Up to Speed

Two weeks or so ago, Sis had her first speedskating competition of the season.  And for awhile beforehand, everything just went awry--Mama was diagnosed with the flu, we got 13"+ of snow in a wicked Nor'easter, and the blanket I had been racing to finish for the competition raffle was accidentally left behind at kung fu (and unretrievable because of said snow.) But we made it work.  Bud stayed home with Mama and I took Sis all by myself--driving farther than I have since my back issues, in post-blizzard freezing weather, hauling all sorts of extra supplies because I was in charge of the officials and coaches' hospitality room.  And it went beautifully!  I finished a scarf for the raffle, did all the shopping, made the drive just fine, the hospitality room came off without a real hitch, thanks to a lot of volunteers, and Goo joined us to cheer on Sis and help out with everything in his sister's stead.

And Sis skated up to 10+ seconds faster this year than last!!!   I saw every race--I love watching her skate.  Her form is clean and she's really steady.  Her coach said she got stronger and faster throughout the day.  So proud of her.

And of me.

Since I've Been Gone

Since I've been off the blog, we

• had a multi-day heat wave with temps in the mid 90Fs and heat index well into 100F;
• had a cold snap with lows right at 60F and highs not getting to 70F;
• spent a week in NJ--but not on the delightful shore--touring the midlands around Morristown, where Sis had speedskating camp (which she loved--and I think she improved) with not one but two Olympians and a multiple-Olympics national coach!  She made friends with a girl in CA and another in the area and one in NYC.

  

  What Sis did all week.

  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Speedwell--building on left is where telegraph demonstrated

  
  
• toured the area, finding the kinds of things we like to do, including 



The "temple"



• Fosterfields:  a lovely 200+ acre farm started at the turn-of-the-20th-century by Clara Foster, who loved the colonial revival and built a lovely "Temple of Abiding Peace" cabin with an adjoining historically-inspired garden, which they've restored;
• historic Speedwell, an early 19th-century factory and iron works, where Samuel F.B. Morse introduced the first telegraph;



Gorgeous meadows at Duke Farms

• Duke Farms, the lavish estate of the late Doris Duke (whose father was behind the modern cigarette industry and then went into electric power!), which is now dedicated to environmental and sustainability issues.  I especially liked the remains of the basement of the grand house that was never built and the ruins of a burned barn that then housed a sculpture garden.







Just one view of one part of one room



Sculpture garden in barn ruins

• Northlandz train museum:  this is a wacky tourist trap with the largest model railroad in the world, but the craftsmanship and creativity is amazing--you actually wind around a whole mile looking at the detailed models.  



Navesink

• Navesink Twin Lights--yay, we got to see this very famous light, with its dual towers separated by an stone, armory-type building.  The lights are relatively short but are on a cliff, making it one of the highest lighthouses on the east coast.  Wonderful. 
• Sandy Hook Light (est. 1764) and Fort Hancock--out on the peninsula that is Gateway National Recreation Area (the other half of which is over by Mama's parents, across the harbor in NY).  The light is from 1764!!!!  And apparently the British held onto it despite an attack by Patriots during the Revolutionary War, the canon marks of which you could apparently see well into the 19th century.  Around the lighthouse is the remainder of a fort that was inhabited by 10,000 soldiers during WWII.  There is a 9-gun battery and also a proving ground for new weapons.  Most of that is in shambles, while some of the buildings have been converted to modern uses for the Coast Guard.  It was a very hazy day, but on a clear one you could have had a great view of the city.

  

  Sandy Hook light est 1764!!  

• Putt Putt!  Bud even made this great shot backwards between his legs!



Malaysian "ice cream"

• ate out at seafood (soft shell crab sandwich and crab cakes and corn and lobster bisque!), Vietnamese (spring rolls!), Malayasian (stand out food:  kachang "ice cream" with sweet corn, kidney beans, grass jelly, palm hearts, and red rose syrup on crushed ice!), and Korean (bimibop!) restaurants--mmm, mmm, good!
• spent some down-time in the hotel pools and watching "Ancient Aliens" and the new Clash of the Titans, with me crocheting on my first amigurumi critter (an owl-penguin thing that doesn't have eyes yet)
• came home exhausted and resumed kung fu, piano, and horses.

Speed Racer

I'm constantly impressed with our little speedskater!  We had such a wonderful time at her second competition and are so proud of her.

