Sheep, Dogs at Baseball

The past few weeks have been easy for me as I was resting after the big relay race. I enjoyed eating a bit more to refuel but trying not to indulge too much and undo the good work I've done with losing weight. I spent a lot of time at home just doing not much of anything but still managing to fill the days.

One highlight was our trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Our gym PT trainer has become a wonderful friend and she is always giving us tips to see and do things to ensure our US experience is the best ever. She invited us to go to the festival with her husband. Her family have been many times before and it's a great day out. The weather was cold and slightly wet after a few days of rain but we dressed warmly and headed off to learn about sheep and wool. I wore my special t-shirt with sheep and a kelpie on it. Now, being from Australia, I'm familiar with sheep but I have never seen so many different type of sheep in my life. Big sheep, little sheep, horns, colours, wool...it was all there. It was a massive festival with people coming from everywhere to check out everything in sheep and wool. There was tonnes of wool for sale and people were buying bags of the stuff. I saw wool being spun on a little wooden wheel thing and saw all kinds of tools and products made with wool.

 

Of course, no show or festival is complete without food. I had myself a corndog - always wondered what it was. It's just like our dagwood dogs at home but the batter is sweet, it must have corn syrup in it. I didn't like the clash of flavours. We had lamb rolls and burgers for lunch, seemed a bit cannibalistic at a sheep festival, but it was nice. And had to have an ice-cream and we tried a funnel cake - this is a sweet donut like dough that spreads on a plate and covered in cinnamon or icing sugar. Of course it's fantastic.

Funnel Cake

 

We checked out the sheep herding displays too and it was fantastic. I've never seen this live before and they had border collies doing the herding. Wow, such amazing and clever dogs to watch. And it was great to see all women doing the work too. I was telling our friends about Babe, the little Aussie pig who thought it was a dog and they knew the movie. I would love to see how our dog Cricket would  go if he was put in the ring. I'm sure he's been exposed before as he tried to herd Macey when they first met. It's his natural instinct I guess.

We enjoyed the day there and I certainly saw and learnt a new things. We stopped in via a home brew show on the way home which was bound to be an eye opener seeing home brewers with their concoctions and designs. I just stuck with a massive hot dog and let our friend's hubby do the taste testing.

We enjoyed a visit from a friend from home for a week. It was super great to see her. Deb spent a few days in New York with her and then I kept her busy around DC for the rest of the week. She hoped to see an ice hockey game which is currently in finals playoffs - the Stanley Cup. The teams play the best of 7 games for each round. The only game that aligned with her visit was the 7th game of the round and I didn't think the Caps would make it that far. But, she was lucky and the Caps took it the 7th game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Deb had to work late that night so I went with our friend and enjoyed the full-on American hockey experience including hot dogs, ice cream and pizza. The game was excellent except the last period (3 periods played) when the Caps went to shit. It was terrible hockey and sadly, the Caps lost 2-0 and are now out of the finals. They seem to be jinxed in the second round and against the Pens. The crowd was huge, electric and huge and a complete sea of red everywhere. We had a great time and despite the shitty ending, it was great hockey to watch for the most part. I saw this picture in the paper the next day and had to laugh, especially being a batman fan - his sign says 'Batman ALWAYS beats the Penguin'.

And baseball season is in full swing. Each game has some kind of theme or event associated with it. We took the dogs on Saturday to the 'Pups in the Park' game. Deb was very keen and I had reservations about 'how' this happens practically. So, we put their scarves on the dogs and headed off to the game on Saturday night. 

A true Nats supporter

Sleeping during the game

Cricket watching the game with me

There were about 2 sections used for the dogs, not the whole stadium, and you had a seat for you and one for each dog. Many dogs were sitting on the seats while others, like ours, were laying on the ground on a blanket. It was so funny, I just couldn't believe all these dogs sitting there with their owners watching a game. They had water and grass patches in the concourse area for the dogs and people to watch your dogs if you needed to go buy food. People are so dog friendly over here and would come in to the area just to pat the dogs. It was a fun night and we had great conversation with the people around us. I kept laughing at the guy next to me with his dog, a cocker spaniel called Hershey. He was well behaved and had a bumble-bee costume on with two antennae on his head. The guy was a big fan and every now and again he would say 'Go Turner' or 'Go Harper' and look at his dog, the dog would lift his paw and give him a high 5. Oh god, I just cracked up. Apparently, they watch the game of TV a lot at home.

