Merry Christmas Everybody!

Santa and entourage
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niIJ9Yb-xwQ

What could be more American than watching Father Christmas water-skiing with his reindeer and elves on Christmas Eve; unless maybe they drove around in monster trucks, possibly with gun racks, and let's face it that probably did happen somewhere further south. After meeting up with Lynn, Roger and their family we went to a really posh Chinese restaurant and then went home to relax in front of the big screen watching films; "It's a Wonderful Life", what a classic!

On the big day I got up and after making myself presentable, made three cups of tea and Helen and I woke Kitty up and sat on her bed drinking tea and opening stockings. Then, after a brief hiatus, we nibbled Mexican biscuits while opening presents which took a long time considering there were only three of us.

Sybil and Alan rang shortly after we started playing on the Wii and we all picked up phone extensions so we could conference call. Eventually we got round to preparing lunch and I left Helen and Kitty playing with the Wii Fit while I prepared the Festive Terrine, then Helen took over to prepare the Quorn roast and all the trimmings including veggie pigs in blankets.

We had a brief Skype video conference with Sylvie, Gerry, Judy, Paul, Amy and Andrew who were all in St Peter Port slowly recovering from their lunch. Kitty practiced using her waiter's friend by opening a bottle of wine, which she obviously couldn't drink because she was under 21, and then we sat down to lunch at three.

After lunch we watched the Queen's speech on YouTube and watched a few more films before getting the energy and appetite for Christmas pud after six o'clock. Helen and I managed a few light snacks for dinner after that but Kitty was stuffed!

Oh well, it's Boxing Day and all the neighbours have turned off the lighted displays are taking down their decorations. We've done our morning exercises using the Wii Fit and will try and get out of the house for more exercise and have another relaxing day. Well at least lunch will be easy as we've got all the buffet food left and there's always Christmas cake!

Winter Wonderland

All done bar the eating
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

Winter Wonderland - Video

Catherine arrived on Saturday and after a delay picking up her luggage we brought her back to the new house for dinner and a quick tour.

Sunday was an early start as we went to the mountains with friends from work. After a long drive and snooze time for some (but not the drivers!) we arrived at Whitetail resort and spent some time sorting out tickets and rental for all the newbies. Unfortunately I didn't get to ride with Catherine or Helen as by the time we had sorted everybody out and given Rhod some tuition Catherine had fallen and twisted her knee :o( The good news is that there was no break and she is hobbling round at a good rate now.

On Monday we went looking for a Christmas tree and pickled onions, the first was a bit of a problem as most places had closed for the season and the second a big challenge as it's not an American thing. Well, we drew a blank with the onions despite going in lots of supermarkets, but we did get brandy and sherry, but the local school tree sale seemed to have gone out of business.

Tuesday was more successful as Catherine and I picked up a cracking tree at half price at a local garden centre, it seems that most Christmas decorations get put up the day after thanksgiving and taken down on Boxing Day (which doesn't exist here). We popped into Crystal City in the afternoon to meet up with Matt Nurse and picked up a good tip which led us to the World Market and two jars of pickled onions (thanks Andrew)!

So yesterday evening we were sipping egg nog and dressing the tree!

Rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2GtrGnAIRk

The weather has been somewhat variable just when I thought it had settled into "proper" winter weather. It started well with lowering temperatures and more rain than last year which gave the hope of more snow at the local resorts. We've had icy conditions and then a light dusting of snow, but then the temperatures rose into the twenties making it too hot for winter cycling and running gear.

Hopefully the weather has settled back down now but the combination of the rain and some long days at work have meant fun cycling home. This time of year can cause problems with visibility for me as the position of the cycle path means that I get blinded by the lights of oncoming cars and when it is raining the glare and lower visibility makes it even worse. There's little danger of me "interacting" with the oncoming traffic as the path is about ten metres from the road but it can be unnerving when I suddenly can't see and don't know if I am going to go straight off the winding path and hit a tree. So, there is a lot of harsh braking and swearing. To date I haven't hit anybody, but I have noticed that this year's colours for walking and running are black and other dark colours and I did nearly run a cyclist off the path during a heavy downpour as I didn't see him/her/it as they had no lights on.

Helen took time out of her hectic schedule and visited the Ambassador's residence for a Spouses Association coffee morning; although it was very pleasant and there were posh sandwiches I can report that there was no Ferrero Rocher!

We're looking forward to Kitty, who moved home last weekend, arriving on Saturday to spend Christmas with us, the only big job left before she arrives is to put up the house decorations. We've got lots planned for her and I look forward to reporting on the buying of the Christmas Tree and skiing expeditions.

This week at work we hosted a reception for our US colleagues which was a great success if somewhat overwhelming and then yesterday we opened the office Secret Santa presents before heading off for our Christmas lunch. I was lucky enough to get some curling tongs, but now I have to determine whether to use settings 1-5 for "delicate, thin, easy-to-curl hair" or 21-25 for "hard-to-curl hair"; on reflection I think it will have to be the higher setting as there is no way my hair is "easy-to-curl".

Waiting for my man

Porter Lane
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UpFGoJHwLI

After over a week without TV, phone and internet the installation guys are here setting things up. We had hoped they would be here last week but as we were moving from one supplier to another things weren't that straightforward. The good news though is that the phone number is the same.

The movers arrived early a week last Wednesday but even though we were moving less than a mile it took two trips and we didn't get to start unpacking in anger until late afternoon. We elected to move some of our things, like the bikes, but we also had to move all the food and liquids. After the movers left we were still left with a lot of unpacking and all in all it was a long day.

Thanksgiving saw us cleaning the old house before heading out with Roger and Lynn in the evening to Bilbo Baggins for dinner and some well deserved ale.

Helen is back in the UK now and I'm bimbling round the house doing the odd thing here and there as well as some last bits of Christmas shopping including buying crackers at TJ Max. This is one of the cultural oddities in that the US are, in general, unaware of this Victorian invention so they are difficult to get here. I don't even want to get started on mince pies and how much they cost when you do find them.

Ireland's Call

Ireland's Call - video

Right now we're at Yardley Court waiting for the packers to arrive ahead of the move tomorrow. The phone company managed to cut us off yesterday a full 24 hours ahead of schedule just as I was trying to sort out services at Porter Lane. It took a long time working out what companies could provide the services we required and it may be a few days before we come back on the net although our phone number should remain the same.

OK now that's out of the way I'll fill you in on what I did in the UK last week apart from work. Kitty and I went to Demuth's, a veggie restaurant, for dinner on Monday night. Kitty gave me a brilliant homemade card and a couple of birthday presents. On Tuesday I picked up Catherine and took her to the Indian restaurant across the road from the hotel, and after dinner led her and a group of Americans into the real countryside for a pub crawl.

On Wednesday I met up with Lawrie who had arranged to stay in the hotel as he was working in the area. We had dinner at the same Indian restaurant across the road, one of the few things I miss about the UK, and then sat in the restaurant bar watching the England Germany football match. We exchanged birthday and Christmas presents; I hadn't given Lawrie his birthday present from May this year.

