Great Urban Race, San Diego

October 22nd  Joye and I traveled to San Diego to participate in the Great Urban Race.  Not many people have heard of this race, but it's held each year, in about 20 cities across the country.  Joye and I couldn't do the Portland race, so we took advantage of the fact that we know a few really nice people in San Diego and traveled there to do the race and visit friends. 
Friday October 22nd:

Friend details first:  Had a great visit with Theresa, lunch and shopping at Fashion Valley Mall. On the way home, we checked out the sunset at Mission Bay beach.  It was cool, so the boardwalk, beach and park were pretty empty.  Probably just tourists from Oregon and Washington, standing around to watch the sunset.  We hoped for a nice day on Saturday. 

Stayed overnight with Kathy and her two dogs Chloe and Oliver.  All three of them are characters.  Nice "girly chit chat and laughs with red wine" night.
Saturday October 23rd:

Woke up to grey and drizzle.  What?!!!!  Ok, yesterday probably started out the same way, it will clear by noon.  NOPE.  Great breakfast around the table with the three of us plus Jeri, Kathy's friend and race partner on team Bodacious Obecians (San Diego'ians).  Joye and I were team "2 Clueless in San Diego". After driving slowly through "cruise ship traffic", we arrived at Seaport Village at the north end of Marina Park, and headed to check in. 

Started to see teams in some pretty creative costumes.  Some of the recognizable characters were: Where's Waldo; Smurf, Batman and the Joker, Goldilocks and a bear, some ladybugs, road kill, and a "No Ma'am" team.

How would you like to walk around SD wearing some of this stuff?  Crazy.

Jeri and Kathy checking in.  Note: I wanted to wear blue hair just like the super girl!

At about 12 noon we were given our race clues, in a sealed envelope, and the rules....12 clues to 12 locations.  Complete as many as possible, and return by 5pm.  One clue is mandatory, and you can skip one clue without penalty. Follow the directions and only travel on foot or by public transportation (no bikes, skates, carts or taxi's).  You can use any computer or phone a friend resource that you want.  Everyone has the same clues.  The top three teams get $$$$ prizes, plus qualify for Nationals in Las Vegas in two weeks. All top 25 teams also qualify for LV.  We thought that sounded like a reasonable goal. 

Game Plan: figure out the clues and puzzles.  Plot their location on the map and decide what order to do them in.  Walk fast.  Use the bus as much as possible.  Drink plenty of fluids, snack on nuts along the way.  Don't skip any clues and take no penalties. Return to the finish around 3pm and be in the top 25.




Jeri and Kathy.  Hmmmm, they should be working instead of looking at the weird costumed people!



Joye hard at work, while I'm taking pictures of everyone.

Here's how it played out:


The Clues:

#1: Ahoy matey! Translate these numeral pennants to decipher the three digit address on N. Harbor Dr.

Head to this location where a nautical challenge awaits you. Using the supplies given, create the "king of knots".  Return to the finish with a stamp on this clue sheet & flyer as proof of completion.  You must also untie the knot.

Teams walking towards us after completing the knot tie at the USS Midway.

#2 Head to the Gaslamp district and enjoy a little taste of Chicago, but don't wolff it down too fast.  Upon arrival you will find a variety of toppings displayed.  Which two are not included on a traditional "Chicago style" dog?

#3: Mystery word from the letters in the circles ("X" here online). Make your way to Balboa Park theater that specializes in this form of performance:
       1. baseball park of the San Diego Padres  _ _ _ _ _    X _ _ _
       2. Mountains that lay to the east of SD.  _ _ _ X _ _
       3. SD's australian sister city. X _ _ _ _
       4. 5 Level outdoor shopping mall located downtown. _ _ _ _ _ _     X _ _ _ _
       5. Naval base SD is also known by this name. _ _nd   _ _ _ X _ _   _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _
       6. San Diegan and dummer of Sound Garden & Pearl Jam.  _ _ X X   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
At that location, using supplies provided, create one character.  Use a minimum of 3 different materials and/or supplies to complete a face (eyes, nose and mouth).  Bring your character with you as proof.

#4     Unscramble the letters and follow your sweet tooth to this location.  A movie theater marquee masquerades this shop front that sells delectable and delightful treats, in what has now become a billion dollar industry.
                                        IHIRLGEADRL
Finish with all teammates posing with the shop mascot and bring flyer as proof of completion.

At the Ghiradelli store, yum!

