Stephen's First Swim Meet

Stephen competed in his first swim meet last weekend! It was an intrasquad meet, and a perfect way to get him accustomed to the mechanics and atmosphere of a meet. He swam pretty well, too. The video below is of his first race ever -- the 25 meter freestyle. He did a great job, winning his heat and dropping a ton of time from his race at the tryout. Stephen is in the second lane from the top of the screen. He is the one with the quick start, like his Dad! Sorry it's a little fuzzy at the beginning - I had a focus issue.

Playing With The New Camera (Triangle Regatta)

I also tried out the new camera on a beautiful day at the Triangle Regatta in Kinnelon. This was David's second regatta this year, and his first aboard his sleek new racing Sunfish. David had a great day -- he ended up second in his division, and also beat a number of adult sailors. I was able to get a number of nice pictures, like this one, for example:

More here (David is sail number 82036)

Playing With The New Camera (Soccer)

Just before we left for our vacation in August, my camera died. I didn't have time to get a new one before we left, so took my pics on vacation with a very old camera. Now I have replaced the broken camera, and have been having lots of fun with my new toy. It has a really good zoom, which helps when trying to take pictures at events like soccer games and sailing regattas. The first weekend with the camera, I took it out to the soccer field and put it through its paces.

Here is a shot where I was able to zoom in on Stephen playing goalie, and capture him throwing the ball out after a save.


More pictures here.

Never Underestimate The Power Of The Hex!

Obviously, I am excited about the Saints' 4-0 start. Living where I do, the victories over Philadelphia and the NY Jets were especially sweet. The former earned me a free lunch from a rabid Eagles fan at work, and the latter gives me bragging rights with numerous fans of that local team.

But . . . and there always is a "but" with the Saints . . . I am tempering my enthusiasm in light of a lifetime of disappointments. David does not undertstand this yet, but I am trying to teach him. Here is a nice article about the mood in N.O. and on the team -- the key quote is this:

It’s all added up to one of the most dominant starts in franchise history, begging the question: Could this finally be the year New Orleans plays in its first Super Bowl?
“The funny thing is, we’re talking about it, but we’re also taking it one game at a time,” Randazza said of her discussions with fans. “We don’t want to overdo it because we’ve always got that voodoo hex here where we might have something go wrong if we get ahead of ourselves.”

Lego House In The UK

This is Matthew in 30 years. He could probably build something approximating that house with the Legos we have in our basement.

We're "Swim Parents" Now

I'm getting a somewhat mild taste of what my parents experienced when I was growing up. Stephen has finished his first week of practice on the Morris Center YMCA Swim Team, and Lisa and I have finished our first week as "swim parents"! Stephen will be swimming all winter and through early Spring on this team. This week, he practiced four times. On Sundays they allow parents on the deck to watch practice (not so on the other days, which I think is great). I sat through the practice today, and was really impressed in how much progress Stephen has made in just one week. I guess I should not be surprised, given that he had never swum on a team before when, out of the blue, he came to Lisa and me and said he wanted to try out for the Y team.

Anyway, Stephen is having a great time so far - hopefully that will continue. Looking forward to the intrasquad meet in two weeks!

Football Is Here!

Today is the official opening day of the NFL season. Of course, that means four long months that inevitably will culminate in my beloved Saints disappointing me in some incredibly excruciating way that cannot now even be imagined.

But on a more positive note, it also means the return of the weekly "Tuesday Morning Quarterback" column on espn.com, by one of my favorite writers, Gregg Easterbrook. Longtime State of Nature readers have seen my posts in the past singing his praises. This week's column is particularly entertaining, and a great example of what Easterbrook brings every week. It's a rollicking combination of riffs weaving together football, current events, technology, history, science and even haiku! Really great stuff.