The Manlius Formation

I picked the last of the summer bounty today - about 1.5 lbs of carrots, which were promptly peeled and frozen for winter stew, and 4 servings of beans:

Also, we have about a yard of some really rich compost (on the upper right of the photo below), and we’ve started the new batch for next year (in the foreground).

All in all, it was a great experience. We had lots of veggies throughout the summer, and we still have pickled beets in the cupboard, along with beet greens, pole beans, carrots, and tomatoes in the freezer to enjoy this winter.

Enjoy this photo from Nanny and Poppy’s this weekend.

This is what it looks like:

Well, if it’s the end of the triathlon season, that means a few things:

1) I get to sleep in later and train lighter to give my body a break until the serious off-season training starts. The problem is that the sleeping in and light workouts started a month ago. Oops.

2) I usually gain a few pounds since I don’t change my eating habits, and all my shorts start to get a little snug.

3) The end-of-season CNY TRI Club picnic takes place at Jamesville Beach^[1], sponsored and catered this year by Bella Domani, which is owned and operated by one of our own club members, Brian Lang. Thanks, Brian, for the awesome catering!

My favorite part about the picnic is the kids’ triathlon. Daniel and Thomas both participated, along with about 15 other kids, and everyone did great. Way to go kids!

More photos in the gallery.

1. Site of next year’s inaugural Ironman 70.3 Syracuse. Woo-hoo! [back]

I hope you enjoy this melodic fusion of some of my favorite things as much as I did. ^[1]

1. I originally discovered this at the Bad Astronomy blog. [back]

Yesterday was the big day for The Manlius Formation (the triathlon relay team, not the website). It was an absolutely beautiful day, although a little hot for the run, and we had great fun.

It was a little tight with well over 600 people^[1] entering the water, but it went pretty smoothly.

Here we are, all smiles after the race. Check out the Skinnyman 2009 gallery for more photos.

OK, so you may recall that I challenged my teammates to better their times by 10% over last year’s times. Well, the results are in, and they’re mixed.

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1. 615 individual participants and 20 relay team swimmers [back]

You spend a lot of time outside.

Sometimes it rains on you, and you just have to play through.

Both offer a spectrum of possible difficulty levels.

• You can hit the links at a brutally technical, hazard-ridden, members-only course – if you can afford the $500K annual club membership – while sipping martinis from your golf cart’s cooler, or you can hike the public par 3 in your sandals, half drunk, and play the front 9 hoping you don’t lose the only ball you have. Or you can find a happy middle-ground.
• You can camp at the EZ-Kamp Kampground in your fifth wheel trailer with triple slide-outs and satellite TV, or you can go into the woods with a roll of toilet paper and a Rambo knife. Or you can find a happy middle ground.

You have to put in some effort while you’re doing it, so it’s not relaxing in and of itself when you’re in the moment. The primary joy is in the reminiscing:

• “Remember when John and Chris argued over whose ball was whose after they both shanked 15-yard worm-burner drives directly into the ground? Good times.”
• “Remember when Thomas and Daniel played in the mud after an all-day rainstorm, and then couldn’t wash up because the electricity to the campground’s well-pump was out? Good times.”

Can you think of any more similarities?

While you’re thinking, check out the photos from our family golf trip, I mean camping trip, to Lansdowne, Ontario last week. Fore!