#5   Whether you're looking for a ball cap for a Padres game or a top hat for a formal affair, there are over 150,000 options to choose from at this Seaport Village shop.  Hidden amongst them are ones that are black, fuzzy and sprouting horns.  Can you find them all?  Come try to identify the number of warrior helmets hidden in the store.  You get two trys.

#6   Enjoy a traditional south african pot pie or freshly brewwed espresso while admiring the work of local and international artists at this funky 6th avenue location.  Once there you must smell and correctly identify all three tea flavors.  Circle the correct answers below....

1.  Peppermint                                     2.  Vanilla                              3. Coconut
           or                                                      or                                          or
      Lavendar                                             Pomegranate                       Orange Spice

#7    Egg-cellent!  This quaint village is home to over 250 artists from the SD region.  Solve the following equation to determine the studio number of your next clue:
                                     (25-17) - (the square root of 144) + 10 + (2x4)
Locate the eggs displayed in the studio window and correctly match 4 of the 6 eggs to their corresponding  animal.  Only two guesses are allowed.
Ostrich    Quail     Turkey    Banty     Rhea     Emu

#8  Since 1992 the Toussaint Academy of Arts and Sciences have served homeless youth in SD county ages 14-17.  They strive to provide residents a comprehensive array of services needed to help them grown into healthy and successful adults.  Make your way to 1404 5th Ave, with at least two of the following school supplies to donate to this organization: 3 subject notebooks, erasers, pencils or pens, glue sticks.

#9  Make your way to the statue pictured to the right that is located at Fish Market Restaurant.  Once there one teammate must draw 2 movie quotes and incorporate both into a movie proposal to your teammate.  Return with a photo of the proprosal including all teammates as proof.

Me: "I'm in Love, I'm in Love and I don't care who knows it! ~ Elf"
Joye: "Toto, I don't think we're in Kanas anymore" ~ Dorothy.

We thought we had to make up our OWN movie quotes, here's what we were going to say:
                                  Joye: "Help me Obiwan Kenobi, you're my only hope..."
                             Me: "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn if you say "yes"..."
#10   Complete the word search puzzle.  The remaining letters will spell out the name of the locaton for this clue (in order from left to right, top to bottom).  Make your way upstairs where all teammates must complete the challenge as demonstrated by the instructor.

#11  In a pickle?  Head to this spicy establishment located on west Beach St.  Return to finish with a photo of one teammate feeding the pickle to another teammate, and return with a flyer provided.  This clue is only available from noon until 4pm.  Strategize accordingly.

#12  Tic - Tac - Toe.  Must complete 3 of the 9 challenges to form a tic - tac- toe.  All required items must be clearly visible.  Strangers must be non-GUR participants.

Take one picture                     Take one picture                       Return to finish line w/
of a teammate                          of a teammate                           a hard copy of  a job
shaking a real dogs paw           honking a strangers horn.          application.


Return to finish line w/             Take one pic of all                   Take one pic of all
a single piece of fruit                teammates pretending              teammates high-fiving a
(excluding banana)                  to dive into a fountain.              stranger in uniform.


Take one picture of               Return to finish w/ a penny          Take one picture of all
all teammates posing in          dated between 1961- 1979.        teammates posing w/someone
front of a trolley                                                                       w/ 2 or more visible tattoo's.

Pretending to dive into the fountain.  Duh.

Joye, honking a strangers horn.

The Result:
Dizzle; 40 mins solving the clues, getting addresses, phoning friends for answer and plotting a course on the map;  A lot of walking, 1 bus ride, a nice walk through Balboa Park. Partly sunny, hot and sweaty;  Costumed people walking all over downtown San Diego; 11 clues completed (no spicy pickle), no penalties; time 4:10:44;  great time. 
We finished 241 and 242 (both our teams), out of 331 finishing teams.  43 other teams did not finish.  Not bad girls!  Now we've got the benchmark time to beat.  We'll see you again San Diego!

Coming up on the finish line, "posers" a head of us.  They had dark black roots....Madonna's?!

Our finish time.  It took me 4 seconds to get the camera out and take the picture.

DONE!

Our race number, "proof flyers", bus pass, map and homemade puppet.

Almost to the finish and Kathy points out the Kanas City BBQ place where Tom Cruise had "that lovin' feelin'".

This years winner are a couple of runners, who finished the course in just under 2 hours:


Winners at finish line, without their "bouncies"



The winners in full costume.

