What must it be like to live in a picture postcard, 3 months out of the year?

Ketchikan is a picture postcard city.  Alaska has strict guidelines when it comes to building or rebuilding the streets.  They must resemble the old time facades and it looks authentic, I guess...smile

The Lumberjack show had lots of dangerous tricks!

The totem of shame.  (below) Seward himself was considered a cheapskate by the tribes and he was placed atop a pole with nothing adorning it,  

Onboard ship, there were all kinds of things to do for entertainment.  My folks, being the grand gamblers that they are, won 600.00 (mom) and dad, undisclosed amounts.  I guess that's why I'm such a risk taker, it's part of my genes...smile. 

Then on to another beauty beyond belief destination, all the while relaxing in our room watching the new elegant world roll by.  

Alaska Cruise, Last time it was about the whales, this time it was about the Puffins...smile

So here it is, our cruise with Royal Caribbean.  It was a cruise for the Puffins.  Last time we went we saw hump back whales do bubble jet feeding, up close and personal.  This time it was a quest for the Puffins.  We began our cruise with a night in Vancouver, on Thursday, August 16th.  This was the skinniest I ever was...smile.  Before the buffet barrage of food.

When we arrived in VC, there was an anime convention, these were some of the characters we saw.

 The flowers were beautiful.

My mom thought she would just like to stay right there in Vancouver.  It's really like a small NYC to me, very busy, artsy and eclectic.  The ships come into town and lots of the passengers were from VC, riding up and turning around and riding back to VC.

Then, it was onto the boat.  Day 2 will be uploaded tomorrow!

Janome repair

http://youtu.be/LjNvMhMtgCY

Today I travel from Feasterville, New Jersey to Midtown, Manhattan

This is the beginning. I start to travel into NYC with my husband and my bike. Last night we consolidated our clothes and gear into a semi manageable blue milk crate which holds my transition gear and serves as a chair for changing shoes and easy lift off, and one suitcase. Now I have to remove my Vita Wildcat from the backseat and put the tire on her to make the trek to Manhattan and the athlete hotel, the Hilton. This is a culmination I'd a year long goal. If lost a lot of inches and everyone keeps telling me how good I look. I'm 53 years old and I started training a year ago. I've "competed" in 5 sprint Triathlons, the first in Oldham County and 4 in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Now I'm doing my longest race in NYC. I am so glad I did this. If you want to get in shape and meet some pretty interesting people, start participating in triathlons! There are lots of young people and people that are young at heart. It easy to talk to them, because there is instant conversations all around a sport we enjoy.

Meal Replacement Shakes...Yuk?

It seems everyone I know that is losing serious weight is using meal replace,ent shakes. So far I have resisted the temptation. It just doesnt sound that good. So I continue on training for triathlons. Where the cruel irony of exercising is that muscle weighs more than fat. But my Dr. Tells me that's okay, losing inches and not looking flabby is much better. I wish I could do both, quickly, but eking out my few pounds down, a couple pounds up is my life and I'm okay with that.

Overreaching...smile

Overreaching is what the traing effect readout says on my analyzing section of my Garmin watch and heart rate monitor. That's what happens when I run or ride with a group. When I workout on my own, it reads "maintaining". When I have the motivation to keep up or help with the pace of a group, it makes me go faster and I think that's good. I know I've had a good workout...smile.

Ramping up my training...smile

The NYC Triathlon Beginner training program is pulling and pushing me into top gear.  I've been doing so many first and longest workouts this year that I'm starting to get a little board of the usual training tracks I go on.  Yes I know it's safer to stay on my usual, but, it's so much more fun to go to newer and longer rides.  If my new found training buddies aren't  discouraged by having to wait for me to catch up, then it's all the better for me.  I don't want to ruin their workouts, so this Sunday I'll make a cue sheet for my 20 mile bike ride and take a phone number of one of them.  They do intend to do the route twice, which, I don't think I have that in me right now, but, if they do, they are sure to find me along the side of the road if I'm in trouble...so far so good, but, things can happen...smile.