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Spring will be evident soon enough, though... it's supposed to sunny and 60 on Monday.
3.19.2010
Winter Is Not Going Away Quietly.
Here's a picture of our patio at around 3:00 this afternoon... and the "little storm" isn't done.
Spring will be evident soon enough, though... it's supposed to sunny and 60 on Monday.
Spring will be evident soon enough, though... it's supposed to sunny and 60 on Monday.
3.14.2010
Not quite "Blink, and You'll Miss It." But Close.
While Chloe was at a friend's birthday party, Peggy and I joined some neighbors in downtown Boulder to watch what is proclaimed as the "World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade." Prior to going down, I wasn't sure if by "shortest" they meant time or distance. After going down, I could see an argument for both. It was 2 blocks long. And lasted about 30 minutes, and that included a lot of "dead time" between parade participants. But what a blast we had during those 30 minutes!
It had some things that you'd expect in a St. Patrick's Day parade... Irish dance troupes, bag pipe bands, a person in a "pint of Guinness" costume, fire trucks, etc. But what made this parade so fun to watch were the "special" entrants... the Thursday Night (Bike) Cruisers and their decked-out bikes, the Irish Wolfhounds, and the "Paddy O'Furniture Drill Team." To best explain this last one, visit this link and watch the video in it, and wait until the 3:10 mark.
A quick aside: if you watch the video, you might notice that the blue skies I wrote about in yesterday's blog post can't be seen. Well, the dynamic Boulder weather is to blame... it started flurrying during the parade!
It had some things that you'd expect in a St. Patrick's Day parade... Irish dance troupes, bag pipe bands, a person in a "pint of Guinness" costume, fire trucks, etc. But what made this parade so fun to watch were the "special" entrants... the Thursday Night (Bike) Cruisers and their decked-out bikes, the Irish Wolfhounds, and the "Paddy O'Furniture Drill Team." To best explain this last one, visit this link and watch the video in it, and wait until the 3:10 mark.
A quick aside: if you watch the video, you might notice that the blue skies I wrote about in yesterday's blog post can't be seen. Well, the dynamic Boulder weather is to blame... it started flurrying during the parade!
3.13.2010
Another Season Kicks Off
Under clear blue skies, and with snow-capped peaks as the backdrop, the Banana Bees kicked off another season this morning. It's the same squad as last season -- I think it's been the same group for 3 straight seasons now -- plus one more girl, so the familiarity factor is pretty good.
We arrived at the field early so Chloe and her teammates could get in a little practice before the game -- the regularly scheduled practice on Wednesday was canceled due to snow. After Coach Brad put them through some some warm-up drills, it was time to play some soccer.
Right from the get-go, the Bees looked good... dribbling the ball (instead of booting it long and chasing), and kicking the ball away from the opposing team (instead of running along side of them as they go down the field.) I think all parents hope those things continue for the next several weeks!
As for Chloe, she had a really good game. She played goalie for a spell, but didn't need to make a save as the all the action was at the other end of the field (yup... a bit of a lopsided affair. No score is kept, but I do know that one of The Bees had a hat trick.) When she was out in the field, she wasn't afraid to put her boot in the mix to get the ball or take it away from an opposing player, and she scored a goal!
We arrived at the field early so Chloe and her teammates could get in a little practice before the game -- the regularly scheduled practice on Wednesday was canceled due to snow. After Coach Brad put them through some some warm-up drills, it was time to play some soccer.
Right from the get-go, the Bees looked good... dribbling the ball (instead of booting it long and chasing), and kicking the ball away from the opposing team (instead of running along side of them as they go down the field.) I think all parents hope those things continue for the next several weeks!
As for Chloe, she had a really good game. She played goalie for a spell, but didn't need to make a save as the all the action was at the other end of the field (yup... a bit of a lopsided affair. No score is kept, but I do know that one of The Bees had a hat trick.) When she was out in the field, she wasn't afraid to put her boot in the mix to get the ball or take it away from an opposing player, and she scored a goal!
