Whew. I just heard that the DI team I helped coach didn't make it to Globals. Sorry, should I back up a little? Beginning in January, I started c0-managing a Destination Imagination team with a fourth grade parent. DI is a spin-off of Odyssey of the Mind (did anyone do OM as a kid?), but with more performance/theatre components. Our team, seven fourth- and fifth- grade boys, has been meeting every Wednesday for the last four months, working on a challenge that involves building a structure out of wood and glue. It has to weigh less than 22 grams and support weight in two orientations. In competition, they have eight minutes to present a play, test their structure, and demonstrate two other 'side trips'. (Our side trips were guitar-playing and Rubiks cube-solving.) They also have to do an Instant Challenge, which they don't find out about until tournament day, and which they have roughly five to eight minutes to solve, starting from the time the challenge is read to them.
The citywide tournament was April 4, and we came in third, which meant a trip to the state tournament today. I was crossing my fingers that this would be the end......Globals is a huge three-day event in Nashville, TN, which costs each team member something like $600 - $1000, and happens in three or four weeks. Not a lot of time to fund-raise. In any case, the team did really well today, and I was really proud of them, and they placed 14th. Yay! Whew! (That's out of 25 teams, if you're curious.) Their structure held 25 pounds in the first orientation (it could probably have held more, but they didn't want to break it until they could test it the second way) and 55 pounds in the second orientation, which is pretty good for a flimsy little balsa wood structure that measures 8" x 9" x 4" and weighs 20 grams! I didn't get to see their Instant Challenge, because it is super-secret -- I can't even tell you about it until after Globals -- but they came out of the room all charged up and feeling pretty good about their problem-solving abilities.
I'm relieved that the Wednesday meetings are over, but it really was a lot of fun to see these guys in action and get to know them all a little better. Now, will I volunteer next year? We'll see......
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
More reunion weekend
Well, better late than never....and it's pretty late for this second installation. Let's see, where was I? Oh yes, I had made it all the way to Thursday. So Thursday night we were five in the house -- Dan, Lindsay, Lee, Nathan, and me. We made plans to head out early-ish Friday morning to rent a boat to go waterskiing, and did actually make it down to the lake (with stops to buy new 20 peso hats) by ten or so. The boat guy tried to talk us into a scheme whereby he would take two of us out at a time while the rest of us waited at a little restaurant on the lake that he knew (and where he would presumably get a commission on our limonadas), but we prevailed. The boat was a little low in the water with all five of us, but it still managed to go plenty fast. Dan took the first turn on the skis, impressing us all with his skills and panache. Lee was less fortunate, and succeeded only in swallowing a great deal of the lake (he just could not remember to let go of the rope when he fell!) before consenting to try knee-boarding instead. This proved much more successful. Nathan took his turn on double skis rather than the slalom, and made it look effortless. Lee's experience was forefront in my mind, though, so I opted for the kneeboard as well. It was pretty fun, although a trifle jouncy. Motorized sports just really aren't my thing, I think.
We made it back in in one piece, and with some great photos of the lake and each other, although minus Lee's hat, which flew off my head. We stopped again at the 20 peso hat store, and Lee decided to splurge for a 35 peso hat. Too rich for my blood! Also, I don't really like hats. Since most of us were wet, we decided to mosey back to the house to change while we waited for the rest of our crew to arrive from D.F. Unfortunately, their bus was stuck in traffic, so we commenced a trek across town to find the fancy European grocery store and winery that Dan had been raving about all morning. Eighty dollars worth of wine later, we (five of us, remember) crammed into a taxi and headed back to the zocalo to meet Mer and Vaughn. Hugs and hilarity ensued, plus an extended lunch at the restaurant that was practically next door to our house, with a fantastic view of the lake and the church. After lunch we took a trip to the Mercado Artisanale with all of us plus Lindsay's parents (yay for the suburban) for some quality shopping time. This town is famous for crafting baskets out of pine needles, and I bought a trivet which smells lovely.
Dan and Lindsay were scheduled for dinner that night with all of their parents, so we were on our own. We found a little restaurant off the zocalo with good food and vegie options (yay for trucha). When we got back to the house, we found out that we had just missed Greg and Keefer and their ladyfriends, but we decided to wait at home rather than go search for them in seedy bars around town. This proved to be eventually successful, and we polished off most of a bottle of tequila by the time Dan and Lindsay made it back. We probably also managed to annoy most of the neighbors.
