Here is the JHU 2006 Water Polo team at the Naval Academy for the Labor Day tournament. They lost 2 (St. Francis and Cal) and won 2 (Mercyhurst and Santa Clara). The team looks great. Strong and fast and pretty deep. They need to work a bit on their counter but who doesn't? It was great to see him play and he scored 2 goals in the first game. Life will get busy for them once school starts but hopefully he can use the travel time to tournaments and games to study. Is this wishful parent thinking? The parents on this team are the best part for us. Friendly, helpful and fun. What more could we ask for? We can't wait to spend more time with them. Susan, Harry, Nancy, Dave, Marty, Manny, Maryann, Yannick, Paul, Lester, Charl, Sam, Suzanne--here's to a winning season.
Dick and I spent 1 week in Baltimore, Maryland and had a great time. The East coast is a bit different from the West. Duh. No right turns on most reds, a bar on every corner, "crabs" not "crab", really long red lights, everyone drives the speed limit, the quaint areas are not always so quaint (I'm referring to Hampden), a thriving tobacco industry and a row house can set you back $400K.
We stayed at the Inn at 2920 in Canton, the new hip area in Baltimore. Great location 1 block away from O'Donnel Park where there is a slew of great restaurants. Nacho Mama's, Mama's On the Half Shell, and Martha's (never ate there but heard it was good). The Inn itself was questionable. A bit small and the comforter looked and felt like there was a dead dog in it. The gourmet breakfast was just OK. He is big on egg bakes--a fancy term for bread pudding with whatever was in the kitchen that morning. I think we'll try somewhere else next time for comparison. If we go back, we'll request the suite downstairs that has more elbow room and a bigger bathroom.
Spent one day in DC. A place you need to see at least once in your lifetime. I was surprised by how run down it looked. I think someone forgot sprinklers in the landscaping budget. We took the free tour of the Capitol building. Very intersting if your guide isn't a former junior high social studies teacher. This guy could talk. By the end we had backed up 4 tours behind us. We ended up in Georgetown for lunch at Clyde's. Great food--try the crab tower. We ran into the boat going along the old barge system and I found Stitch DC, the local yarn shop. Funny how we knitters have a nose for yarn. We literally ran into it. Lucky me. I bought some local (Savannah?) organic cotton, merino and soy fiber yarn in a yummy apple green. To be added to the stash and project list.
We spent the Labor Day weekend in Anapolis for the Navy tournament. What a beautiful little town. Spending one day there would have been perfect--even in the rain. We were there 2 days but we managed to fill the time driving around looking at the local sights. If you go, sit at the bar at McGarvey's and have a bowl of mussels and a coctail. The Naval Academy is pretty remarkable. Take the tour ($8)--it's well worth it. Our tax dollars at work and you leave thinking it's worth it. It turns out I could never live on the east coast because of one word--cicadas. I'm sorry but anything the lives in the ground for 17 years, crawls out for 1 season to make the most God awful sound you've ever heard and then dies, is not my idea of fun.
The best part of the trip was seeing Kyle. The little we did see of him. They had a pretty full schedule. According to Kyle it went something like this: Wake up, eat, practice for 2-3 hours, eat, solve a "problem", sleep, eat, practice 3 more hours, eat and sleep. It was the problem solving that we found especially interesting and the fact that there was a certain time of day set aside for it. It usually involved some school matter--key to room, finding sheets, getting J Card so they could eat... He lost 9 pounds in 1 week so a quick trip to GNC solved that. He'll be drinking about 600 extra calories at night so he doesn't lose any more weight. He and the other California players are quickly losing their tans and bleached hair (indoor pools). We bought him a betta fish (an idea we stole from the Inn) and his name is Liberace because of his colors. They're not supposed to have pets in the dorm but a fish is OK, right?
So, am I still an unhappy hen? It comes and goes. I didn't cry when we said goodbye the other night--I think it's because he looks happy and content. Just seeing the campus and how beautiful it is made me feel better. I needed to see where he was going to be walking, eating and sleeping every day. He has the best years of his life ahead of him-- what's not to like? He knows a good situation when he sees it and I know he'll make the best of it.
Love you and don't forget to feed Liberace.
