Evidence for Excuses

My proof that I had a really, really, REALLY good reason to skip my afternoon workouts last Thursday afternoon! We had a HUGE wind/rain/hail storm hit DeLand around 4:00pm and it knocked down some substantial trees at the McLarty Farm. I spent the next two hours out in the drizzling rain helping my Dad and Mom cut up and remove the tree pieces from our yard.

This one is out in the second horse pasture (we actually think that Buddy, our horse, might have been standing under it for shelter when it started to "go"...fortunately, Buddy was not under it when it finished "going":).

DUSTIN MADE FINALS!!!

Dustin just swam the prelims of the 400IM. This is probably his 'Best Event'. He will also be competing in the 200IM and 200Fly, but the 400IM is a McLarty staple. Unfortunately, four years ago, when I was competing in Long Beach for the 2004 Athens Olympics, I had a totally, completely, horribly bad swim and didn't even get a chance to swim it in Finals.
So, today, heat 5, lane 3...Dustin was lined up against another Floridian (and husband of my best friend), Robert Margalis. I was able to get live updates on the phone from my Dad & Mom who are in the stands of the Omaha Quest Center. I was also watching the 'LIVE' streaming audio and video on NBColympics.com, which is only about one minute behind 'real-time'.
Dustin wore the new Blue Seventy suit with full legs and torso coverage. He's been training in it for a few weeks and really liked how well it made him feel in the long and painful event that is the 400IM.
Anyways, back to the event...he kinda bombed it. Yep. It was not a best time and I bet he was a bit upset. BUT, he finished third in his heat behind Margalis and his own Gator teammate, Clark Burkle. His 4:21.05 was also faster than any other times posted in the first four heats. In short, this gave him a fighting chance for top-eight. He would have to rely on the next two (fastest) heats to put up only a few fast times. So then the next heat stepped up...including our local stud, Ryan Lochte.
Ryan easily cruised to win his heat and he was followed by two other guys who put up times faster than Dustin. So, now Dustin is sitting in sixth place and has to hope with all his might that only Michael Phelps and one other swimmer in the final heat post times faster than 4:21.05.
And that's what happened!!!! Since my 'LIVE' coverage was getting further and further behind 'real time'...I had to rely on a phone call from Dad and Mom, both screaming for joy that DUSTIN MADE FINALS OF THE 2008 OLYMPIC SWIMMING TEAM TRIALS IN THE 400IM!!!
More importantly, Dustin will be on NBC tonight at 8:00pm ET. The 400IM will be the FIRST event of the evening so please make sure that you are in front of the TV at 8:00pm on-the-dot, with your TVs turned to your NBC station!! (If you want to get there at 7:45pm, just to be sure that you don't miss anything, that's fine too!)
GO DUSTIN!!

Swimming OT's...Day 1

I drove my Mom and Dad to the airport yesterday for their evening flight out to Omaha. I'm not happy that I will be missing the whole event, especially my Brother's great swims, but my family requested that I stay home to take care of the farm, the animals, the business, Grandma, etc.
So here I am, rushing out the door this morning to get my Brick workout started and finished before the first event starts. The Prelims will kick off at 11am (Central time) so as long as I am back by noon, I will be able to catch all the action of the Men's 400IM, Event 1.
Dustin is seeded 11th and will be in one of the last heats, lined up next to Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte. They are posting live timing online so I will be back here at the computer to watch every second. Also, there will be TV coverage every night between 8:00 and 9:00pm on NBC or USA networks...so I will be in front of the TV at those times!
Now, it's time to go get this brick started so that I can focus on the important stuff:)

SICK! Again!

