Arizona Sun and Fun

At the end of April, I headed out to Phoenix to meet up with Jessica Block for a weekend Adventure in Arizona.

Saturday: Canoing in the Verde Valley

Jess made some fresh squeezed orange juice and we headed off early to the Verde Valley. We were going to the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival where Jess was an instructor in a canoing class. I got to take the class.



The morning was spent learning canoing, which was great for me, since the last time I tried to canoe my boyfriend Kevin spent all the time paddling while I slept!



After a nice lunch, we headed down the Verde river. We did crash and flip the boat ( making for a wonderful dip in the cooling water) and run into a few trees and rocks.



Overall it was a wonderful day in a surprisingly lush location.

After the trip, we headed up to the Colorado Plateau and Sedona. I loved the Colorado Plateau on my drive cross country - all those great red mountains in Utah, so it was great to get to see them again here in Arizona. Once we arrived in Sedona, we watched the sunset over a quick dinner and then fell asleep. It had been a long day.

Sunday: Hiking the Vortexes in Sedona

Sunday was a morning to sleep in. We drove by and stopped at the Bell Rock Vortex.



Then we headed out to Boynton Canyon. Boynton Canyon is considered the most "electro-magnetic" and most powerful of the four vortexes in Sedona. We went on a 5 mile hike through the canyon.



Hydration is very important in Arizona!



Given the heat of Arizona, it was nice for much of the hike to be in the shade of trees, before hiking above them for a view of the canyons.



After the hike, we got some treats in downtown Sedona, before heading back to Phoenix and the airport. I had such a great time just relaxing and unwinding and enjoying the beauty of being outside.



It was a wonderful weekend and a good chance to me to reconnect with Jessica and the beauty of the Southwest.

Contractor Work is All Done!

Hooray, 3 weeks later and all of the work is done!

My bathtub area is sealed and the fixtures put in. I love having a nook to place things on. I even got to take my first bath!





My closet is also installed - the prune drying trays are so cool as the sliding doors. It is nice to have a personal touch in the room and also a closet that doesn't have an open gap. It was so odd when I bought the place that there was the opening all the way to the wall, but doors not covering the whole area.





On a non-contractor note, I finally sealed my cutting boards and hung them up in the kitchen. Just sealing them brought out the amazing color in the wood.



Now, I just need to figure out paint colors and get a painter for my rooms!

Grout!

The bathroom is now all grouted! It is really cool to see the tub area coming together, with the little nook for my shampoo and the pretty tile.



Now it just needs to be buffed and sealed, and the hardware installed and it is all done!

The nook across the room is also grouted. Here you can see it and its reflection.



A glass shelf will be added and then it will be usable space that is not as ugly as the prior medicine cabinet.

Hooray, the house project is almost done.

Tile!

I am back from Hawaii, and while everything is not done, there has been a lot of progress on the house.

When I left, the bathtub had just been enclosed.


On my return, the tiling is almost complete.


I love the sparkle little glass tiles from Hakatai.

The closet now has a wall and by the end of the week the prune drying tray "doors" will be installed.


Finally, while not part of the remodel, some of my tomato plants already have flowers!



Once all the work is done at the house, I will need to pick paint colors for the rooms. The house adventure continues.

Lavaman!

On Friday April 4th, I headed out to Hawaii with Team in Training to compete in the Olympic Distance Lavaman Triathlon. Over the last 5 months I have trained with the group and raised over $5500 in donations for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Flying to Hawaii

After a quiet morning, Mom drove me to the airport and I hung out with the group and then boarded a United Airlines flight to Kona, Hawaii. Luckily the team was booked on United, because in the days leading up to the race both Aloha and ATA went out of business, leaving many people scrambling for how to get to Hawaii.

We landed and then headed to the Hilton Waikoloa Village, the host of the race and our hotel. Waikoloa Village is where my mom has a timeshare, so I have actually been to this area before. It is beautiful.



Race Prep and Fun

I woke up early, ready to go get my bike that had been shipped separately. The Team in Training group was divided into several mentor groups and mine was headed by Colleen.



We got our bikes and then went for a swim where the race would take place. The water was amazing. It was warm and filled with beautiful tropical fish and sea turtles. It was great to get to go for a swim in the ocean.



Then it was back to the hotel for a relaxing day. I wandered around the hotel, used the various pools and water slides, and just took in the beauty that is Hawaii.



That night was a big dinner for all the LLS fundraisers. We heard some inspiring speeches and at lots of pasta.

Race Day

Sunday, I was up early and headed out the door to the race!



We met at the beach and Kelli and I posed for a picture before getting into the water.



It was a great race. The mile swim was a big M and I stayed with the pack until the last leg of the M. Really, what this means is that I got kicked and hit by a pretty vicious group of women until the final leg. I finished the swim in under 40 minutes! Go me.



Next was the bike, and this bike ride was along part of the path of the Hawaiian Ironman route. Unlike our training, which was on hills, the course only had a 300 foot elevation gain, so it was not that hard. Still, 25 miles of bike riding is 25 miles and it was hard to stay focused when there were cool lavafields and views of the ocean as we went along. I finished this leg in 1:37, which is about 15.7 miles per hour.



Last was the run. Now the run is my least favorite thing to do and it was getting really hot, but I began to head out. Just after I started I met up with one of my teammates Pam who was also not very excited about the run. We ran together for the whole course, inspiring each other to keep going. She said it was like she was on a bungee cord and I was dragging her along. The course was hot asphalt and then lavarocks and sand. Not the most fun, but after 6 miles in 1:23 hours I got to cross the finish line! Hooray. My total race time with transitions was 3:42:56 putting me in 522 place or 40th place in my age group. Here are the full Results.


