Daisy Blog

Rectifying the Austin Experience

When I returned from Italy, I was excited to see one of my coworkers was in town.  Nanda is from Belgium and I always enjoy her company.  Last time she was in town, we were in Minneapolis on business, and she even got to join my family for dinner. 

Originally, her trip coincided with my trip to Italy, so we were not going to have a chance to catch up.  But she had to make some changes in order to accomodate some other meetings.  First we met over lunch to go over some items on the business agenda.  We went to the restaurant North in the Domain, and had their "Not Your Traditional Chicken Lasagna".  It was two pasta noodles with roasted chicken, spinach, vegetables and an amazing yummy broth.  Absolutely delicious.  If you go, I highly recommend it! 

While chatting I found that Nanda, was sent to restaurant Bone Daddies for dinner one evening.  YIKES! Not where I would send a woman who is alone for the evening (Its a Hooter's-esqe kinda place for BBQ).  She went, discovered it was all men at the restaurant, and thankfully left.  I found out she was on her own again for her last night in Austin, so I set out to show her some of Austin's charm to rectify her experience. 

After work, we stopped at my house to change clothes.  We were hoping for a quick ride on the motorcycle, but my dead battery meant all we could do is sit on the bikes. 

Then we went to South Austin where we cruised the shops and then settled on dinner at Enoteca, where we had some great wine and another fantastic dinner.  Then we popped into the Hotel San Jose where the DJ was playing some great music on vinyls, and enjoyed a drink in their swank pool side courtyard. 

To end the night, I brought Nanda to the Broken Spoke for some dancing.  An active dancer, I knew she would love the experience, and I was able to get a couple friends to take her out on the floor to get her introduced to the two-step.

We had an absolute blast that night, and she is definitely excited to come back to Austin again.  She has even invited me to stay with her in Belgium, so I need to figure out when I can work that in.  When she left, she said this was her best night during her entire two weeks in the US!  Now that makes playing host the best feeling in the world.

 

Return from Venice

After only three days in Venice and it is time to go home.  I wish we had more time, because I hardly felt like I touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of things to see in Italy.  There is so much to explore in Venice outside of St. Mark's, the Grand Canal and the three islands.  Hopefully I will get to come back again soon to catch what I've missed. 

It was great traveling with my friend Barb, we really had a good time.  On the way home, we both got lucky to get upgraded to first class on our 8 hour leg from Amsterdam to Minneapolis.  That was fabulous!  I watched a bunch more movies, like Twilight and Madagascar 2. We even discovered a new wine (2004 Artesa Meritage) that we both loved.  Riding in first class we got to actually recline enough to sleep which helped me arrive home less exhausted than I would normally be after 18 hours of travel. 

Now that I'm home, I'll work on getting the pictures posted and captioned, and hope to stick them up on a post soon.  Italy was jewel and my pictures won't begin to show its richness and colors, but maybe the peak will let you see why I enjoyed it so much.  I only wish you could taste all the delicious food I had with it all.  Yum.  There were no diet restrictions on this trip. 

I miss the Ciao! Ciao! Ciao! of the Italians as they said good-bye.  And hope that someday soon I can say Buona Sera to them again!

Albums

• Venice Hotel & Bus Stop
• Flying Home in First Class

Venice – Day 3: Venice is beautiful when the sun shines!

First we went back to the Doge’s Palace where we had an Itinerari Segreti booked, or a guided tour of the Secret Itinerary.  The lowdown on the inner workings of the State, and behind the scenes to the administrative offices and secret chambers.  We were admitted to the hidden rooms where they stored and worked on the secret documents, a torture chamber, and prisons where even Casanova was imprisoned before his escape.  It was incredibly interesting and I am glad we found out about it.

When we got out of the Doge’s palace, we finally experienced the sun in Venice.  And the sun brought out the people in droves, and made the buildings in the Grand Canal and St. Mark’s square glisten.  With the high tides down, it was also easier to move around without jumping immense puddles.

With our tour of Doge’s Palace, we were given free admission to the Museum Correr.  Our favorite exhibit there was the Libreria Sansoviniana, which was originally palace on the west side of the Piazzetta di San Marco.   The old library had amazing paintings on the wall and celings.

Next we hopped a boat to visit some of the islands.  Our first stop was Murano, world famous for their glass making.  They have been making crystal and glass since the 10th century, when the secrets of the art were brought back from the East by merchants.  The industry was moved to the island in the 13th century, to protect Venice from fires due to the kilns and ovens.  As well as, to keep the methods of Murano glass a secret.  While there we saw a few demonstrations, including the making of a vase and a horse statue.

Then we traveled down the marked water ways to Burano, a picturesque island famous for its lace industry.  The streets and canals are lined with brightly colored fisherman’s houses. And it was a perfect place to hang out and relax.  They look like they are having serious trouble with their bell tower which is leaning severely, and looks to be cordoned off for repair. 

Lastly, we visited Torcello.  A peaceful island that felt like you escaped to the countryside.  Many of the buildings and monuments were from the mid-7th century to the 13th century when it was home to some 20,000 people.  Today the population is closer to 80.  The real gem on this island was the Veneto-Byzantine cathedral Santa Maria Assunta, Venice’s first cathedral which contains magnificent Byzantine mosaics.  The most sutnning is the Madonna in the semi-dome of the apse, set on a pure gold background.  On the opposite wall is another vast mosaic  depicting the Last Judgement.

To end our evening in Venice, we soaked up the sunshine in of the local piazza’s while enjoying a glass of wine.  It was filled with locals out enjoying the evening, including a group of boys having a soccer match in the square.  We followed it a true Venetian dinner, at a small family restaurant, where I had mussels, Taglioni con nero di seppia (pasta with squids and their ink, so it was black), and grilled fish.  It was a bit odd to eat black pasta, but it was tasty. 