I NEVER get sick more than once a year...and especially not twice in the SAME month! This totally sucks. I am going to blame it on the Des Moines lake water...I know, I know, the tests came back 'safe for swimming' and I'm not complaining...but, like I mentioned earlier: I'm SICK AGAIN!
Fortunately, I've got a few extra days between races this time (three weeks instead of two) so I am just going to get better and then get back to training before LifeTime on July 12th. In the mean time, I am going to take advantage of the 'down time' and work on house stuff...like going over to Clermont tomorrow and doing a house inspection with my Dad. We got the water and power turned on so that I can check and make sure everything works, nothing is broken, and then I can close on the 9th.
This will be the first time my Dad has seen the inside (I showed him the outside during one of our Sunday rides) and I look forward to hearing his opinion. I also need him to estimate how many gallons of paint I will need for the walls and whether the wood flooring will go in without any problems. We will be taking our bikes over...and depending on how totally crappy I feel tomorrow, maybe we will ride some of the hills out my future-front-door.

Hy-Vee Photos

That's ME...exiting the water in Des Moines on Sunday afternoon...with a 50 second lead on the chase pack (they caught me on lap two...I blame the wind:)!

Lead bike pack in the women's race of the Hy-Vee Triathlon (8 of 11 were Americans!). Helen is leading up the hill, I'm on her wheel, Emma (race winner) is on my wheel.

The official 2008 USA Olympic Triathlon team. From left to right: Andy and Becky (alternates), Laura, Hunter, Sarah, Matt, Jarrod, and Julie.

Andy and I were presented with our BIG swim-bonus checks. I brought it home in my bike box and I think it is going to go on the wall of my new house (at least until I paint it).

Sharon is demonstrating the propper way to celebrate after a race...with a brownie in one hand and a $200K check in the other!!

Good Morning Des Moines

Saturday morning, one day before the big Hy-Vee race! Julie and I just woke up to beautiful blue skies over West Des Moines. Her luggage just arrived so she is building her bike as I type.
My trip was uneventful on Thursday afternoon and other than spending a long and boring four hours in the Chicago airport between flights, I have nothing to write about. I arrived safe and sound to my hotel room at 10pm and went straight to sleep.
Friday was a pretty full day of events. I woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel and then went to work building my bike. For all that my "expert" eye can see, my bike is doing just fine for spending the last two weeks chilling inside my bike box. Around 9:30am I was picked up, along with Laura and Sarah, for a ride to the high school pool for swim practice. It was a cute little indoor, 25-yard affair that was immaculately clean...my training session was great.
After the swim we all hopped on our bikes, went down to the Raccoon River Park and rode a few laps of the race course. I like it! Remember...this course is completely different than last year...we are in a completely different city: West Des Moines. So, even though I raced here last year, tomorrow will be the first time anyone has raced on this course.
I caught a van ride back to my hotel, scrounged up some lunch and then watched about an hour of TV. My next event was catching a ride to the USAT Staff hotel to see our team trainers for all my aches and pains. Another hour of watching TV in my hotel room before catching a different ride (thanks Margie) into Downtown Des Monies for the pre-race meeting. The 'meeting' was the same as all 20 other World Cups I have been too...but the goody bag was in a world of it's own! We all got a computer/messenger bag, a shoe bag, a hat, a bike jersey, water bottles...and then we headed upstairs and filled it with even more goodies from the event Expo. (I've got enough 'samples' to last me a week on a desert island...should my plane crash-land on one between Des Moines and Florida:)
The day wasn't over yet. Jasmine, Julie, Tim, and I lugged our over-loaded bags down to the rental car and tried our luck on finding the Hy-Vee Silent Auction/Pre Race Dinner event location. For not having much of a clue of where we were or where we were going, we were actually quite successful and enjoyed the events of the evening. The only part that killed me was a 2008 Trek Madone (custom fit to the buyer) was auctioned off at $3300!!! Are You Kidding Me?!?!?!
One more stop back at the USAT Staff hotel for Julie to get her aches and pains checked out and then I was finally back to my room to crash onto the bed and fall asleep. That brings us up to the moment, where I'm getting ready to take care of all my usual pre-race-day preparations...starting by catching a ride down to the race site to check out the swim course and jog a few minutes on the run course.

Just Keep Swimming!