On Thursday I met up with Kitty again and after running a few errands we met up with Sybil for dinner and got more birthday presents as well as a birthday cake! On the way back we stopped of in Sainsbury's to do a bit off shopping for things that are difficult or expensive to get in the US; daddies sauce, marzipan, bisto, tea bags and chocolate. I also took the opportunity to sample some new quorn products; pork pie, party egg and sausage roll!

Now for the fun bit! I had a bit of a panic about the bag being too heavy so I transferred a few items to my back pack just in case, but when I got to the airport the bag was well within the limit so I transferred them back and headed to check-in with cake in hand. When I got to security I realised I had left the marzipan in my backpack and had to go back to check-in. At last, after the cake was x-rayed, I had a quick cup of tea and boarded the plane.

Mid-way through dinner I felt the plane slow, start to descend and then a short while later decelerate and descend rapidly. After a few minutes the pilot informed us that the over-temperature alarm for the undercarriage brakes had come on but could be a spurious alarm. The plane turned around and when it had slowed enough they lowered the undercarriage to see if they could spot the cause, plus if there was a fire it might get extinguished by the airflow. As the results were inconclusive and to play it safe we overflew Shannon airport so the control tower could look at our undercarriage. Again the results were inconclusive so we landed at Dublin airport with the fire service standing by. After a few hours, and some uncertainty over whether we would return to Heathrow for a new plane and even a new crew due to the delay, the cabin crew bought some sandwiches and crisps for our journey on to Dulles.

We were all very tired when we arrived and as I stood at baggage claim after breezing through security I suddenly realized I had left the cake on the plane! The ground crew were kind enough to fetch the cake for me and after queueing for an abnormally long time to get through customs I met up with my driver for the trip home. Even though it was late I ordered pizza and, as it had been my birthday for some time (GMT) I had a glass or two of scotch and then went to bed; aaaaah!

Don't Leave Home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HiYBAyI7ys

What a week! First off the Embassy neglected to book a ticket for me to fly to the UK on Monday for some meetings. I'll spare you the gory details which included me travelling to and then back from the airport but the end result was that I ended up staying in DC. Not a happy bunny!

Tuesday was a Memorial Day which was a day off for us lucky civil servants. The next day at work I cancel and amend hotel and car bookings, booking a flight for the second week of meetings; oh and for good measure I get a hard time for the booking failure. On top of this we're trying to sort out a new house to live in plus both of us trying to do some real work.

I had an awful night's (lack of) sleep on Wednesday evening which contributed to the medium bike accident I had on the way to work. My right wrist and head took the impact and I went to the Emergency Department of our local hospital. The helmet did it's job and I got a small bruise and abrasion on my forehead but my wrist hurt like hell when I moved it. The x-ray results were inconclusive so they put my wrist in a temporary splint and referred me to a orthopaedic consultant or bone doctor as we call them in the USA. After a relatively quick visit to the consultant the verdict was that there were no fractures just soft tissue damage so I got a slightly more comfortable wrist splint with instructions to take it easy

We had a small visitor in the house which I spotted scampering out from behind the TV! We tried trapping the mouse using Hershey's "chocolate" but unsurprisingly even though he was an American mouse and probably very hungry he wouldn't take the bait. In the end Helen and I herded him into a plastic box and I evicted him back into the garden. He was quite a brazen little thing and after trying to grab him without squeezing him he started scampering up my arm; I hope he doesn't get bullied by the squirrels.

Talking of squirrels the removal man came round to work out what volume of belongings he had to transport a few blocks to our new house and he was happy to transport our squirrels if we packed them. After an emotional discussion Helen and I agreed that it would be best to make a clean break and make friends with some new squirrels. It looks like our moving date will be 26 Nov and we will set up mail forwarding and hope to keep the same phone number; we'll keep you posted!

This time the Embassy came through and I flew to the UK from Dulles on Sunday evening and I sat in the lounge at Paddington tapping away at my laptop waiting for my train to Bath. I'm in the hotel now and will have to head off soon as I have a dinner date with an eighteen year old Girl - Kitty.

Autumn Leaves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAD_KULFBo

After loads of trudging around and seeing some truly awful houses we've found a suitable house a few blocks away from where we live now. It is now up to the Embassy to finalise a contract with the realtor and arrange a moving in date and all the fun that entails. In the meantime I'm off to the UK for two weeks of meetings.

After toying with some frosty, then cold and damp weather we've hit some very mild weather. I know it is autumn because there are loads of leaves on the ground and it is dark for part of my ride to and from work. It can be awkward riding home on the bike path against the traffic because their headlights tend to blind me. Add to this that when the path is covered in leaves it looks just like the bits that are not path which are covered in leaves, runners and walkers wearing this season's colour (black) and the odd bike ninja is can be a bit sketchy. It is wrong however that I should be raking leaves in shorts and a singlet and sweating!

That's about it for this week; oh yeah I almost forgot there was this election thingy too you might have heard something about it.

Some Candy Talking

Fresh earth
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZX9pfb-IgM

Dang, we were doing so well with the blog and then we failed to post for over a month! We've got some big updates for you though.

Firstly at the end of September we travelled up to Massachusetts for Lee, who works with Dave, and Kelly's wedding. The weather was abysmal but the wedding and the reception were at the same venue so it wasn't an issue. The wedding itself was great (and short) and we danced quite sanely as well as like maniacs. It was also a good opportunity to see the giant chair in Gardiner http://www.flickr.com/photos/11463478@N00/2889740511/in/photostream/ but the whale watching in Boston was cancelled due to the high sea state. The drive back home in the wet weather wasn't too demanding but we saw two cars on their roofs.

Sybil & Helen arrived for a fortnight stay and we did loads of walking, saw loads of wildlife, and plenty of sights. Midway through their stay Helen skived off to Houston for a conference and took part in a 3rd in her age group in a 5k race.

I took Helen to our second gig of the year in at Tiffany's Tavern in Alexandria; a five piece Bluegrass band which seemed to be comprised mainly of pensioners.

last year we missed Halloween at home so this year we went the whole hog by decorating the yard, carving pumpkins and buy loads of candy. The kids who called trick or treating had all dressed up and a lot of the costumes and make up , ranging from cute to scary, were great. They were also very polite albeit more focused on the candy than dialogue and we had to force most of them to take more than one piece.

The on piece annoying news is that our landlord is facing foreclosure, not annoying in itself but it does mean we have to move house. We have spent most of the last week worrying about moving and looking for something pleasant in the area We have found a couple of promising prospects it just depends on the Embassy getting their act in gear.

Summertime

The boys
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PW03J9JIRw

The journey home from Pittsfield was fun, firstly the flight was a bit late leaving Albany Airport and I only had 30 minutes at LaGuardia airport. I did get a bit worried when the stewardess walked up the plane asking who was heading to Baltimore, but when she explained I'd have to get of the plane at LaGuardia and then back on for the flight to BWI realised I wasn't going to miss my connection. When I fell out of the airport and into a cab the whole evening moved into the twilight zone as my cab driver was a Beatles loving Ukranian who was also into Nazareth. At least I got home safely even if it was 1140.

