A Daughter's Visit

When we last left our hero on Thursday evening, he was stranded in southern Maryland due to a broken down commuter van. The horror of this event was somewhat soothed by a few beers at the Outback Steakhouse across the highway from the disabled van. Friday was a work from home day so not having to rise at the crack of dawn after my four hour commute the day before helped. We also got the new that Daughter #2 would be visiting the following day with the Black Demon. The SIL would not be coming along as he was helping his Dad plant corn on the family farm in McGaheysville.

Daughter #2, who is the complete opposite of her older sister, seems to have inherited the family gene for never getting on the road on time and was about an hour late arriving at 11:00 from Harrisonburg rather than the planned 10:00. We had coordinated that she, I and Ann would hit the W&OD Trail for a bike ride before having lunch. Because of her late arrival, we debated about eating first and then riding, but decided if we ever sat down for a big lunch we would never make it to the trail. So some of us had a snack on the way to the trail. It was sunny when we left Woodbridge, but was cloudy and cool by the time we arrived at the parking area. It took us about 20 minutes to warm up. We stopped at mile 27.5 on the trail, which is where the trail crosses Ashburn Road and is 3.5 miles into our ride. The country store there cooks and sells fresh BBQ right there next to the trail that I've always wanted to try, but never have. The stop was necessitated by Ann not wanting to continue, that she was holding Daughter#2 and I back and she would just ride back to the van and wait for us. After much cajoling and pleading, we convinced her to continue on and we made the trip to Leesburg in about 54 minutes. After a short break to use the potty and rehydrate, we started the return trip. It was getting chilly again just sitting around and we didn't want to stiffen up. Coming back we made much better time and completed the 10 miles in 45 minutes. Despite her pleas to the contrary Ann's ride back was much better.

After the ride, we packed the 3 bikes in the back of our van and headed down Rt 28 to Sweetwater Tavern for a late lunch. It's definitely one of our favorite places to eat with good food, good service and they brew their own beer. What could be better? Since we were eating late (or early if you considered it dinner), we indulged in a shrimp type appetizer and a few Black and Tans before pigging out on our various entrees. I personally had the Drunken Rib Eye, which is so tasty. We also had a coupon for two free deserts because, horrors, we had to wait like 15 minutes at one of their other locations over by INOVA Hospital in Fairfax a while back. After all that, I let Ann drive the rest of way home so I could nap. That evening daughter #2 left for DC to visit with a couple of friends, one of which was leaving for London to continue her Veterinary education. We got to babysit the Black Demon for the night. In all fairness, the Demon, who is a Black Lab/Border Collie mix has quieted considerably from her puppy/teen years. She still bullies Rosie, our miniature schnauzer/dachshund mix, a bit, but usually everyone gets along fairly well. The Demon is also appreciative of all the treats she receives while in our care much to the dismay of Daughter #2. On her way into DC, Daughter#2 missed a turn around the Lincoln Memorial and called for assistance. I've lived in this area on and off since I was 15, but I can't say that I know downtown DC all the well. I can get around the major points of interest, but after that I'm lost. I called up Google Maps and kept her on her cell phone till she got to her destination. Mission accomplished as my ultimate boss once said. Erroneously, as it turned out.

Sunday, Daughter #2 returned home around 9:00 and we had some bacon and eggs prepared by yours truly (fake bacon for the almost vegan daughter). Then to wear the Demon out for the drive home, we took about an hours walk around the neighborhood. It was nice having her home for the short weekend. Her visit did throw off my plans to go rowing on Sunday, but it was worth the sacrifice.

The rest of the day was spent watching the Nationals play the Mets and doing the grocery shopping. All in all, not a bad weekend.

Damn Van

Last night's commute home hit an all time low. It was my turn to drive and not five miles from the base, the van breaks down. One minute its running fine, the next moment, total loss of power. I manged to get it off to the side of the road. Smoke was pouring out from under the hood and oil dripping out from underneath. Attempts to restart it were futile. It was dead. Not going anywhere. We contacted the company that owns the van and they sent a replacement. The problem was we were in southern Maryland. The van company is in Fredericksburg, VA. Two hours away. The good news, the van broke down across the street from an Outback Steakhouse. During Happy Hour. I finally got home at 8:00. Thank God I can work from home today.

Learning to Row

Every year my rowing club hold s a series of "Learn to Row" days. It's a way of introducing the sport to others and hopefully get new members. We feel if we can get you out on the water, you'll be hooked. The sport is that good. When I see joggers running through the neighborhood, all I can do is shake my head. Running is not only boring, its tough on your legs, knees, ankles, etc. Plus you only working your legs. Rowing is low impact and your working so many more muscles - legs backs arms.

This weekend was out first of three Learn to Row days and we had about 65 people show up. I believe its our best showing ever. Of course the nice weather didn't hurt either. We start them off with a tour of the boathouse, a little history of the club, show them the shells (boats), explain the difference between sweep rowing and sculling. Let them know the various membership options, including a two week introduction camp that is held prior to the club starting its regular season in June. We team them up with experience rowers in the 8s so we have 4 new rowers and 4 experienced rowers. This gives the new rowers a chance to learn at a faster rate then if they were in a boat full of new rowers. Its 12 hours on the water (six 2 hour sessions) and by the end of the camp we have them feathering and all. We also end up the two week camp by holding a mini-regatta so they can have a taste of what its like to be in a race. We've had nothing but positive feed back on it.