The Swim is Back!!
New triathlon course maps are up online and we are officially doing a swim-bike-run competition in West Des Moines this weekend!
Right now, I am heading out for a morning run, then showering, loading up my car, and heading to the airport around 12 noon for my 2:15pm flight. I head up to Chicago first and have to sit though a four hour layover before flying on to Des Monies. That results in a slightly late arrival, after 9pm, but I will just catch a ride to my hotel (where my roommate, Julie, will have already checked in) and go to sleep!
The start-list has been updated online and I am shocked to see that there are only 31 women in the race! The last time I looked, two weeks ago, it was over 40. I'm pretty sure that a couple women have pulled out due to the threat of the duathlon...while others are just focusing on the big Beijing race in a few months. Yours truly is number 24...pretty close to the back. This is probably due to the fact that I have not scored a single ITU point this year and my ranking just keeps on sinking. Oh well, no better time than the present to get that ranking floating again:)

Great Article...Must Read!

http://thetriathlonlife.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/teamwork-the-american-way/
Here is one of the first blog posts at the new USA Triathlon site. It's about all the great teamwork that went into qualifying a full team of Americans for the Olympic Games in Beijing. I am very proud to be mentioned...and very proud of all my teammates that are mentioned...and very proud of the six athletes that will be wearing USA in China!

Raccoon River Park

Thought I would do a little research on the new race site. Here are some photos I found online of the park/water. Of course, we must assume that the water isn't going to look quite as nice, but hopefully it will be swim-able!

Stole this photo from the Frost Family's blog...apparently taken about a year ago.
I won't be there at sunset, but it gives the whole place a tranquil feeling.
The official Parks and Rec. entrance sign...I can't wait to see it in person (on Friday)!

90%

Bill Burke (the Hy-Vee race director) and his crew are currently building T1 at the Raccoon River Park Lake for everyone for this weekend and he says he is 90% sure we are swimming this weekend in West Des Moines. They are continuously monitoring bacteria levels throughout the week and the bacteria counts and the water levels have dropped substantially, the weather report looks good, and he and his crew are planning on a swim.
--Newest Hy-Vee water update!!!!

Clean Water, Please

"The swim, subject to water quality tests, will take place in Raccoon River Lake."
--Latest update regarding the possibility of the Elite race being a triathlon this weekend.

Guess who is very temped to find the person doing the 'water quality' test and offer them a HUGE bribe?!?!
Yes, me...I'm very tempted...but, instead, I'm just going to continue getting ready for my trip to Des Moines. Did you know that it's very hard to pack with all your fingers crossed and re-crossed:)? Anyways, whatever happens, happens.
Fortunately, it seems that some of the rain that kept dumping in the Midwest has finally made it's way down to Central Florida. We've had some small amounts of precipitation fall on the yard for three days straight! Nothing to get too excited about...we need about 10x as much each day for the next month to recover what we are missing. Maybe the approaching hurricane season will help.
Now that summer is here, and all the local school kids are out of school, DBS swimming has moved to morning practices. This requires a 6am wake-up and departure from the farm if I want to make it to the pool before the entire warm-up is over. I've got to admit...this really sucks! I must have gotten very, very used to the afternoon schedule which allowed me to sleep in every morning before starting my training program.
Man, I get home from the pool at 9am and, without fail, I am back in bed for a 60 minute recovery nap. I'm recovering from the insane amounts of yardage (actually, it's 'meterage' now because we get Long Course every day) and the lack of sleep caused by these early sessions. At least I'm not having as hard of a time as one of my teammates...he fell asleep at the wheel this morning for two seconds and ran into a cement barricade/wall along the side of the road! He managed to slide the side of his truck along the wall for a few feet before making a full and safe recovery...well, he's safe, his truck is going to need to spend a few days in an auto-body-repair shop!
As for the rest of my day, I'm waiting for the prime time between the rain showers and the hottest part of the day to do my bike session. I have been training on my Time Trial bike all week because I was too lazy to rebuild my road bike after I got home from Vancouver. Since I am heading out to Des Moines tomorrow, it looks like it will never get built! Personally, I see nothing wrong with this...as long as my race bike still functions correctly when I finally do rebuild it on Friday, at my hotel in West Des Moines:)