 

 I have a busy few weeks ahead with some cooking for the school I have been helping with. They are giving their final presentation and I am making sausage rolls for their morning tea. We also start half marathon training this weekend and summer has certainly started with temps this week hitting 34 C. 

My neighbour just popped over with a bag of Garrett Popcorn. This is a famous Chicago treat but a store has opened in New York. She was there for work yesterday and said that this is Oprah's favourite stuff and hers also. OMG - she got cheese flavoured and caramel flavoured all in the same bag. It is bloody fantastic. How on earth do I control the amount of that I eat. Thankfully it will keep in a sealed container for a while so slow and steady does it.

Odyssey - slideshow

Here's a collection of snaps from the Odyssey relay race. I don't have our photographer's photos so this is the best I can scrape. Enjoy the woop woop music by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.....clean version. It's chuffing awesome !!

American Odyssey Relay

This weekend I ran in the American Odyssey Relay race. This race started in Gettysburg on Friday at 8am and finished in Washington DC on a very hot Saturday afternoon. The route is 200mile (315km) and teams of 12 or 6 relay run day/night to the end. There are 36 legs in total and I was in a 6 person team so it was 6 legs each that totaled around 32mile (52km) each give or take a bit. I know, you’re currently shaking your head saying ‘What the hell were you thinking?’ My theory is the greater the challenge, the bigger the reward. Climbing, distance and time of day determined if legs were easy or hard. My legs were 10, 8, 7+7, 14 and 6km noting a double leg in the night. I was in a team of Aussies and our team name was the Aussie Drop Bears. Our t-shirt was a lucky find on the internet and certainly stood out amongst all the colour and glamour at the race. It also made for a good story to those who asked what a drop bear was. This was a new challenge for me. My previous challenges have been on two wheels so switching to two feet was new, exciting and scary all at once.

This race is in its 9^th year and is very very popular. Many teams have competed several times, some every race. There were 11 Ultra (6 man teams) and 86 12 man (sensible) teams. I’m sure there were more teams initially so some must have pulled out prior to race day as I thought there were over 100. There were some laughable team names…Pavement Princesses, Llama Spit, Runs n Goses, The Bone Zone, Angie’s Nuts, The Sweaty Dozen, The Stash Mob, Green Legs and Hamstrings and Fuelled by Caffeine and Cheetos. Each team has a van (12 man teams have two vans) and are decorated with all kinds of colour, bling, mascots and streamers. There is a competition for the best team name, costume and van.  Cirque de Sore Legs won the best team name. The vans were nothing short of entertaining. My favourite two were Pavement Princesses who had a big silver crown on the roof and We’ve Got the Runs with lots of poo-themed names on their van. They even had a gorgeous Vizsla dog called ‘Pooper’. There was also a cancer prevention themed van with big writing on the back telling you to get your Tatas (tits), Balls and Bum checked – the driver will do checks for free !! There was one van that rang a cowbell everytime if passed me running – I think it was Rosie and Rivetting Runners. There was a large contingent of women’s teams which was fantastic to see. Each van would always cheer you on as it passed you enroute to the next transition.

 

I was Runner 1 so I proudly kicked off the race from Gettysburg running through the country farm roads, neighbourhood and into the town.  I missed a bloody sign because I was past my 10k leg length and the transition was nowhere in site. Another girl was with me but, lets just say she missed a sign way earlier on and was not much help. We ended up at the Gettysburg Visitor Center outside town and it was clearly not the transition. We stood out amongst the civil war tourists. I then realized that I had not put the team phone numbers in my phone. The other girl called her team but she was really not understanding the address to collect her so I let her go. I had no choice but to do an ET and ‘phone home’.  I had to call a friend at the Embassy who works with several of the team. After her initial panic of hearing from me, I explained I was totally fine, just kind of lost with no phone numbers and needed a phone number. After a few texts thankfully, I made contact and the team came to my rescue and drove me to the transition – I was a few kilometers away but, I actually ran past the transition by about 100m – the next street over. Very annoying. Anyway, I jumped out of the van and tagged Runner 2 albeit about 45 minute delay. So, not off to a great start but it was all part of the experience. Everybody decided it was a good thing to try look at your route map and get an idea of direction.

