My first dalmac will not be my last

I returned late last night from my very first dalmac. Dalmac is a 340 mile, 5 day bike ride from Lansing to Mackinaw City. I rode with my friend-in-law, Ken and his family. Ken and Buster have been super close friends since they were little kids. When I married Buster, Ken was just as much a part of the deal as Buster's parents and siblings. Luckily, Ken is one of those genuinely good people that you can't help but like. He and his dad and his uncles and cousins made me feel very welcome on this trip. I barely even noticed that I was the only girl in the group. By the end of the first day we were all laughing and trading barbs and having a fantastic time.

Here we are in Lansing about to get on our bikes for the 81.5 mile ride to Mt Pleasant.

Ken is the tall guy in the middle and that's me in the red and white jersey standing next to him. The guy on Ken's other side in the yellow is one of Ken's cousins and peeking over his shoulder is Ken's dad. Those two are a royal pain in the tush. The gentlemen on the far right and left are Ken's uncle and his uncle's friend. They were a joy to ride with.

Here's a stop in Lake George where we ate lunch and relaxed for a bit on the second day.
Day 2 took us 67.8 miles from Mt Pleasant to McBain. There were a ton of people on this ride. It seemed there were always other dalmac riders in view ahead or behind us, despite our late starts and long stops every day.

Here's some of our group on the road on day two.
That's Ken's uncle in front. See all the little banners below the orange dalmac flag? Every year you ride dalmac they give you another banner. He's ridden a LOT of dalmacs. So has Ken and most of the guys I was riding with.

When we reached McBain we grabbed our things from the baggage truck, hopped in Ken's van, and went to spend the night with Ken's aunt and uncle in Cadillac. They're super nice folks and they have a really beautiful house. They fed us a wonderful dinner and a fantastic breakfast the next morning and we all had a really nice time. Most of the boys slept on pull out couches and air mattresses. I got the guest bed and my own room. After hardly getting any sleep on the hard ground the night before, that bed was a little slice of heaven! I felt like a million bucks in the morning and I was more than ready for the 61.3 miles from McBain to Elk Rapids.

Day 3 was a great ride. The weather was perfect and the terrain was getting a little more hilly and scenic. I rode out ahead of the group for a while enjoying the rolling hills. On the third or fourth leg I was riding with Ken and his cousins. We cut loose a little and raced and chased each other through the hills. I had no trouble getting out ahead on the downhills, flats, and low grade climbs. But they all left me in the dust on the steeper climbs.

We pulled into Elk Rapids tired and happy. We gathered our things from the baggage truck, set up camp, and headed strait down for a dip in Elk Lake.
The water was a little chilly but it felt great anyhow.

Day 4 was the Day Of Pain. At 75.4 miles, the ride from Elk Rapids to Petoskey was the second longest day. It was also the hilliest day. 50 miles into the day we reached a low grade climb that went on and on. After about 2 miles of gentle climbing we came to a sign reporting a steep grade ahead. We turned a corner and arrived at The Wall. The Wall is an impossibly steep section of road. It's probably no more than a third of a mile long but it seems to head strait up. Walking up feels like climbing stairs. You really can't see how steep it is in the pictures.

Here's Ken's cousins climbing the wall. Look at that bum in the front showing off waving to the camera. He used to be a track star. I think that might be an unfair advantage here.

Here's Ken's cousin's friend climbing the wall. He rode that mountain bike the whole way. That guy's just plain strong. And determined.
Here's Ken climbing the wall. Ken did next to no training before this ride. With tactics, stubbornness, and raw strength he made it up the wall.

I'm a pretty strong rider and I trained quite a bit for this ride. But I couldn't get up the wall. I just wasn't strong enough.
I got within about 75 yards of the top before I simply couldn't turn over the pedals again. I stopped about 10 feet below where you see me standing. Next time I'll make it. It's one heck of a challenge!

When we reached Petoskey that evening I was more than ready to get off my bicycle. I could have used a nice long lukewarm shower. Instead, the showers were screwed up and the water was scalding hot. I ended up taking a sponge bath and washing my hair in the sink. I was tired and achy and crabby and I almost stayed behind when the guys went into town. As it turns out, sitting on the pier with a cold beer watching the sunset over Little Traverse Bay was the perfect balm for all my ills.

I couldn't help feeling a little sentimental and ended up with a couple great father-son photos.



The next day was the last. We had only 52.2 miles to ride from Petoskey to Mackinaw City. We slept in a little and took it easy, stopping several times and staying fairly close together for most of the ride. I ate ice cream and drank beer and enjoyed the scenery and the company.

Here we are a little more than half way through the day's ride at Leg's Inn in Cross Village overlooking Lake Michigan.
It was really a pretty day. We all took our time. I imagine everyone else felt the way I did. I was worn out and sore and glad the ride was coming to an end. At the same time I was sad that it was nearly over.

