Look What I Almost Tripped Over

coming up the steps last night with a full basket of laundry:

8 Months Later

We're back having another picnic lunch under the swingset.

Happy Fathers' Day to all the fathers out there.

More Good Times at The Farm

We have had some absolutely fantastic experiences at Prophetstown lately.  I'm not sure if it's because there's been a push to develop some loosely organized programming for visitors or if Kari and Bryce are just at a better age to get involved, but we got to engage in some more 1920's daily life again on Saturday.

Prophetstown owns a working 1920's electric washing machine.  We learned that most washing machines at this time were not electric, so this made it quite unique, but what made the machine ahead of its time is that it actually had a spin cycle!  No need for a dangerous wringer!  Simply amazing.

A few weeks ago we Kari and I also had a chance to milk one of the cows.  I didn't have my camera with me but another local family was nice enough to snap a couple shots and email the pictures.  I couldn't resist when I was offered the chance to give it a try.  It certainly gives you a greater appreciation for where our milk comes from!

And of course it wouldn't be a visit to the Farm without saying hello to the Belgian draft horses.  Several of the horses were working in the fields harvesting and baling hay.

2012 Chicago Ragnar Wrap Up

It's hard to believe we've now got two Ragnar races under our belts.  Ultra Team Tight Butts Sweaty Nuts ran 198.3 miles from Madison, WI to Montrose Beach in Chicago in about 32 hours.  We had four returning runners- Holly, Matt, Tom and Taryn, and added two new faces to the group - Jaclyn and Mike.  When building a team that will require people to be in close, sweaty quarters, chemistry is key.  We were pretty confident that our new runners would be positive additions, and we were right!

 We unpacked the van outside the hotel parking garage after discovering that we wouldn't clear the height restriction by only millimeters and then ate our pre-race meal at a former church turned restaurant, Bellini's.                                   

 At the start line in Madison.  Groups of about 25 teams are released every 30 minutes.  From there we saw many of those same teams at the exchanges again and again.

 For no apparent reason, the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile was at an early exchange, perhaps for some photo opps?  Mike's socks may be an inspiration for next year's team name.  Stay tuned.

Kevin was our driver - all 650 miles of it - and Amy was our navigator and Safety Officer.  Both supported each runner getting to the exchanges on time, finding mid-points to hand out more fluids, and in general kept going for 30 straight hours.

In some ways we knew what to expect - exhaustion, uncontrollable fits of laughter, friendly competition between other teams, etc. but the main difference this year was the weather.  Last year was cold and rainy and most of us were woefully under dressed.  This year we were dealing with 80+ degree temps and heat indexes in the triple digits, many times with no shade.  Fluids became so much more important this year.  Water alone, we calculated just under two gallons was consumed by each runner in 32 hours.  We didn't get a chance to calculate the Gatorade.

Many of the exchanges were the same as last year.  We had a particular affection for Dousman, WI this year and last because it was one of the few early exchange locations that actually had a restaurant. We gobbled up Denny's pizza and chatted with some of the locals who had no idea who the crazies were invading their town.

The exchanges were always full of energy and runners would always make mental notes of how many "kills" (people passed) they had during their leg.  As night fell, the energy did not wane, but instead usually surged.  Everyone - running or not - had to wear a reflective vest.  Runners additionally had to wear headlamps and taillights out on the course.

Eventually the sun rose again and we headed into day two.  Here, we're either in Kenosha or Racine.  Day two becomes much more physically exhausting from lack of sleep, weird food and, of course, all that running.

Van decorating is a must.  We were quite tame compared to others.

Eventually we crossed the line with all six runners and two support team members still in bi-pedal mode.

It's a hot, hot Ragnar

Well were off and currently on our 5th leg. This has been a much different race in terms of temps but we're staying hydrated. Up next: Cambridge, WI.

Gulf Shores, Part II

We had another fantastic week down at the beach.  We could not have asked for better weather the entire time and were able to make some more great memories with family and friends.  We took an excursion this time to Fort Morgan and did some exploring (and sometimes climbing) around the, according to Kari, "ancient" grounds.  At one point she mentioned Jesus and angels living here, and them roasting marshmallows at something that looked like a campfire circle.

The kiddos all eventually warmed up to the idea of getting near the ocean.  The first part of the week was spent solely in the pool- much more predictable, visible bottom, no waves, etc.  

Although there was no vow renewal this year, both families did take time to shower and look decent for some family photos.  Despite not having a professional photographer nor camera, we thought these turned out pretty well!

We ended up cutting the vacation short by one day because of the Hangout Music Festival that invaded the town with 56,000 mostly 21 year olds.  We were outnumbered and thought it would be best for all parties involved if we scooted out of town early.  Instead, we took an extra day and toured Birmingham, AL.  We were pleasantly surprised at what a lovely city it was.  It had a really nice children's science museum and we spent a good deal of time there that day.

All in all, another great vacation with the Clawsons!