Fun in the Sun

Trip to SA was great (for everyone). Quick Recap:

Thursday - Picked up Jake (who was exhausted from camp) and loaded everyone in car pointed south. Drove to south Dallas and got a room for the night.

Friday - Early wake up and on the road. Stopped off at San Marcos for a little shopping then on to SA. First stop was the AT&T Center as Ian wanted to see where the Spurs do their business. They were out of his sized Tony Parker #9 home jersey so the search was on during our stay. Checked in at hotel then a quick stop by Craig and Ann's (Deb's best friend) casa just to say hi. Jake got to see Michaela (his best friend growing up) and Ian saw Megan (his playmate in SA). Jake was funny after we left as he couldn't believe how beautiful Michaela was. He had a huge smile on his face the entire trip and couldn't wait to spend more time with her (peas in a pod they were). Met Jennifer and Chris Rulon (old tri buddies; Jen is part of the Shamu caretakers/show at Seaworld) at Mexican restaurant #1. Fun catching up with the two of them. Headed down to the River Walk/Alamo, but didn't stay too long as we have been there tons before. Topped off the evening with Marble Slab ice cream and browsing at Borders (used to be our Friday night staple when living in SA). Great first day.

***Above pics: Ian at AT&T/Spurs Fan Shop (his personal heaven) - Jake next to Elvis Kung Fu at Hard Rock and next one at Life Is Good shop - next two at Marble Slab (ex-favorite Friday night spot) and last is a familiar scene of Deb and Ian reading together at Borders***

Saturday - Early hook up with Chad then on to Joe's group ride. Small, but quality group and we ended up with 3+hrs hitting some of the old stomping (pedaling) grounds. Fun ride and great catching up with several of the guys. Joe, who is 60+yrs old is a multi-time masters national champ in TT and road racing owns the local shop we all raced out of (they still do). He and I had some great bantering and I miss hitting the Saturday rides with him (and TdG). They took it easy on me (thanks) for the most part. Deb hung out with Ann's crew at the hotel swimming pool then to her house. Jake and Michaela spent the afternoon together and later we all went to Mexican eatery #2. Another one of Deb's friends joined us for dinner. Afterwards more time spent at C&A's house.

***Above pic: Chad, myself, Patrick, Joe, and Jeff midway through Sat morning ride - Deb with friends - Jake and Michaela***

*** Above videos: Saturday morning ride***

Sunday - Early morning ride with Chad. We cruised around just talking and checking out all the growth since we left (HUGE). SEAWORLD! Jen hooked us up not only with free passes, but a 'behind the scenes' encounter with the killer whales (they feel a lot like dolphins but a little tougher). That was way cool. Michaela came with us so she and Jake disappeared for most of the day. Everyone had a great time as the temps were super nice for south Texas in July. Finished off the evening at Chad's house and ate a great meal Jennifer prepared for us. Awesome food, great conversation, and got to spend some time with his little ones - great evening.

***Above videos: Sunday morning cruise with Chad***

***Above pics: Ian feeding the dolphins and rubbing on a killer whale - posing with two types of penguins - Deb and Ian after riding 'Steel Eel'; Ian liked it... once!***

***Above videos: 'Journey to Atlantis' ride and Ian getting soaked on the observation deck - feeding the dolphins***

Monday - Leisure morning (nice). Ran downtown for lunch with old work-buddies at Mexican joint #3. Fun catching up and hearing the latest (makes me miss interrogations/interviews - to quote SNL's NPR skit - "good times"). Deb and Ian hung out with Ann and Megan while Jake spent time with Michaela. Dinner at Patrick and Amy's house and a lot of fun playing for the boys with their five kids. Super meal and fellowship. Back to C&A's for a last get-together and goodbyes.

Tuesday - AM departure and leisure drive back to Bolivar. Long drive, but didn't feel like a long day as the boys always travel easy. Nice to be home.

I have great friends here in Bolivar, but there are some special relationships I have in SA, especially Chad and Patrick. They are grounded Godly men who kept me in check on more than one occasion; I love the both of them tons and miss our time together. I have no idea why I let such time gaps go between seeing them?????

During our trip Deb and I celebrated (OK, we both forgot until afterwards) our 18th wedding anniversary (we dated 4yrs prior to getting married). Here is a picture from my luckiest day:

Spent Wednesday getting back to work stuff and spent the majority of the evening getting the lawn/shrubs/garden back under control. Played some basketball with Ian while Deb rode her bike for an hour. I headed out around 9pm and got in a solid hour of mixed speed work at SBU (incredible weather). Fitness: 1:30hr basketball (good run intervals) and a late PM 1hr ride.

TdF is finally getting good again. I am impressed with LA's 'hanging in there' ability and am scratching my head after AC's attack today which dropped AK (teammate). AC said in the post interview that AK gave the go ahead for the move, but it made no sense to do it (other to distance BW more, but a solid steady pace would have accomplished that); who knows

On a side note: very frustrating news about 'The Killer'. He WAS a favorite of mine, but will now join (again) the ranks of cheaters.