After a well deserved lie in I got up to clean the pool and shortly after the Verizon man turned up to install the fibre optic internet and phone connection which took a while and somehow we have managed to get a reduction in performance to about 1meg so Helen is calling them today. Later in the day we drove out to Dulles to pick up Emma, who joins the office this week, her husband Rhod and her daughter Kiera. We had planned to go out for dinner after dropping them at the hotel, but it was a bit early and we couldn't be bothered hanging around DC until we were hungry so we decided to be boring and headed home.

Saturday was a very lazy day for me, Helen did a bit of shopping, cleaned the pool and did some work but Sunday was a different matter. After a short lie-in we cycled into DC to watch the ING Direct Capital Criterium which was 85 laps of a 1km course just off the National Mall. The action was fast and furious and not only did we get to meet four members of the Garmin Chipotle team we also spotted the team manager Jonathan Vaughters being interviewed on a side street- yeah I know we're sad. The weather was cool and sunny and perfect for watching the action as well as our cycling, it was a shame that the boys didn't even podium but they got involved in a lot of the moves.

After cycling home for a sleep (Dave) and dinner we headed out to DC again, this time in the car, to see Booker T. and the M.G.'s in concert. The club was wonderfully dingy with two bars and even a kitchen for food. Surprisingly the club wasn't that busy to start with and it was interesting to see most of the "oldies" sat down on the balcony for most of the concert. The lineup of the band was close to the original with Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Steve Cropper (guitar), Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass) but with Al Jackson Jr.'s cousin Steve Potts (drums). For those not in the know the band was Stax records house band which released a number of instrumental soul albums and are most famous for their hit "Green Onions". As the evening progressed the band and the crowd got livelier and then Eddie "Mr Knock on wood" Floyd came on stage to add some vocal accompaniment and entertainment as he wood a couple of ladies from the audience. They must have needed their ovaltine as there was one encore and we were home by 1100.

For those of you who don't know or don't remember Booker T. and the M.G's here's a hint http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyFpvH1OtuA oh and the Test Match Special theme tune http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnXfDhTrnTk was one of theirs too.

On a final note the temperature has dropped all of a sudden and we've had the air conditioning off for four days and this morning I had to wear a gilet and arm-warmers on the bike; saying that the average temperature is still in the mid twenties so it's not exactly hot water bottle weather.

I want to ride my bicycle

Helen's new bike
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

After weeks of searching I found a reasonably priced frame to build a single speed bike for Helen. The bike is about one year younger than Helen is and the components are non-standard so if the frame is the right size I'm going to have to do a bit of research to source the size right parts, find adaptors or refurbish the originals. At least the bike will be several kilos lighter when the pie plate comes off that rear wheel! I'll keep you posted but try not to bore you (too much).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CTPLUcQAjk

After two weeks away on the west coast Helen flew back into Reagan National Airport on Tuesday evening so, as the airport is close to my office, I spent a long day at work so I could pick her up. This also meant I spent a little bit more time with her which was important as I left home at 0400 the next day for a two day trip to Massachusetts. Massachusetts is a bit further north than DC and the temperature is much lower; for example today it is 27°C at home and 17°C here in Pittsfield. So instead of being hot in shorts and t-shirt, I'm cool in long trousers and jumper.

Rocky Raccoon

Unhappy bunny?
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8d39dEnfds

This should bring things up to date for now.

We had a fair bit planned for the Labour day weekend (end of August), first there was Matt's last day, the boss's birthday party and a bike ride. The bike ride was hard work as we took our mountain bikes and I didn't have road tyres and there were some steep hills. The big bonus came when we gt back to the parking lot and found they had set up a farmers market were we were parked; I kid you not, there were stalls in the spots either side of the car. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth we bought some jalepeño goat cheese cheddar and bread rolls from the stall next to us and some tomatoes and sat down on at a bench for an impromptu picnic.

You can see from the picture we had an interloper in the pool. I was outside with Helen when we heard a splash and Helen said, "There's a raccoon in the pool.", and sure enough this character was climbing up the steps out of the pool. We didn't see it fall in but I assume it hadn't used the springboard and had been trying to get a drink and overbalanced. It wasn't very well so we got a box for it to shelter in and some water to drink; it wandered of in the night and I hope it was OK.

I dropped Helen off at Dulles airport the day after the long weekend so she could fly off to the west coast for a study tour, you can see what she did and check her photos out here - http://www.helenkingconsultancy.co.uk/blog/

So I'm left home alone for two weeks; what to do apart from play on the Wii, watch TV and eat badly? Helen wants to try out single speed biking so I've been checking out craigslist for a frame to do up and I stumbled across a unicycle for $20; how could I pass up the chance to smash my front teeth? The unicycle needed an overhaul and I'm waiting on some cotter pins to arrive so I can fix the pedals on firmly. I'll keep you posted on my/our progress.

The day I picked up the unicycle tropical storm Hannah blew into town, blew over some power poles, trees and dumped a load of rain in our pool as well as the rest of the DC area. I had to pump out the extra water and fish out all the leaves and twigs.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I will say that it was a bit odd flying back to the UK a few day's before Judy, Paul and Amy.; I think they enjoyed the pool and the peace.

My flight over was OK, if a bit bumpy, but the weather was a bit of a shock as I sat on the train to Bath I watched the countryside rush past under leaden skies. I didn't have much time to myself due to the meeting I was attending but I did manage to pick up Catherine and take her over to Mum's to go out for dinner. On the way back after dinner I took Catherine to Sainsbury's to buy her some groceries as she's now living on her own and buy her a little something for passing her A levels and of course for her upcoming birthday. Oddly enough I had a great time pootling round the supermarket chatting about coffee and stuff.

http//www.imeem.com/smhartass/music/57g3sGpu/peter_paul_and_mary_leaving_on_a_jet_plane/

Take me home country roads

Farmer Ray
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

After getting ourselves together we headed back north once more and popped into Great Country Farms. After grabbing some food in the shop for a quick refuel we released Paul and Amy into the play area and petting farm. After some encouragement we managed to get the kids to hand feed the emu and geese and Judy broke the law by playing on the huge inflatable pumpkin. To get some respite from the sun and to rest our weary legs, we grabbed some ice creams and took a hayride out to the picking fields where we had the opportunity to pick beans and blackberries.

Possibly even more exhausted than before we headed out to Baltimore to get rid of Judy to Vermont and then headed back home to bed at last. The next day we headed out to Wakefield park for some mountain biking. Despite a couple of early tumbles we managed to head up and down some steep slopes and even over some steps. We passed within a couple of metres of a deer (which some of us saw!) and then we lost Helen to a quadruple puncture. After the halfway turnaround we passed within a few feet of a chipmunk standing at the edge of the path (which some of us saw!) and then after some quick instructions Paul and Amy impressed me by crossing a small river and up the bank the other side and then up and over some bumps!