The "Where's Waldo" couple won best costume

The Meaning of Rainbows

Last Sunday I was beginning the second 24 hrs of my 48 hr shift and noticed the beautiful sunrise in the west
while unpacking my gear at Station 1.
In the east this rainbow appeared, followed shortly by a second one above it.  My first 24 hr shift was rough, we were up all night taking care of drunk minors. 

When I saw the rainbow I commented to one of my co-workers, Brent G., that the rainbow means I'm going to have a better shift today. 
Brent in all his wisdom said, "You know what the bible says about rainbows don't you?". 
Me: "No".
Brent: "God promised that there'd be no more rain.  He didn't say anything about other disasters".
Me: ".........oh, great".
The reality was a little of both.  The day was way better than expected.  The previous on-duty crew did all of our daily chores and maintenance for us.  The night, was just like the previous night, and we were up all night.
There was no rain that day, so perhaps that's all it was suppose to tell me that morning.

Apologies to my yard

My yard is a mess.  I did some "spring cleaning" yard work, earlier this week. It doesn't get any easier if you leave it for an extra 7 months.  I didn't have the desire to get out & work my landscape this summer.  It could have been the weird weather we had, which was wetter and cooler than normal.  It could have been the amount of time I spent on the computer, or the fact that we headed to the coast almost every vacation opportunity that we had.  We were very busy people this summer.
Excuses aside, the yard is still a mess.  Let me officially apologize to all my lovely plants, I'm sorry to have negelected you!  Having said that, there are a few bright spots to mention.

My "Limelight" hydrangea.  The flower start out pale cream with pale green.  This year they added this nice pink tinge.

One of my favorite roses, "Electron".  The picture doesn't do the neon pink justice.

A plant find at the Peoria Nursery sale, Thumbergia variety.  AKA: Glory flower.  I will look for this again next year.  It climbs nicely up my arbor, flowers easily and doesn't need full sun. This plant was potted late and didn't have the full summer to do it's thing.

A red geranium my neighbor gave us for watching their dog.  This was from Walmart and is a prolific, continuosly flowering plant.  Would do this one again too.

My "Jack Frost" Brunneria seeded itself into a nearby pot.  The parent plant is in the background. A snapdragon also started itself here.  The hosta was the orginal occupant of the pot.

The bright pink flowers are petunias that volunteered themselves from last years planting.  The lavendar in the middle was planted during my "spring clean up".  It was a clearance plant I found in Florence.

A colorful flower head from my Endless Summer hydrangea growing on the deck in Florence.  I loved all the pretty colors throughout this flower head.

This is a "must have" clematis that is growing on the deck of the condo next to ours in Florence.  I don't know what it is, but I'm glad it's growing my direction and I might have to find a place for one at my house.

My winter project is to find a place to put one of these trees, "Forest Pansy" Redbud.  It is a small tree with big interest.  It flowers with pretty pink flower in the spring. The leaves are green at times and red at other times. The leaf shape as well and tree form are eye catching.  This will find a place in my yard.

So many colors on one tree!

Fantasy Time....

Fantasy Football that is!  This is my second year with a team (team name: Code 3 Fall) and I can say that I love having a fantasy football team. Sundays haven't been the same since I joined the league at work. 
It's hard not to like being league Champion, which I somehow managed last year.  Randy helped me draft my team and gave input as I navigated my first year.  I knew coming into this season that things would be different with a whole new team and a bigger league, so my expectations aren't as high.  Randy helped me pick my team again and I felt pretty good about my players.
Then I had a huge curve thrown at me.  I was suppose to have 2 starting QB's, not one.  With 14 teams in our league there was no way to pick up a starting QB after the draft.  My season is in jeopardy and we've only just begun. 
I've got a 4 week fix with Dennis Dixon filling in for the suspended Ben Rothlisberger, then I'm going to have to scramble to find a QB to get me some points.  For now I'll continue to root for the former Duck as he learns his way through the starting QB job.  Fingers crossed.  Hopefully he doesn't remember any of the "Duck Rants" I had against him.
Yesterday week 1 closed with 2 MNF games, and I ended the week as a surprise winner.  I won my head to head match easily, and   currently I have the highest point total in league with 250 points.  Maybe I do still have a chance to finish near the top of league.  What a great game!!!  Go Peyton!