There are so many picturesque scenes from the island.  My or Barb's camera will never do it justice.  But click here to link to the photo albums.

Venice – Day 2: Going to Venice? Bring Your Wellies & Umbrella!

I didn’t think much of Venice’s flooding until I arrived in St. Mark’s today and we experienced it.  The rain and high tides had flooded the square, the basilica and the Grand Canal. Thankfully, it wasn't one of their more severe floods that can affect up to 95% of the city. 

It was wild to see a foot or more of water in the lobby of the basilica. Or to pass the buildings in the Grand Canal and see some buildings with a few feet of water on their main levels. I’m amazed these ancient buildings can withstand the constant abuse from the sea.  Especially when I found out that the city is flooded an average of 250 days a year. 
 
Throughout the square, water levels were anywhere from one inch to over a foot deep.  Since the city floods often, they have platforms scattered in stacks in all the main thoroughfares even when its dry.  These stacked platforms tend to be resting places for weary tourists, or you see people on top of them trying to get better pictures.  

When the water raises, they flip them over and lay them out, making walkways over the water.  The footed platforms make elevated runways.  It’s a constant stream of colored umbrellas going in two directions on the platforms, like a busy highway, and it gets more interesting when they are trying to pull luggage on the platform. 

So Barb and I bought some Wellies (rain boots), and continued on exploring, so we wouldn’t be limited by jammed walkways.  I’ve always thought of owning Wellies, but could never quite commit, but they made today so fun, that I think they will be one of my favorite souvenirs.

To help with the flooding, Venice has finally started on the construction of flood gates and they should be functional in the next couple of years and will hopefully control the flooding or at least minimize it.  The flooding seems such a fact of life here, it didn’t seem to dampen the mood of one person, local or tourist.

Excited to get back to St. Marks Basilica, we toured the Galleria, which included a museum on the second floor, stunning close-up views of the basilica’s mosaics, and a balcony with splendid vistas of the square.  The inside museum also featured the original gilded bronze horses that were on top of the Basilica that have been restored. That evening we attended Mass in the incense filled St. Marks, a traditional catholic service, it was easy to follow even though it was in Italian. 

After the services, we explored more of the city’s narrow streets, until we found a fantastic little bar called Caffetteria Doria – Wine and Spirits shop.  Like most little coffee and wine bars, you stood up at the bar while enjoying your drinks.  We had stopped to pick up a bottle of Bellini to drink for the night, and ended up visiting with the owner of the bar, and another couple (Lisa & Jeffery) who were from Plano, TX but have been living in Cairo for the last year.  It was a great time, and I wish we had more place like this where I lived.

While exploring and shopping along the Rialto Bridge, we ended up having lunch at a nearby pizzeria. I love the espresso's I can get in Italy, but we discovered Venice’s amazing hot chocolate.  It was almost a cross between chocolate pudding and hot chocolate, and incredibly decadent every sip. Wish I could have figured out how they made it.

Whether Venice is wet or dry, it’s still an amazing city.  The rain brings out the color of the marble, making them more vivid despite the overcast day.  If you good rain boots, and an umbrella, you are going to have a great day.

My photo albums: http://deedaisy.typepad.com/daisyblog/2009/04/finally-my-trip-pictures-from-venice.html

Venice – Day 1: Exploring the Grand Canal and St. Mark’s

It is hard not to be enchanted with Venezia (as its known in Italy).  The buildings appear to float in the canal, while being attended to by a cacophony of boats which transports nearly everything.  Groceries, building supplies, fish and meat, fruit and vegetables, furniture, kitchen supplies, clothes, shoes, books, pictures, plants, flowers, wine and water, you name it.  With no cars, no bikes, everything arrives and leaves by boats.  The city is policed, fires are fought, patients are transported to hospitals, and dead carried to the cemetery by a specialist boats.  Public transportation is handled by the vaporetti (Venice’s water busses) and water taxies, leaving the gondola to be the undoubted queen of boats.  At 35 feet long, painted black, and guided by an oarsman, it can penetrate the narrowest and shallowest of canals, and is the most elegant boat on the canals.

We first took a vaporetti down the Grand Canal, taking in all the sights, sounds and activities.  The Grand Canal banks are lined with more than 170 beautiful buildings, most of which date to 13th/18th century. A large number of the palaces and buildings are covered while under going restoration, and many more look like they need attention.  With the rising water (yes, Venice is sinking), the salt water, the elements, the boats causing waves in the canal, the pollution, and the age of the structures, the buildings need constant work to stay viable.  But the deterioration doesn’t stop the canal from glistening like a jewel and everyone around seemed completely absorbed in their surroundings.  Later in the day we enjoyed a tour by water taxi with a guide to point out all the famous establishments and their stories, while we sipped on Bellini’s. After the Grand Canal, we were taken to explore some of the side canals that make up the six siestries (sections) of Venice.

When you get off the vaparetto at St. Mark’s first stop, you pass right in front of Harry’s Bar.  We stopped in for a Bellini (fresh squeezed peach juice in prosecco) invented here and enjoyed most famously by Ernest Hemmingway.  We enjoyed our drinks along with a polpette (fried meatball) and sides of olives, and had a grand time people watching. 

On the way to the square, we stopped and visited with some gondoliers. Next we hit St. Marks Square or the Piazza San Marco where we were careful not to walk between the two columns marking the entrance (bad luck in Venice).  One column has the statues of the Lion of St. Mark (symbol St. Mark and now the city of Venice) and the other is St. Theodore (attended to by a crocodile, who was the original symbol of the city). 

The piazza/square is enclosed by the basilica and plays host to competing flocks of pigeons and tourists. A number of restaurants have bands playing music, and I was wishing I could take advantage of it by waltzing with someone in the square, but no luck.

