Earth Treks Timonium American Bouldering Series Comp Photos

Today at Earth Treks climbing gym in Timonium, MD Eva competed in the fifth and final leg of the local American Bouldering Series / Friction Bouldering Series indoor bouldering competition.  Her next comp is the ABS regional at The Gravity Vault in Upper Saddle River, NJ on January 16th.  

This was our first time at Earth Treks in Timonium and it is a beautiful climbing gym.  It was big (so it did not feel too crowded), and the climbing problems were varied and good.  It was a long day.  Because there were so many youth competitors (over 100) and only twelve climbing stations, the comp was extended to four hours, from 10:30 to 2:30.  We spent two more hours after that waiting for results to be announced and did not get back to Alexandria until just after 6:00.  

We car pooled up to the comp with Eva's friend Ellie and her mom Janice, and that made the drive go by quickly.  Eva's friends Emma and Rebecca were also competing, and we saw lots of other familiar faces from other comps so Eva was in a comfortable environment.  She got of to a slow start climbing and the waits for each climb were long, so she only carded one finished climb in the first hour.  After that she picked up the pace quickly, and ended up with five successful climbs by 12:30.  Eva had several very strong climbs and ended up with an overall score she thought was pretty good.

While Eva was climbing, I was trying out a new camera, the Canon 7D.  I have been using a Canon D20 for several years, and it is a wonderful camera.  However, digital SLRs follow the same trend line as PCs, and the 7D is about four generations ahead of the D20.  It is way too early for any objective assessment of the new camera, but my initial impression is that it is fantastic. It's low light performance and focusing speed and accuracy were both evident today.  I have not even had time to read the manual, and now I can't wait to dig in and really understand the camera's capabilities.  I tried today to get photos of a variety of our friends and other people we see regularly at the climbing comps.  

Eva did do well today in the comp, ending up with another First Place in Youth D Female.  This was the last leg of the five event Friction Bouldering Series, and Eva also placed first overall in the series, so it was a good (and very tiring) day for her.   She is looking forward to Regionals.  

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Christmas Tree Shopping (and cutting & hauling...)

Today was one of those storybook days whence Christmas fairy tales are made.  For the third year in a row we went to the Snickers Gap Tree Farm to cut our Christmas tree.  Two years ago, the day was very cold.  Last year the day was foggy.  Today dawned to blue sky, moderate temperature and a few inches of fresh snow.  In a word, postcard weather for our adventure. After cutting our tree and dragging it down the hill we enjoyed hot cider while the tree was shaken, baled and measured.  

We met our friends, the Munks, at Wolf Trap so Will could ride with Ross and Cathleen could ride with Tamara.  Wolf Trap was its own wonderland, with sparkling ice on the trees and covering the parking lot.  Our kids played and slid around while we waited for the Munk family to arrive.  This was one of Lyra's first experiences with ice, and it was a good thing she was well bundled because she spent a lot of time falling down.

After cutting our tree we retired for brunch at Magnolias in Purcellville, Virginia.  The food was delicious; I just wish we could have stayed longer and relaxed (and enjoyed some Virginia wine).  As it was, we needed to get Eva back for a play date and Ross back to the Cathedral to sing the Messiah with the Choristers.  

Three years must qualify as a tradition, and we will be back next year, hopefully with more time to relax and enjoy brunch.

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Another video! From Will's recital...

Will played a Sonata by Scarlatti and this jazzy little modern piece called "Bright Orange" by Robert Starer. He wasn't happy with his Scarlatti performance but Bright Orange turned out quite well so here it is. It is short and sweet!

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First Snow

Yesterday and last night we had a small storm that was mostly rain in Alexandria but 3" of snow further west. Today we went to cut our Christmas tree so the combination of fresh snow and blue sky made it picture perfect. Here Eva is playing while we wait to meet or friends the Munks.

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If you missed the Scottish Xmas Walk, you can watch it here!

Despite the rain and snow, the parade went on. I think it was an abbreviated version but it was fun nonetheless.

There was a great big man in a kilt handing out flyers for a Scottish festival...he was shouting "Come to our festival! Eat yucky Scottish food! Watch great big men throw heavy objects!" With marketing like that, how can you pass it up? So I did get a couple of flyers and there's a Celtic festival in St. Leonard MD on 4/24 and the Potomac Celtic Festival in Leesburg on 6/12 and 13. Not sure which one this guy was advertising (maybe it was a third one!) but put them in your calendars now! I will because, coincidentally, the St. Leonard festival is on Will's birthday and the Leesburg festival is on Eva's.

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Lyra has a day of beauty!

Will was supposed to get a much needed haircut before his piano recital today.  But he is very proud of his mane and didn't want it cut.  Lyra loooooves to go to the beauty shop plus Bill TOLD her she was getting her haircut.  Telling her she wasn't going to get to go was going to be unpleasant for everyone involved.  So here she is!  She let Myra wash her hair this time and the final result is really cute!!

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At the Dairy Godmother

The apple cider sorbet was especially yummy! This cute hat is complements of Auntie Cheryl. Eva and Lyra had a fight over it in the car on the way here.
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SportRock Alexandria ABS Comp Photos

Today was the fourth leg of the local American Bouldering Series / Friction Bouldering Series competition calendar.  The final competition is at Earth Treks in Timonium Maryland on December 12th.  

It was great having a competition at SportRock in Alexandria.  It is our local climbing gym, so it is familiar ground for Eva, and they are in the final phases of a major renovation/expansion, and the climbing area is big and the bouldering terrain is complex and varied with lots of overhang.  