We arrived at Mackinaw City High School, our final destination, around 3:30pm. That must have been the slowest 52 miles I've ever ridden!
We tossed our gear in the van and strapped our bikes on top of The Chateau. We cleaned up a little and changed our clothes and hit the road.

Before turning south we made a quick stop for fudge and taffy and souvenirs near the Mackinac bridge where I snapped a picture.

It was a wonderful trip. I rode every mile of the route (except that little bit of the wall -- and I'll conquer that next time!) and had loads of fun hanging out with Ken and his family. I'm grateful to Ken for inviting me along. I couldn't possibly have fallen in with a more fun or friendly group. This will definitely not be my last dalmac. And I sure hope Ken and his family keep riding because I plan to crash their dalmac family vacations as often as I possibly can.

A Baby Shower

More biking and knitting and maybe even a little bit about my fiction obsession to come. Today, a baby shower.

A week and a half ago we had a baby shower for Baby K. Sorry it took me so long to post about it. It took a while to sort through all the pictures. First a picture of Baby K himself:


Hope Mom and Dad don't mind me posting that. As you can see, there's very little doubt about this baby's gender!

Here's my favorite picture of Mom and Dad:


And my favorite picture of Big Sis:

Isn't that just the cutest smile you've ever seen?

(Ok, some folks might think it's strange that we're having a baby shower when this is Mom's second baby. Allow me to explain. Big Sis is Dad's step daughter and Dad's family and friends didn't want to miss out on all the baby shower fun so we insisted on throwing a shower. There, not so strange, after all.)

There were lots of guests. I've got pictures of only a few.

Here's my mom sitting with Grandma K and the baby's Dad.


Here's one of the baby's Grandmas sitting with her sisters:


Here's a few old friends and neighbors:


And more friends. That's baby's other Grandma on the right:


And the food was absolutely amazing. I wish I had taken pictures of the food, but I was too busy eating it. There was a lovely appetizer plate with steamed asparagus and little melon balls and fancy crackers and this super delish savory cheese cake bite with roasted red pepper. Then there was the main dish with super yummy salad greens and berries and an amazing vinaigrette dressing, a wonderful little crab cake, and a sandwich wrap. For dessert we had cream puffs and fruit flan. My mouth is watering just remembering all that wonderful food!

Then we all had great fun watching Mom and Dad and Big Sis open presents:


They got all kinds of goodies for the little one: a whole bunch of books and lots of cute little outfits, adorable toys, a high chair and a car seat and a play mat, and all sorts of brown and blue bedding and decoration for the baby's room.

Mom and Big Sis share a laugh while Dad tries on baby's new panda bear hat (can you see the little ears?).

We all had great fun and I even had fun cleaning up. After the tables and chairs were all stacked in the garage I got to chase Big Sis around the empty living room and tie her pigtails together and find her ticklish spots. I think Big Sis is gonna love having a little brother. I hope I get a chance to babysit!

If you want to see a few more pictures, or you want to download the full size files, you can find them here: http://www.lunar.net/~sara/pictures/kaye-baby-shower-7-27-2008/

A Neighborhood Wedding

One of the Neighbors got married this weekend. I grew up in a really wonderful neighborhood. The subdivision was built in the early 70s and most of the folks moving in were young couples starting families. With so many people in the same stage of life and so many little kids running around it was nearly inevitable that we'd form a close knit community. Our little corner became especially close. The K's lived right next door. I've talked about them before. The H's lived on the other side of the K's and the C's lived across the street. Everyone except my parents has moved out of the neighborhood, but we've all stayed close friends. We gather together for the kids' graduation parties (all done with these) and the occasional Christmas party and weddings.

This weekend Kara C married a very lucky boy named Craig. I don't know Craig very well but he seems like a pretty nice guy. Kara was a stunningly beautiful bride.


I used to babysit for Kara and her brother, Chris. Kara was the sweetest little girl and Chris was a natural leader and they were both just as smart as could be. Not much has changed.

The wedding was at a country club here in Ann Arbor. The rain on Saturday pushed the ceremony into the ballroom but it didn't dampen our spirits. The K's and the H's and the R's (that's my family) all sat together in the back and we all had a wonderful time.

All the H's were there:


Kelly H was a bride's maid. She looked really pretty in that sage dress. Mr and Mrs H are renewing their vows in August. Sadly, I won't be able to make it. I'll be riding DALMAC .

Most of the Neighbor kids are married now and many have kids of their own (third generation Neighbors). Here's Kelly H and her brother, Chris H with his wife and their second son, the newest Neighbor.
And here's Justin H and his wife. They have two lovely girls.


Here's Kenn K and his lovely wife.