60/40

The current prediction on the likelihood that the Hy-Vee race will be a triathlon (versus a duathlon) is 60/40. On Friday they were 50/50. I just heard that the waters have receded enough that the start/finish beach is visible on the lake (not sure what lake that was referring to, but I don't care...as long as it's a lake with water)!
I got a bit ahead of myself this weekend, assuming that there was no chance we would be swimming this weekend, and canceled my Dad's flight to Des Moines. He was going to fly there on Saturday morning after he finished his Grand Canyon trip and watch me race on Sunday. Well, now he's just flying straight home from Las Vegas, no stops in Des Moines, and he'll have to watch from the computer.
Although I will miss my Dad and his support and cheering in Des Moines, the sliver lining is that I can offer the spare bed in my hotel room to Julie S-E. Her hotel booking got screwed up (probably water in the computer or something) and all they could offer her was a smoking room. I've kept my reservation in downtown Des Moines and made a booking in West Des Moines so I will be ready for whatever final decision is made in regards to the Elite race site.
I just checked on the weather for race-weekend. I've been training in Central Florida with the goal of being able to withstand any overly hot or humid race conditions that I come across this season. It seems I will be good-to-go in Des Moines because the highs are only predicted to be in the low 80s. Our highs this week in Florida are in the mid-90s (with a "RealFeel" of 100+)! BRING IT ON...just a long as we start in the water:)!

Training Hard!

I rocked a track workout this morning! It was quite an undertaking...I actually started questioning whether my coach was sane when he put it on my training log!
6 x 1600m, 6:00pace, on 7:30, on the track! Yep, that's six miles at race pace (my race pace...not some other people's race pace...but MY race pace)! On a Saturday morning, in DeLand, at the High School track, with my Mom watching/cheering and recording splits.
I still don't have a definite answer about the Des Moines race this weekend. The only thing that is "for sure" is that I feel terrible about asking the people of the area to put on such a big race when they are dealing with such a disaster. I see photos of kids and families putting down sandbags to protect homes, schools and hospitals...and next weekend we expect them to put out banners and barricades for our silly little race...kinda puts the importance of what I do at a VERY low level!
Although I would like the triathlon/duathlon decision to be made before my flight on Thursday (to save me $$ and time)...I'm sure that they will wait until the pro-meeting on Friday afternoon to make the official announcement. In that case, I will make the trip to Iowa with my fingers crossed and two training plans in my pocket. One for a typical pre-race taper...and another for a typical hard weekend of training. On race morning, I will join all the other spectators (and a few other ITU athletes that don't want to risk the injuries that are associated with the demands of a duathlon) on the sidelines and watch the biggest prize-purse in the history of triathlon go to some runners! I'm not bitter!
In the meantime, I'm heading over to Windermere tomorrow morning to do the group ride (and continue to Train Hard)...afterwards, I will meet my Mom and Brother at my future house in Clermont to take measurements of everything and plan out the furniture arrangements. Very exciting...I hope to draw up a pretty and detailed floor plan that I can scan into the computer and post (later).

Race Site

I think we biked up this street last year in the Des Moines Hy-Vee World Cup. I get the feeling that we are not going to be racing there this year. The race has been officially moved out of the city to West Des Moines. Right now, all races are duathlons. I'm crossing my fingers that the amazing Bill Burke can find us a body of water to swim in...Go Bill Go!!