After welcoming Judy back home, the next day or so saw us taking it easy around the pool, going to a party where we all deported ourselves well and going for a ride on our bikes. The party was a good mix of Brits, Americans, Civilians and Military; Paul had an impromptu karate lesson from a black belt and Amy flirted outrageously with a USAF medic (Dr Evil). The bike ride was more tame than before as we were on the bike trail (and some of us were still sore), but we rounded it off with some fast laps around Fort Hunt Park with Paul as Amy and Judy reclined on the grass.

Almost up to date now, the next entry I'll tell you about my trip back to the UK and then some details on a couple of visitors to Yardley court.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC8nDdPM_Qk (think "North Virginia" instead of "West Virginia")

Shenandoah

Rapids!
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

We were all tired on the Tuesday, but thankfully our next adventure was much closer to the cabin so there was a bit less driving. We picked up lunch at subway on the way to the Shenandoah River Outfitters, a more experienced family had less trouble finding their way through the bewildering number of options after the confusion we had in Front Royal. We arrived at the outfitters at 1030 for our 1100 booking to give us plenty of time to watch the training video and select our paddles and buoyancy aids. There was a slight problem though, apparently the 1100 booking doesn't leave until 1130; to use a US expression, go figure.

After a snack and a bumpy ride on an old yellow school bus down unpaved single lane roads to the launch area. The starting line up had been agreed in advance which meant Amy shared a canoe with Judy & Helen and Paul rode with me. I think Paul and I did very well given that we had the biggest weight disparity and the front of the canoe veered with the slightest breeze. After some turtle spotting and going down the biggest rapid so far we took a swim in the river and Amy lost one of her shoes. We swapped over for the last stretch and Paul drilled Helen and Judy in the correct paddling technique.

On the way back to the cabin I persuaded everybody to stop for frozen custard which was your basic vanilla with all sorts of toppings and sauces. Helen and I shared Blackberry, Paul had chocolate and Amy had gummy bears and chocolate sauce! I can't remember what Judy had; probably because she ate it so quickly ;o)

After a lovely home cooked dinner, monster smores we all disappeared to bed, ready for a long journey toward home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKzesULKLn8

Rawhide

Our first appointment with adventure in Shenandoah was a trailride which, due to late booking of the break was quite a drive away. When we eventually found the farm, we saw the horses being lead up to the chuck house by our guides and after a quick fitting (lengthening Paul's legs) we were off. The guides were very friendly and helpful and everybody seemed to get the knack of riding very quickly and we had plenty of time to see the scenery and a couple of deer close up.

After real lemonade and cookies we all felt a little tired and one or two of us a bit achy, Amy still hasn't shaken off her saddle soreness, and we decided to drive to a local farm to stock up on food and have a picnic. The food was delicious and with the pleasant weather we made good use of the playpark.

Later that evening after a Chinese diner to celebrate our third wedding anniversary we discussed the premise given to us that riders become like their horses and we think we have established it is the other way round and that the guides either picked horses to suit us or the horses picked up on our bad habits. As far as I can recall the horses demeanours were like this:-

• Dave's horse wouldn't stop snacking and got competetive when the other horses sped up
• Helen's horse didn't do as it was told and was very wilful
• Judy's horse did do what it was told and was very compliant
• Amy had the prettiest horse
• Paul's horse was very competetive, kept cantering ahead and not listening to instructions

You'll have to pester Helen & Judy for photographs of the horse riding, but in the meantime here's another treat for you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShOiHPrwtHk

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine

Stormy weather
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

Judy, Amy & Paul arrived safely and made themselves at home by getting straight in the pool and, as posted earlier, I arrived home early Friday morning; it was good to get back to the heat, humidity and chirping insects.

After a day of rest we had the pool party on Saturday, and though it wasn't blisteringly hot it was sunny enough and after a short delay the pool was full of shouting and splashing kids, with a few brave adults making up the numbers.

After an easy Sunday morning we got on the road to our “break” in Shenandoah and made a surprise stop at the Tractor Supply Company and although we didn't buy any tractors we did buy some country clothing including Paul's “Dirt Magnet” John Deer t-shirt. As we drove up onto Skyline Drive the weather closed in and the stops to admire the view were curtailed by the cold air and rumbles of thunder, we did manage to see a few deer by the roadside as we drove along though.

To keep the kids tired we stopped at Luray Caverns and sat in the cafe, then trolled round the various shops until they emerged from Pluto's domain straight into the gift shop. After making a couple of purchases and another cafe stop we then checked out the motor museum before heading off to the cabin.

The cabin was right near the Shenandoah, but was more like a small house than a cabin; it even came with a cat and dog although the dog tried to lurk around the dinner table on the deck and the cat got bored when it realised there was no food on offer.

OK so I didn't get any comments on the theme of the recent blogs, possibly because nobody is reading them, but I'm going to see how far I can go with this. The titles are songs or references to them; if you have any doubt about this one, follow the link to one of my favourite clips of all time - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNLPQ_k4wx8

If you're going to San Francisco

Obscured
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

On the Monday I dropped Helen off at Oakland airport so she could get home to service the pool, clean the house, get some food in and meet Judy, Amy & Paul at Dulles on Thursday. I was all for leaving a key for them and letting them look after themselves for a couple of days to allow us to explore San Francisco together but they wouldn't know how to work or clean the pool ;o)

I'm normally bad at making the effort to explore when I am travelling on business, especially as I normally don't have much time, but as I was out of the hotel and close to San Francisco after dropping Helen off I made my way into the city intending to get some quick photos and then head back to the hotel. In the end I spent quite a few hours walking around and taking photographs of cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge and the wiggliest street in the USA which I didn't drive down or pretend to be Steve McQueen in Bullit on any of the others. The highlight of the day for me was something I had been hoping to see and actually heard well before I saw it; a rookery of sealions in the harbour. Most of the sealions were happy dozing and I think these were the females and juveniles, the big males tended to have a lot of space or their own platforms; but the young males were continually barking and pushing each other of the platforms in an attempt to establish their own territory. I did drive by the coast on the way back but again no Sea Otters :o(

I got home around 0200 this Friday (!) but at least all the driving is out of the way, which is a good thing as I have driven more miles in just over a week than I normally do in a year.

Has anybody spotted the link between the last four posts now?

Don't forget to check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/11463478@N00/sets/72157606546505670/ for more photographs, including the sealions!

The long and winding road

Surly
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

Due to our late arrival the night before, we had a bit of a late start the next day and Yosemite National Park was some distance away so we didn't get there until midday. As the park is huge we concentrated our efforts in the central glacial valley, of which our photographs do not do justice to the views. We hired a couple of bicycles which had huge saddles, one gear and a coaster brake, which took a lot of getting used to as you apply backward pressure on the pedals to stop. We pootled along the bike paths and roads and took a hike up to the reflecting lake, which wasn't as it was too low, and then went for a paddle. This day I brought my telephoto lens and left the normal lens in the car, the opposite of the day before, which was annoying as there wasn't much in the way of wildlife and we were too close to the mountains for the telephoto lens! The journey to our final hotel stay was longer than the day before and we had another stop en route at Denny's for dinner, this time with a brownie chaser, before arriving late at the hotel.