3.06.2010
Season One - Take 2
Nearly 11 months to the day after "The Accident" and 12 months to the day of my 1st race here in Colorado, I again kicked off another race season by doing, as coincidence has it, the same race I did nearly a year ago: the Frostbite Time Trial near Ft. Collins. Since my 1st race season was cut short, I am looking at this race season as my rookie one, and one where my goals are to race and gain experience. And one where squirrels (and other road hazards) leave me alone. But about today...
I had two goals going into today's TT. The first was to beat last year's time, and the second was create a new personal best for highest average power over 20 minutes (not to bore you to death, but I have this device on my bike – a power meter – that measures watts produced, and the 20 minute average watts figure is the benchmark used to generate my "training zones." I'd go on, but can already sense the snoring coming on.) I knew there were more experienced TTers on TT bikes in this thing, so I didn't have a "place" goal.
Despite the name, the temperature today happened to be quite pleasant, all things considered – low- to mid-50s and sunny. Unfortunately, the wind was sweeping down the plain. This is an out and back course, running north-south-north, and the wind was coming out of the north-northwest at (I'm guessing) over 20 mph. So I knew the out-portion (distance-wise) was going to go by relatively quick, and that the back-portion was going to be a complete PITA. To be sure, it's still a level playing field for all racers, but it sure does change the way one approaches the race (but more on that later.)
I warmed up for about 35 minutes prior to heading over to staging area. During my warm-up, I rode on a separate north-south rode just to see how the winds would actually be. And man, when they were of the "tail" variety, they were nice! I could cruise along at 20 mph easily. But when I turned around and faced the headwinds... ooph. I knew right then and there that the winds would all but made my first goal (of beating last year's time) tough to reach. I got to the staging area a couple of minutes before my start time, drank some sports drink, and waited my turn. At 11:31a, I set off on the approx. 11.5 mile TT.
[Warning: Science Content!] The general wisdom in cycling is: work on the uphills and recover on the downhills. This might not make sense to you at first... wouldn't going downhill be like free energy and wouldn't one want to take advantage of that by pedaling hardest then? Answer: No. And here's why: it takes exponentially more energy to increase your speed by 1 mph when you are already going 30 mph than when you are only going 15 mph due to overcoming aerodynamic resistance.
So, not only was there was a strong tail wind on the "out" portion, it also happened to be slightly downhill with some rollers thrown in. So yes, I could really make some time on this portion. But I always had in the back of my mind that in a very short while, I'll be turning my bike around and facing a slightly uphill racecourse into the same winds that are helping me go about 30 mph, and needing to pedal harder and for a longer time to boot. This is where I had to change my approach to the race: without the wind (or with considerably less wind) I wouldn't have had much of a time difference between the out/downhill half versus the back/uphill half. Now and because of the wind, I knew there would a big time difference, and I had to parcel my energy accordingly.
Because I missed the mileage reading on my bike computer at the turnaround point, I wasn't quite sure how much further I had to go, until I came over the last roller and saw the finish about a mile off. It was then I picked up the pace and was able to finish strong, and (regrettably) with a little left in the tank. Probably, a little too much, actually.
How disparate were my numbers between the out and back portions of the race? The out-portion took me 11:46 to complete and I did so averaging almost 30 mph and 260 watts. As for the equidistant back portion, that took me 23:03, and I averaged a little over 15 mph and 280 watts. So the back-portion took me twice as long to complete (time-wise) at half the speed, using more power.
Overall, for my 1st kick at the can this season, I'm pretty pleased with how things went. My official time was 34:49, which means I wasn't able to beat last year's time of 33:06, so no big surprise on goal #1. But, after coming home and downloading my power data from by bike computer, I found out I was able to achieve my 2nd goal of the race: I now have a personal best for peak 20' average power! With hindsight, I wish I would have pushed a little harder during the back portion, but given my inexperience, I'm not going to beat myself up over that.