Floods and Droughts

Iowa is flooding. Gray's Lake where the Hy-Vee World Cup triathlon took place last year, has spilled over it's banks and is covering all the roads. The contingency race plan that has been announced said we are going to start at a new location (West Des Moines). I sure hope that this race doesn't turn into a duathlon.
Ol'McLarty's Farm is in a drought. We haven't had water fall from the sky in a few months. Our pond is resembling a puddle more and more every day. The hilarious part is that I have been driving home from swim practice in a torrential down-pour and one mile before I get to Marsh Road, the skies are clear and the roads are dry. I've had the same thing happen in the other direction...driving home from Clermont, torrential down-pour, Marsh Road is dry.
I just completed a very hard and long day of training. Swim practice this morning from 6:30-8:30 in Port Orange. I had looked at the workouts I had for the rest of the day, and as I was swimming 8x400s broken, I knew that it was going to be a mental and physical battle to finish the day strong.
At 12:30 I was flooding my bike doing some 10 minute efforts down Highway-11. The heat was ridiculous. I had two water bottles on my bike and by the time I got to the turn-around at the Cody's Corner Country Store, I had to stop and buy a big ice-cold Powerade to make it home. Do the math...that's two empty water bottles one hour into a ride!
I rolled home at 2:30 and my body was in a drought. I couldn't drink enough liquids in the house...my lunch was mostly in sip-able form. My final workout, a hard run session, was supposed to be completed off the bike...in brick format. For the sake of my health, I decided to postpone the run until I had an opportunity to rehydrate and the weather had a chance to cool off.
The flood-drought cycle happened again this afternoon when I finally made my way to the track for the 1K efforts. I was soaked on the outside from sweat and cold water (sprayed all over my head from my cold water bottle in an attempt to stay cool) but completely parched on the inside. Two (okay, if you include swimming in a hot pool: three) HOT training sessions in one day are probably not the best idea for an athlete. But, I am getting acclimated for races that are going to put me in the exact same situation (Des Moines, Lifetime) and I am going to be ready. I just hope that all these hours and gallons of sweat are not wasted on a duathlon next weekend (which, by the way, I will not be on the starting line if that is the case, sorry to disappoint).
I will keep checking my inbox, the news, the ITU website and all my triathlon contacts for updates regarding the race situation next weekend!

Please Tell Me This Is A Joke!

"The HyVee Des Moines World Cup event will go on in Des Moines, Iowa on June 22nd as scheduled. However, all of the races (youth, youth elite, junior elite, age-group, and elite world cup) will be moved to Valley Southwoods Freshman High School in West Des Moines and become duathlons due to the severe flooding in Iowa. There is still a very small chance that the water will recede and be clean enough for a triathlon for the Elite World Cup event ONLY. That decision about the World Cup will be made on race weekend as the water quality is measured. Official notice will come from race management and the ITU shortly, but as of now we are planning for duathlons and hoping for a triathlon for the elites. Prize money will be awarded as planned regardless of a duathlon or a triathlon.
USAT is working with the USOC to amend the Olympic Selection Criteria in the case that the triathlon is not held. We look forward to seeing all of you in Des Moines!"

---Received today from USAT, regarding the flooding in the mid-west

Front of my future house.

Living area of my future house.

Kitchen of my future house.

**Note the date, I didn't take these photos:)

Home, Literally

I got back from Vancouver last night. Traveled ALL day...left the hotel at 6:30am, to the YVR airport, through Chicago, down to Orlando, and then back to DeLand. It was a long day but it was the shortest and easiest way to end the trip. I needed a day of recovery and what better way than to spend it eating crap food in airport lounges and sleeping in a straight-back chair for five hours?!?!
Anyways, World Champs went okay...not what I was hoping for (who hopes for 40th place?) but if the end result was that an American was on the podium (Sarah Haskins nabbed the silver medal) then I guess I successfully completed the job that I was put on Team USA to do. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...two slow wheels back from the breakaway when it happened at the top of the hill on the second lap. I am very mad and very upset and I wish that things could have happened differently. So, instead of getting pissed during the race, I made the most of the situation and kept the insanely fast runners out of reach of our American off the front!
One day, I really, really, really, really hope that I can be in the other position. (You know, winning MEDALS and $$$!) But, I've got a lot of work to do until I get there. Until then, I will continue to train hard, try to stay injury free (not as easy as I previously thought), learn from experience, and spend $$ I don't have!
Sara's House Hunting Update: I'm closing on July 9th!!
Yep, I just got back from an afternoon trip to Clermont. I met with my Realtor and agreed on the counter-offer. I met with my Mortgage Consultant and signed a mountain of paperwork to get the mortgage. I went and saw the house again...and I still LOVE it.
It is the perfect size with a huge master suite and two little guest bedrooms. Nice kitchen that is in working order. Big living/dining area in the middle with glass doors into the back yard. The yard will be a future project...it needs some landscaping and maintenance...and a screened in deck/porch that my family might help me build (okay, they will build it, and I will help:). Photos to come soon.