We watched the moor statues strike the bell at the top of the 15th century Torre dell’Orologio or St. Mark's clock.  A renaissance clock tower with a statue of he Madonna and a great golden lion on a star-spangled blue background above zodiacal gilt-and-blue 24 hr. clock face.  We were unable to get a tour inside the clock tower due to the flooding and availability. 

We ascended St. Mark's Campanile located in the center of the square. The city’s 99-m tall bell tower for fabulous views of the surrounding islands of Venice and St. Mark’s square. It was a great bird’s eye view. The tower is a reconstruction, completed in 1912 after the collapse of 1902. Because of this, there were elevators that took you to the top of the tower, making it a quick and easy visit.

We then were blown away by the mosaics and architecture of St. Mark’s Basilica. The basilica was absolutely gaudy and completely unlike any Catholic church I have ever experienced both on its interior and exterior, but it was difficult to take your eyes away from it.  The history of the basilica is as colorful as its building. Venetian merchants stole the body of St. Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria, Egypt in 828 AD and brought it to Venice for the Doge, who bequeathed money to build a basilica fitting such a theft.

The basilica, built on the plan of a Greek cross, with five bulbous onion-shaped domes, was modeled on Constantinople’s (destroyed) Church of the 12 Apostles.  St. Mark’s design is dominated by the Byzantine style and ranges through Romanesque to Renaissance styles.  For centuries the basilica was enlarged and embellished with treasures plundered largely from Constantinople during the crusades. 

The interior walls of the Basilica were decadently covered marble panels and a feast of gilded mosaics illustrating bible stories in stunning vivid detail. Some of the oldest mosaics date back from 1023. The gold gleamed from the mosaics, making the pictures show up in incredible detail.  

Beneath the high altar rest the mortal remains of Saint Mark the Evangelist. Venice declared Saint Mark the city's patron saint and you often seen his symbol the winged lion all over Venice.

Behind the alter, was the Pala d’Oro (gold, enamel and jewel-encrusted alter piece used for special services, and one of the church’s biggest treasures.

Next we toured the Doge’s Palace, a stunningly impressive complex of courtyards, corridors, council halls, jails and hidden chambers where the doge lived and the government powerhouse secretly whirred away.  Incredibly opulent with its massive paintings, polished marble, and gilded wood and plaster, it was hard not be impressed. 

Our tour of the Doge's Palace started up the Golden Staircase and ended with the Prigioni Nuove (New Prisons for petty criminals – as the bad boys where sent below the waterline, in the basement of the palace).  The new prisons were accessed directly from the Doge’s palace and court rooms by the Ponte di Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) – so called by condemned crossing the bridge to the prisons beyond. 

Next we explored coast of the canal, as well as some of the side streets and shops. Once inside the side streets, it is like a maze.  The streets are not laid out in even blocks, and you can’t see any landmarks to guide you.  But each turn brings you to a new surprise. I wish my camera could have captured the elegance of all the tiny corridors, canals and bridges. I would have loved to have gotten lost in there for hours to explore. When we exited we took the vaparetto #2 back to the bus station, and absorbed the views of some of the other island sections we had not yet seen.  San Giorgio, Giudecca, Dorsoduro, and the Venetian port. 

I'll get he pictures posted up soon!

A day in Ravenna, Italy

I've always been fortunate to have some amazing friends, especially ones that bring me to Italy.  Barb was working in Italy, so she convinced me to come visit her and then we would spend the weekend in Venice. Thanks to her, my flight is only $91 (I can't even drive to Dallas for that) and our hotel will is covered.  How could I say no?

My flight went well.  Being trapped on the plane for over eight hours, I watched the movie Australia, hoping to do some drooling over Hugh Jackman.  Lame movie, only to be watched if you are trapped in a seat for hours on end. Hugh may be hot, but not enough to make this movie worthwhile.  Oh well.  Part of the $91, what can I expect. 

The first night we stayed at the Marina di Ravenna, which is along the coast of the Adriatic Sea.  In the summer, its a party beach town, but since it was not the season yet, it was very peaceful.  Barb and her coworkers and I went out to a restaurant along the port, where they were busy moving giant empty ships.  I ended up with the mixed grill which had about ten different kinds of fish/seafood.  Due to the language barrier, I had no idea what I ate, with the exception of the shrimp, but it was delicious. 

Friday morning Barb went off to finish her last day at the tradeshow.  I started the morning walking on the soft sand beach and dipping my toes into the Adriatic Sea.  Because it’s so early in the season, I shared the beach with one old man who was out walking his dog.  It was so peaceful; I could have stayed there for hours.  Large swaths of beach were covered in seashells waiting to be found at the start of tourist season, a shell collector’s heaven. 

After the beach, I went into the town of Ravenna, which is known for its early Christian and Byzantine mosaics that adorn its cathedrals and monuments, and being the final resting place of Dante.  It was amazing to look at mosaics constructed in 521. I only wish the pictures could express the vividness of the mosaics, so full of color, sparkle and depth. 

It was a gorgeous day, and the town was small enough that I was able to walk to all sites, except one Basilica that was 5km out of town.  If you make it to Ravenna, it was definitely worth stopping at the Basilica San Vitale, the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, the Battistero Neoniano, Battistero degli Ariani and Dante's tomb.  

Late afternoon, Barb picked me up and we went to Bologna to catch the train to Venice.  Once we arrived we caught the bus to our hotel.  Riding the bus, we met a musical trio who flirted and serenaded us, and even helped get our bags into the hotel.  So far, so good. 

Album: Link to my Ravenna pictures 

 

Spring in Texas

It is spring in Texas, and despite the fact that the drought has kept most of the wildflowers away, its still been beautiful in Austin.  The weather is great, not to hot (at least not yet) with cool evening breezes to lull you to sleep.  I've even had to start mowing the lawn and trimming the trees.