Again we had a late start the next day and there wasn't much in the way of breakfast left when we turned to and there wasn't even coffee! We drove to the coast to Big Sur to take in yet more breathtaking scenery and stopped for lunch in Big Sur itself. As we enjoyed the heavy California traffic in both directions we got back in time for a late dinner which seemed to sum up the last few days of driving long distances from meal to meal! Although it was sunny it was quite cold and the wind chill made the choice of t-shirts and shorts a bad one, but that didn't stop Helen paddling in the Pacific. Having learned my lesson from the last two days I carried both camera lenses with me so I got some good photographs but didn't see any Sea Otters :o(

Has anybody spot the link between the last three posts yet?

Don't forget to check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/11463478@N00/sets/72157606514289539/ for more photographs and check in tomorrow for the last part of the journey.

We've been through the desert in a car with no name

Little & Large
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

After a five days of straight roads and multiple lanes we headed north'ish' and got onto two lane even straighter roads, just what cruise control was invented for. As we were going off the main routes there was much less traffic and pretty much less everything else as we quickly got into desert and chaparral with occasional communities with traffic lights to break the monotony. We stopped in the desert to experience the 103 degree arid environment and to get a few photos, especially of the Joshua Trees. After some time the landscape became more bumpy and winding which was a theme that would recur over the next few days. I know US cars aren't designed to go round corners and the drivers even less so, therefore it came as a surprise to me that there were extremely windy roads around; we managed quite well despite significant understeer and not being able to see through the frame on left hand turns.

We had an overnight stop and the next day we headed into Sequoia National Park which was even wigglier but with more RVs. We packed as much as we could into the short day we had, but the park was so huge even a week wouldn't give you enough time to get to grips with it. We took a short steep hike down to a cave within a huge marble formation and stopped frequently, as we had been doing during our drive through the park, to take photographs of the stunning scenery. The walk back was quite strenuous and despite the reported high bear activity in the area we only had encounters with mosquitoes.

We then drove further into the park to view the eponymous Giant Sequoias which are shorter than Giant Redwoods but much wider. The Sequoias require fire to germinate their seeds and although there are occasional groups they are quite spread out between the redwoods which are quite big themselves but are dwarfed by these trees. We stopped to see General Sherman which is one of the biggest specimens and it was difficult to comprehend the sheer size of the tree even when right next to it.

After a brief stop for lunch we headed out on a hike to a waterfall which took much longer than it should have because, again, we kept stopping to take pictures of wildlife, the river, rocks and trees. If you read a previous post you will see that we had an encounter with a black bear and her cub which, although we were a safe distance away, was a very special moment and I'm beginning to run out of superlatives to describe our experiences. Annoyingly I did not expect to see any interesting wildlife and only to be taking photographs of the scenery so I had left my telephoto lens behind and was unable to get a good photograph.

After finishing the yomp to and from the waterfall we enjoyed a quiet ten minutes paddling in the mountain stream and then hit the road, stopping en route for a Denny's dinner stop,
arriving at the hotel around 2200.

By the way, has anybody spotted the link developing here?

See http://www.flickr.com/photos/11463478@N00/sets/72157606480691069/ for more photographs and check in tomorrow for the next part of the journey.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

Backside nosepress
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

What a trip! I had two meetings in quick succession in California so I thought it would be a good idea to bring Helen with me and use the days between the meetings to do some sightseeing.

We took the early flight (0600!) from DC to Ontario (California) via Dallas Fort Worth, which meant we could tick off another state (Texas) even if we were there for less than an hour.

After checking in at the hotel in Norco we drove down to Huntington Beach and sat in a traffic jam, failed to find a parking slot and then drove back to the hotel in heavy traffic. We had better luck on the Sunday as we got there earlier, parked at a mall and walked a couple of blocks and were able to watch the last day of the US open surfing competition which included stand up paddle surfing and longboard demos as well as the junior and senior competitions. There was also a huge exhibition on the beach including other "extreme sports" as well as an all girl snowboard rail jam, which I almost got thrown out of for having a camera that was too big.

One of my concerns about this trip was that we wouldn't be able to watch the last two days of the Tour de France, but luckily we were able to go to my favourite sports bar who kindly changed the channel for us; thank you Hooters!

The most dramatic thing that happened during the beginning of the week was that California's biggest earthquake for a decade occurred about ten miles away from us; it took me a while to work out what was going on as it initially felt like a big truck going past
and found it exciting; probably because I didn't realise the potential consequences. Whilst I was in a meeting in a single story building, Helen was on the second floor of the hotel and enjoyed a higher magnitude experience as she was slightly closer to the epicenter.

One bonus of being in California was that, after many chasing phone calls, Helen's computer, which had been recuperating in San Diego was ready for shipping. To prevent the laptop loafing in the hands of a shipper and either arriving after we got back home or having multiple delivery attempts, Helen drove down to San Diego to pick it up in person.

We did try to eat at a couple of vegetarian restaurants (allegedly easier in California); after driving 30 miles to one we discovered it had closed down and a day later, but slightly closer, we found another restaurant was closed on the night we pitched up!!!

That's it for now, I'll post tomorrow about our journey from the Los Angeles area northwards toward San Francisco, in the meantime check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/11463478@N00/sets/72157606412622701/ for more photographs.

Bear hunt

I saw a bear! Where?
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

We went on a bear hunt.

We came to a national park with some mountains, some big mountains. We couldn't go under them, we couldn't go around them, we couldn't go through them so we had to go over them.

We came to a trail, a pleasant trail. We couldn't drive up it; we couldn't go under it; walking across it would be silly so we got out of the car and walked along it.

We came to a river, a big stream really. We couldn't go around it; we couldn't go under it; it was too cold to swim so we went over the bridge.

We came to some trees, great big trees. We couldn't go under them; we couldn't go over them; we weren't going to climb them so we just walked around them.

We came a big rock, a great big rock. We couldn't go under it; we couldn't go over it; we couldn't climb it so we went around it.

We saw some German tourists and they pointed out something fuzzy. We thought it was a bear!! It was a bear and her cub!!

Where da pixies at?