Race Day

The U23 women are outside on the course...in the freezing rain! I'm watching the online race video of Jasmine in a breakaway group of 3 girls. Looks like they will have to sort out the podium places on the run...I've got my fingers crossed that Jasmine can nab the GOLD! Go Jaz!
I am considering getting dressed in a few warm layers of clothing and heading out to the course to cheer for Jasmine and Justine (we only have 2 American women in this race). I do need to do a light warm-up jog before my race...I just have to decide if I want to brave the wetness right now or hope that it clears up in a few hours.
Other than that, I'm very excited to get on the starting line for MY race...5 hours from now at 1pm West Coast time. The water temperature is 11.2 degrees Celsius, the air temp is 10, I am number 56 in the Elite Women's race (that's what happens when you don't race the whole first half of the year), the swim is 2 laps, the bike is 8 laps, the run is 3 laps, there are 6 American women in the Elite race. How's that for a couple of numbers to absorb!

Photo Post

Walking back to the hotel after a Team USA dinner at Ciao Bella. Slightly rainy, slightly chilly...but still in good spirits.

Tim modeling the 1/2 wetsuit-Navy jacket-neoprene cap-umbrella look. Anything to postpone going for a swim in the Bay with water temperatures hovering at 11-12 degrees Celsius. (I will let YOU plug those numbers into a temperature converter and then just imagine how it feels to put your face in the water!)

"Bend over!"

Just kidding! Sharon was applying Tiger Balm and Vaseline to our exposed body parts (feet, hands, face) with the hopes that it might reduce the numbing effects caused by the water.

Me and Matt Reed's biggest fan...his adorable daughter, Peyton. I was jealous of her entirely pink outfit!

Diana and Tim were some of my table-mates at the Team USA dinner last night. We enjoyed a big buffet spread along with some of the age-groupers and USAT staff.

Tonight, pre-race night, will be the only dinner that I am responsible for my own food. Which is perfect because I have a FULL kitchen in my hotel suite and a big grocery store in the basement of this building...so I can just cook my own perfect meal!

Vancouver is Freezing

It's cold. It's wet. It's really really cold and really really wet.
It's exactly like last year's race conditions...absolutely, ridiculously, freezing! I LOVE it!
We just got back from a team dinner at Ciao Bella, an Italian joint down the street from our hotel. I sat at the end of a long table with Dr. Keith, Laura, Tim, Diana and Julie and we had a lot of good laughs waiting for our food. Unfortunately, it was a long wait for the food because of the 'long table' situation. I have been to more than my fair-share of team events and been a part of many, many group meal situations.
Here's a piece of advice: As much as I am a fan of making sure that no one is left out of the whole 'group' experience during the meal, you are just asking to be waiting and wondering where you food is while the 4-person table next to you has been served and cleared three times! For pete's sake, just split up and don't give the servers a hernia when they try to distribute 20 main courses in one delivery!
The saving grace tonight was the quality of the food. It was delish. The bread was freshly baked and still warm from the oven. I shared some sauteed mushrooms with Timmers. Followed that with a green salad and some pasta primavera and I am sitting here in my hotel suite with a very happy belly.
Did I mention suite? Yep, this is the largest hotel room that I have ever experienced. First, enter our hallway and feel free to drop your coat off in the hall closet. Feel free to take a right turn into our walk-through, fully equipped kitchen. Keep going straight and relax in our enormous living room with dining area, work desk, and plush couch. Our bedroom (I am rooming with Amanda Stevens) is through the second hallway. Take a left or you will find yourself in the bathroom. Need to get some fresh air...enjoy our covered balcony on the 11th floor.
As Sunday approaches, I am getting more and more excited to toe the starting line. I watched the Junior women freeze their way through the sprint World Championships this morning and was inspired by the creative methods employed to beat the chill...UnderArmor shirts under the race suits, gloves, arm warmers...wearing a helmet for the entire run because her fingers were too cold to remove the buckle. Yep, this should be fun!

