At the Beach

We went to a beach on the CA coast today with our new friends. The kids had a great time.
There's some more pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kampyoman/Beach

Here's a video of the kids playing in the sand.

Circus

We went to the circus last weekend. We got there about 30 minutes in to the show, and on the way in, we saw a small parade of elephants and other animals leaving the arena, probably after their performance.



Michael was slightly amused with it. However, he lit up when he saw the tractors at the end of the procession. (See video below)

Empire XC

First XC race of the season. I finished 9th overall, same as two years ago, but 32 seconds slower. I'm not in as good of shape as I was then, but the quality wasn't that deep for the first race. The team did well, with a 36 second spread for the top five, and picking up the win. The points are the same for this race as it is for the later races where we might finish third, even with our A team.


Michael and I have a picture in this same spot from two years previous. Its cool that we're starting to have a history. Maybe Michael will even remember this place next year.

Dammit Run Los Gatos, CA

Ran my first race in about 18 months. It was a "5 mile" with an extra half mile or so thrown in. 2nd in 31:15. The time doesn't really mean much. It was a good effort and I was able to push through to the end. It was a really hilly course and my legs were pretty beat up by the end with the down hills. I didn't really have any speed at the end, but I didn't slow down that much either.

Michael and Edwin cheered for me. Well, I think they did. They were at least there at the start and finish. That's good enough for me. It was fun to do some strides, intermittent with breaks to play with the dirt, with Michael.


(The three of us took a picture in this same spot about 22 months ago. I'll see if I can find it.)

First Day of Preschool

Michael had his first day of Preschool last week. He has been excited about it for the last several months, and I think it lived up to his expectations. When we got there, he was bouncing off the walls, pulling out all of the toys on the shelves and touching everything. When I picked him up three hours later, he was still buzzing around like a bee, touching everything and everyone. I think the stimulation of all the new people and new toys made his brain short circuit. I was a little nervous about if he would get lonely being away from familiar faces for so long. It turned out he didn't want to leave.
We are all relieved.
Edwin enjoyed some peace and quiet at home for a few hours.
Michael has had three days of Preschool now and he still seems to have a blast.