Kieran's Baseball Season Ends

After finishing the regular season with an 11-3 record, Kieran's baseball season concluded yesterday with the completion of the end of the year tournament.  The tournament started Saturday with two pool games to determine bracket seeds.  Kieran's team won one and lost one in back-to-back games, so they had to play another a few hours later.  

That was the first, and only, true elimination game of the tournament.  Lose that one and the season would be over, but the won fairly convincingly meaning they would play Sunday too.  They lost their first game Sunday, meaning they would play for 3rd place.  Which they should've won...but lost it with one out remaining in the game.  4th place isn't too bad...they even got a medal...

  

Lake Waconia Triathlon

Summer means it's triathlon season and Sarah has taken part in two so far.  This first was in Delano (which she didn't partake in the run portion because of ongoing foot/heal/achilles issues), but the most recent was in Waconia, just over a week ago.

I like going to watch these triathlons, I've been to an awful lot....I'm not a very loud cheerer, but thats why I bring the kids...

Of course it starts with the swim....which is always hard to find Sarah, but if you really look close you can find her taking off (she's the fifth from the left).

When she's out swimming you have some time to prepare for her to come in (or if you're the kids, you can dig in the sand....).  But here she comes...

Once she passes you coming out of the water, you've got 1-2 minutes to get to the bike exit (where she'll be leaving on her bike)....it usually takes a lot of running or very quick walking....

But it can be done for most triathlons....even the kids can get there fast enough...

Once she's off biking, you got some time to yourself...or if you're the kids, you play on the park until some mean guy says go stand by the road (that would be me....)....but then you'll see her coming in on the bike....

And she'll go flying by you quick!

Then it's another quick hustle over to the run exit....you've got a couple of minutes max...time to run...

But it can be done and soon she's off running again...

You'll have a little time after she leaves by yourself, but it won't be too long before she comes flying back down the hill towards the finish....

There's no waving here...she's looking to finish...

But you can usually get a photo at the end...

Lake Rachel

We spent the weekend up at Ann's on Lake Rachel.....I didn't take too many pictures, but here's a few...

Of course, there was some fishing to be done...here's Luke fishing in the early morning hours (between 7-8 am - he wakes up early and it's easier to get him out of the house)...

Kieran fished whenever he thought he was missing something (i.e. when he saw Luke fishing) or in the picture below, late Sunday night...

I didn't take many pictures of the fish they caught...I should have, since I don't have any that Luke caught (and I'm pretty sure he caught more)...but here's two of Kieran's....

The first he caught Sunday night fell off the hook as I was taking the picture, just got this shot...

The second he caught Sunday night was smaller than the first, but we got a decent picture...

I also insisted on stopping at an overlook in Glenwood on the way back from church...

Luke was hungry and didn't want to smile...but if you look closely, he's putting on an act....if you want to read the marker to get the geology of the landscape, here you go....

With a lot of people present and lots of things to do, there's bound to be some blow ups in behavior....Kieran had one while playing croquet.  I sent him up to sit in front of the house, gave him 10 minutes or so and when I went to talk to him about his behavior....I found this....

Apparently he was pretty tired...he slept almost an hour or more....

Being the July 4th weekend....some fireworks were bought for the kiddos (I think by their aunt/uncle Missy & Pete ---- pretty sure....)....

Here are some sparkler shots...before the mosquitos got too bad...

Some nice Jedi action...

An imitation of Elsa, this ice queen from Frozen...

And who really knows what K tries to imitate...

Grandma's Marathon

I signed up for Grandma's Marathon last December 31 -- the last day it was open before it reached capacity -- thinking I could better last year's time.  I knew Sarah had class the day of the marathon and it would only be me for the weekend (I had reserved a campsite at Gooseberry Falls State Park sometime in August, just in case).  Well...a lot of things changed...

Two days before I headed north, I got a text from Kristie (who runs with Sarah and Pam in the early am and is a mother to a friend of Lukie) wondering if I could drive her to Duluth.  Not a problem...and it ended up being Two Harbors, but I was heading that way anyway...

After picking up our race packets at the DECC, we figured we had to take a picture...

Yep...those signs pretty much summed up the weekend....

After arriving at the start line an hour early, the temperature was announced as 68 degrees (about 18 degrees warmer than last year, but it wasn't raining).  Then it went to 72...then 76...before the thing even started....rain would've been better...

Eventually though, it was time to start.  The weather condition flags were 'green' - meaning low risk.  That was going to change....quickly.  It was a long walk up to the starting line...

I remember thinking last year (as it was pouring rain) that the people who take the train up to the starting line had it easy....yes they do....

Being up there all by myself, I brought my phone along for the run...figured it'd be nice to know it was there if I needed to call someone...no idea who I'd call or how they'd help, but I had it --- plus I could take pictures...

Yes, I was the guy taking pictures running up to the finish line.  You can see me in my bright, orange shirt on the big screen...

I had a goal for finishing....I was 41 minutes slower than that goal, slower than last year...oh well.  Those weather flags, but mile 7 had jumped to 'black' -- meaning extremely high risk.  Yeah, it was tough....

Kristie bumped into me in the finish area and asked what I was going to do and I said "go sit in the lake."  She say no way...and I said watch me.  So she followed along...

I got right into it, waves riding right up my shorts...it was glorious...best part of the day.  Took Kristie about 10 minutes before she got in too...bet we sat there talking with a big group of people for at least thirty minutes.  Used to tell the boys to stay out of the water there....not anymore...swim away dudes...

Had to take a picture of the bridge too...I've got lots, not many with me in it though...

