Colin playing on defense

Colin played in his first soccer season this spring. He particularly enjoys playing goalie. Here he is on defense...

Pizza or French Fries?!!!!!!

Pizza or French Fries?!!!

With winter upon us and plenty of snow in the mountains, we are now spending most of our Saturdays and Sundays at Bogus Basin. Loading the skis, boots, snacks and bodies in the car to make the trek to Bogus has quickly become a weekly ritual. How can you resist the temptation of a ski hill located within 45 minutes from your house? Or a season pass offered to adults for a mere $199? Let’s not forget that kids ski for free until 7 years old!
The first few times, Sidney’s ski experience was limited to just a couple of runs up and down the 100 meter, flat-as-a-pancake, Magic Carpet. I even had to bribe him with a hot chocolate for “one more run”. However, the reluctance of the beginner soon turned into anticipation. He can now ski by himself on easy runs.
Colin is on his second year of skiing and he is very dangerous. He thinks he is the king of the hill, but it still takes him 50 meters or more between the time he decides to stop and the actual stop.
As for me, teaching the boys to ski gave me a fantastic opportunity to stretch the limits of my patience to the edge of human ability.

By the end of the season, they were both enjoying their time, to the point of begging for “one more run” before going home. They have become addicted to the sense of flight experienced while riding on the chair lifts, the chill of the wind blowing on their cheeks as they slide down the mountain, the freedom to endlessly waltz from one side of the hill to the other…

Ok, they are not about to be in the Olympics, but they have made good progress in 10 days of skiing. Can’t wait until next winter for more French fry action!

Ironman Wannabe

Last year in August, I participated in a 70.3 Half Ironman triathlon in Antwerp, Belgium. It consisted of swimming 1.2 miles (1.93 km), biking 56 miles (90 km), and running 13.1 miles (1/2 Marathon or 21 km) for a total distance of 70.3 miles. I had previously raced in some Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons before but never had a chance to test my legs on such a long-distance event. Considering that we were all in France visiting my parents at the same time of the race and the proximity of Antwerp, it was an opportunity I could not avoid. And what a race it turned out to be. I was very fortunate to have the presence of Laura, Colin, Sid, my parents, my godson William and Nono. The organization was impeccable with many feed zones, the entire bike course closed to traffic and the half marathon course of 4 loops on each side of the road bordering the Schelde River in downtown Antwerp. Let’s not forget the ideal weather conditions for a mid summer race (blue sky, 26C, 80% humidity) the thousands of spectators and the finish in the historic "Grote Markt" center square. I ended up finishing the race in 5:02:56 (Swim: 35:45; Bike: 2:52; Run: 1:42). Not too bad for a first time and of course lots of mistakes like getting kicked in the face and losing my goggles and not finding my running shoes at transition 2! The whole experience left me hooked. I couldn’t wait to do it again.

Antwerpen 70.3 Triathlon

It didn’t take long to mark the next challenge on the calendar: June 1, 2008 for the inaugural Boise 70.3 Half Ironman. Having such an event here in Boise is a real treat. A lot of racers can only dream of being able to sleep in their own bed hours before the race and again crash in their own litter the very same night. Since racing on home soil, I can no longer afford to look like a fool so I’d better start to do some serious training…

Week-end Warriors!

Dining room tiling job

We have now been living in our house for two and a half years and since day one we have been wanting to replace the carpet in the dining room. It took us about a year of searching dozens of tile stores to finally come up with a design and pattern Laura and I both liked. We eventually settled on a combination of 18X18 ceramic tiles with inserted mosaic travertine tiles. The work itself which included the carpet removal, installing the cement boards to the wood sub-floor, laying the tiles , and grouting took us about four weekends. Our smartest decision was to cut all the tiles and lay them dry over the entire area. This provided us the opportunity to make adjustments without having to deal with the mortar.

Is the outcome matching our ambitions? Well, considering that this was our first tiling job, the final look is not too bad. Of course, as creators we are able to see many imperfections in our work, but hopefully you won't notice them!

An evening with raptors

Bald Eagle named Liberty

Yesterday, thanks to our friends the Calvins, we had the chance to attend a presentation on birds of prey also known as raptors. Not only did we learn about these wild birds and their essential part in the ecosystem, but we also saw some amazing real life specimens within arms reach.

Jane Fink, a raptor biologist and Master Falconer, transported four magnificent birds all the way from Coeur d'Alene to Boise for Bald Eagle Days. A sparrow falcon, a red-tailed hawk, a great horned owl, and a bald eagle. These four species can simultaneously be seen around Boise and more specifically in the Barber area where bald eagles nest during their winter migration.

You may be asking why these birds are in cages and not in the wild. At one point in time, they were in the wild, but after falls from nests, failed poaching attempts, or human imprinting, they have all been rescued from certain death. Scientists, like Jane, provide these birds of prey with medical treatment and rehabilitation with the ultimate goal of returning them to the wild. The birds we met were unfortunately unable to return to the wild. All four of them were found injured and then fed by humans, which lead to an irreversible condition of human imprinting. The birds identify humans as their food source and can no longer feed themselves in thewild.

Although now permanently cared for by humans, these magnificent creatures have wild instincts and we were all to keep quiet and still during the presentation. Usually, the bigger the bird, the more frightened of humans they are. Jane slowly opened the last box containing Liberty the bald eagle and enticed it to her leather glove. As soon as the box's wooden door was fully opened, Liberty got spooked, spread her wings wide (6 feet wingspan), and tried to fly away. She was quickly pulled back down by the chain linking the ring around her feet to Jane's leather glove. After five seconds upside down, Jane managed to pull the bird back up to a normal stand. Liberty's wings were so powerful. It felt like a giant fan was turned on in the room during those five seconds. All the kids were impressed by the display of power. Later, as Jane was narrating the story of Liberty, the bird suddenly squawked at the audience causing everyone to jump from their seats. She finished the presentation quite nicely.

For more information on Jane Fink's organization "Birds of Prey Northwest" check out this link www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org/index.html

New Year's Resolution!

Well, here I am trying to fulfill my new year's resolution of starting a family blog, maintaining and updating it with relevant posts. If you know me, the mere act of typing these few sentences is a miracle in itself. Happy reading...