The first day was warm and we were carefully managing our hydration. The team were running fabulously and I’m sure they all have Kenyan genes in their bloodline. I was clearly the slow pair of feet but we were all in this together and time didn’t matter – it was about everyone finishing and enjoying the challenging experience. We each had a mix of legs, there was no good or bad set of 6 legs. The mountain goats got allocated the climbing legs, the greyhounds got the longish legs and the rest were paper, scissor, rocks allocations (well sort of). I tried to get the easiest and least distance but as I said, each set of 6 legs was ugly in some way. The rules are to run one leg after the other with the runners in order so no swapping around the order at any time. These rules apply if teams want to be competitive for a place. However, teams can still run with any number of runners, change the order etc, but they will NOT be competitive for a place. As such, our strategy was to run singles with a double leg in the night. We were not focussed on an official placing and this strategy would give each runner a longer break during the night. This strategy worked well and although sleep was limited, we managed to get some shut-eye and rest along the way equivalent to that of flying economy to Australia.

Some transitions were at churches or schools and they totally rolled out the welcome mat for us. I cannot say enough how friendly, kind and supportive the community was. There were bake stalls, hot food, drinks and toilets to enjoy. Some food was even free and others were fund raising in which everyone generously supported as a way of saying thanks and ensuring these people return next year. I enjoyed a hot dog at these spots. Mid-race (Friday night) is a school which provided showers, hot food and a chance to sleep horizontal. The gym was like a crèche – quiet time – for people to sleep but others just laid on the grass outside in their sleeping bags. It was perfect weather to be outdoors. We could see the years of experience amongst the teams as they were well prepared for this oasis pit stop. The shower felt better than words can explain and another hot dog went down with ease.

The team ran well. We all struggled with something like a headache, upset tummy, blisters, sore legs or feet. But we all overcame our demons and got through the night. My most challenging leg was the double leg which was 14k at about 2.30am. As we arrived at transition it started to rain and there was an almighty thunderstorm and lightning overhead. Great (not quite the word I was really thinking). The marshals actually said I couldn’t go because of the lightning, safety comes first. I waited about 10 minutes back in the van and then my runner came in telling me that the race was back on. So off I went into the darkness and rain. This route was straight along the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) canal trail – this runs for about 300mile all the way to Pennsylvania. It runs along the Potomac river all the way to DC. It was dark and stormy and not the Bundy Rum type. I stopped quickly to put my rainjacket away as it was warm and the rain was light so I was fine to get wet. The lightning and thunder were scary. I ran across one bridge, with big stone sidewalks and this mass of lightning streaked the sky followed by a horrendous clap of thunder. I yelled out “S-H-I-T’ and swear I crapped my pants. The route was dark, covered in trees, lonely and a bit muddy so I was looking forward to finishing this leg. I didn’t see any other runners except for early and later in the leg. There were little toad-like frogs on the trail and I was trying not to step on them and praying they would not jump at me. I eventually made it to transition and was glad that leg was over. The next runner endured similar weather and nearly fell over in the wet – phew, thankfully he didn’t and lived to tell the tale.

Transition was always a rowdy time. In daylight, I could see the team in their yellow shirts. Once seen, the team would yell loudly ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi’. It was great. At night, I would yell Ninety One (our team number) so they knew I was coming. Again, that Aussie chant would erupt. All the other teams would clap and cheer also – it was just fantastic support all the way around. I was pleased with my performance. I ran well, didn’t walk and my nutrition worked well. I was nervous as I’m used to nutrition on the bike but running is different. I carb loaded last week and drank til it came out my ears. The secret formula was PB Squared - porridge, pasta, bagels and bananas. My trusty ol’ Ensure Plus drink did the post run trick each leg and Torq, gels and Clif bars kept my feet moving. I also enjoyed hotdogs and coffee in between run legs and I don’t know how many times I imagined Georgetown cupcakes along those kilometers.