Where da pixies at?
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

After months of waiting, and were not talking a few months here, we gave up waiting for the pool pixies to turn up. Maybe we should have put a saucer of milk for them, or maybe not as when they came over a year ago they left cigarette ends and beer bottles lying around - I kid you not.
Seriously, the pool pump started playing up last September and, despite numerous emails and phone calls, the Landlord didn't get round to replacing it until around March this year. Ah, but he didn't actually install the pump and then sort out all the leaks until June. The landlord then asked us to drain the pool so he could reattach the liner where it had come away from the edge, no problems we thought ...
Unfortunately there was a little water under the liner and because the landlord still hadn't turned up, despite yet more phone calls and emails, almost two months later there was a lot of water behind the liner and duck and algae infested water in the pool.
Today we got the blessing of the Embassy to deal with the situation as it is West Nile Virus season and the mozzies were loving the stagnant water.
We went to Home Depot and bought a submersible pump, extension cord and hose. We then drained the scummy water on top of the liner and then underneath. After a bit of a struggle we reattached the liner, started filling the pool and brushed off the dried on dirt. We'll keep you posted on the progress.

Update from Helen

Dave has been very good at keeping the blog up-to-date. After working at my computer all day the last thing I want to do is type some more, so I've been a bit pants about adding to the blog. On Sunday I managed to spill some water on my laptop and have had to send it to Sony in San Diego to get the motherboard repaired (~$700 eek!) so I'm a bit restricted as to what I can do work-wise; though Dave had kindly let me use his laptop during the day. Anyway, I thought I'd take the opportunity to make a quick note on what I've been up to and why Dave has been left home alone so often.

This year is really busy with lots of conferences and fieldtrips; some of them part of work (i.e. I'm being paid) and others are for fun or general professional development (and fun & travel). In June I went to Salt Lake City for the International Conference on Educational Development (ICED). This was great, some excellent sessions and lots of UK colleagues / friends to chat / drink with. The conference was held at the University of Utah which is right at the edge of the old lake, so it was only a 5 minute run to get up into the hills. Although it was very hot it was also quite dry (not as humid as the East coast) so really pleasant for running. The 5000ft altitude meant that I walked (albeit briskly) the up bits but had great fun running down the trails. I also hired a mountain bike for a day but the trails were a bit technical for me so again I mostly walked! Had the conference dinner up at Park City ski resort, there was still snow there (more like icy slush) - my photos are downloaded to my laptop so I can't post any at the moment - and we drove past the slopes where I broke my wrist; ahhhh fond memories.

I then flew from Salt Lake City up to Toronto, Canada to meet more colleagues / friends and go to the 2nd International Threshold Concepts conference in Kingston. Alison and I drove from Toronto and stayed in an excellent B&B called the Royal Albert. Kingston was a great town with some lovely vegetarian cafes and lots of hiking/outdoorsy type shops. Had a busy few days and the conference was really good, we had lots of interest in the Geoscience sessions that I organised. Alison and I spent a couple of days in Toronto and travelled down to Niagara Falls -why is it that humans excel in taking an awesome natural wonder and turning it into a cheesy tourist attraction. The falls were amazing, the hotels and casinos were nasty.

After a couple of weeks at home I'm off again next week to participate in a teacher-training field trip hosted by the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina. I've been promised white beaches and dolphins so it should be good!

That's about it for now. I'm enjoying the hot weather and doing lots of running and cycling (though have avoided Dave's penchant for heat exhaustion). Hopefully the pool will be sorted in the next few days so I can exercise my upper-body too (and lie around on an inflatable and drink cocktails). Off to California in mid-July with Dave, then lots of fun in August when Judy, Paul and Amy visit, hurray!

Wet

Yep this is how I felt on Saturday. I planned a long cross country ride on the mountain bike to amuse myself whilst Helen was away. Even though I set out later than planned I figured I had plenty of time for the ride even if I pootled. What I hadn't figured on was the number of trees, and not small ones) that had fallen across the trail, the two sections of the trail that were being renovated (seriously check out the photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/11463478@N00/sets/72157600700972181/). What got me the most was the variation of the trail from sidewalk/road, asphalt, cinder trail, dirt trail and very technical sections. There were a couple of lovely streams to cross, but a lot more that even if I could have ridden the bike in without going over the bars there was no way I would have been able to ride out.

I realised I wouldn't be able to make the halfway point of this out and back ride and decided to turn around. I had been pretty good and had been drinking fluids and stopping every so often for a snack, but the heat and the sheer time in the saddle got to me and I ended up with heat exhaustion. I'm fine now, but luckily I caught it in time and came of the trail before it got worse.

Helen missed her flight home last night, which had been delayed twice already, I think they must have found a plane just standing around and boarded it while she was grabbing a bite to eat. The upshot is she stayed in Kentucky last night, but didn't see any chickens or colonels let alone and secret herbs and spices. As I was getting a taxi to Baltimore Washington Airport at 0400 this morning we didn't even pass like ships in the night and Helen arrived home about the time I arrived in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Oh well, plane schedules allowing I should be home with Helen on Thursday evening.

End of the line!

End of the line!
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

I'm going for a record and posting four times in one month.

The end of last week was steamy hot and as a storm was forecast for Saturday I decided to potter around the house and garden. OK, so maybe I did check out the hammock for a bit and there was possibly some rugby on the TV, but my intentions were good. I thought that England did well fielding a young team against New Zealand and although the All Blacks were dominant for twenty minutes they did not get the rest of the match their own way. The storm did arrive in the early evening with strong winds, thunder and lightning but not a huge downpour.

On Sunday I managed to get out of the house and drive out to Ashburn to finish the W&OD ride that Helen and I have been doing. Annoyingly it was a bit of a drive, which is ironic when you think about it, but I was hoping for a rural ride with little traffic and to log a decent few miles. The day was still pretty steamy and I didn't get on the bike until 1100 due to my poor planning and I was a little bit worried as this was to be a forty mile plus ride with a reasonable climb. This final part of the trail had a lot less road crossings, less crossingful as we say hereabouts, than the rest and I was surprised when I got to the end of the trail and see that nearly an hour had gone. Now this is not too shabby when you consider this is an average speed of over eighteen miles an hour on a single-speed with a few road crossings, a bit of twisty turny and a climb. I checked out the aptly named Trail's End bike store and then headed back with the intention of taking a six mile detour to the see the mighty Potomac at White's ferry, so imagine my surprise when I arrive back at the start in less time than it took to get out! I was pleased with the speed but annoyed I had missed the turning for the detour.

I saw this quote from a H.G.Wells story and I think it sums up my riding style, "I came out for exercise, gentle exercise, and to notice the scenery and to botanise. And no sooner do I get on that accursed machine than off I go hammer and tongs; I never look to right or left, never notice a flower, never see a view - get hot, juicy, red - like a grilled chop. Get me on that machine and I have to go. I go scorching along the road, and cursing aloud at myself for doing it.".

When I got home I was slightly disappointed, but not surprised, to see that the pool elves had not paid a visit so I had a bath and turned up the AC to cool off.

Today (Monday) it was cooler but still very steamy this morning and then, oddly enough, there was a thunderstorm on the way home. Rain I don't mind, wind I can live with, downpours and storm force winds are not good, thunder and lightning on a bike, a steel bike, I'd like to say bad, really really bad. I managed to outrun the storm front until I hit Alexandria when it went from a few drops to gusting swirling winds and a deluge which made it difficult to see and stay on-course. Although the wind and rain did ease up the thunder announced it's arrival with a flash and crash in short time so I detoured to the tunnel to sit the worst out. Oddly enough there were a couple of other riders there before me so I had some company.