We're learning more about speedskating every week.  Though, I don't quite know the lingo, every competition meet is divided into several races, by distance and then by ability (with odd, almost inappropriate, names like "midgets" and "pee wees"--which are teenagers!)   I believe each meet has a series of 6 or 7 races in decreasing distance--the 1500, 1000, 500, 333, 111--with semi-finals for a few races and the newbies doing the 500 and 333 more than once.   Each place in each race has a set of points awarded; these are tallied at the end of the meet and one set of gold, silver, and bronze awards are given per division, by ability and gender.  No participation awards.

Sis bested her times in all of her races.  Her coach had told her to focus on her technique, not on just going fast or winning.  So she kept herself down in first position and did her crossovers.  She raced against 3 others--2 girls and a boy who raced with them but was in a different division--and was last in all but one race--she beat the boy!  But it didn't matter because she ran clean races, improving with each one.  On the second to the last race, she really pushed, wanting to beat the boy who was from her own club (it's a friendly rivalry)--you could see her hunker down and push.  She fell at the end, a terrifying moment for us, though it was clear that she wasn't hurt--she fell on her butt and slid across the finish line (her skate has to cross.)  But she was so proud of herself!  Her first fall in competition, a milestone.  And she got right back up, all smiles, and had another race later.  And when she won bronze in her division, she was so excited, so proud--more than she won an uncontested gold in the last meet (she was the only girl).  She said she'd rather have competitors.  So very proud of her.

The sushi case!  The store is the size of a Target.

Just one fake food display,
at just one of the food stalls

We had fun outside of the competition, too.  We stopped at Mitsuwa, the huge Japanese grocery store on the banks of the Hudson, looking across to Manhattan.  I could see the GWB, Grant's Tomb and Union Theological, near Columbia, and all of the skyscrapers of Midtown.  And we love the store.  Mama a lot as a child; we also went to the one in Chicago several times.  Beyond lots of imported tasty treats, there is an awesome food court.  Bud and Sis had sushi, I had katsu-don, and Sis had gyoza.  There were also a Japanese bookstore and also a knicknack store, with Pokemon, Pusheen, Totoro and other Miyazaki movies, amigurumi books, origami paper, and lots of anime things.

We also stopped by the Schuyler-Hamilton House, where Alexander Hamilton courted Eliza Schuyler in 1780.  It's a beautiful white colonial from 1760 owned by the DAR, now on a tight little run-down street.  They only do tours on Sunday from 2-4 p.m.  I was glad just to see it.  One day, we'll go back for the tour.  And all the other historical sites in the area.

There will be other chances because Sis loves speedskating.  And we do, too.

Go, Speed Racer!

Even after a full day of watching speedskaters at Sis's first competition, I still can't get over how the skaters tilt so far to one side that they put their hands on the ice and still manage to crossover their feet!  Sis isn't quite at that level--she can crossover but isn't low or titled enough to touch the ice--but she still won a gold in her novice division for girls.  We were all exhausted but proud.

While Sis was racing around the track--three laps in just about a minute for one event!--and cheering on her teammates, Mama and I were volunteering to help the competition go smoothly.  I was in hospitality, helping with feeding about 35 officials and volunteers; Mama worked with the official race steward tallying times and points.    We had breakfast foods, sandwiches, salad, desserts, plus six or seven slow cookers going--soups, chili, stew, and a very popular Slow Cooker Chocolate Souffle--and blew the fuses more than a couple of times.  And lots of coffee!  Because the rink was very cold.  At least the hospitality room was warm.

A few things we learned about skating:

• the Zamboni cleaning is called an "ice cut";
• there is usually a heat box, where you wait--it's good to show up a few heats before your own;
• a cap gun signals the start of the race but a whistle midday signals a stop (in case there is a major injury or false start); a whistle at the end means everyone finished the laps;
• races tend to fall in 111, 333, 555, 777, or 1500 meters--I can't recall the different names for rounds of races of the same length (set, I think, or maybe event);
• results are posted by time, adjusted for any penalties, but awards are given based on points over the whole day;
• the novice category is for any skater who doesn't have a recorded time, including Sis (she stays a novice this season, I believe, but moves up next year);
• while skaters compete by gender for standings and places, they often race in mixed groups (there were more boys than girls, at least 3:1);
• skaters are docked for "impeding" if they get within 1/4" of another skater (I think);
• if skaters are sitting or lying down on the ice for more than 4 secs because of a fall, they are disqualified (not that they'd ever catch up);
• if a skater hits his or her head, they are removed from the rest of the meet as part of the concussion protocol.

Thankfully, there were very few falls and no real injuries.