Austin welcomes spring each year with a plethora of activities including SXSW Music festival (1800 bands from around the world come to play and find new fans) and the Austin Rodeo, just to name a few.

I got to check out the Austin Rodeo on Saturday.  Its smaller than the Houston or Calgary rodeo, but still has all the elements.  Animals to pet, gigantic longhorns to look at from a safe distance, Rodeo competitions, concerts, BBQ cook-offs, entertainment, etc.  There was not near as many cowboys wandering around as the Houston rodeo, but since I didn't have Angele with me, or my lasso, no cowboys were roped.  At least not by me.  :-)  I did however find a great deal on a pair of comfy boots.  I also caught the Eli Young band (country rock) in concert.  They were fun to watch and the 3rd & 4th girls in my Girls On the Run group thought it was cool I saw them.   

On Sunday, to escape the madness of SXSW in downtown Austin, my dancing buddies convinced me to go to the Oaks Under the Sun Festival at the Nutty Brown Cafe.  They had two outdoor stages, with different bands performing each hour.  The music was amazing, and did I mention it was free?  The event attracted a bunch of dancers and it was a perfect day.  I think I two-stepped on and off for almost seven hours.  FABULOUS!  My boots are completely covered with dust, and will need some serious polishing, but they are smiling from tip-to-toe. It was so much fun.  I'm definitely putting this event on my calendar for next year. 

Some of my favorite bands during the day were James Intveld, Ricky Brossard & Two Hoots, Dave Insley a& Careless Smokers, Arty Hill, and the Dixons. Some of these were local musicians and some were in town for SXSW and came to play. Austin is totally spoiling me.

For my Minnesota family and friends, should you ever want to come visit me in Texas, I highly recommend the springtime.  It is an excellent way to thaw out from those crazy cold temperatures you are still sitting in. 

Home Protection

I ask you, what is the point of an alarm system for your house, if the alarm tech turns off all the sensors for the first floor?  And what is the point, if he turns off the chimes so that you don't know that said sensors are not working?  AND the jerk actually decides its not worth hooking up the wires in the panel and just leaves them hanging there loose.  Arrrrrggghhh.  I'm so angry right now.  Thankfully, I figured out that the last alarm tech to my house completely hosed my home security and I had it fixed today.  But it still makes me mad.  I'm working on the complaints to the alarm company but I'm not sure what good it will do.  

If you are wondering what stocks to buy, you might actually want to look at alarm companies (with the exception that I'm angry with mine).  Due to the tough economic times these companies are seeing a huge increase in alarm installations.  Last week, my new alarm tech, put in a security system in a house where they stole a LCD TV and the food in the her fridge.  Nice.  Oh, and there is usually a cop stationed behind the her house clocking speeders, but the robber snuck in when the cops were changing shifts. When the new cop came on, he noticed her broken windows.  Unfortunately, the robber was already gone. Now she has an alarm system installed to protect herself and her groceries.

During the last hurricane in Houston, we had some break-ins down the street.  The cops seemed perturbed that the neighbor down the street who witnessed the scene bothered them to report such an incident.  And those guys came back a few nights later, thankfully the same neighbor was outside watching and scared them away.

Being female and living alone I've always felt vulnerable, so I've been working on my personal back-up plan to alarm malfunctions and law enforcement who don't see my safety as an important.  Its frustrating to have to think of these things, but I would rather be prepared than caught off guard. It seems the only person who can protect me, is me.  

The Du is DONE!

Today I finished my first duathlon. The course consisted of a 2k run, 10 mi bike, 2k run.  The course is short and touted as a women's only duathlon designed for beginners, so I didn't worry to much about it.  Because after all, I finished a marathon a month ago, how hard could it be?  Well??

First, Jodi came over and asked if I've ever transitioned from a bike ride to a run.  Ummm, no.  I hadn't, so when she told me that after getting off the bike you end up running like you have jelly legs, well.... I never thought of that.  Uh, oh.

So we got out and practiced a couple of times to work on the "transistions".  It was more comical than anything else, but Jodi at least figured out she needed to swap out her moutain bike for a road bike, and got one from her neighbor.  That probably saved her.  We saw some mountain bikes really struggling on the course.

When we arrived the night before the race to check out the trail, it felt like we drove over hill after hill.  And we had no hills like that to practice on in our neighborhood.  That got us nervous!  We had no hills like that to practice on in our neighborhood.  

I had a couple last minute stressy's trying to figure out the rules and the transitions.  Thankfully my Tough Cookie buddies were there for tips, encouragement, loaner equipment and help.  I had a few issues, like mounting my bike on the staging rack properly and when to get on my bike in the transition area (apparently its very bad to get on it before you cross the line).  But overall I managed to get my 22 year old bike up and down the 10 miles of hills and never had to walk my bike up the hill, and amazingly my chain never fell off (it sounded close many times).

My transitions went fairly well and my second run was within six seconds of my first run, which I guess is really good, so I was excited about that.  In the end, Jodi and I both wanted to finished in under 90 minutes and we did.  I finished in 1 hour and 21 minutes (41st place) and Jodi (35th place) was two minutes faster.  Race Results        

The race was a success! And I will be starting triathlon training at the beginning of April.      

Getting Oraganized with my To Do list

Are you a person who uses "To-do" lists?  I'm a total list person, and now that I'm home in Austin, I've been trying to get my lists completed. 

One of the first items on my list is to Get Back In Shape

All that fabulous travel, with all those fabulous dinners, drinks, deserts.  It was absolutely delicious.  But not the best for my waistline.  I gained a bunch of weight in the last six years, and I'm going to get it all off, and more.  So far I'm down 20 (whooo hoo) and I have another 20 lbs to go, although that is going to take some serious buckling down to achieve.