After the tour of the boathouse, we take them to the ergs, which are on the bottom picture. Here we teach them the basic rowing stroke - catch, drive, recover - fast hands away, slow up to the catch. After learning the basic stroke, we send them to the barge. That's the contraption in the middle picture. As you can see its a very stable platform where the visitors get to try out the stroke using a real oar. We have coaches on the barge that help them out and refine their technique, such as it is. After a trip around our cove in the barge, they're ready to try a real shell. Like our camp, we load the boat with 4 experienced rowers and 4 visitors and take them out of the cove onto the Occoquan itself for a 5 t0 10 minute row. Its all fun and everyone seems to enjoy it. We also ply them with refreshments and information on how to sign up for the camp and the club. We have two more Learn to Row days coming up, one in May (May 6) and another in June (June 3). We also run a rowing camp for high school students, including those entering the 9th grade in the fall, in July.

Its great being out on the water again.

What a Weekend

The weather gods finally smiled upon us and blessed us with some great weather. Sunny in the mid to upper 70s. I tried to make the most of it. I rowed on both Friday and Sunday. Friday I was in a double and Sunday I had my first row of the season in a single. Friday was a bit windier than I would have liked, but after bailing on my partner two weeks in a row for similar reasons, I didn't feel like I was in a position to say no. Rowing on a Friday evening is no mean feat to pull off. Mostly because that's when all the high school teams are getting their final practices in before their Saturday regattas. Chaos ensues. You have boats being put in the water (mostly 8s and 4s), boats being taken out of the water, long handled oars being swung around and carried up and down the hill leading to the docks and kids running everywhere. We managed to launch and headed upstream. For the first mile, its rowing through wake after wake from all the coaches launches. Once clear of that mess, it was pretty east rowing except for a few windy parts. We rowed up to Ryan's Dam, which is the old Occoquan dam that has been mostly been dismantled. Its a four mile row each way, so I felt like I got my moneys' worth. Sunday's row was better. I try to go as early in the morning as I can get my old bones out of bed. I did go a little later than usual because I wanted it to warm up a bit before I headed out. By the time I arrived at Sandy Run, all the singles were out save for three and two of those are only for lightweights. While I'm technically a lightweight (for men that's under 165 lbs), the lightweight singles are for those weighing less than 155 lbs. I was lucky to get the last non lightweight single. The water was flat, the temperature warm, but not hot, so it was a gorgeous day to be out on the water. I did the row to Ryans Dam again. My legs did feel a little rubbery by the end of the row, but a good feeling none the less.

On Saturday, Ann and I did our first bike ride of the year. We both bought new bikes about 2 years ago as just another means to get some exercise. We usually go ride on the W&OD Trail . It likes to bill itself as the skinniest park in existence. The bike trail is built on the old tracks (actually the tracks are long gone and replaced with asphalt making a nice smooth trail) of the W&OD Railroad and the trail stretches for 44 miles from Shirlington (not far from the Pentagon) to Purceville out in the Virginia horse country. We usually ride from a parking area just off Rt 28 north of Dulles Airport and ride to Leesburg and back. Its a 20 mile round trip and takes us about 50 min each way with a break at the Douglas Community Center. We don't actually go inside, but they have a playground out back and a sidewalk from the trail and most important, a bathroom. Riding with Ann is always an adventure. She knows she should exercise, but hates to do it. During our rides and when we stop at the community center, its a constant stream of comments on how she can't ride this far, or its too hot, too cold, too windy, too many people on the trail, her legs hurt or her butt hurts. Of course at the end of the ride she's proud she made the 20 miles and feels good about it. Hopefully we can make it a weekly event. We both rode with our VA Tech sweatshirts on and got a few "Go Hokies" from fellow riders. Speaking of which, it was nice to see the number of people who wore either maroon or orange on Friday in remembrance of the victims of VA Tech. A lot of people had also put ribbons on their mailboxes. I like to think that the students know we're thinking of them.

Miles rowed to date: 28.5
Miles Biked: 20

Hokie Hope

We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness ... We are the Hokies ...
-- Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activist

This About Says It All

This picture sums up how we all feel. Its all so sad and tragic.

We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on. We are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech ...
-- Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activist

Aftermath

As you might expect, I've spent most of my free time keeping up with events at Virginia Tech. I didn't attend VA Tech, but I've been there numerous times. My first visit was in 1998 with Daughter#1 taking the campus tour as she considered various colleges to attend. I've sort of adopted it as my own as I have my other children's' college - Ohio and Radford. When you visit Tech you're struck by the beauty of the campus, its openness with the sinking drill field in the middle that divides the dorms from the classroom buildings, the building all made of Hokie Stone and most of all the friendliness of the people. Va Tech is located in southwest Virginia, a very rural area and is surrounded by the Blue Ridge mountains. It is the last place you expect such violence to occur.

So far I've thought the media coverage has been pretty fair if a little hard on the President of VA Tech. The one exception was Paula Zahn on CNN. As I watched her interview various people last night, her sole intent seemed to get an admission that the authorities had mishandled the whole event. Few took the bait, but it sure was annoying. I think they did the best they could given the situation. VA Tech is not a high school or middle school. Locking down a single building, like a high school, is not the same as trying to lock down an entire campus. You cannot simultaneously contact 35,000 people (students and staff). Not everyone is sitting in front of their computers reading e-mail. Most were either in class or on their way to class or driving to campus or sleeping. Plus since the first killings occurred in a dorm, a lock down of the dorms, given the gunman was not accounted for, were not a guarantee of a safe haven. And to the gun nuts who have called radio talk shows and claimed that if the students had the right to carry guns on campus, they could have prevented or minimized the horror, lets get real. 25,000 not quite adults all packing guns? That's a disaster waiting to happen. Its all a mess and fills me with an unimaginable sadness. Still I look forward to visiting VA Tech again in the fall and creating new memories.