Southbound and Down

We're loading it up and trucking! Leaving tonight for Christmas in Arizona: Flagstaff with the Francis' and Tucson with the Reid's. Can't wait, weather is less than fun up here.

Pack, travel, unpack, repack, travel.... it feels like an endless cycle of shuffling stuff from one vehicle to the next. Just back from Cyclocross National's in Bend, Oregon for four days where I met my goal of finishing in the top 8 so that I could start on the front row again next year when I hopefully had better fitness. But I exceeded my goals and finished on the podium, 3rd. Immediately after completing the late night drive back home I was unpacking the Honda and repacking the RV, and shuffling all that extra gear that was put there for storage. Up the stairs with a loaded bag of stuff, down the stairs with a different bag of stuff, repeat, then re-repeat.

Annie just finished here final final and so now we're free to go.

Beyond Blowout

Its funny now, and you wouldn't guess it but it was funny then too, and this is a good thing when you have a kid because when you laugh in front of kid, the baby laughs too, and the last thing you want in a crisis situation like this is a crying, squawking, kicking kid.

Just after breaky I noticed Kian's daiper had come undone and had slipped down into his pant leg. Its chilly in here, so I quickly unzipped his one-piece, pulled out the diaper, re-zipped and sent him on his way, diaper free -- one of Kian's favorite things. No more than 10-minutes later I rallied the boy to suit him up for the morning, and that's when I first caught wind of him. Uh oh, this could get messy. I slowly, carefully unzipped the onesie and to my horror it was like a napalm bomb or the guns of navarone went off in there. I was imagining myself on brain detail. But instead of being that race car at a red light, I was laughing pretty hard. Kian started laughing because I was laughing and so we had another one of our guy moments together, the kind that only a father and son could share. I would have laughed louder and longer had I been able to zip it up until mommy got home, but instead I snapped a photo, stripped, and then carried him into the shower with me, onesie and all. I would normally probably end the story here, but one more interesting moment came when I pulled him free of his poopy clothes and into the stream of the shower. I was thinking, "this isn't so bad", as well as how when you're a parent you have to think of poop as though its just dirt and you have to get elbow deep in the stuff once in awhile, but about then I felt this soft thud on my foot and I knew exactly what it was. I still haven't cleaned the mess in the shower up yet, but as much as I'd love to leave it for Annie I'd best take care of it soon.

A Turkeyless Turkeyday Full of Turkeyness

Chariot parking.

Yeah, we were struttin around on our Nordic skis looking like a bunch of goblers. Kian and Annie and I were up at one of my old-time Thanksgiving haunts, Silverstar Nordic Center just up the hill from Vernon, BC where they have some of the best early season XC skiing in North America. We had a blast.

For dinner that night we had curry, Thai curry. It was delicious, nutritious, filling, and we didn't have to spend all day in the kitchen. We'll do that for Christmas.

The skiing didn't disappoint either except maybe a little bit on one day, but because it was snowing too much. Back in the day I used to throw down 5-6 hours on skis per day in two big sessions, but Kian kinda threw a wrench into that drive-train. However, I still got in plenty of skiing and logged 13-hours on the trip and only 4 or 5 of that was with Kian in tow.

We bought a new sled for Kian and he loved it when we
tugged him all around the Village.

Annie and Kian in the Village.

Diaper fun. For him.

Kian and Mr Ducky, still inseparable after all these year.

What's Happening in Whoville

Kiki and dodo the ducky.

We've had a couple busy weeks as usual, but putting me on the spot right now to mention what we've been doing and I can't come up with much. Mommy has been working hard in school and bringing home top honors on most of her exams, and we're proud of her for her dedication. Last weekend Daddy won the Washington State masters cyclocross championship race and then took home the silver in the single-speed race. We've had a pretty healthy social calendar the past few weeks and have had a great time hanging out with so many of our Seattle friends. And on Friday we were paid a visit by Auntie Birgit who was in town from Flagstaff on business -- it's been a whole year since we got to hangout with her!

Aunt Birgit and Annie.

Kian wanted the place just right for her visit.

Looking like a little beatnik, but that's his toothbrush, not a tiparillo.

Vids from 1-Month Ago

A Few Fall Photos

Kiki in the Hood

His terrycloth hoodie: so fashionable at the Athletic Club.

Halloween weekend with his cousins.

A little frazzled: Kian wakes up hard, like his daddy.

The best way to cheer him up: FOOOD!

Prepare for Blast Off, Space Monkey

Our Halloween hosts: Falcon, the Balloon Boy, and...
Foxxy Cleopatra?

We were invited to the annual Snoqualmie Ridge Halloween potluck in the Lutz's garage, the place to be when its raining and the kids are out begging for treats. The adults hung around the ping-pong table and the bonfire and gorged ourselves on amazing food, some of it marginally less bad for you than the high fructose corn syrup candy the kids were eating: mmmmm, cheese dip mixed with another kind of cheese and sprinkled with a different cheese... you dip it with cheese mmmmm. Good times!

Okay, let this trick-or-treating thing commence.
I've got 8 teeth now, let's give them hell.

What it looks like when the sugar buzz wears off.

The Chicken Hawk giving Kian a taste for Halloween.

Commander Kiki showing Captain Ducky who's the boss.

***A Dramatization Only: No candy was actually eaten by Kian on this entire night (as far as his mommy knows).

Critical Mass

Critical Mass is defined as an amount necessary to achieve a desired effect. I just looked it up. It's also a "movement" and you should learn more about it, as should I. The act of "Critical Mass" says a lot of different things: we are people on bikes, we are many, we are fragile, bikes are good, we are Americans practicing civil disobedience, come join us, please/thanks for respecting us, we respect you; among many other things. But more affectionately and simply, Critical Mass refers to a fun and crazy bicycle ride that leaves downtown Seattle the last Friday of every month.

Critical Mass on Wikipedia.
Wikia Critical Mass.

We dressed up on Friday evening despite the huge winds, the off and again rain, the darkness, and we soldiered downtown like warriors. Stephen was there. Marlin and Christ were there. Annie was there. Kian and I were both there, I as his pilot.

More pics were taken than these and more are forthcoming, so consider this a little teaser.

For homeland security purposes, you don't know any of these people.

Kian with one of the Village People
(Value Village people).

The desired effect that Kian was looking for,
was dinner and movie at the Blacks' by 9. Done!