Sis also picked up some tips from the other skaters--staying warm between races (they essentially where body length swimsuits, which aren't warm, so they wear Uniqlo or Under Armor underneath and wear jackets and blankets around them), staying hydrated between races, wearing goggles to avoid ice spray and chips at the starting line, eating fruit to keep up energy and avoid cramping.  She also showed great sportsmanship when a skater in her race fell and got back up; she checked with him after the end.  She was usually in the back of the pack, sometimes last, sometimes lapped, but she stuck with it, did her best, and left her heart out on the ice.

She had a marvelous time and is jazzed to compete later this season in another competition.  Mama and I are pretty excited, too.

Slow Cooker Chocolate Souffle

Cake

1 box  triple chocolate fudge cake mix

1 1/4cups milk

1/2cup vegetable oil 

3eggs

Topping

1box (4-serving size) instant chocolate pudding and pie filling mix

2 cups milk1bag (12 oz) 

milk chocolate chips (2 cups)

Spray 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer as directed on cake mix box. Pour into slow cooker.

In medium bowl, beat pudding mix and 2 cups milk with whisk as directed on box. Pour into slow cooker over cake batter. Do not mix. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours or until cake is set and pudding is beginning to bubble out of cake.
adapted from Betty Crocker

Slow Cooker Lava Cake

This one is much sweeter than the one above; I first had it at a friend's party.

1 box triple chocolate fudge cake mix

1 1/2cups water 

1/2cup butter, melted 

2eggs 

1tablespoon vanilla

1box (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

1container whipped milk chocolate frosting

Vanilla ice cream, as desired

Spray 4 1/2-quart slow cooker with baking spray with flour.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, melted butter, eggs, vanilla and pudding mix with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Pour batter into slow cooker.

Fold frosting into batter in slow cooker with spoon, leaving ribbons of frosting running through batter.

Cover; cook on High heat setting 2 to 3 hours or until cake is set in center. To serve, spoon hot cake from slow cooker, and top with scoops of ice cream.

Adapted from Betty Crocker and Pampered Chef

Settling In

I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since I posted last; that might be a record.

All is well.

Just busy.

School started and the kids are back in their routines.  Same teachers, same classmates.  That makes the transition into a new school year easier, if a little boring.  Next year, in middle school, will be exciting enough, though.

A few things have changed--the day of Girl Scouts, the timing of kung fu.  And Sis has radically changed her extracurriculars.  She has dropped piano, added horseback riding, and switched from figure skating to speedskating.  I'm so proud that she's trying something new, stretching herself, taking a risk.   I'm trying not to think of the real risks, as she suits up in helmet and kevlar neck protector!  But they take all the precautions, even have huge mats on the walls of the rink.  She was exhausted after the first session, which included more than an hour of conditioning--including hopping up the stairs and also doing crossovers up the stairs!!  But she hung in there and did it.  Then she spent about an hour learning the positions of speedskating and trying it out, all on special skates!  She really was pretty amazing!  A mom of a nationally-ranked skater said Sis would do well, that she was already taking to it quickly and she had strong legs.  She does like to go fast.

After she hobbled off the ice, we soaked her in Epsom salts and gave her some ibuprofen.  The next morning, she woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to go again.  She had horseback riding that evening, which also involves strong legs--with all the posting (essentially standing in the stirrups to keep weight off the horse).

For myself, I'm getting organized for our first GS meeting tomorrow and for historic house tours starting at the end of the month.  Hospice is ongoing; I'm with the same woman I visited in the spring and summer.

In addition to school and activities, the church year has also started.  It was nice to be back, after a bit of an absence in the spring when they canceled our early service.  Good to see friendly faces, important to reflect on September 11th.  I'm a lay minister, mostly in charge of meal coordination for people in need.  One of our summer recipients was up and about after extensive back surgery; she looked great! And I'm helping to teach a young member how to crochet.  I also signed up to be on the religious education steering committee. Meetings are before church, which is easier than weeknights.  There was also a book (re-)sale, at which we always find great items.  Mama got a book on the daughters of Genghis Khan.  I picked up The Hare with the Amber Eyes.  Sis picked up a few YA books.  And they chose for me a book on New England's stone walls.  I made an appreciative "ooooh" sound when they handed it to me, as Mama apparently predicted I would.  They all say I make that sound when I see an old stone wall (I love old stone walls.)  They say I make the same sound for raptors, butterflies, old houses--and a much gruntier sound for snakes!

Then we went for a delicious pancake and omelet breakfast, one of our favorite parts of going to church.

That's how the last two weeks have gone.  The temperatures have started to drop at night but are still warm for me during the day.  Our dogwood tree is already changing, though, most likely because of the moderate drought and stress of the extra heat.  I think we set a record on Saturday and will again tomorrow.  Ugh.  Bring me fall!