Bouldering is scored based on the best five climbs (hardest, highest point climbs) in a three hour period.  For the Junior division this is usually 10:00am - 1:00pm.  Eva got off to a slow start and only had one completed climb in the first half hour.  Chalk dust was bothering her eyes and she was trying some routes that were beyond her ability.  She started to get her groove around 10:30, and posted a couple of more good scores by 11:00am.    By noon Eva had five completed routes on her card that were respectable, but probably not good enough to win.  

We spent the last hour trying to find higher point routes that she could complete.  She found a couple of routes that were 290 and 295 (V2+) that she completed but we could not find any 3XX point routes that she could make.  She found a 555 that she thought she could do, but after two tries it was clear she was overly optimistic (and she still needs to work harder at planning (sequencing) her climbs before she gets on the wall).  

We finally found a 430 point route that played to Eva's strengths, requiring good balance and the ability to grip small holds.  She missed her first try, but made her second try with about ten minutes to spare.  She tried one more route, but did not make it.  

Eva ended up with another First Place in Youth D Female (10 years old and under). 

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SportRock Alexandria Comp

Eva warming up for today's bouldering competition.

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Cheese Girl

Lyra loves soft mild cheese (preferably with a little tang). Her favorite is delice de argental but today she picked out brillat savarin which was similar.

This was at Fromagerie in Old Town. Not quite as big a selection as Cheesetique, but walkable and no long wait.

Funny that when I was Lyra's age the choice was yellow slices or orange slices.

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Eva's 1st 5K!

Eva has been running with Girls On The Run at school and their short season ended today with a 5K race at the National Arboretum.  This was not an ideal day on many levels but Eva was still excited and it was going to be her longest distance to run ever!  The cold and the rain did not deter her and the extra hour of sleep from going back to standard time made it easier to get up and out the door. 

I'd never been to the Arboretum before and anticipated all kinds of navigation problems since I get lost whenever I drive to that part of the city.  There were some mishaps along the way but we arrived with 45 minutes to stand around in the rain (PLENTY of time!).  I've never been to the National Arboretum but I will go back some time on a nicer day now that I know where it is.  Getting there involves driving through a yucky industrial area and then all of a sudden, you are in this oasis of nature!  I bet it is beautiful at azalea time.

There were girls from Eva's school there (this year's school and last year's school) and it was fun to meet her coaches.  Eva ran a GREAT race.  Even with the rain, there were beautiful trees to look at and rolling hills. Eva enjoyed using those downhills to see how many people she could pass.  She took a couple of walk breaks in the second half of the race but she finished so strong!  I am so proud of her!  We crossed the finish line at 9:40.  Somehow I did not look at my watch as we crossed the start line.  It was definitely after 9:02 but not much after.  Hopefully chip times will be posted tonight but I am not optimistic since this wasn't the most organized race I've ever attended.

Maybe it is a new event or it's just too small to cover the basics or maybe the things I am used to on long races just don't make sense for a 5K, I am not sure.  The porta-potties were way past the start line and no one knew they were there until after the race started and it was too late.  Fortunately the Arboretum restrooms were nearby and it was possible to warm our hands under the hand dryers in there.  Also, there was no way to tell how far we'd run: there were little markers to be sure you took the right road for the course but there were no distance markers at all. I thought they'd at least have a sign at each mile.  This made it difficult for Eva to know whether her pace was too fast or not.  I guess I should have looked at the course map so I would know some of the landmarks...Lesson learned there!  There was no water after the race or if there was, we couldn't find it.  Eva really really wanted some!  Then we couldn't get out of the Arboretum because runners were still crossing along the only road that led to the gate.  Getting home was an exercise in frustration and stress as I was running on the memory of fumes of gas and had forgotten my purse!  I was dreading that I might be stranded somewhere and have to call Bill or other roadside assistance for a gallon of gas!

However, all's well that ends well!  We did not run out of gas and Eva had a great race and is ready to do another one one.  We came home to Halloween candy, a messy house and some hot chocolate!  And I will plan a trip to the Arboretum in the spring for a picnic.

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Post Trick-or-Treat Candyfest!

Sometimes I think this is the funnest part of Halloween...the sorting and trading of all the LOOT!  Eva can't eat half her candy because of her nut allergy and Lyra can't have the gum and hard candies because she's little and then everyone has their own personal favorites, so there is a lot of deal-making going on to even everything up.  You can see KC on the periphery of one of these photos.  There wasn't room for him to be right in the center of everything but he always likes to be nearby. 

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At last! Unveiling of the Costumes!

Putting the costumes together took more time than I had expected.  But we finally did it!  Our family dressed up as Interstate 95.  Bill is the road, Will is a traffic barrel, Eva is Wendy's, Lyra is Ronald McDonald and I am South of the Border.  My friend, Tehan, traditionally comes trick-or-treating with us and you can see her in one of these photos as a slimmer, prettier and smarter Sarah Palin! 

It was sort of misty and rainy tonight and so the usual Halloween party street didn't seem as packed as I remember from last year.  Even so, Eva's costume and mine made it tough to maneuver through any crowded space.  But the kids had fun and still ended up with a ton of candy, maybe because people were dumping it in their bags by the handful to get rid of it!  The best part was that Lyra walked THE ENTIRE TIME ALL BY HERSELF.  This is the first Halloween in recent memory where no one had to carry a child the whole time.

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Pumpkin Shopping

Last weekend, we went to buy pumpkins at a nearby large church pumpkin sale.  Each kid picked out a pumpkin and sampled some delicious apple crisp that was for sale (which I will be reverse engineering because it was so good!).  Will finally got to carve his yesterday, i.e., on Halloween. This project is a lot more fun now that the kids are older and now that you can buy those little kits with the pumpkin saws.  They look so cheap and flimsy but they actually work pretty well!

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