Anniversary

Well, it's hard to believe that it has been three years since I made the decision to get back into the pool. 2012 has been a great swim year, and it's not over yet. The highlights of this year include:

• Attending my good friend Elaine's 50th birthday party in California and swimming at the Belmont Plaza
• Swimming in the annual Sun Devil Masters Sprint Invitational
• Attending club socials, including two trips to Saguaro Lake, where I finally learned to water ski
• Visited Elaine and her husband Bruce in Georgia, and attended a long-course meet (I also got to meet the legendary Masters swimmer Anne Dunavin)
• Swimming the La Jolla Rough Water Swim for the very first time (totally awesome)

I have another swim meet coming up this weekend (Ron Johnson Invitational), which will be followed up by another great social. I tell you, Masters swimming means everything to me. I can't imagine my life now without it.

Here's a collage highlighting the past year. Starting at the top left are Anne and Elaine post-meet at the University of Georgia pool (and yes, 96 year old Anne swam in the meet), below them, I'm pointing out the Arizona flag on my cap. I had come a long way from AZ to GA to attend a swim meet. The two hug shots are me and Elaine. The top photo is at the Georgia meet in June, the bottom photo was taken the day after her 50th birthday (can you believe she is 50?!) at the Martin Luther King pool in Long Beach. The group photo at the bottom left was taken the night before the La Jolla Rough Water Swim, with most of the folks in the picture swimming the event. Directly to the right of the group photo is a snippet of me at the LJRWS finish. Next to that in the middle is me "hangin' loose" with my finisher's medal. The photo above shows me on the back of one of the boats we made use of during one of our lake trips, and finally, the photo at the bottom right shows me with a few of my swim club friends after a swim meet. Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!! I can't wait to see what the next year brings my way.

 

Little Jumper!

I recently watched a super-cool documentary on spiders titled "Super Spiders". You can always count on shows like this around Halloween. For the most part, I keep my distance from spiders, with one exception -- jumping spiders. They are the coolest little things, and when I say little, the majority of them are minuscule, but can jump so far for their size. And having more than two functioning eyes, four pairs to be exact -- how cool is that? I found a rather cute video of a little furry jumper that is simply fascinating to watch. I wonder what goes on in those tiny brains of theirs?
To give you an idea of just how small this particular spider is, look at the image after the video. I've added a life-size image of a paper cup with a small 'X' representing the size of the spider. Tiny!!!

Are you in the 3%?

It is estimated that 37% of Americans either cannot swim or are terrified of the water. Of the remaining who do know how to swim, it is estimated that as few as 3% can swim more than 500 meters non-stop.
Sadly, a recent ferry accident in October resulted in 39 deaths when more than 100 passengers fell overboard. 
So, if you (or your child) cannot tread water for an hour or swim 500 meters non-stop, please, for the sake of your loved ones, learn how to swim, and wear those life jackets on board if swimming is a life skill whose class you missed.

Another year older

On Sunday, I enjoyed another great birthday celebration, thanks to all of my swim and Facebook friends, and my two lovely daughters.
My birthday gifts included a $10 gift card to QuikTrip (yay!), a variety six-pack of dark beers and porters (double-yay!!), a bottle of Martinelli's sparkling cider, and to top it off, a Terry's chocolate orange (triple-yay!!!). Chocolate and dark beer -- what could be better. Well, it did get better. After the gift exchange, I was treated to an absolutely scrumptious lunch at Kona Grill in San Tan Village. To start things off, I ordered a Hibiscus Margarita. If you haven't had one, you should. One word: Patron! My drink was followed by my all-time favorite meal, Macadamia Nut Chicken. I made sure to save room for dessert and was planning on ordering cheesecake, but to my delight, our server brought me my own personal velvet mini-cake, complete with cream cheese frosting! Yummy!
After lunch, my oldest daughter headed off with her boyfriend, while my youngest stayed behind and we spent the next couple of hours just talking. A priceless gift, if you ask me, as we don't get to see each other often enough.
Another memorable birthday is in the books. Getting older definitely has its perks!

Chihuahua People!

I don't know why I didn't know this before. You would think that having been the owner of a Chihuahua for 12 years, I would know about this forum: Chihuahua-People!

This fabulous forum uses the same interface as United States Masters Swimming, so even though it's full of little doggy stuff, it has the same familiar feel.

Of course, I can't end this post without including a picture of my own little baby, Chiquita who turned 12 this past September. When she was a puppy, she was solid black except for a little white diamond on her chest. As you can see by the photo, like me, she is becoming more gray as she ages. But, I think she looks very distinguished, don't you?

Remembering Fran Crippen

Two years ago today, the swimming community and the world lost an amazing young athlete, Fran Crippen. His untimely death during an open water swim competition stunned me. How could something like this happen in our sport? Although he is gone, his legacy continues. Because of Fran, steps are being taken to ensure that this never happens again.
My heart goes out to his family on this day.

Endeavour is home

Bonez Sighting!!

When I moved to my current home in 2009, my daughter and I brought her cat, Bonez, along with our other two pets. Bonez, it turned out, did not want to leave his old neighborhood, which was only 1 mile away. We tried unsuccessfully 7 times to acclimate him to his new home, but to no avail. When we thought it was safe to let him out, he would stick around for a day, and then would head straight back to our old house. We tried converting him to an indoor cat, but he was originally a feral kitten that my daughter rescued and he tore up a couple of my upstairs window screens trying to escape. We knew he simply would not be happy living indoors. So, we reluctantly let him go.
Fast forward several years, and while I was walking through my old neighborhood this morning, I chose to walk in a different part than usual, and who did I run into? Bonez! He looks absolutely great! It's probably been three years since I've seen him, but it seemed like yesterday. We spent about 5 minutes together, getting reacquainted. I have to admit, I did cry, and it was really hard to say goodbye. But, I know he is only a mile away, and that he is doing well. He is where he wants to be and he is being cared for.

