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). :)

Classic "Gold Medal" Delivery by Tony Azevedo

Mel Stewart does such a great job with these videos. I loved the Ryan Lochte delivery, but this one is now at the top of my favorites list.

2012 La Jolla Swim Crew

While posing for a group photo the night before the La Jolla Rough Water Swim, we were asked to get silly. Katie nailed it for sure (lower right). I managed a "hang loose" sign (I'm in the pink shirt in the middle). Sun Devil Masters, you are a great group of folks!

Well, shiver me timbers!! It be Talk Like a Pirate Day!!

Yarrr, Mateys!! Today marks the 10th anniversary of "Talk Like a Pirate Day".

http://talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

2012 La Jolla Rough Water Swim

At the ripe age of 57, I completed my first Pacific Ocean open water swim competition, and what better way to do it than by swimming in one of (if not) the oldest, most prestigious events -- the 82nd La Jolla Rough Water Swim. For those who aren't familiar with this swim, two events are provided for adult swimmers: the Masters Mile (separate men's and women's races) and the 3-mile Gatorman (men and women swim together). I entered the Masters Mile.
Since the event took place on a Sunday, I decided to make a vacation out of it and arrived late Friday evening. Pre-race packets were available for pick-up on Saturday morning in La Jolla village, which consisted of a wristband and the timing chip. To my surprise, I had to wear the wristband as soon as I picked it up, which after thinking about it, made perfect sense. By wearing the wristband, I couldn't cheat by giving it to another person who might be faster than me. Also, it served as my "ticket", so to speak, for entrance to the event. While picking up my pre-race items, I also bought a commemorative t-shirt and swim cap.

(back of the t-shirt)

I'm a survivor!!

Several members of my swim club, Sun Devil Masters, had also entered the event. We enjoyed a practice swim on Saturday. Swimming in La Jolla Cove is like being in a humungous aquarium. About a quarter mile from shore, I was treated to a close-up inspection by a harbor seal.

I'm in the water somewhere in this picture :)

I didn't get any photos of the start of my race, but I took some pictures of one of my team mates using his camera and got some nice shots of the start of the 3-mile Gatorman.

One of the Gatorman swimmers finishing the 3-mile race.

Vintage Long Beach

While visiting my sister, we took a nostalgic drive through downtown Long Beach. My favorite building has always been the Villa Riviera. It was finished in 1929 and has lived several lives until finally being restored and returned to it's original beauty. It now houses residential condominiums. At one time, it was the second-tallest building, and the tallest private building, in Southern California. The 16-story French Gothic building has been called the city's "most elegant landmark" and a building that "has helped define the city."

The building is topped with a steeply pitched copper roof with a green patina, and was designed by architect Richard King who won a grand prize at an international contest for the design that he referred to as "Tudor Gothic." The structure features fierce-looking gargoyles perched along the ridges of the higher floors.

View from the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Pine Avenue.

Copper roof and gargoyles

Old guys rule :)

Rowdy Gaines showed the swimming community at the Tiburon Classic that he still has what it takes, even though he's over 50. :) Nicely done!