Week 39-Caden/Take 2

Last week I spent a few days with my nephew, Cade, my brother, Evan and my sister in law, Christy. Cade is just learning to walk. He can take a few steps on his own. Remember either when you, yourself of your child was just learning to walk or ride a bike and that overwhelming excitement passes over you when you realize you are up and doing it and then because you are so excited about your new accomplishment you lose focus and crash! Ya! A lot of that going on!

Cade is just learning how to kiss. It's the cutest thing you have ever seen. He gets his lips all puckered up and sucked in and then he releases a big smack and an even bigger smile! If you then throw a kiss back at him he will keep doing it right back at you! He isn't into skin to skin contact just yet, just air kisses for now!

So...., I think Cade is saying here in this photo," Well, at least she isn't making me balance on her toes like she made me do in the very beginning of this silly endeavour when I was only 4 months old!" (see August 2009)

Location: Lafayette, CO (Cade's backyard)

Photographer: Christy Little Schneider

Week 38-Royal Arch

This week I traveled to Boulder, Colorado to visit my brother, his wife and my 11 month old nephew, Cade. Cade was in one of my first handstand photos balanced precariously on my feet. Yesterday, we enjoyed a misty, then rainy hike in the Flat Irons which is in Rocky Mountain National Park. Cade was breaking in his very plush Kelty backpack. Luckily, we purchased the one with the miniature pup tent which serves as rain and sun protector. It attaches to the top of the backpack. Cade was pretty unhappy with the weather conditions and finally cried himself to sleep while crusing down the mountain on his pop's back.

This hike was 3.6 miles round trip and led us to some flat irons which are rock formations that look like the old irons your great grandmother may have heated on the wood stove. The trail then lead to this beautiful arch on a mountain top that overlooked Boulder Valley. Although the weather was not ideal we still had a great view of the valley.

None of my handstands were that great so I am posting one that shows how I get into the handstand. I come up with my legs separated and then try to bring them together. This photo is really about the impressive Royal Arch anyway. You get an idea of it's massiveness by how small I am and the people behind the arch are. Can you see the rain drops on the camera lens? Jeez, I just can't seem to get away from those rain drops! Today, though, it is sunny and on it's way to warm here in Boulder, CO. Perhaps another hike?

Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Royal Arch Trail

Photographer: Evan Little

Week 37-Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Feet

There has been record rainfall here in MA so it only seems appropriate to capture a handstand in the rain. One weekend in mid-March we had over 10 inches of rain! That is the equivalent of 70 inches of snow! Many people have had to deal with flooded basements, fowl swimming in their front yards, rivers over flowing and even cars stranded in a sea of water! Mother Nature is carrying on with her deluge of rain this month too. This photo was taken on Friday, April 9th.

Location: Fiske Street

Photographer: Dan Donovan

Week 36-ANGLES

This week is a photo taken in Cambridge, MA near the Harvard Business School at Harvard University. I have posted 2, one with my friend Kendra and the other on my own. I have a thing for geometry and symmetry. In my mind, I get very irritated when things don't line up, but I take that irritation as a challenge to overcome my little neurosis of the slightly disorganized! Think of all I have had to overcome with these not quite linear handstands week after week! I was pysched when Amy got out her camera to capture a handstand in front of these buildings. The vastness of the base of the triangle up against the circular building and the depth of field is quite specatcular. The other thing that also makes this photo interesting is the circular sewer cap and the half circular mound of the tree base. In the one with Kendra and I like the fact that it looks even more disorganized and as if we are falling--oh...wait a minute...maybe we are.

Spectacular photos are taken by Amy Ross professional photographer

Location Cambridge MA

week 35 March 28 -New England Masters ChampionshipsM @ Harvard

Apologies, apologies on my delayed posts! This weekend was our New England Masters Championship Meet. It is a four day meet with distance events like the 1650 and the 1000 that take place the weekend prior to this weekend and this weekend with 3 days of event. Events form 50 fly to the 100 IM to the 200 fly to the 500 free and everything in between! The ABC Gray Sharks of which I am the head coach and Dave Baxter and Illka Suvanto are also coaches came in 3rd place overall. We were up against 80 teams with a total of 1064 swimmers in attendance. We broke some records, got plenty of LTB's (life time bests), qualified for nationals and had a heck of a lot of fun! Here I am doing a handstand in the stadium as my swimmers participate in the 200 medley relay. Under the "G" in "diving" is ABC Gray Sharks swimmer, Steve Smith, preparing for his breaststroke leg of the relay! I am in the stands under the Harvard banner gettin' upside down! My handstand coach, TBird, is looking making sure I don't kill myself:)

Photographer (and Swimmer): Amy Ross

Location: Blodgett Pool Harvard University