(I started with the second wave, which is why the clock says 3:52)

After the race we hung out at the beach, eating BBQ and swimming, before heading back to the hotel for a celebration dinner. My roommate Bea and I had a lovely walk back to the hotel along the last mile of the course.



After cleaning up I realized I was not very good with the sunblock, as the 68 in my 168 was reverse burned into my arm.



The celebration dinner was fun. Everyone was dressed up. Here is Pam and our coach Mike (who came in 7th overall and first in his age group).



Returning to California

Monday morning I got up early and headed back to the beach and the ocean for one last swim. I love the warm salty water.

Then we were off to the airport, and after a 6 hour delay, finally got on the plane and headed for home.



A wonderful adventure. I will add in pictures of the race as I get them from others.

Bathtub!

The little remodel continues. My tub was installed!



It is super deep Kohler soaking tub. I look forward to getting to take my first bath.

The lighting guy came and put in overhead light in my great room - so now that area can also be bright.



And I also have overhead light in my bedroom. This is just so nice.



They are just starting with the closet project. I took everything out of the closet (which will be good for me to help with a spring cleanse) and they are setting it up for my prune drying tray doors and to add in some additional structure.



This weekend I head off to Hawaii for my triathlon and I hope when I return almost everything will be done!

Remodel

I really did not like the bathtub area in my bathroom.



My remodel of this area has now begun, with the area now free of anything!



I am looking forward to seeing the area with my tile and a new tub, and no more ugly frosted glass screen!

While doing the bathtub area, I am also getting some overhead light put in downstairs, and in both of the bedrooms. I got this lovely fixture for my bedroom:



We will also be fixing the closet in the bedroom using the prune drying trays as the closet doors.

In a few weeks this will all be done. I am looking forward to it!

Woodshop

So far it has been a great 2008. This is just a little update on my local adventures, since I haven't gone on any big trips.

Woodshop!

I took a woodshop class at Palo Alto High School on Monday nights. It was so much fun to learn about wood and all the tools in the shop. I made 3 cutting boards and a centerpiece. This class gave me a new appreciation for how difficult it is make cool wood things. My projects:



Brunch at my House!

Last weekend I had a brunch is my now fully furnished downstairs. It was great to have people over to my house and get to show off my lovely new table and cook lots of yummy food.

Eating at the table:


Ally's kids playing in the dirt.


I have just filled my planters with soil and am looking forward to planting some tomatoes and herbs.

Getting ready for Lavaman 2008!

I am almost all set for the Lavaman Olympic distance Triathlon in Hawaii the first weekend in April. Earlier this month I did the Stanford Treeathalon, which was a great chance for me to practice doing a real tri. I even got to wear my cool wetsuit!



And since I raised over $5500, I am all done with fundraising and just focusing on continuing to workout until the race. All along I have also been rowing crew, and I am also looking forward to spring season of sprints.

That is the update for now.

History of the Wood

Bug sent me a history of the wood that is a part of all my furniture!

My table is constructed with three elements. The main components of the top of the table and two benches are two book-matched 2x16's cut from a 12 X 16 out of a 1927 split pea and barley warehouse in Moscow Idaho.



The live edge on the table top was a piece milled from a windfall tree at Bug's home in Occidental that was used as part of the Occidental Yacht Club's Charity Bar for 5 years.

The slab trestle legs on the table and benches were milled from a branch of a 370 year old windfall tree that fell at Salmon Creek School grounds in the storms of 2002. 85% of the gross sale of Salmon Creek wood goes to the schools Environmental Education Fund. You can read the Spirit of Windfall here.

The Incubator Doors were found in a chicken shack in Petaluma. The incubator was invented in Petaluma during her prominence as the Egg Basket of the world. The corner shelf was made with barnwood from a milk-painted barn on Fallon Road at the Marin-Sonoma County Line. The trim was from a Brainerd Jones designed Victorian house in Petaluma.

My Table

This weekend I picked up the rest of my stuff from Heritage Salvage. The most amazing piece of work was my table and benches...they are just so very beautiful. Soon Bug is going to write a full history of the wood used (Salmon Creek Redwood Windfall, Washington State Barley Barn Douglas Fir...), but even the best wood is only as good as the artist, and I was lucky to have Ron take my idea and make me this:





Some of the detail in the wood:



Me at the table!



Ron (the artist) with the table!



Along with my amazing table I also got my corner stump of fir. This is 17x17x24, super heavy, and as my mom demonstrates the perfect height for putting on shoes.



My corner unit is now in my bedroom with the book shelves.





The reframed mirror is now hung up on the wall (just past the table, which has place mats my sister brought me back from Latin America).



I also got a little coat hanger, just to complete the look.



In the back yard are some planters made of old chicken hatcheries. Now I just need to figure out how to line them before I plant my herbs and tomatoes!



I am just so very happy with all of my wood work. This is the first time I have really invested in making my home my own. I am now looking forward to having people over to eat at my table and enjoy my home.

My Corner Shelf

I still need to go pick it up, but I now have a fabulous corner shelf unit built for my entry area!



Chris of Heritage Salvage made this for me. He would call me with little questions and I would just say, sounds fine, or OK, or no, that is a bit big. I am really happy with what he came up with.