The team did incredibly well. I am so impressed with the team, they are very accomplished runners and it was great to run with them. It’s inspiring to see what people can and have done and these five athletes are people I look to with great admiration. It was not until the last leg, Leg Number 6, that steel and lead found its way into our legs. It was Saturday morning approaching lunch. Most of the team had long legs, over an hour and the heat and humidity was killing us. We slowed down and just focused on getting there.

We finished the race about 3.30pm on Saturday afternoon crossing the line together and proudly holding our Aussie flag. It was a wonderful feeling, we had finished, and finished ahead of our estimated time. We would have been earlier had it not been for me getting lost on the first leg. We'd taken about 31.5 hours. The medal was a serious piece of bling – definitely representative of the sweat, stench and pain. There are always people supporting in great achievements like this. I have to thank our superb race driver. He volunteered his time to drive us around from transition to transition, find the gas stations, the McDonalds, the food stops, the toilets and importantly endured the never ending smell of sweat and stench. He also was our official photographer and I can’t wait to see his photos. If ever he needs anything, I told him I would be there as we were all very grateful for him being there with us this weekend. Thanks Mark. xx There was also lots of support from family and friends from home, work and afar. Thanks again to you.

 

Deb met me at the finish. She had her own marathon getting there through the horrendous traffic. The Climate March was on that day so streets were blocked. Another Trump inspired protest march. I was barely keeping my eyes open getting home and a hot shower felt a-mazing. We went out for an early dinner where I filled my belly. I was in bed by 7.30pm and slept for 16 hours. I did wake about 3am as expected, hungry, so I had a huge bowl of cereal and went back to bed. This has been a routine feeding time after a 24 hr event so I’m not surprised I woke up for a feed. My legs are quite tired, stiff and sore. Deb drove me to Georgetown Cupcakes so I could treat myself. I came home and woofed down 2 cupcakes and half of Deb’s (she was a good girl and only ate half). 

It’s a been a huge weekend and a great experience, and the team were simply fantastic. I totally enjoyed myself and am super thrilled with my running. I hope to do this again next year with Deb and I’m sure the rest of the team are up for it again. I've made a short video on my next post. The song was our team song as Rudy played it on our way to the check-in on Friday. We tended to sing this over the weekend....chuffing awesome.

 

ANZAC Day in the US

A very proud and reflective day for all Australians. For the non-Aussie reader, ANZAC day is the day when Australia and New Zealand remember their service men and women, former and currently serving and the sacrifice they have made for their country. It is commemorated on 25 April every year to mark the 1915 Gallipoli landings in World War I when Australian and NZ soldiers landed on the beaches at Gallipoli (Turkey) at dawn to begin an offence which was ultimately a failure, resulting in massive loss of lives (both allied and Turks) and the withdrawal eight months later. 

This campaign against the odds forged an enduring spirit of courage and mateship and they became known as ANZAC - Australian and New Zealand Army Corp. ANZAC day is a national holiday in Australia. We celebrate ANZAC day with a dawn service to mark the dawn beach landings, a later morning service and street parades in cities and towns throughout both countries. And of course, for this one day of the year only, we play two-up. Here I am with some friends as we get the courage to toss our money into the ring. This is a simple gambling game where the spinner throws two pennies in the air, people bet on 2 heads or 2 tails to land and a load of fun is had, money is lost or won....of which I lost that day. Anzac biscuits are also a tradition and were on the plates for breakfast. I also made a batch for work as a treat. I have made a batch for the school I visit with the Embassy diplomacy team - they are learning about Anzac Day later this week so they will have some Anzac biscuits to munch on as they learn.

This year we went to the Dawn Service which is held at the Korean War Memorial. In the background of the first photo you will see lifelike statues of soldiers marching in formation - a very impressive memorial here in DC. It was well attended and always a moving and emotional ceremony. The Embassy then hosted the gunfire breakfast and we all head off to the National Cathedral for the morning service. I've not been to a morning service but it was outstanding to do this here at the National Cathedral. There was a didgeridoo, bagpipes and the buglar - all providing the moving sounds of remembrance. I enjoyed hearing from the both NZ and Australian Ambassadors and the entire ceremony was wonderful. I will definitely go back for a tour of this beautiful building. 

 

I am always very proud to be Australian and today is special day to remember the diggers, those who lost their lives, those who helped us make Australia the great country it is today and all of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Lest we forget.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Please note I have taken photos from the Embassy of Australia, US Facebook Page. Please  visit for more photos and information.