I had two goals going into today's TT. The first was to beat last year's time, and the second was create a new personal best for highest average power over 20 minutes (not to bore you to death, but I have this device on my bike – a power meter – that measures watts produced, and the 20 minute average watts figure is the benchmark used to generate my "training zones." I'd go on, but can already sense the snoring coming on.) I knew there were more experienced TTers on TT bikes in this thing, so I didn't have a "place" goal.
Despite the name, the temperature today happened to be quite pleasant, all things considered – low- to mid-50s and sunny. Unfortunately, the wind was sweeping down the plain. This is an out and back course, running north-south-north, and the wind was coming out of the north-northwest at (I'm guessing) over 20 mph. So I knew the out-portion (distance-wise) was going to go by relatively quick, and that the back-portion was going to be a complete PITA. To be sure, it's still a level playing field for all racers, but it sure does change the way one approaches the race (but more on that later.)
I warmed up for about 35 minutes prior to heading over to staging area. During my warm-up, I rode on a separate north-south rode just to see how the winds would actually be. And man, when they were of the "tail" variety, they were nice! I could cruise along at 20 mph easily. But when I turned around and faced the headwinds... ooph. I knew right then and there that the winds would all but made my first goal (of beating last year's time) tough to reach. I got to the staging area a couple of minutes before my start time, drank some sports drink, and waited my turn. At 11:31a, I set off on the approx. 11.5 mile TT.
[Warning: Science Content!] The general wisdom in cycling is: work on the uphills and recover on the downhills. This might not make sense to you at first... wouldn't going downhill be like free energy and wouldn't one want to take advantage of that by pedaling hardest then? Answer: No. And here's why: it takes exponentially more energy to increase your speed by 1 mph when you are already going 30 mph than when you are only going 15 mph due to overcoming aerodynamic resistance.
So, not only was there was a strong tail wind on the "out" portion, it also happened to be slightly downhill with some rollers thrown in. So yes, I could really make some time on this portion. But I always had in the back of my mind that in a very short while, I'll be turning my bike around and facing a slightly uphill racecourse into the same winds that are helping me go about 30 mph, and needing to pedal harder and for a longer time to boot. This is where I had to change my approach to the race: without the wind (or with considerably less wind) I wouldn't have had much of a time difference between the out/downhill half versus the back/uphill half. Now and because of the wind, I knew there would a big time difference, and I had to parcel my energy accordingly.
Because I missed the mileage reading on my bike computer at the turnaround point, I wasn't quite sure how much further I had to go, until I came over the last roller and saw the finish about a mile off. It was then I picked up the pace and was able to finish strong, and (regrettably) with a little left in the tank. Probably, a little too much, actually.
How disparate were my numbers between the out and back portions of the race? The out-portion took me 11:46 to complete and I did so averaging almost 30 mph and 260 watts. As for the equidistant back portion, that took me 23:03, and I averaged a little over 15 mph and 280 watts. So the back-portion took me twice as long to complete (time-wise) at half the speed, using more power.
Overall, for my 1st kick at the can this season, I'm pretty pleased with how things went. My official time was 34:49, which means I wasn't able to beat last year's time of 33:06, so no big surprise on goal #1. But, after coming home and downloading my power data from by bike computer, I found out I was able to achieve my 2nd goal of the race: I now have a personal best for peak 20' average power! With hindsight, I wish I would have pushed a little harder during the back portion, but given my inexperience, I'm not going to beat myself up over that.
2.28.2010
What a Weekend!
Skiing. Sledding. Snowmobiling. Swimming. Cross-country skiing. Ice skating.
These are the things some or all of us did this weekend with friends around Winter Park, CO. With Chloe not having school on Friday (teacher in-service), we were able to spend a 3-day weekend in the mountains with friends, Colorado-style. Here's the rough itinerary for each day: Wake up. Have a gut-busting breakfast. Spend a good bit of the day outside doing something. Come in for an awesome dinner. Hang out with friends for a while. Go to sleep. Then, to top it off, after returning to Boulder this afternoon, it was off to another friends' home for yet another awesome dinner!
Below are some pix and vid of this fabulous weekend. (Clicking on a picture enlarges it.)
