Ft. Lauderdale, Florida--July 2007

I was the coach of the Iowa High Performance Select (8th and 9th graders) team at the 2007 HP Tournament in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Girls from all across the state tried out for the team, and we took 10 girls. We played will and came in 15th out of 24 teams, which is one spot higher than last year, so we are improving!

We spent a couple afternoons on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale. It was never real crowded when we were there, which was nice. It was hot!!! I wore 45 spf sunblock, and after about an hour I was red as a lobster. The water was perfectly clear, and you could see your toes when the water was up to your shoulders.

"Life is like a box of chocolates..."

The entire group went on a catamaran ride out into the open ocean one evening. It was a little too dark to snorkel, but I swam out in the open ocean with the girls. I learned a very important lesson: I can swim in the ocean on the beach, and I can ride in a boat in the open ocean, and i will feel great. But when I swim in the open ocean, I THROW UP! This was before I swam, which is why I am still smiling and have some color to my cheeks. :)

Gigantor!!

This is my new buddy Gigantor. He lives on the edge of my front porch. The first time I saw him I was walking the dog out the door, and he was hanging right in front of my face. He is a little bigger than a quarter. I gave a small screech and turned around and went right back inside. Winston was a little confused. "G" did build his web off to the side of the porch, so I'm letting him stay for how. He eats the moths and I leave him alone. In this picture he is snacking on an earwig.

Machu Picchu, Peru--May 2007

Here I am at the ruins of Machu Picchu in May. I hiked the Inca Trail to get there with Clark and Mike. It was a 4 day hike over about 30 miles. We carried our sleeping bags, clothes, and water, and the porters carried all the tents, food, and cooking supplies. It was a tough hike, but it was worth it for the scenery, the joy in God's creation, and the fellowship with other people.











We spent a few days in Cusco before the hike. Here I am sampling the local specialty--Inca Kola. It tasted like bubble gum.








Here's shot from the highest part of the trail--Dead Woman's Pass. It's about 13, 550 feet! This stretch of trail was pretty difficult. We went up 900m, then straight down 700m. The next morning we went up 400m, then down 300m, then up 300m, then down for the next 10 kilometers! (they use the metric system there!) We started the morning all the way in the bottom of that valley.



















This was a typical meal on the trail--chicken legs, stuffed cabbage, some sort of grain or rice, veggies, and coca tea. We ate like kings and queens and didn't even have to cook!

Casiano, our guide on the Inca Trail, plays his flute as the sun rises over Machu Picchu. The sound of his flute helped me make it up to the top of the mountain.