Luke's ComboBall

Luke plays ComboBall every Tuesday night.  ComboBall is where the kids get three pitches off the pitching machine and if they don't hit the ball they get a chance off the tee.  There are also a couple of minor other rule differences from tee ball (like you can get out on the base paths), but otherwise, it's pretty similar.

Luke subbed last year for one of Kieran's games when K was sick and he hit the ball off the pitching machine all three at bats (he could have struck out at that level...but didn't), so I didn't think this summer would be much of a problem.

But watching him play a game and one practice, he was struggling hitting the ball off the machine.  I hustled back from a class in St. Peter to catch the game, saw him bat in the bottom of the first and he ended up needing the tee.  He also needed the tee in the second inning....but...

That changed in the 3rd.  (sorry for the distant, pixelated iPhone pictures)  Here he is getting ready...

I accidentally cropped the ball out of this picture, but it's gone...

It was a ground ball to somewhere...who cares where...he hit it off the machine and you could tell he felt much better about himself....

By the time he got to third base he was pretty happy (of course he was also by his close buddy Lincoln from the other team)...

Mankato Travels

Last Monday, the kids and I took off for the Mankato area knowing that we had gotten some pretty good rain fall the day or two before and the waterfalls should be flowing pretty well....

But first we had to see a dinosaur!  A dinosaur in Mankato?  Yeah, well Luke had seen this a few times as we had driven by on Hwy 169 at 60 mph and has begged to stop and see it.  Monday was his day.

Luke still likes taking pictures with the old camera...I still like taking pictures of him taking pictures...

From there, we stopped at an overlook that gives a good view of the Minnesota River Valley (Glacial River Warren's channel) and is directly across the mouth of the Blue Earth River.

After that it was time to see some waterfalls.  First up was Minnemishinona Falls, these falls run dry often, but we knew there would be water falling over...

Another view...this one without Lex...

After that, we headed to Minneopa State Park to see their falls, but we had to drive the the bison trail first.  The bison were we'll off the road so it was hard to get a good picture with my cell phone...

Then it was time to see the falls....lots of water was flowing and it would have been difficult to walk beneath the falls - so we didn't try...

And here they are without kids...

Luke & His Dinosaurs

Kieran has Country Running Club for Tuesday/Thursday for three weeks at the high school, meaning Luke, Lex and I take him in and then need to find something to do while we wait.  This morning we decided to head to the park in town.

When I turned around I saw something that I needed to take of picture of...

It's Luke and his most favorite of all things....dinosaurs.  Of course he's giving it a hug...

I texted that picture to pops (whose in South Dakota, on his way towards Alaska) with the line "Luke likes his dinosaurs...."

Within an hour, I got a reply text.  Pops said "Tell Luke my buddy is bigger."

Luke just had a huge smile when he saw the picture....it's on though pops...it's on...

Lex - TBall

Not that our nights are busy enough (Sarah has class on Tuesday & Thursdays and the FD on Mondays, Luke has BB on Tuesdays and Kieran has ball on 2-4 nights per week), but Lex is playing TBall this year for the first time.

Her practices/games are on Wednesday, a slightly slower paced night for me....her team name is the Pirates and she loves having something to do that is hers...

This picture is from her first game...thought it would be good catching the three girls all paying attention to the game from the bench (then morgan caught me taking the picture so I didn't crop it)...

Lex has a basic understanding of the game and knows how to throw/swing...not saying she will every time its needed...just saying she knows what's right and wrong...

Lex also prefers to wear a headband underneath her batting and regularly issued hat for the season...style points I guess...

It's amazing how much she'll talk about T-Ball (when it's coming next, how it went last time, etc.)....

Cologne's New Splash Pad

Over the several years, city administrators and council people have advocated for a 'splash pad' or water feature that would help to draw people to town.  Well it opened last weekend, so a day later, Luke & Lex went to check it out with me.

Interesting that the city provided at least 10 beach balls for the splash pad...were they not aware that the wind blows through town or that kids will voluntarily kick them over the small fence?  The splash pad is not staffed and is located close to several apartment buildings or complexes (hard to call them buildings or complexes)...

Luke was entertained for maybe 15 minutes before he was ready to go.  Granted, it was in the low 70s temperature and with a consistent wind....

Lex lasted a longer, almost 45 minutes.  I'm sure it's something that we'll use again this summer, but both boys are basically too old for the features there and lex is almost too old.  Kids with parents watching baseball games at the park next door have a great tool to entertain themselves or the packs of kids living nearby have a new babysitter....

As far as drawing people to town?  I doubt it....recycling centers keep a better track on who uses their facilities...

And I'm sure those beach balls have been blown halfway to New Prague by now....

Dodgeball

The last student day for Delano Public Schools is tomorrow, June 7.  As the year winds down and all the state mandated testing has finished, we conclude the year with a dodgeball tournament for grades 7 & 8.  We even have a traveling trophy that goes to the winning teacher's room at the conclusion of the tournament....it's called the 'dodgeball cup'....it's sort of a big deal (winning team picture is placed on the back and staff name rings the top)...

The best part of the dodgeball tournament is that after the conclusion of the championship game --- always between the 8th grade champion and the 7th grade champion (which for the first time ever in the history of the dodgeball cup, the 7th grade won this year) --- the staff take on the winning team.

As a staff, we win about 50% of the time.  Actually, lately it's been win one year and lose another.  Trouble is that the students always stay the same age...and we just keep get older...but this was our year...

The commissioner of the Delano dodgeball scheduling/seeding committee (we actually have one, it's a committee of one -- more gets done that way) decided that this year would be a 'blackout' year...most of use got the message.

Some take it more seriously than others though....

But guess what?!?!  Staff won again...