Bonez, coming to greet me.

Assuming the "pet me" position.

We'll always love you, Bonez.

Feline Baumgartner

Felix Baumgartner made his historic, if not terrifying, leap from the stratosphere this week. And, you know you're not really famous until a LOL or some kind of Meme exists in your honor. Well, to my delight, here is what I found on I Can Has Cheezburger today. LOL!!!

Fall Color in Northern Arizona

I paid my daughter a visit and we took in the majestic Fall color of beautiful northern Arizona. Just a few minutes drive from her dorm is Arizona's Snowbowl ski area. The drive up the mountain provides lots of Fall color viewing, with the Aspens in different shades of yellow and red.

Half-way up the mountain.

Some of the Aspens are quite tall

Snowbowl runs their chair lift year-round, which provides a great way to see the mountains and take in the glorious views.

Looking down from 55 feet up in the chair

The view from the top looking South towards Phoenix

Soaking up the rays at 11,500 feet

Not your usual Arizona neighborhood

I'll never forget my first time visiting Arizona during a business trip in 1980. My manager and I went to Arizona to pay a customer support visit to the microelectronics division of General Instrument. We flew into Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport, but instead of renting a car, we were met at the gate by none other than our customer, who informed us that he would be flying us to our destination. Flying us?! This was fine by me, but Chandler was only 20 minutes from Phoenix, why would we need to fly? Well, I quickly learned that this particular customer lived in a very special neighborhood in Chandler, which was situated next to Stellar Airpark. In this neighborhood, plane hangars, in addition to a standard garage, were the norm. Yup, that's right -- he flew us to his home -- parking his plane in his very own hangar, and then drove us the 2 miles to General Instrument.

Here's a current aerial shot showing one of the streets in the same neighborhood 32 years later. Not much has changed. One homeowner even uses his tennis court to park his planes! To see the planes in greater detail, click the image.

Here's a fun bit of trivia. The microelectronics division I had visited all those years ago was spun off by General Instrument back in 1987 and became Microchip Technology Inc., the very company I now work for (and have for years). The original building still exists, which we now call C1, and every now and then I like to visit it for old times sake. :)

Comparing Strokes

When reading stories on the Internet and in magazines, I see lots of images of open water swimmers. The typical image is during arm recovery, while the swimmer is taking a breath. I have such an image my daughter took of me while swimming in an open water race in Tempe Town Lake two years ago. I compared it to one of my favorite swimmers, Penny Palfrey, and found our styles are very similar. I'm in the bottom of the photo, with Penny on top. The major difference I can see is that since she's swimming in the ocean, she's riding a bit higher in the water (plus she is waaay tanner than me). :)

Beach Decor

After recently spending a week in southern California, and especially 3 wonderful days in La Jolla, I've really got the itch to decorate "Beach Style". I've been working on decorating my spare room "Swim Style", but I would like to take it further with the rest of my house, but focus more on coastal elements than just the pool. Here's my first element. I bought the shells in a great little sea-side shop in La Jolla and found the apothecary jar at Ross for less than $10. Yay!

I really like the glass starfish atop the apothecary jar and took a close-up macro shot with my cell phone. I got lucky with this one. My artist daughter upon seeing it exclaimed "Dude, I want to paint that!". Click the image to see it full-size. The way the light reflected through it is really amazing.

Righting a Wrong

Back in July, NBC Universal announced that pre-orders could be made for their "Go For The Gold" -- Olympic Swimming DVD. And, by ordering early, a free London Olympic pin would be included in the order (providing supplies last, of course). Well, in September, just when the DVDs should start shipping, they announced they would not be producing the DVD and made a suggestion for something I wouldn't consider buying, and informed me that my order would be cancelled and I wouldn't be charged. I was really disappointed to say the least. A few days later, I received an email letting me know that my Olympic pin had shipped. Cool, I thought -- even though the DVD was being cancelled, they were honoring the "free" pin. Not so! A day or so later, I was alerted by my bank that I was being charged $9 and change by NBC Universal -- the exact price of a London Olympic pin. Now my dander was really up!!
Instead of wasting my time contacting their customer support people, I posted my disappointment on their Facebook page and the following is what ensued:

It took more than a week to resolve the issue, and I had to go back to them on the 29th and pose the question "And..." since I hadn't heard anything from them, but I'm satisfied that the issue is resolved. To be honest, resolving the issue through Facebook was easy and pleasant.

Meet Crusty

I am a bonafide cat-lover and have been visiting the "Cat of the Day" site for years, and every now and then, a true beauty is posted. Such is the case today. Feast your eyes on "Crusty". What a beauty he is.

Me and my shadow

I finally got the nerve to cut my hair. I've been admiring Jamie Leigh Curtis' gorgeous silver locks for years and thought her style would suit my face. Well, thanks to my wonderful hair stylist daughter, I now sport a new "do". I got a ton of positive response by my Facebook friends. One of the posts admonished me to now have some Activia for breakfast. LOL! I answered saying I would as soon as I finished helping Harry rid the world of terrorists (a reference to True Lies). :)