Zoo-fest

Perhaps you won't be surprised to discover that both children were elated when I suggested a spontaneous trip to the zoo. This was truly an adventure for both, and it was Ethan's first time which made it really special.


We started with a ride to the train station in the van listening to the "They Might Be Giant's" album "NO!". Ella's favorite song goes "No means no. No is always no. When you hear no it means no, no, no...[guitar refrain]...No plus No equals No....." With this discovery of the latest TMBG album in the store, the band catapulted back to my (dad's) favorite all time group.



When we got to the Metro station, Ella was VERY excited and everything was cool with Ethan until the doors shut and the train started moving. He then proceded to wail unil we were about halfway to DC when he discovered that his imminent death appeared to be taking longer than he thought.
















The kids loved the zoo. We had a treat from Australia this time as the emu and the wallaby's were out feeding right next to their fence so we could see them up close. The best part was when Ethan saw his first elephant. Check out his astonishment in this photo here being held by daddy. A lioness was playful today and started tossing around a giant red rubber ball. Ella was delighted.















All in all, the journey was a success and of course the kids fell asleep as soon as we got home.

Metro ride: $3.40
National zoo admission: Free
Amazement of your two year old on seeing his first elephant: Priceless

Earthquake Disaster Exercise!

Every year we help out the local fire department by supporting the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) disaster simulation training exercise at the Fairfax Fire Academy. Here, the exercise simulated a 6.7 Richter Earthquake which "severely injured" Camilla, our au pair Sarah, and Paul. These photos capture those rare moments when we were able to feign seriousness. When the student responder first approached Sarah and asked, "Ma'am are you OK?" she immediately broke out into a smile, prompting the initial assessment, "well at least she's smiling!"

We picked what we thought was the perfect spot: under a shady tree to escape the heat, great view over the disaster area so we could see how everything was going, and close to the responders ensuring a speedy rescue for our critical injuries. Unfortuantely, even though we were directly in the line-of-sight for the command center and only 40 feet away, the responders never evacuated us. After about 45 minutes, the instructors strolled by and declared us "dead" and sent us to the morgue. Yikes!


Paul became a certified CERT responder in 2006 and now supports the program through a special project using Google Earth for targetted CERT volunteer recruitment analysis.

Reston Sprint Triathlon

Can anyone say hills? Definitely a new experience for me crossing the finish line uphill. Here I am on the bike...the leg on which my training is concentrated (and needing the most improvement).

Next stop...Reston Olympic in early September!