Peggy and I after a day of skiing
at Winter Park.
Peggy enjoying the aprรจs-ski.
Chloe making her way back
to the top of the sledding hill.
Nice views, eh?
Another view of the Continental
Divide from our cabin.
Carl, I and Jamie during
the snowmobile tour.
Some sledding videos...
Jamie and Carl snowmobiling
These are the things some or all of us did this weekend with friends around Winter Park, CO. With Chloe not having school on Friday (teacher in-service), we were able to spend a 3-day weekend in the mountains with friends, Colorado-style. Here's the rough itinerary for each day: Wake up. Have a gut-busting breakfast. Spend a good bit of the day outside doing something. Come in for an awesome dinner. Hang out with friends for a while. Go to sleep. Then, to top it off, after returning to Boulder this afternoon, it was off to another friends' home for yet another awesome dinner!
Below are some pix and vid of this fabulous weekend. (Clicking on a picture enlarges it.)
Peggy and I after a day of skiing at Winter Park.
No comment.
Peggy enjoying the aprรจs-ski.
Peggy and Kim celebrating a
successful day on the slopes.
successful day on the slopes.
Chloe making her way backto the top of the sledding hill.
Nice views, eh?
Chloe and "The Blue Flash."
Views of the Continental Divide
from our cabin.
Another view of the Continental Divide from our cabin.
Picture of Rollins Pass, taken
during snowmobile tour.
Carl, I and Jamie duringthe snowmobile tour.
View of Winter Park
and Mary Jane
and Mary Jane
Some sledding videos...
Jamie and Carl snowmobiling
2.22.2010
Cake, Ice Cream, Eggs Benedict and Malt Liquor. Yup, It's a Birthday Party!
"Which one?" you ask. Well, let's just say she's not 40. Yet.
"Why malt liquor?" you ask. A friend gave her a 40 oz. bottle of malt liquor, but crossed out the "40" on the label and inscribed her age.
"Why Eggs Benedict?" you ask. Because when I asked Peggy what she wanted for dinner on her birthday, that was the response.
To celebrate this milestone, I organized a gathering of friends for a little surprise party at a local roller skating rink yesterday. Followed that up with
some ice cream at a nearby DQ. And then, today, had the birthday dinner, cake and ice cream.Happy 26th, Sweetie!
2.20.2010
Peggy, Chloe, and Cocoa & Corduroy
Wanting to hit the slopes after a pretty busy business travel schedule, 
and to have some mother-daughter time together, Peggy picked Chloe up from school on Friday afternoon and made their way into the Rockies to do some day skiing at Beaver Creek on Saturday. (Yours truly stayed home to have some dad-dad time.) And they picked a good weekend to go... several inches of powder came down on Friday night, making for great conditions on Saturday.
So come Saturday morning, after getting some breakfast and taking the shuttle over to the resort area, the snow bunnies partook in a Beaver Creek custom: Cocoa and Corduroy. At the top of the one chair lift, there are resort employees standing there handing out small cups of hot cocoa to any and all who want some. The corduroy part of that custom comes from the fact the Beaver Creek is known for grooming the dickens out of their slopes, and the grooming machines make tiny corduroy-like ridges on the slopes. (Yes, 
Beaver Creek is a bit shi-shi. In fact, towards the end of the day, they have Cookies and Corduroy, but Peggy and Chloe missed that one.)
Another highlight of the day came when they were getting off the one chair lift and Chloe all of a sudden starts spitting out a little blood. (Just bare with me.) Peggy had no idea what was going on, until Chloe stopped in her tracks on the "exit ramp" and started yelling "My toof! My toof!" And there, in the snow, was Chloe's front tooth. It was the 4th one she lost, and it had been hanging on by a thread for a good week or so. A fellow skier who noticed them came along and gave Chloe a dollar!
Because they stayed locally the night before, the got
an early jump on the skiing, which meant that by 2:30p, their legs were cooked. So they headed back East and met me at a local Boulder landmark - Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery - for some apres ski dinner.