Weather Issues

I know that a lot of places are experiencing weather related problems...the mid-west is dry, the north is dry, the west coast is dry, Africa is dry...but I have got to tell you: Florida is DRY! We are desperately in need of some serious RAIN! It's been months since we have had a decent rain that actually helps replenish the water table.
Ol'McLarty's Farm has a huge water-table gauge in the back yard: a pond. The pond was dug out 30 years ago when my parents purchased this property. Almost every day of my life I have seen the pond. It scares me that I have NEVER seen the pond this low! There are parts of the bank that should be under two to three feet of water...now they are chillin' out in the hot sun every day instead of being homes for little fishes! Don't get me started on the little fishes...I can only imagine how crowded the remaining water is with fish.
So, that is the current issue here, just a slight need for lots and lots and lots of water. Can you ever imagine Floridians getting excited for hurricane season? Well, that is us now. Hoping that a couple of BIG storms will head this way, stay off the coast, and just toss a lot of heavy rain over the state.
In the mean time, I am taking advantage of the hot, Hot, HOT weather for my training and acclimatizing for some important races this summer (Hy-Vee in Des Moines, LifeTime in Minneapolis). I did a track workout from noon to 1:00pm today with temperatures in the high 90s. So the heat is no longer a big fear for Sara McLarty! Wow!
Perfect timing! Yesterday, I looked at the Vancouver weather reports for this weekend and said "Oops!" The average high temperature for the weekend is like 55 degrees. Rain showers are predicted every day. The water we are swimming in (English Bay) is also 55 degrees. I am very curious to see how an athlete that LOVES cold races but is now acclimatized to heat and humidity fares in the chilly World Championships...stay tuned for the results of this scientific experiment!
And now for an update of another very important experiment: How long does it take me to buy a house?? Apparently, a lot longer than I was expecting because I have still heard nothing back regarding my offer on my big, beautiful house in Clermont. I emailed my real estate people today and told them that I considered today "Time's Up!" and I would like to get going on another house that I liked. This one is a bit smaller but also a bit cheaper and has a lot of potential. So, you should also stay tuned for the results of this learning experience!

Wildlife Habitat

The baby turkeys are out and about! It's the time of year where Ol'McLarty's Farm (AKA: newly Certified Wildlife Habitat number 100,272, courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation!) is teeming with wildlife.


All winter long, one of the tall dead trees in our back yard was the night-time roost for about eight Tom Turkeys. And every once in a while, the flock of females would wander through the yard on their forages for food. Well, they do their thing during mating season and then we patiently wait for the first day when the Hens lead out their latest broods.
I counted 17 chicks between three mothers today (although one of those might have been a squirrel that was getting in on the action). They were taking care of the bug population in our pastures and citrus groves (with deer-fly season upon us, I've got NO complaints there!).

Good ol'Buddy coming over to check on the turkey situation (admittedly, the turkeys didn't really like him galloping over at full speed and proceeded to scatter into the bushes)!

These photos are the best I could do with my camera...I've got limited zoom capabilities. Combine that with the fact that you have to watch the turkeys from afar...and you get slightly blurry pictures of slightly fuzzy chicks.