To get active, I've run a marathon, I'm starting triathlon training and I'm trying to get out dancing at least once a week.  Getting more active has been fun, introduced me to a bunch of great friends and its going to help me get my body back too. If I can keep up losing 2-4 lbs a month, I can reach my goal by end of the year.

Prepping for my first duathalon

Next week I will try my first duathalon.  Its a small one hosted by Tough Cookies.  I'm excited, because my friend Jodi and I are going to do it together and regardless of what happens, I'm sure we will make it an adventure.  Here is the description:

Tough Cookie Women's Duathlon: A beginner-friendly, women-only sprint distance duathlon. The 2K run/10 mile bike/2K run course takes you through the scenic country side of Copperas Cove, TX. Entry fee includes a great race t-shirt, a fabulous goody-bag, free massage beautiful unique finisher medals.

Sounds friendly doesn't it?  But yet, I'm still a bit worried.  "Transitions" are completely foreign to me, and while I can competently ride a bike, its not the most graceful thing you've ever seen.  Although, at 5'11" its hard for me to look graceful in any sport. Oh, and did I mention my bike is 22 years old?

Since I just finished a marathon a month ago, I feel I'm in physical shape for this race. It will just be the comical aspect of me getting on my bike, wobbling until I get going and figuring out what gear to be in.  And praying the entire time I don't mess up the gears, by going into a hard gear when I need easy one and vice versa.  If I don't crash into any of the other riders, it will be a success.

Hopefully this goes well, because I've signed up to train for a mini triathalon (sprint or olympic distance, which are MUCH shorter than Ironmans/full triathalons).  Training starts at the end of the month, and I'll again get to workout with my Tough Cookie running buddies, who I've missed.

I will focus on learning efficient swimming and biking techniques, as well as keep up with my running.  I can do all three, but like I said earlier, I'm not very graceful.  Hopefully the cross training will make me fitter and help me lose more weight.  I'm down 19 lbs so far and I have 21 more that I want to go.  So here goes.....

More suspicious ice cream trucks.....

So I feel better this week learning I'm not the only one suspicious of ice cream trucks. Looks like last July, another a WAshington D.C. neighborhood had some similar concerns.  See post from their neighborhood blog below:

This is my neighborhood!  I hear this truck all the time.  I never see anyone buying anything from it.

Title: CapHill Residents Suspect Late-Night Ice Cream Truck
Link: http://dcist.com/2008/07/14/residents_suspect_latenight_ice_cre.php

Could it be that the spooky ice cream truck was getting too much attention in that neighborhood, and has moved to Texas?  Could there be a gang of ice cream trucks driven by villans? I'm not sure, but either way, its CREEPY! 

Zilker Park Kite Festival

Today the weather in Austin cooperated for the Zilker Kite Festival (yesterday there were winds gusting at 30-40 mph) it was sunny and bright, with nice steady breezes.  The festival has been held annually since 1929 to celebrate the beauty of the homemade kite. 

My kite's last flight was over the Pacific Ocean about ten years ago.  So I dug it out to join the others in flight.  Since I was down there myself, it was a bit tough to get it in the air, but I had it flying for awhile.  But enjoyed watching everyone else more, and let another family fly kite when theirs broke.   

Zilker park is central so its a great place for a festival, but I'm not sure its the best place for a kite festival.  The giant power lines going through the park look ominious and there are hundreds of kite eating trees, who look like they've been enjoying their latest catch.  But thousands showed up and everyone seemed to have a good time. There were home made kites of every shape and size, including lots of homemade kites, and even some giant kites over 50 feet long. I missed the kite ballet and kite battles, but there were tons of family activities taking place including making your own kite.  

The only negative aspect of the day was the horrible shuttle system.  Either they had no clue how many people they were going to have, or they didn't have the money to afford enough busses.  But if you took the shuttle you had to wait at least 1.5 hours (either way).  After waiting forever at the downtown shuttle lot, I walked the thirty blocks to the park.  The wait back wasn't any better.  So next year, I would park closer and bike in or walk in. 

The kite festival was a fun Austin tradition and a great way welcome in spring.

The Scary Ice Cream Truck - Part 2

Last Friday evening, the scary ice cream truck went cruising through the neighborhood again.  I wasn't fast enough with the camera to get a good picture, but I did catch the back end of the truck before he disappeared from view.

Just seeing the tail end of the truck, with the paint peeling off the truck and the rust showing through, you have to wonder how disgusting it is on the inside.

Despite its happy sounding music it plays as it whips through the neighborhood, the sight of the truck gives me the creeps.  It seriously belongs in a horror movie. 

Then today, my coworker found an article about an ice cream vendor with a cart (cart not truck) who allegedly robbed a 75-year old woman in North Austin. http://tinyurl.com/adlcz2  

Is it coincidence that there are two very creepy ice cream vendors in North Austin? 

Marathon reflections

Now that the marathon is over, and my quadriceps are stiff, making stairs my nemesis, I started thinking over my second marathon.  As I mentioned yesterday, it was incredibly special to me because I finished it with one of my best friends.  And the women I met training really made it a special experience too.

But reading the encouragements from my coach that I should have a race journal, and seeing Sally write hers, reminded me of some things I wanted to catch, so I don't forget them. It will not be fabulous reading if you are not a marathoner, and maybe not even then.  These are just a looooong list of notes I don't want to forget in the case I decide to ever try #3.  Did I just WRITE THAT???? 