(Pictures, top to bottom: The Snow Bunnies waiting for the resort shuttle; Chloe; Chloe playing in the powder; Chloe and her morning Cocoa; "The Shredder.")
and to have some mother-daughter time together, Peggy picked Chloe up from school on Friday afternoon and made their way into the Rockies to do some day skiing at Beaver Creek on Saturday. (Yours truly stayed home to have some dad-dad time.) And they picked a good weekend to go... several inches of powder came down on Friday night, making for great conditions on Saturday.
So come Saturday morning, after getting some breakfast and taking the shuttle over to the resort area, the snow bunnies partook in a Beaver Creek custom: Cocoa and Corduroy. At the top of the one chair lift, there are resort employees standing there handing out small cups of hot cocoa to any and all who want some. The corduroy part of that custom comes from the fact the Beaver Creek is known for grooming the dickens out of their slopes, and the grooming machines make tiny corduroy-like ridges on the slopes. (Yes, 
Beaver Creek is a bit shi-shi. In fact, towards the end of the day, they have Cookies and Corduroy, but Peggy and Chloe missed that one.)Another highlight of the day came when they were getting off the one chair lift and Chloe all of a sudden starts spitting out a little blood. (Just bare with me.) Peggy had no idea what was going on, until Chloe stopped in her tracks on the "exit ramp" and started yelling "My toof! My toof!" And there, in the snow, was Chloe's front tooth. It was the 4th one she lost, and it had been hanging on by a thread for a good week or so. A fellow skier who noticed them came along and gave Chloe a dollar!
Because they stayed locally the night before, the got
an early jump on the skiing, which meant that by 2:30p, their legs were cooked. So they headed back East and met me at a local Boulder landmark - Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery - for some apres ski dinner.
(Pictures, top to bottom: The Snow Bunnies waiting for the resort shuttle; Chloe; Chloe playing in the powder; Chloe and her morning Cocoa; "The Shredder.")
2.15.2010
No Arachnophobia Here
It was a day off from school for Chloe, so after a very leisurely morning – but one where Peggy and I booked our Disneyland family vacation – Chloe and I spent the afternoon together out and about.
The first stop was lunch at Carrabba's (Thanks Howard and Kristin!). It was then off to the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. We visited it back in June 2008 when we came out to Boulder one weekend to look for a place to live, and Chloe felt it was time to go back again to check it out.
To be sure, the butterflies (and moths) do play a
prominent role in the business. And one can't help but walk through the "tropical pavilion" with a little smile on one's face as the guests of honor flutter all around. But as irony has it, perhaps the most famous resident of the Butterfly Pavilion isn't of the winged variety; instead, it's of the arachnid kind. The longest line, by far, was the one for whomever wanted to hold Rosie, the Chilean Rose Hair tarantula.
Chloe wouldn't get near her back in 2008, but was actually excited about having Rosie walk around on her hand this go-around (see picture.)
The first stop was lunch at Carrabba's (Thanks Howard and Kristin!). It was then off to the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. We visited it back in June 2008 when we came out to Boulder one weekend to look for a place to live, and Chloe felt it was time to go back again to check it out.
To be sure, the butterflies (and moths) do play a
prominent role in the business. And one can't help but walk through the "tropical pavilion" with a little smile on one's face as the guests of honor flutter all around. But as irony has it, perhaps the most famous resident of the Butterfly Pavilion isn't of the winged variety; instead, it's of the arachnid kind. The longest line, by far, was the one for whomever wanted to hold Rosie, the Chilean Rose Hair tarantula.Chloe wouldn't get near her back in 2008, but was actually excited about having Rosie walk around on her hand this go-around (see picture.)
2.13.2010
We're an Aunt/Uncle/Cousin Again!
Frank P. Vollaro V was born today, giving us a new nephew/cousin! Early reports are that all are doing well, despite being wicked tired, and that the boy has a good set of screaming lungs!. He came in at 9 lbs., 3 oz. and 22 inches. Some early photos...Congrats Jess and Frank!
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