Texas - The Slideshow

Have a look at this little collection of pics from Texas. I discovered this song while at the Magnolia Silo Markets in Waco. I thought it was Don Henley but after a quick google, I discovered it was Dave Barnes and this is Sunset Santa Fe. He's got some beautiful country music so check him out. 

Texas - Part 2

AUSTIN Continued

Our journey continued in Austin with a Segway tour in the morning. Austin has a nice feel to it, lots of bars, restaurants and music venues. We didn’t feel like Austin had any special sights to see so the Segway was more like a burn through the streets down to the Lady Bird lake and back. I didn't fall off the segway which is always a good thing. We saw the bridge where the bats live but no bats to see that morning - something to do with the rain and weather? We saw the Austin State Capitol building which looks like most other US Capitol buildings – they all have that dome shape on top like the one in DC. We grabbed a coffee at a trendy café before heading off to Waco. Upon reflection, the best thing about Austin was the donut shop we went to the night before.

WACO

We decided to take the 'country' roads to Waco in order to explore a little bit. It was a nice break from massive highways but remember, everything is big in Texas so the country roads were like our freeways! The towns were nothing out of the ordinary but I'm glad we took that drive. There were so many churches in each town despite being small towns of about 2000 people. We stopped for lunch at the Sonic burger joint which is a drive-in. They bring your order to the car, kinda reminded me of the Happy Days era. It was an impulse decision that seemed a fun thing to do (when you're in your late 40's). I’m reaching my limit of junk food and will be glad to resume healthy eating when we get home.

There really is not much in Waco – mainly the famous Baylor university which is known for its football stars and scandals.  The only reason we stopped here was to visit the Magnolia Silo’s bakery and shops - more on that later. The only other thing we know Waco for is the Branch Davidians religious cult where back in 1993 the Federal and Texas state law agencies (and military) raided/sieged the compound. The group were suspected of weapons violations in addition to allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. The siege standoff lasted 51 days with the FBI eventually launching an assault with tear gas in an attempt to force the Branch Davidians out of the ranch. Unfortunately, a fire broke out in the Mount Carmel Center and 76 people died. The guy who did the Oklahoma City bombing (killing 168 people) a year later cited Waco as his motivation as he was an anti-government sympathizer. It was interesting to read about these incidents now because I was much younger and ignorant back in that day. The compound is about 15 minute drive out of Waco, down some farm road. We stopped at the open gate but did not enter – you are allowed to enter and visit the church area but we chose to look from the distance. I was worried the gate would close behind us if we drove in or the car would stall or get a flat tyre. There is a memorial inside the gate for the people who died in the siege. 

 

Now back to those Magnolia Silo's Markets. These are the shops owned by Chip and Joanna from the hit TV home renovations show Fixer Upper. Deb is a huge fan and she was super excited to visit here. No, we did not see Chip and Joanna and if we did, I would have been coming home alone. Someone has a little crush on Joanna!! It gets really really really busy here, elbow pushing busy – it’s a very clever and successful business venture and everyone comes to Waco pretty much to see this place. It's closed on Sundays so we arrived at opening time on Monday which was also Deb’s birthday. We enjoyed a morning breakfast sugar rush of pastry and cupcakes and wandered the grounds waiting for the shops to open. We gave the Visa card a good bash and Deb left happy with a few bags of goodies. I keep thinking of how well Chip and Joanna have done and those Silo’s markets have really done a lot for the city. I also keep thinking of that chocolate cupcake - never too early for those.

 

DALLAS

After our Magnolia Silo’s visit we headed to Dallas. Many of you are probably like me and think of the 80's TV show Dallas with the Ewing family, Southfork Ranch and the Who Shot JR? mystery. Wasn't it Sue-Ellen? I can still hear that theme music in my head now.