Saturday was the day of the big party, and leave it to Dan to make a grand entrance. Although running late as usual, he couldn't resist dropping us all off and running back to rent a horse upon which to gallop into the garden. Bless Lindsay, she must be a saint to put up with him sometimes! He must have stayed on that horse for a good half-hour, while people brought him drinks and Lindsay stood at his stirrups. It was hilarious. I have some funny pictures.
The party was planned to happen in stages -- drinks and appetizers in one garden, dinner and dancing in another. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that the gardens are huge. And even when you are inside, it feels like outside -- all the bathrooms are FULL of plants, and most of them aren't in pots. The dinner was delicious: chicken mole, squash blossom quesadillas, and lots more. Orchids and birds-of-paradise centerpieces, and bright green and yellow tablecloths. There was a dance floor set up in the middle, and Dan and Lindsay strutted their stuff. It was fun to watch them, but even more fun for me to get to dance with Dan. It's been years, but we fell right back into it. The party lasted from two until nearly eleven, at which point people headed out into town to do more drinking. Not for me -- I was tired! But not too tired to eat some tacos al pastor and grilled cebollas before bed. Ummm......
We made it back in in one piece, and with some great photos of the lake and each other, although minus Lee's hat, which flew off my head. We stopped again at the 20 peso hat store, and Lee decided to splurge for a 35 peso hat. Too rich for my blood! Also, I don't really like hats. Since most of us were wet, we decided to mosey back to the house to change while we waited for the rest of our crew to arrive from D.F. Unfortunately, their bus was stuck in traffic, so we commenced a trek across town to find the fancy European grocery store and winery that Dan had been raving about all morning. Eighty dollars worth of wine later, we (five of us, remember) crammed into a taxi and headed back to the zocalo to meet Mer and Vaughn. Hugs and hilarity ensued, plus an extended lunch at the restaurant that was practically next door to our house, with a fantastic view of the lake and the church. After lunch we took a trip to the Mercado Artisanale with all of us plus Lindsay's parents (yay for the suburban) for some quality shopping time. This town is famous for crafting baskets out of pine needles, and I bought a trivet which smells lovely.
Dan and Lindsay were scheduled for dinner that night with all of their parents, so we were on our own. We found a little restaurant off the zocalo with good food and vegie options (yay for trucha). When we got back to the house, we found out that we had just missed Greg and Keefer and their ladyfriends, but we decided to wait at home rather than go search for them in seedy bars around town. This proved to be eventually successful, and we polished off most of a bottle of tequila by the time Dan and Lindsay made it back. We probably also managed to annoy most of the neighbors.
Saturday was the day of the big party, and leave it to Dan to make a grand entrance. Although running late as usual, he couldn't resist dropping us all off and running back to rent a horse upon which to gallop into the garden. Bless Lindsay, she must be a saint to put up with him sometimes! He must have stayed on that horse for a good half-hour, while people brought him drinks and Lindsay stood at his stirrups. It was hilarious. I have some funny pictures.
The party was planned to happen in stages -- drinks and appetizers in one garden, dinner and dancing in another. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that the gardens are huge. And even when you are inside, it feels like outside -- all the bathrooms are FULL of plants, and most of them aren't in pots. The dinner was delicious: chicken mole, squash blossom quesadillas, and lots more. Orchids and birds-of-paradise centerpieces, and bright green and yellow tablecloths. There was a dance floor set up in the middle, and Dan and Lindsay strutted their stuff. It was fun to watch them, but even more fun for me to get to dance with Dan. It's been years, but we fell right back into it. The party lasted from two until nearly eleven, at which point people headed out into town to do more drinking. Not for me -- I was tired! But not too tired to eat some tacos al pastor and grilled cebollas before bed. Ummm......
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A Mandatory reunion weekend in Mexico
There is lots to say about my recent trip to Valle de Bravo, Mexico, with some of my best college friends, and I don't have the time now to do it all justice, but I did want to post some pictures for my (few) loyal readers. So mom, click here.