• I saw a rare daytime fireball streaking through the sky over Texas (around ~11:00 am CST) during the marathon. The fireball was actually captured by a News 8 Austin news crew who were covering a marathon. The video can be seen here. When I saw it, I first thought it was a shooting star, but it was so bright and occurring right at midday, so I figured it couldn't be that, and had to be a firework someone shot, as someone celebrated their someone special in the race (talk about your hopeless romantic - UGH). After all why not here, it would be harder to get away with at the finish. And then I totally forgot about it.  Until a friend asked me if I saw it the next day, because he saw it in the news (in St. Louis). I'm glad I saw it, now that I know it was really a meteor.  Sally unfortunately missed it, but the guy running next to her saw it and was talking about it, so she knew something happened. 
• I kept losing my running buddies at the race. Bad, bad, bad.  These are the women who pulled me through my training when I did not yet believe I could make my feet carry me 16 miles or more. But that day, I seemed to be paced faster than my cookie pals and kept having to hold myself back to keep with them. This was probably an excellent way to start, so I didn't burn out to early, but it kept feeling like that for me (and I'm usually happy to toodle along and have no time goal).  But I felt like I was racing my body.  With my back going whack three weeks before the race, I couldn't help but wonder how long until it would stop me dead in the race.  I finally decided I just had to go.  I got in a tunnel and just went with it.  Unfortunately, then I realized I had lost Sally for awhile too.  I kept slowing down, and she really pushed to catch up, and she finally caught me again at mile 21.  I was elated to see her, because this was about us doing it together.  If I had too, I was going to start walking, but she got there before that happened.  My favorite part of the race was finishing those last miles next to her.  I'll remember that forever!
•  I realized that when I have to be, I CAN be a morning person.  99% of the time I would probably sell my right arm to sleep in five more minutes.  But on days when it counts, I can pop up and go.  Most race mornings I've been a little stressed, but for some reason, on this race, everything fell into place for me.  Like I've practiced.  :-)

• After every race this year, I've used gels for race nutrition.  And after ever race I have felt bloated and miserable for hours on end.  I talked to one coach and she though that I just need more time for my body to adjust to taking the gels.  While talking to another coach about something else, I happened to mention my issue.  She suggested I switch to gels with no fructose and drink water instead of Power-Ade at the water stops.  That was the TRICK!!!! No bloating, no bad indegestion, nothing.  My stomach felt perfect after the race for the first time.  It just goes to show, how important it is to get a second opinion when something isn't working or to ask again because maybe you didn't explain it right the first time.  Everyone has different experiences, and different body types are always affected differently.  And one person may have not had the experience, but another may have.  This tidbit has made my race recovery WORLD's better.  I can actually be a human after a race and have conversations, instead of feeling like my stomach is at war and running to the bathroom the rest of the day. During the race, I only had 3 Hammer Gels, 1 Cliff Shot and a few PowerBar Cola Gel Chews. At the water stations, I stuck with water, with the exception of one PowerAde drink towards the end.  In the morning I had my frozen whole wheat waffles with peanut butter, a banana, a water, a diet coke (caffiene!!!), and a Spiced Pumpkin cliff bar (all slowly from waking to race running).  Fixing this issue, actually makes me feel like I could do other races, because my stomach is not on full scale revolt any more. 

• The temperatures during the race were great!  49 degrees at the start. PERFECT!  I had my race shirt and a long-sleeved t-shirt over it that I could ditch if I needed too. Our coach was there to catch my shirt and gloves at mile 6, so I'll ditch them some other race.  Temps actually climbed to 66 degrees and toward the finish I was salty sweaty.  I'm sure that is sexy somewhere, it just has to be....  I could have sworn it was in the mid to high 70's.  Thankfully, it wasn't or I may have melted into the pavement.  But really, I couldn't ask for a better day.  And I can't believe that all season, every race, we've had unbelieveably gorgeous weather. You can't do that living in Minnesota (Nov-Feb).  When I trained for my first marathon in Minnesota, I spent the first half of training on a gym treadmill.  Running outside in Texas all winter was FABULOUS!!! 
• We introduced Sally to soaking in Barton Springs after the race.  Most people think I'm crazy when I tell them I walk right into Barton Springs, running gear and all (no shoes and socks) and soak up to my hips for 20 minutes.  At a constant 69 degrees all year, walking in is very, very, tough. But once I'm in, my body thanks me as my joints are more or lessed iced.   Beats drawing a cold bathtub and sitting there for 20 minutes any day of the week!  And there is always interesting scenery at the Springs, not matter what time of year you go. :-)  Of course this time a swimmer showed us a giant crayfish he found in the springs, so if you walk on the bottom, water shoes as a precaution, or ...."just keep swimming, just keep swimming."
• After the RunTex 20 miler someone had made Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches.  And I usually could care less.  But that was the best sandwich I had ever had.  I shared it with Nada, Angela and Tammy and we were all saying YUMMY! So for the next race, I broke out the chocolate milk (fantastic recovery drink) and Peanut Butter Sandwiches and shared them with the girls.  We consumed them.  Now pack sandwiches to share for the finish of every race.  Yum, yum.  
• When I finished my first marathon, it meant so much to me because my parents where there cheering me on, my aunt and uncle, SALLY (who was like having my own care team/cheerleader throughout the race), friends from work like Eileen, Brad, Scott,etc, and my running inspiration Bryan who was at every race.  I was worried that I would feel alone at this race.  But I had my Tough Cookies coaches and other team members cheering us on. Lisa E at mile 19, Dane at 22, and loads and loads of well wishers before and after the race via e-mail and Facebook.  I felt like everyone was with me (although I did not bring my phone, my last post was getting out of the car, and my first post after that was at Barton Springs).  And the giant sign on my garage when I got home was so awesome (thanks Jodi and Mateo) I don't know how I can bare to throw it.  Right now its hanging on my door. 
• Today, I went to coach Girls On the Run before taking Sally to the airport.  We made her our special guest, as someone who has run 11 marathons.  I think the girls thought it was cool to meet her and I think she liked meeting them.  It was great to show her the program and what we are doing, and introduce her to the other coach.  Who knows, we may be encouraging future marathoners! 
• I feel great, I still keep wondering if my muscles are going to seize up like they did before the race?  But so far.....so good.  I will keep soaking in Epsom Salts every day until every last muscle ache is gone (after this race I think Epsom Salts are a little bit magic....don't tell me if they are not), I will religiously do all my physical therapy stretching, and hopefully, I'll keep smiling because I feel a little bit like Wonder Woman this week (Wonder Woman with really stiff legs, but wonderful all the same). 

