Another Race in the Books

47°f/8 3°C this morning, overcast. Expecting a high around 70, but it is pretty chilly still as I compose this post.

So another year of the Great Greenbrier River Race is over. 

The river was very low this year due to lack of rain, so the kayaks were out almost in the middle. This is a triathlon: run about 4 miles, kayak 4, bike 10.

The start/finish line looked a little lonely before the race.

Spectators on the bridge to watch the kayaks take off. 

The first leg of the race is the run. My oldest is in the hot pink shirt, kinda in the right middle.

Here he arrives at his kayak. My videos were terrible this year, most not coming out at all or having to be greatly edited. Lord knows what I was doing!

Here's Grace, paddling downriver. You can see how low the water was, creating traffic jams. Several got stuck.

So after this there is a lull of about an hour or so for the spectators,  as the kayaks get downriver to where the bikes are waiting. Then they run to their bikes and finish the race with the 10 mile ride.

And the finish! I almost missed George because he came in sooner than I expected!

Right after the finish. Boy do I look tired. (Very bad night's sleep, up at 5 to get on the road, and it shows!)

I missed Grace's finish, but here she is right after with her Dad 

George placed 3rd in his age group, getting his first medal in the 15 years he has competed. He was 15th overall out of 400 participants.

Grace also placed 3rd in her age group same as last year, I think. Like father like daughter?

George's good friend since college, Jeff and his daughter Lexi also competed again this year. 

What did we do while waiting for the bikes to come in? Well, the Greenbrier Grille is right there by the bridge, and has an outdoor porch overlooking the river, so we had lunch. BLT on marble rye for me,

burger for Larry. The food here is always good, and great coffee too.

We watched as the kayaks continued to take off,

and also watched this little rain shower move over the mountain and up the valley, eventually reaching town. But we were warm and dry on the covered porch, with our hot coffee and beautiful view.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Another Garden Day

59°f/15°C this morning, warming to 82°f , mostly clear, very breezy.

My springtime tea set, not really matching but close enough. I think violets are so delicate.

We have been in the gardens again today, me planting the flowers i bought the other day, Larry working on his electric fence. Just a few minutes work had me sweating like a racehorse after a race. Not pleasant, but I take many breaks under the ceiling fan on the porch,  and Larry does the same. Rain is expected tomorrow so I really want to get as much planted as I can.

Tomorrow is the Great Greenbrier River Race in Marlinton, WV. Last year I think we had 8 family members in the race, but this year I only think there will be 2, possibly 3. Still, Larry and I love to go and watch the triathlon. My oldest son George and his daughter Grace will be competing, and possibly my nephew John. 

Speaking of Grace, she just got word that she passed the Virginia Bar Exam! I am so proud of her. She has been working for a lawyer here in WV, but now begins her hunt for a position in Virginia. And George's wife Sandy will be ordained as a full-fledged minister on May 4th. 

I am listening to the birds with my Merlin app on as I write, and am thrilled that once again the summer tanager has returned to our place. They usually have a nest not far from the housd, and it is such a pleasure to see their soft red color in the leafy trees. I especially like their song, which I find quite musical.

Lunch today was soup and cornbread. I made the soup using a soup starter I canned last fall, a mix of potatoes, onions, celery, and garlic in a chicken broth base. To this I added diced ham and chopped beet green from the freezer, with a little chicken bouillon and water. Y'all,  it was delicious! The cornbread came out beautifully too. 

I use a cast iron skillet in which I heat the oil, then pour in the batter so it sizzles and forms a crispy bottom crust.

The only other news today is that my sister Judy learned through Ancestry.com that we may be related to Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th US president,  and also to Thomas Nelson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  It would be so cool if true, but Judy is wisely cautious and will be digging into the lineage sent to her by another researcher to verify all this. People often jump to conclusions when doing genealogy, but Judy is not one of them, and her source does not seem to be that type either. We shall see! I had to go look up Rutherford Hayes, though, and found him to be quite interesting, a fighter for the rights of minorities in his time. I like that.

Back to the garden I go. I see more sweat in my future!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Blooms and Gardens

60°f/15.6°C, mostly clear. Got pretty got, about 80.

It was another garden work day today. I tilled and dug out weeds from around the trellises while Larry put electric fence around his garden. By 4 we were both tired, so took a break by going to town for straw, a cattle panel which we will use as a tomato trellis, and gas for the mower. When we got home I watered all the plants I put in yesterday while Larry mowed. By sunset we were both tired but satisfied with our day's efforts.

Yesterday I filled some of the planters.

Can you see the cattle panel arched in the back of the truck? It's not easy to haul a 16-foot panel in a 6-foot bed!

Many of our irises are out now.

These are the plants i have left to put out: a whole flat of marigolds for the vegetable garden,  some Lantana for my big flowerbed,  and 2 lavender plants. They rarely survive winters here, so I just consider them an annual. 

The chickens were quite unfazed by my tilling  but a poor little bob-tailed skink was in an uproar! I made sure he was safe, didn't want to kill the poor guy. I wonder if a chicken nipped his tail? No photos of him as I didn't have my phone with me at the time.

My trusty steed, the tiller. I do a better job with it, Larry says, and he's right. He's too impatient and wants to hurry the job, while I take it slow and let the tiller dig deep.

A few shots from my evening walkabout.

I have planted a lot of oregano as a groundcover for this steep bank.

The herb garden, where I mainly worked yesterday.  The blocks in front act as a terracing tool while holding a variety of herbs.

Coneflower and lemon balm decided to put themselves between the walk and the stone wall.

Our first rose to bloom this year, an old-fashioned variety I dug up in Virginia about 40 years ago. My roses had a rough winter, and one is not coming back, sadly.

More irises:

You may have heard about the chemical spill that happened in West Virginia yesterday.  This was about 60 miles from here, and beside the college I attended for my undergraduate degree.  The Kanawha Valley has always been known as "Chemical Valley" because of the many chemical companies located there over the years.  Most are gone, and this particular plant was in the process of closing when the accident occurred. I have heard no new news about it today,  but it is sad that so many were injured, and 2 lost their lives. Names have not been released, at least that I have heard, and I know many people are anxiously waiting to hear, as this state is a close-knit place. Please keep the injured and their families in your hearts and prayers.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.