The trip started last Wednesday with my arrival in Mexico City (D. F., for those in the know), where Dan was waiting at a bar, aptly named Freedom. We ate some lunch while we waited for the rest of the gang, who were coming in from Seattle. M and V headed out to sightsee around the city with Dan's sister, while Dan and N and I hopped in a cab and were on our way to Valle. We got there late, but with enough time to survey our digs, a great little three and a half bedroom house just blocks from the central plaza, or zocalo. We ate dinner on the sidewalk of a restaurant across from the church -- I tried nopales (prickly pear cactus) for the first time, and found it pretty bland. The food in general was very different from what we are used to getting in Sayulita -- the town is famous for trout, artichokes, and blackberries! Not your typical Tex-Mex.
The next day we spent most of the morning hanging out with Dan's family - his papi, his mom, and his dad. (He was born in Mexico, but left when he was little, and was raised mostly by his mom and step-dad, who he calls Dad. His Mexican father is now on his fifth wife. Amazingly, they all get along great!) They were in the full swing of party-planning for the big fiesta on Sunday, held to celebrate Dan's upcoming wedding. After eating more than was really good for us, we extricated ourselves for a horseback ride, promising to return for dinner.
It took a while to find anyone renting horses, but after several mis-directions, we ended up taking a taxi to Velo de Novia, the name of a local park and beautiful waterfall. (We think it means "Bridal Veil".) Lo and behold, there was a man on a horse, who told us to stay right there while he brought us three more. The ride was beautiful -- along a cliffside path past the waterfall, then up up up the side of a mountain, ending up at an overlook which gave amazing views of the man-made lake which makes Valle such a popular retreat for the Mexico City well-heeled. Of course we were late for dinner. However, meals in Mexico seem to be a marathon sport, and before we were done, more folks arrived and more seats were found at the table. The newcomers included L, Dan's bride-to-be, her parents, and an old friend, Lee. L and Lee returned to the town house with us, and we settled in for the night.
Now I am off to bed for the night, but I will return with tales of water-skiing, tequila drinking, and dancing our feet off. I bet you can't wait.
The trip started last Wednesday with my arrival in Mexico City (D. F., for those in the know), where Dan was waiting at a bar, aptly named Freedom. We ate some lunch while we waited for the rest of the gang, who were coming in from Seattle. M and V headed out to sightsee around the city with Dan's sister, while Dan and N and I hopped in a cab and were on our way to Valle. We got there late, but with enough time to survey our digs, a great little three and a half bedroom house just blocks from the central plaza, or zocalo. We ate dinner on the sidewalk of a restaurant across from the church -- I tried nopales (prickly pear cactus) for the first time, and found it pretty bland. The food in general was very different from what we are used to getting in Sayulita -- the town is famous for trout, artichokes, and blackberries! Not your typical Tex-Mex.
The next day we spent most of the morning hanging out with Dan's family - his papi, his mom, and his dad. (He was born in Mexico, but left when he was little, and was raised mostly by his mom and step-dad, who he calls Dad. His Mexican father is now on his fifth wife. Amazingly, they all get along great!) They were in the full swing of party-planning for the big fiesta on Sunday, held to celebrate Dan's upcoming wedding. After eating more than was really good for us, we extricated ourselves for a horseback ride, promising to return for dinner.
It took a while to find anyone renting horses, but after several mis-directions, we ended up taking a taxi to Velo de Novia, the name of a local park and beautiful waterfall. (We think it means "Bridal Veil".) Lo and behold, there was a man on a horse, who told us to stay right there while he brought us three more. The ride was beautiful -- along a cliffside path past the waterfall, then up up up the side of a mountain, ending up at an overlook which gave amazing views of the man-made lake which makes Valle such a popular retreat for the Mexico City well-heeled. Of course we were late for dinner. However, meals in Mexico seem to be a marathon sport, and before we were done, more folks arrived and more seats were found at the table. The newcomers included L, Dan's bride-to-be, her parents, and an old friend, Lee. L and Lee returned to the town house with us, and we settled in for the night.
Now I am off to bed for the night, but I will return with tales of water-skiing, tequila drinking, and dancing our feet off. I bet you can't wait.
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