Shortly after I arrived a river started flowing through the tunnel and threatened to drown a chick that had fallen out of it's nest so I felt I had no choice to quickly pick it up and place it on a broad ledge above the water.

About twenty minutes later the wind subsided, the rain eased and the main storm headed off into the distance grumbling to itself like a teenager who has lost an argument and slamming a door now and then. It was amazing that, even though it hadn't been cold during the height of the storm, the temperature seemed to shoot up as the rain eased; and I'm sure there was more water vapour coming up off the tarmac than was coming down as rain. Another thing that surprised me was the amount of branches that had come down, seriously considering the amount of storms we've had here I didn't realise there was anything left up there. I did ease up slightly so that I could go around the worst of the branches although there was a nervous moment or two as I rolled over some of the bigger ones; I think the mountain biking is paying off. My clothes were wet when I got home but not much more than they get with normal weather here (hurrah for technical clothing) although my socs were sodden. You might think I got a bad deal, but I was glad I hadn't driven as there was a huge branch down on the GW Parkway blocking three lanes and causing big tailbacks in both directions. I hate to think how many fender benders there were during the heavy rain and, as always when there is a "non-normal" event, I heard a considerable number of emergency vehicles plying their trade back and forth.

It is obviously idiot day today in North Virginia, first of all somebody pulls out in front of me after stopping at a stop sign and looking at me.
This evening I had to fight my way through twenty cyclists bimbling away on the trail chatting away and not hearing me ring my bell and shout on your left; oh yes, apart from the one who did hear me and just stopped in front of me instead of pulling over.
Oh, and the landlord, once again, has failed to turn up as promised.
Dave, home alone and watching rugby.

Steamy

Helen Exits Bridge
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

I was in Boston this week and I got pretty damp walking to my meeting because of the high humidity; then on the Wednesday it started drizzling with the temperature sill high. When I got to the airport my flight, along with loads of others were delayed so I got myself a coffee, sat down and tried to relax. I heard Falls Church (an area near our house) mentioned on the TV and then announcements from various gates that flights had been grounded at Dulles and JFK airports due to bad weather. Then as more people started rolling in I heard that there had been big storms in the DC area and that tornadoes had touched down in Falls Church and Loudon county. Eventually flying into Dulles I saw large areas were without electricity and then on the way home one side of the road was lit up and the other side blacked out, including our close. Luckily as I got out of the taxi our power came on; some people were out of power until Saturday! I was lucky as Helen had decided to go for a bike ride and got caught out in the storm and had to take refuge in a toilet block until the worst had passed over. After getting past all the fallen trees she couldn't get back into the garage as the power was out so she had to break into the house.

On Saturday we headed up to Pennsylvania for a bike ride and it was wonderful as there was very little traffic on the back roads and seeing the Amish working in the fields and driving their buggies was relaxing. It was very hot and humid, you can probably see the melted tar in the photograph, (seeing the pattern yet?) and unfortunately I only had my single speed back which made the hills damn hard. We went through quite a few litres of drink each and finished off the ride with some home made root beer and coke. I was wiped out by the ride and Helen drove us on to our hotel in Philadelphia for the Commerce Bank International bike race the next day. When we were checking in Team Type 1 walked past us into the lift and Rock Racing arrived to check in.

The next day was hot and humid again the air temp got up to 36°C and the the road temp was 49°C! We were sweating buckets just walking and the riders were going all out on in the races. Unfortunately we didn't see much of Vanderkitten in the race but we did see Liz Hatch and a couple of friends on their way back to the hotel.

Helen got some video of the Men's race and will edit it and post to flickr or facebook,. As she was filming a Slipstream Chipotle rider tossed his water bottle into the stands so she got a great souvenir. Later I was taking some photo's and saw Magnus Backstedt, another Slipstream rider, throw a bottle, I even got a blurry shot of it. I'd like to think he recognized me as the crazy ginger headed freak who pestered him in Arlington, but probably not ;o)

A lot of riders dropped out of the race but as the field went onto the last long lap and then the shorter end laps things went ballistic with breakaways and attacks left and right finally coming together on the start finish straight for a mass sprint where Tyler Farrar, Slipstream again, held on for sixth place.

As we were getting ready to leave we saw Steve Cozza, another Slipstream rider, cycling back to his hotel and shouted out to him and waved and bless him he waved back; yes we are bike nerds!

As I press the send button here there's another light show going on here, not as crazy as last week .. yet.

Summer's Here and the Time is Right

Watching men in lycra
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

... for cycling in the street!

Helen's back home in the USA and the weather has got much hotter; OK we've had a fair bit of rain too, but I think summer has arrived at last.

Last weekend was a holiday weekend so we had an extra day off to enjoy the sunny weather. On Saturday we drove up to Baltimore for the Bike Jam and as well as loads of bike races we saw an amazing trial bike show. We also saw our first member of Slipstream Chipotle (http://www.slipstreamsports.com/) Mike Friedman aka meatball, the team we are supporting this year; well one of the teams we are supporting as we also think Vanderkitten (http://www.vanderkitten.com/racing.html) rock too.
If that weren't enough we headed of to RFK stadium on the Sunday, or more rightly one of the car parks for the RFK Criterium where the main, and biggest prize, event was the ladies race and boy did those girls move.
Monday was a bit more laid back as after running a few errands we wend to the Alexandria Jazz festival for a chilled afternoon.

Those who are coming to visit will be pleased to know that work on the Pool started; the new pump is installed and now running. The pool has been drained so that the liner can be fixed so we're hoping that it should be up and running soon, which is good news as it is getting very hot.

Although is started hot and muggy this Saturday morning we had a few thunderstorms, torrential rain and a tornado watch in effect so our bike ride had to be canceled. Sunday dawned hot and sunny which was good news as the CSC invitational bike race was being held in Arlington. We got there in plenty of time to see the Cat 1/2 ladies race and the kids races; although there was no chance of getting past all the parents to see the younger ones. We strolled down to see the pro teams and I got very excited when we saw the Slipstream Chipotle van and even more when I shook Magnus Backstedt's hand and wished him well for the race; the guy is 6'4" and has got a fierce grip on him! Magnus, obviously motivated by my good wishes, attacked the race and broke away early on; unfortunately the breakaway grew too big and they lapped the main field (1k laps) which didn't play to his strengths, but he did get awarded most aggressive rider. We were really close to the action and you could stand on the kerb with the riders blasting past almost touching you; in the picture you can see Helen looking at Magnus and another slipstream rider on one corner, but if you click on the photo and check out some of the others you will see riders even closer to her!

After the race we drove out to the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad trail for a thirty mile pootle, although Helen is getting quicker and it can take an effort to keep up with her on my fixie; just need to work on the slow speed maneuvering!