What A Finish!!! - Austin Marathon

Today was such a spectacular day for me.  I was able to fulfill my dream of completing a marathon with my best friend.  And this morning, I didn't know if I would even be physically able to finish to race, because for the last three weeks I've been unable to run because I threw out my lower back. 

The last time I was a "runner" was when I lived in Minneapolis and completed the Twin Cities Marathon in October 2002.  Then I moved to Austin and had a tough time keeping up the running.  Being social, I tried a variety of running groups in Austin, but due to my work travel, was never able to make it work.  Then I discovered "Tough Cookies", a woman's running group in Austin. They welcomed me despite my schedule, consistently challenged me to push myself (when I showed up) and introduced me to some of the most fabulous women in Austin. I have a solid group of running buddies I love and coaches that continue to encourage me. So with that, I took the plunge and signed up for the Austin Distance Challenge.

The Austin Distance Challenge consisted of six races

• IBM Uptown Classic - 10K
• Run For The Water - 10 miler
• Decker Challenge - Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
• RunTex 20-miler
• 3M Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
• Austin Marathon (26.2 miles)

Ever since I moved to Austin I wanted to finish the Distance Challenge.  But was never able to get started.  With a position change at my job, that finally cut 90% of my travel last October, I was finally able to commit.  And I needed the goal, because any of you that know me, knows I'm not a morning person.  Getting up at 6am for long runs on Saturday morning was tough.  But running with the cookies, made it fun, and I looked forward to it, and had some of the best runs of my life.  My favorite was an 18-mile long run in Austin, where Nada and I did a bonus run to the top of the Mount Bonnell stairs. It felt amazing to be running and having that much fun.

At Christmas, I was home with my family and friends in Minnesota.  Sally told me she was going to fly to visit me in February, and not only that, but she signed up for the Marathon.  That meant we were going to do this race together!!!

Sally, who was the most amazing support person to me when I completed my marathon in 2002.  She was on her bike, meeting me at different miles along the course.  Calling my parents with updates so they could see me.  And encouraging me every step of the way. Originally when I was running, she thought I was nuts to run a marathon, but when I was done, she thought "If Deanna can do it, I can do it.", and since then she has run 10 marathons. 

Since I moved after my first marathon, we never got to run a race together.  When I found out she was running, and I was her inspiration, I was bummed I couldn't run with her.  But this year we were finally going to get the chance.  Then I hurt my back.

Three weeks ago, I got up from my desk, and my back went out, and the pain was intense.  Somehow I threw it out.  I wasn't sure what it was, but I had to work hard to get it fixed.  Doctors, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Massages, support from my running coaches and running buddies, LOTS of Epsom salt soaks, and LOTS of Advil and I was able to get up for race day. But I had no idea if I would go 2 miles or 26.2. 

We started the race and I felt oddly good.  I was afraid to say anything because I had no idea how long it would last. Since I've already rambled, I will just say I finished.  I finished stronger than I could have hoped for.  I was tired, the GIGANTIC hills (why would someone put a mountain in front of a finish line) at the end had to be power-walked, but otherwise, it was good.  Sally and I finished within steps of each other in 5 hours and 44 minutes.  I had targeted 5 hours and 30-35 minutes, but I'm elated to have finished when I did.  And even more elated to have finished with my best friend, and my fellow Tough Cookies.  We completed the Austin Distance Challenge!!!!

Hours after the race, I'm doing well.  A bit stiff and one small blister on a toe, but that's it.  Thanks to my friends who cheered me in the race: Our Tough Cookie team members, my fantastic Tough Cookie Coaches, Lisa E, Dane, Jodi & Mateo (for their fantastic sign on my garage when I got home), and everyone who cheered me on in e-mail and on Facebook.  I felt so supported.  And I got so amazing lucky that my body allowed me to finish this race.  I really still can't believe I finished.  I'll be wearing my medal with pride!

I'll put together a picture album, because there are lots of great shots at this race.

 

NERTZ - A Hillestad Family Obsession?

My parents moved back to the US (from Germany) in 1979.  During holidays, my mom's side of the family would gather at my Grandparents house in South Dakota.  Sixteen people and one bathroom, I still don't know how we did it.  But it was there that I was introduced to the family card game Nertz, which would become a Hillestad tradition. 

My uncle Duane taught everyone the game, and all the aunts and uncles would play for hours, hollering and screaming Nertz, slapping cards, and occasionally decimating a card and a few fingernails during a slam down. You would think we would have ran and hid from all the chaos, but we waited eagerly at the table edge for the chance to finally get in on the carnage and play. Being the oldest, I was the first of the cousins to get a regular seat at the table.  But eventually, everyone was old enough, and the bigger the game got, the more intense it was.  Those games are some of my favorite family memories.

Now that I've moved, I only get to play with my family once a year, if I'm lucky.  But in the last week, I've played Nertz with Nate and with Jill.  This was because Nate discovered the NNA (National Nertz Association) on Facebook.  With NNA we can actually pay Nertz online with each other or total strangers.  NNA decided to host their first online tournament, and for some reason, we were all online when the post went live.  I was player number 1, Jill was number 3 and Nate #4. If we can't battle live, we can battle online.  Even if the game is a little different than the Hillestad version.