Summer Fun 2010

Wow, what a great summer I've had.  I've played golf in at Sandpines twice; have taken two golf lessons; have remembered what fun it is to play with thread and fabric; Bought a new sewing machine; Had craft day with the girls in Eugene and Jeri from Maui; Have spent time with my Dad and brother Jason; Spent many nice days in Florence with Randy; have played in pools and lakes with the local family, the east coast Motes and the Portland Motes; went "camping" and had the "Great Motorhome Disaster" on the way home; have been to karate Spirit Camp, traveling with a great bunch of "girls" to Donnelly Idaho; Saw Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts, Huey Lewis and the News, and Sawyer Brown in concert. The Rods and Rhoddies Festival, an America concert, "Suessical the Musical", and a trip to Sisters, are still to come.  The house has been fixed up this summer as well with a new paint job, front door, garage door and light fixtures.  Earlier in the year we replaced all the windows too. Whew! That explains why the yard is a mess and there is no garden to speak of.  That explains why I just spent the WHOLE day cleaning out my room because it turned into a "dump and run" station.  Overall, I wouldn't change a thing.

Sawyer Brown in concert.  Great seats, what a show he puts on!

Grammy and Devan at Foster Lake base camp.

The Siuslaw River bridge closing after the barge passed by.

Santiam River from Yukwah campground

Relaxed now.  Camping is good.  Driving is bad.

How "she" packs for vacation.

Spirt Camp in Donnelly Idaho.

Devan with Brianna and Annie. Dustin and Derek too.  Pool fun at the Harrisons

Wild Olive: printable thread bobbins...

On Facebook I'd say "Like". 

Use the link to zip over to Wild Olives blog and access the PDF pattern for these cuties!


Wild Olive: printable thread bobbins...: As promised, here they are! These Wound-Up Thread Bobbins are all set for you to print out on card stock and wind up your own embroidery floss on. The PDF has 20 bobbins, each with a different color floss on it...but of course, you can use them for all your lovely colors!

Download, print, and smile as you stitch!

Artful Needs

"Creating" takes the "grumpys" away.  Not doing it for perfection, it may not turn out "right".  I'm just playing with art, for me. Maybe for you.  Sometimes it's designing with plants. Sometimes watercolor, colored pencils, acrylics, fabric, yarn, paper, thread.  I love it all. Don't forget to take time to "play". I must take time to play!

music video for Tanya Davis' song 'Art' by Andrea Dorfman

One Stitch Leads to Another...

In July me and 6-7 other girls spent an afternoon at my friend Susie's house in Eugene.  We gathered to enjoy lunch on the garden patio and craft afterwards with her sister Jeri, who is an artist visiting from Maui.  The theme of the afternoon was "leaves", we were to make/decorate something with leaves and Jeri would help us work out a design.  I really had no idea what kind of project I was going to do, but brought DMC floss, yarn and fabric as instructed.  Susie and Jeri had recently visited the Sisters Quilt Show and were full of ideas, as well as fabric.
Projects started that day: In short, inspired by fabric and birds, I made 4 quilted coasters and started on a little birdie pillow.  Jeri taught me a couple different embroidery stitches and I was off to decorate my birdie pillow.  I ran out of time at Susie's and have toted my birdie around with me, decorating him as I go.  Here's where I'm at so far:

I loved playing with the DMC thread and I have lots of colors from previous cross stitch projects.  I was looking forward to learning more stitches on another project soon.

The next project appeared on our camping trip a week later.  While setting up camp I found that a mouse had eaten a hole in the back cushion of my favorite camp chair.  Since I had packed the craft tote, I had everything I needed to make the perfect patch for my chair.

Here's my chair with piece of fabric inside the hole and some thread holding the edges of the chair fabric together:

Here's the fabric patch I cut and then embroidered to cover the hole. This is some of the leftover fabric from my little birdie project.  I've started playing with different stitches across the batik design:

And finally, the patch in place.  I added a little zing using metallic silver thread in random loops:

I like my mouse chair even better now that it's personalized.


One final crafty update....yesterday I had a day off work after working a 48 hour shift.  When I work two shifts I like to relax and do something fun on my one day off,  this day while cleaning my work space I came across the material to make boxing glove inserts (to keep your gloves from stinking), and decided to take the project on.

I made a pattern from an example that Irene gave me, decorated the gloves with stitched writing, and sewed them together.  There are inserts inside the outer black covers, that are filled with absorbent material and lavender buds.  The inserts are the same pink and green fabric that is used to finish the edges of the covers where the access hole is.  I forgot to stick the blue nylon strap into the sleeve before stitching it up, and it doesn't look good now.  I'm going to cover it with something to clean up the look. This was the perfect project and just what I needed yesterday.