Run Fox Run

The Rossmann Christmas has become a biennial trip to the Caribbean to enjoy the warm weather and the company of the cousins and extended family from Colorado and California. Leda’s pictured above with two of her three cousins (…next time for you, Andrew) sitting on the dock of our bay. This time we were off to Grand Cayman with a stay on the Cayman Kai side of the island. Our house had its own beach and was teeming with sealife. Starfish, Caribbean lobster, urchins, hermit crabs, and loads of fish could be had within a short walk in waist deep water.

The cousins had a great time re-acquainting themselves and then endlessly playing in the ocean, pool, and on the beach. We buried each other, collected sea-life, practiced our swimming, and enjoyed family meals created by our in-house chef-de-cuisine, Grandpa. Leda loved playing with her cousins, aunt/uncle, and Grandparents. She learned many new things: both good – like swimming bravery and how to share her daddy and not-so-good – we’re still working on removing the “raspberry” from her lexicon. Leda sends many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for their organizing and making it all work.

We had so many great days and activities: Trips to Smith Cove, the Turtle Farm, Tortuga Beach, the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Gardens, and Rum Point. We got to go out in a sea kayak as well as snorkel right off our own dock. Grandpa taught us all how to search the sea for the local fauna and Grandma helped us record the trip for posterity, all with great evening light. She even managed to snap a great picture of Leda and Jenn.

All in all, it was a great trip to the Caribbean and we can’t wait to do it again, with even more cousins to play with and more activities to fill our days with fun and sun. You can check out all the other photos from the trip in the Cayman Christmas album. See you around Cayman….

While out in California for the wedding, we had some time to take in some local sights. Whenever we go back to the west coast, I am invariably drawn back to my favorite places from my youth. This time we had a chance to go to the beach and visited Natural Bridges State beach. I can remember going here as a kid with my sister/mom/dad to look at the tidepools, with my friends in highschool for dawn patrol with CCMDs and DP and later at night to imbibe adult beverages, and then with Jenn when we were first dating. So now we’ve added Leda to that historical record. She loves the beach and usually heads straight for the surf (though I’m sure she was surprised the water temperature turned out to be much colder than the balmy Atlantic). We played on the beach and walked around the tidepools where we “petted” sea anemones and played with a wayward starfish. Leda was pretty darn impressed.

Second stop on the trip down memory lane was Oak Meadow park where I spent many an hour playing in my youth. The best part about this playground is that they have maintained a number of the original distinctive items from 30 years ago. These include the antique fire engine and the World War II era fighter plane. Of course before liability suits and cookie cutter playgrounds, the aluminum surface of this fighter jet would reach “burn your hand” temperatures in the summer months. Now it is safely coated with what appears to be several layers of Bondo and epoxy paint. Leda was game for these new play surfaces, but still will head for the swings at the beginning of any park visit. Photos of the trip are available here.

It’s great to have friends who still beckon you back to the bay area frequently for important events. The last Spruceman, Yee, tied the knot up on Skyline Boulevard above Palo Alto. Leda got a chance to celebrate her birthday with her both sets of left coast grandparents (taking the total number of second birthday celebrations up to 3) and eat some of Elvis’ favorite pound cake. Later that day, we were off to the wedding where she enjoyed hanging out with her sapling-in-arms, Jay. They were rather oblivious to the goings on, but really liked the band (Taarka), the large grassy area with swing, and the cake (Leda swiped a bit of the frosting in a quick move reminiscent of Lawrence Taylor from Tecmobowl circa 1991).

Leda and Jay show here why they are sweet kids who know how to party… even though they both went to bed before the real carousing began.

Friday was a good day. Jenn and I took Leda to the Bronx Zoo to enjoy all the animals. And, brother, they’ve got plenty. We took the train and then the subway up to the Bronx. The zoo has lots of great exhibits/areas. We enjoyed the bear habitats (both polar and grizzly), and watched them swim and frolic in their pools. We repeatedly yelled HEY BEARS, GO!, but we were rebuffed without even a GRRRRAHH. Maybe next year.

The zoo really has a lot of *amazing* exhibits. They really do a good job of displaying both the animal and its habitat in a very large scale. Of note were Tiger Mountain, the butterfly exhibit, and the children’s zoo. But the most extraordinary exhibit is that of the lowland gorillas. This fantastic viewing area looked in on about 3 acres of land which housed at least 15 gorillas (with 2 babies!). They did it all: playing with each other, swinging in the trees, climbing, and sitting about 1 ft away from the glass. Great photos are available in the gallery.

As an extension to our trip to Paris, we journeyed on the TGV to the Pyrenees (near the French-Spanish border) to catch two stages of the Tour de France. I am a huge fan of the race and was thrilled to see it live. We also got a feel for the race and an area of France that is not very widely visited by foreign tourists. For example, I had no idea that amateur bike riders like to ride up the same climbs as the professionals on the day of the race. Since these roads are closed on race day, they don’t have to dodge any traffic. Each day, we saw over 500 cyclists in intense pain going up these mountains. Even hiking up them was really tough.

The first day we started in a small town, Lurbes St. Christau (pop. 400), and hiked about 4 miles up the Col du Marie Blanc. This is one of the steepest mountain roads in the tour and the cyclists pass by fairly slowly (only about 15mph!). Leda really enjoyed two facets of the race other than the moment that the race passes by. About one hour before the cyclists arrive, there is the Caravan. This seemingly endless chain of cars is related to each of the sponsors of the race (it’s on the same level as NASCAR in terms of advertising). All of these vehicles have swag (hats, bracelets, noise makers, etc.) to give to you as they drive by. But, because they have to cover the course at a good clip, they throw these items at your feet as they drive by. Leda was so excited at all the stuff, she constantly yelled “More, Please!”. The second great thing about the race is the international set of fans. We hung out with some Basque fellows from northern Spain who where there to cheer their national team, Euskatel Euskadi. But they really enjoyed playing with Leda and entertaining her until the race came by. For my part, I have never been so excited for a sporting event as I was when the cyclists were approaching. Even though your direct experience with the race is less than 10 minutes long, it is vibrant and thrilling.

The second day, we stayed in the ski resort town of Luz St. Saveur, at the foot of the Col du Tourmalet. This mountain road is very narrow and ascends about 3000 ft over 12 miles. We drove up the road about 8 miles before pulling off to the side of the road for our picnic lunch. The mountains are breathtaking, not very tall but extremely steep. It’s incredibly exciting as the race passes by. First of all, there are two helicopters which hover about 100 ft above the ground to catch the action from the sky, so you always know as the race is appraoching. Second, you can get as close as you want to the riders. You can even pat them on the back as they go by while shouting encouragement. The internationally accepted cheer is “Allez” in French, meaning “go”. Leda learned to say this at any bike rider she saw. She yelled it this morning at a 45 year old woman on a mountain bike near our house. So, it’s clear that she’s caught the Tour fever. See the photos in the Tour album.