Triatlon en Puerto La Cruz!

We had a chance to head west for a triathlon earlier this month. The race didn't go as Lisa hoped- 2 guys crashed right in front of her and took her out- but she wasn't injured and we had a great time at the beach and pool. As always it is nice to go to new places and see new things.  Here is what we saw.

Lisa looking happy at the start

Compression socks- there is always someone wearing them.

These guys were hanging at the start- I was just waiting for them to start dive bombing the racers.

Heading into transition- check out all the people checking out Lisa- "was that a gringa?"

and heading out of transition

We came with Jessica- another rockstar teacher athlete from ECA.

and Cesar, who is such a badass that the guy with the camera drafted his wheel the entire bike portion.

It was a draft legal race but I think the guy on the moped is taking it a bit too far.

Cesar- I have an idea for your next  sponsor. Starts with a b and rhymes with ear.

I always love to see the little ways that Americans are seen in the world. Fat robocop.

This is the patron saint of olympic distance triathlon standing next to the smaller patron saint of sprint distance triathlons.

This made me think of Neil Charles- miss you buddy.

let Wilder borrow phone for music = selfies upon return

crazy guy selfie at the wedding

kids as always were great fun playing in the pool and hanging out.

missed opportunity: I never tried the octopus or the blew cheese.

this was a bit strange: It appeared to be an old tapestry that had a beast eating a peacock painted over top of it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose.

until next time... ciao!

Feliz dia de las madres

I'm a big fan of mothers and have always thought mother's day was a great idea. I wouldn't even be opposed to having 2 a year to be honest. (big points... I just scored big points) We had a great Mother's day this year in Venezuela, here is how it went down.

Luca set the tone- totally nailing the mother's day card. Wilder and I did alright (chocolate and peanuts from me, nail polish from Wilder) but Luca knocked it out of the park- good job kid- nise.

 Later we went to Topotepuy gardens. Luca and I had been there before but it was the first time for the girls. Such a cool place and everyone wishing Lisa "Feliz Dia". I tried my hand at passing for a local and started saying "Feliz dia" to all of the sweet old ladies walking around with their children. After saying it to one I heard her say to her daughter as we passed by: "Brasilia?" and her daughter replied: "No! Gringo."
 Getting closer- I'm getting closer

Lisa con sus hijos

Topotepuy is beautiful, and here is the patron saint of mothers. It is said that if you make a wish here your children will behave for a year. or a day... whichever comes first.

So we were walking along just enjoying the day and being with each other, when I looked up... and there it was- my first sloth. Smiling back down like it was just waiting for me. I called the family back to show them... and I think I even teared up a bit. Bad day to leave the good camera at home but still a major accomplishment for me.

Its there- I swear it.

 All that was left to do was lunch in el Hattillo. We apparently were not the only ones with this idea as the place was super busy. We eventually found a little Mexican restaurant with cool hats and a father/daughter combo singing live karaoke. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect day was Lisa's meal came absolutely smothered in cheese. (this is of note because cheese can be hard to come by in Venezuela and Lisa doesn't tolerate the queso so to speak.) She didn't complain too much as we finished our (and her) meals in good time- then were on our way back home. Happy Mother's Day Lisa- Feliz Dia de las Madres!  

The usual

Wondering what a usual Saturday looks like down here in Caracas? Well I won't say that we do this every Saturday- but it sure is nice when it all comes together and it goes down like this:

We start our Saturday at the school pool. The adults float around and talk about current events or where the interesting places to travel are. The kids all chase Mike Johnson (MS principal) around the pool and try to dunk him or whack him with pool noodles. Sean Feller swims 10,000 meters.

2ish, we amble or drive down to Living Sushi with the Stein-Rosses. We sit on the upper deck and have been there enough times that when they see us coming they pull the tables together so we can watch the world go by. Every so often we have a nice cold Solera Azul with our sushi. Well Mike and I do at least.

Kat, Graham, Michael, Wilder, Luca, Lisa

The view. It is amazing how the parking guys make it all work. There are 5 spots to park. When you pull up and hand over your keys they park your car. Somehow they find places for 25-plus cars to fit. Awesome to watch while we eat. They are maestros of a different sort.

 After lunch we usually have room for a trip to Yogurtland, a self-serve frozen yogurt happy place. We load up on the flavor of the day plus toppings and enjoy. We get to keep the spoons and a look into our silverware drawer is a glimpse into how usual the usual is.

full disclosure- this is probably half of the family spoon collection.

 Tomorrow is Saturday, I kind of hope its usual.