Next weekend it's off to Philadelphia for a day cycling in the country and then see the guys, and girls as we'll be supporting Vanderkitten, race in the Commerce Bank International.

Is it summer yet?

I need one of these
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

Well the weather has warmed up some and the humidity is definitely here!
I travelled back to the UK with Helen and we then parted company after breakfast at Heathrow. I headed down to see Mum and Helen headed off to Judy's for Amy's birthday and also to see Paul. I spent a couple of day's at Mum's, went to see Kitty at the Theatre Royal and also see Ben.

I came back to the USA and after a short break I headed over to San Diego for a few days; I'm still recovering!

I've lost a bit of weight, but I think that's mainly due to the punctures I've had on the bike which have caused me to crash and leave a few pounds of flesh and a few drops of blood on the floor. Really I had about a dozen punctures in the space of two weeks, a bit annoying really. Apart from that the bike riding has been great and it's been short sleeves and shorts for some time now. We did have a bit of rain a few weeks ago, funnily enough the day before Matt Nurse and I planned to go bike riding. We had great fun even though we got covered in mud; I even threw together a couple of pictures on Flickr.

This weekend just gone I went to see the rugby, a bit odd with Helen not there and on the Sunday I cycled up to where I work to watch a bike race, hence the large number of bike and rugby photos on Flickr.

Helen is in the UK for a little bit longer and this weekend I'm probably going to take it easy with some housekeeping, yard-work and an easy bike ride.

Don't forget to check out the photos by clicking on any of the photos in the blog and then investigating my photo-stream from there; oh and any comments on the blog would be appreciated - is anyone out there?

Cherry Blossom

Inflorescence
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

We've run the whole spectrum of weather in the past week from drizzle, rain, cloudy, sun and sleet; but no snow as yet and we're still thinking of opening the pool when the pump is fixed.

Helen has had her cast removed and is feeling better about that but she hasn't got all Tue strength or motion back yet. Something bit her the other day/night and one side of her face swelled right up. We don't now what it was but the swelling has almost all gone.

This Wednesday I took a long lunch break and we headed off to the tidal basin to look at the cherry blossom. It was very busy, but not as busy as it is at the weekend. Today we watched NOVA play in DC, I think Helen wanted to be out there but she probably won't be until the autumn season.

Finally, a math question for you - you go into a shop and ask for three $5 phone cards and hand the cashier $20; how much change do you get? Believe it or not it is $6.50!

First turkey of Spring

Pretty
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

OK, so the photo isn't a turkey but I saw the spring turkey on the cycle path on the way into work so the weather must be getting warmer. We've had a few short and t-shirt days, but saying that there was snow forecast for today which thankfully didn't realise. The cherry blossom should reach it's peak in the next week and we're thinking about getting the pool ready. Helen is off to see the doctor on Wednesday, not sure whether the cast will come of; I know helen is hoping so!

Again, we've not managed to post much in the past month despite a few things happening. We've been boarding in Colorado and Utah; well below freezing in Colorado and very snowy in Utah. Unfortunately Helen broke her right wrist in an altercation with a tree whilst boarding through a glade. Being a true stoic we thought it was just sprained but the x-ray showed a clear distal radial fracture. Despite tugging on her arm the doctor was unable to properly straighten it and we cut short a trip and helen underwent surgery in Alexandria last Wednesday. The operation went well and Helen is sporting a new cast which she is using to keep me in line by bashing me about hte head. Sorry, joking there, but despite the pain being more pronounced after the operation Helen is bearing up quite well.
Me, I'm back in the UK for a few days and am chilling in the Virgin revival lounge before catching a train down to Plymouth.

Normally business trips for me are quite dull, there's the packing, the journey, unpacking, sitting in a meeting room without windows and then going out to dinner and after a few days packing again returning home, unpacking and recovering.

This time however I'm in Florida in February and although I'm not expecting sweltering temperatures and glorious winter sunshine I get a tornado!

This (http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=73818) happened a quarter of a mile away from my hotel whilst I was in a meeting at Port Canaveral (as in Cape Canaveral). OK it wasn't a huge tornado but definitely not what I was expecting. Helen is in Massachusetts and enjoying loads of snow (but no mountains) at the seminar she is attending!

Christmas

Family
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

We had a busy Christmas period as we had Kitty, Judy, Amy and Paul across from the UK. We packed in a lot including some jet lag recovery shopping at the fashion mall followed by a day on the slopes with skiing lessons for the newbies. We may just have our next downhill champions in Paul and Amy as long as we fit airbags at the finish line to stop them.

We got a bit damp as we timed our walk across the National Mall to the White House with a freezing cold rain shower, but managed to dry off a bit in the car. We were lucky enough to see the Capitals win an ice hockey match and got really into the cheering although there weren't enough fights.

Fortunately the weather improved so that our nighttime visit to the National Zoo for the illuminations and nocturnal animal exhibits was more pleasant. We even learned how to make smores (toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate on graham crackers).

We managed to eat too much food even though we did do a lot of walking and playing games on the Wii to burn it off.

On New Year's eve we took Kitty to Alexandria and although we spent a lot of time waiting for shuttle buses we did manage to see one band, which was mix of blues, rock and country, and the fireworks display at midnight.

Post Christmas we took Kitty to the International Spy Museum and the Air and Space Museum which had an exhibition from the American History, which was undergoing renovation, including Kermit the frog and R2D2 and C3PO.

The house does seem very empty and quiet now even though we haven't spent too much time in it post Christmas. We did have one visitor though, a raccoon which nibbled the squirrel food and peered in through the patio window; unfortunately it was too dark to get a good photo through the glass.

Colorado was great fun and although the temperatures were very low, -34C with windchill, we had a trickle of snow all week and the slopes were in very good condition. We did make optimum use of coffee and lunch breaks to defrost and also sat in the outdoor hot tub to warm up and ease our aches and pains. It was great to come back to Copper mountain not only because we knew the runs well but also because we could gauge our progress since our last visit. We made the mistake of going to Vail for one day which had far too many people and there were too many long flat runs from one area to another. It was also noticeable that everybody was really grumpy and certainly not as friendly and chatty as they were in Copper; especially the lifties.

On Sunday we went for an "easy to moderate" mountain bike ride in Cabin John park. The route had lots of junctions and quite complicated instructions to start with and the snow that was still lying around made things fun. The narrow paths, steep drops, number of tree roots and rocks made the ride very challenging - not what we really wanted but it did get us out in the fresh air.

Yesterday Helen and I drove up from home to Massachusetts as I have a meeting in Pittsfield. the journey took about seven hours including stops and we had a good view of downtown Manhattan and the Catskill mountains. Our plan is to drive up into Vermont on Thursday to go boarding and then drive back home again on Friday, we may even stop off at the Ben and Jerry's factory on the way back!

We've got no visitors planned for this year yet so check out our diaries and let us know when you are coming across - http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=djcritchley%40googlemail.com&ctz=America/New_York

http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=drhelenking%40googlemail.com&ctz=America/New_York

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