In Dallas we enjoyed a full afternoon of JFK history. This was definitely a highlight of the trip as we are history nerds and JFK’s assassination is a significant event in recent history albeit 54 years ago. We arrived early at Dealey Plaza which is the general area surrounding the site. The route that JFK drove is still open to traffic today but the grassed areas, sidewalks and the famous grassy knoll are all there for you to walk around, look and reflect. The Texas Book Depository is right behind and is now aptly named the Sixth Floor Museum – more on this later. There were several conspiracy people setup on the sidewalks with their stuff to buy and convince you of a conspiracy but we dodged them safely. There were two X’s on the road to mark the spots where the car was when the two shots hit JFK (the third shot missed). I have watched so many videos and movies of JFK’s assassination and to actually be standing there on that grassy knoll and surrounds was an absolute surreal sensation. It was just like you see in the videos – and of course it would be, nothings changed.

2nd Top Floor - far right window, Oswald's Window

We then took a one hour JFK trolley tour and Texan Mike the guide was pretty vocal, confessing that he used to be a conspiracy theorist. But he has since asked questions, read a lot and realized, the facts speak for themselves. Funny that – ignorance can be bliss I guess. I wonder if he believes the moon landing? Anyway….he was super knowledgeable and passionate to say the least. He explained the lead up to JFK's Texas tour, the tense relationship with his vice-Pres Lyndon Johnson and re-election focus for 1964. We drove JFK’s parade route and then continued on the route that Oswald took (walking) after he fled the book depository. I never fully understood those events but it was great to see and hear it all. The cinema where he was captured hasn’t changed a bit since that day. We drove past Oswald’s house and the location where he shot dead a policeman who approached him as he was on the run. It was a very informative one hour and totally well worth taking this tour. There was a thunderstorm and pouring rain on the tour and it added to the eerie effect of this experience.

Our last visit for the day was through the Sixth Floor Museum which is the former Texas Book Depository. No photos were allowed in there except for the 7^th floor where you can take a photo just above where Oswald took the fatal shots. This museum is excellent. The photos, information and layout were fabulous. They give you audio headsets to further explain the exhibits. We thoroughly enjoyed the museum and managed to read a fair bit despite rushing as it was approaching closing time. This is a must-see in Dallas.

I’ve never been a conspiracy theorist and believe the events are all explained including Jack Ruby shooting Oswald. JFK was a remarkable man and his assassination was a tragedy for the world, particularly at a time when positive change was needed. I’m not sure Dallas would be as prominent if it were not for JFK’s assassination there because we also did a trolley tour of Dallas that afternoon and it was nothing to rave about. We heard comments that Austin and Dallas were average and our thoughts are the same.

FORT WORTH

Fort Worth, the gateway to the West. In the late 19^th century it became an important trading post for cowboys at the end of the Chisholm trail. Texas ranchers using the Chisholm Trail started on the route from either Rio Grande or San Antonio, joined the Chisholm Trail at the border between Texas and Oaklahoma and continued to the railhead of the Kansas railway in Abilene, Kansas, where cattle would be sold and shipped. Fort Worth was originally established in 1849 as an Army outpost and named after it’s General (Worth). The fort was abandoned in 1853.

Fort Worth was stimulated by the business of the cattle drives on the Chisholm Trail and became  a brawling, bustling town. Millions of head of cattle were driven north to market along this trail and it became the centre of the cattle drives and later the ranching industry. It was given the nickname Cowtown – yee ha giddy up.

 We had a private walking tour of Fort Worth which was excellent. Our guide was very knowledgeable and also drove us around town to see some interesting sights in museums, botanical gardens, buildings and the city streets. We finished up at the Stockyards to see the daily cattle drive (just for tourists) and those cattle were definitely big with horns to match. They have a rodeo every Friday and Saturday night and I am keen to do this later in the year when my sister visits. I didn’t get to buy my 10 gallon Stetson hat but I will try again on my next visit – gotta get something to match my cowboy boots from Nashville.  We definitely enjoyed Fort Worth and there is plenty to see there, more so than Dallas. The town has forever had strong rivalry with Dallas and the guide gave us great stories about the oil barrons who have built Fort Worth and made it the town it is today.

This wrapped up our Texas adventures and we took the afternoon flight home back to DC. We were exhausted and I slept the 3 hour flight home. I certainly had expectations for Texas and while some of these were probably unrealistic, I enjoyed the great state, found the people super friendly, the food to be amazing and the history very interesting. As a kid, I watched cowboys and indian movies but never realized that it was real life for the people here. I now appreciate what those movies were all about.

So that now makes 16 states touched.