On day 1 of the tournament Jill and I both played.  I lost, Jill advanced.  On day 2, Nate advanced in his bracket. I hope they will get to play head-to-head in the next bracket, it will be fun to watch.  And a lot of bragging at the next family gathering for the winner.  And I will be very quiet.  :-)  

For a full rundown of all the games, see the Nertz Tournament Blog: http://nnanews.blogspot.com/

Recovery & Countdown to AT&T Marathon

This has been a tough week.  I'm dying to run to make sure I am ready for the AT&T Half Marathon, which is now only a week away.  But with my lower back acting up, I've been advised from my doctor, my physical therapist, and my chiropractor not to run until race day.  So I'm hoping that when race day comes, I'll be okay.  I have PT and Chiro appointments almost every day this week in hopes I can fix myself by then.  

Even though I'm stressed about the race, I'm very excited because Sally, one of my best friends on earth, will fly in on Wednesday night!  Sally was there for me when I finished my first marathon. On her bike, she she met me every few miles, giving me snacks, encouragement and the most amazing support.  Even getting a knee brace for me when I started experiencing pain.  When I was training, she admitted she thought I was nuts for doing the marathon.  But after I completed it, she decided to take it up herself.  She has since completed ten races (I've only completed the one marathon).  We've talked about doing a marathon together for the last six years, but since I moved away, it was harder for us to make it a reality.  Last Christmas, she gave me a great present, telling me she was going to come visit, and she signed up for the AT&T race so we could run together. AWESOME. So, I really want to have the chance to run and finish this race with my best friend.  It would mean so much to me. 

I also miss my Tough Cookie running buddies a lot.  I want to run with them too.  So I need this body to get better.  FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Surprises & 3M Half Marathon

**Pictures from 3M Half Marathon**

I got the BEST surprise on a recent Saturday.  Sven and Angele were on a Corvette club ride, realized they were close to Austin, and on the fly, decided to surprise me. YEAH!!! We had a great time and we laughed so hard that night, I'm amazed my stomach didn't hurt the next day.  Sven made a fantastic spaghetti dinner to prep for my half-marathon and fixed my motorcycle.  I look forward to their return, so we can get our bikes back on the open road.

I finished the 5th race of the Austin Distance Challenge that Sunday (Jan 25th).  Not only does the 3M Half Marathon have the best goodie bag for the runners, but a lot of people come out to cheer us on, making it a fun experience.  The course is mostly downhill, which also makes it a fast course.  This race was a milestone for me, because the last time I ran it a few years ago, I did it as a relay with my friend Jodi.  This time I was doing the full 13.1 miles. 

We had to use a paper timing chip, which was frustrating, because we were told this year we need to purchase personal timing chips for the Distance Challenge, and now they are not using them for the Half or the final Marathon.  I'm hoping I didn't waste my money.  Grrrrrrr.

There were some great PICTURES from the race, and you can see we had great weather. I'm praying the good weather trend lasts for our final race the AT&T Marathon on Feb 15th.  Last year, the weather was brutal on the racers. 

Unfortunately, the good weather is where my luck ended for this race.  I experienced some I.T. band issues (more than likely due to all the downhills on this course), which made my knees hurt.  Thanks to my running mate Angela, and the Advil she shared, I made it to the finish with a fairly decent time.  I was pretty sore after the race, and needed the 90-minute massage after the race to resusitate me.

Then on Wednesday, my lower back went out again (last time was 1.5 yrs ago).  I'm not sure if the running contributed to it or if I was just unlucky.  But it was painful enough, I couldn't ignore it.  I went to the doc who gave me a bunch of meds and ordered an X-ray.  The results of the X-ray don't look promising, so I'm now scheduled for an MRI. Eeeek. I'm trying my best not to worry about it and to just focus on physical therapy which I'm starting this week.  The meds are helping me move around, so I just need to be patient.

I need to ensure my back allows me to finish the marathon, because I'm SOOO close!  Not only have I been training since last fall, but I'm excited to finish the race with my Tough Cookie running buddies.  Sally is even flying down from Minneapolis to join us on the race.  So fingers crossed, I'm hoping I can cross the finish line strong, instead of crawling. Because either way, I'm getting across that line myself. Wish me luck!

The Very Scary Ice Cream Truck

Yesterday was one of the days that make you trilled to live in Austin, TX.  It was a sunny day with a bright blue sky, calm breeze, and temperatures in the eighties.  And it was January, when my family in Minnesota are still shivering in 20 deg F temps.  Because it was such a perfect day, I decided to go home a little early to take advantage of the weather.

Then the ice cream man went by my house, with his happy music tinkling away, calling out to all the kids that the Ice Cream Man is here.  While it always amazes me to see an ice cream man in the winter, this ice cream man just creeps me out! 

When I hear the music from an ice cream truck, I expect to to see a cute little van that's white, pink, yellow, or baby blue.  I expect to see it covered with stickers, to be a clean and happy place, where kids get the joy of handing over their quarters (or dollars) to get some deliciously sweet treat that they can get all over their smiling faces and clothes, as they attempt to eat it all before it melts.

Not this truck.  If anyone is at my house when I hear it, I make them go out and look at it.  Its a rusted out bucket that really looks like it belongs in a horror movie.  One of these days, I'm going to have to be quick enough to get a picture when he goes by.  His truck is so scary looking that if I ever saw the neighbor kids running out to the truck without a parent, I would probably run and scoop them up before the scary ice cream man could stop, just to make sure they don't get sucked inside and swooped away.  Did I mention the driver, has an odd smile too?

Maybe the scary ice cream truck is just another strange "Keep Austin Weird" oddity, like the Cathedral of Junk.  But that place was lovely, and seemed like the dream fort for every 8-10 year old.  I know there is a horror movie with an Ice cream man in it.  I don't think I can see it, because I think this guy might have escaped from the movie.  And he drives his truck (always at lightening speed too, which is strange) through my neighborhood here and there on occasional warm days.  And every time I see him, I'm totally creeped out.