They have a darling little girl and are expecting a baby boy in a few short weeks. Sorry this picture is a little blurry.

And here's Buster and me.
We don't have any kids, yet, and neither does my brother. That means my parents are the only first generation neighbors to not yet be grandparents. I think this makes my Mom green with envy. Don't worry, Mom, you'll be a grandma someday.

Here's a few pictures of the first generation neighbors. Here's the dads with our lovely bride.

That's Mr H, then Kara (of course), my Dad, and Mr K.

And here's the Moms.
That's Mrs C (can you see the resemblance to Kara?), Mrs K, my mom, and Mrs H.

And one more second generation Neighbor, the brother of the bride! That's Kara's brother Chris on the left. He and Justin H presenting a slider to the camera. Apparently no party is complete without sliders.

Those sliders looked pretty good at the time... But I think that was probably the wine talking!

It was a lovely wedding and a wonderful party. I'm so very happy for Kara and I wish her and Craig lots of love and laughter, and many many happy years together. I hope he always remembers how lucky he is. Welcome to the Neighborhood, Craig!

Knitting for Baby K

Lots of my friends are having babies this year. One of Buster's buddies had a beautiful little baby girl in May. Some friends of mine from my days in Seattle are expecting a little one in September. And KK and MK are expecting a baby boy in August. While I'm overjoyed for all the mommies and daddies, I'm especially excited about KK and MK.


KK grew up next door to me and our families remain the closest of friends. I remember playing "statues" with KK and his sister in their back yard, and building little villages in the sandbox and playing war with KK's army men. When I was a high school freshman KK was a senior and he drove me to school everyday in his super cool '48 Chevy. He was always nice to me and never once made me feel like I was imposing. I was a dorky little freshman -- I had to be cramping his style, but he never let on. Our families have Christmas dinner together every year. My brother and I don't have any first cousins. KK and his sister are the closest thing we've got. We don't share a family tree, but we are family nonetheless.

KK and MK got married a little over a year ago. I've met several of the girls KK has dated over the years. Not one of them can hold a candle to MK. First, she's gorgeous. I mean, look at her! Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. And she's fun, and silly, and bold, and genuine, and super sweet. She's exactly what a great guy like KK deserves.

Around Christmas time we learned that Baby K was on the way!

When I learned how to knit (early this spring) I immediately decided that I wanted to knit something for Baby K. I wasn't very confident in my knitting skills and I didn't want to take on anything that might be too complicated or that I wouldn't be able to finish in time. So I settled on a hat and booties.

I picked up Simple Knits for Cherished Babies from my local yarn shop, along with 6 balls of yarn in 3 different colors -- one color for each of the three babies that were on the way.


I saved the one for MK and KK for last so I would get lots of practice first (also because their baby will be the last of the 3 to be born and babies don't need hats and booties before they're born). The beanie and booties I chose are fairly quick to make and I knocked out the first two sets in a few weeks. I've been working on Baby K's set a few rows at a time for a month or so. I set it aside to work on my sweater and the socks, and I finally finished it up yesterday.

If you're looking for simple, elegant things to knit for babies, this book is excellent. It's full of lovely softly lit photos and well written instructions. The beanie pattern called for worsted weight yarn but I wanted it to match the booties so I used the same dk weight yarn for both, used appropriate needles, and worked the large size. Looks like it came out pretty close to the measurements for the newborn size.

If you want to see another sample from this book, head over to Shazam in the Kitchen and check out the cardigan Mary made.

After seeing Travel Bear model Mary's baby knits, Gray Bear got jealous and asked if he, too could model knitted baby clothes. Gray Bear, I think you have a thing or two to learn about modeling...

"Hey, are you sure these are supposed to be booties? They make much better gloves!"

I know MK occasionally reads this blog so I've spoiled her surprise. But there's a whole month before the baby shower. And if this lace project I've taken on (coming soon to a blog near you) doesn't take over my whole world I might find enough time to make something else for Baby K.

Play Ball!

Last night was softball night. I keep score because, when they do ask me to play, I'm most definitely the worst player on the team. They're really a good team. And, frankly, I stink. When I was little I played t-ball. The coach (my dad) would send me out to play right field and I'd wander out there and have a seat. Sometimes I'd pick flowers. If a ball came my way, I'd duck. I haven't really improved much since then. But I have learned most of the rules and I understand a fair amount of strategy now. So I keep score and Buster plays shortstop.

Buster also hits Bombs.

"That Ball is... Waaay Back!!"

Often Mr and Mrs B come play on our team. That's Mrs B up to bat and Mr B on first. They don't play every week because it's a bit of a drive for them. Buster and Mr B have been buddies since they were both knee high to a grasshopper. Buster has a lot of really amazing friends and these two are top of the pack. I really enjoy spending time with Mr and Mrs B and with their two bright and energetic boys.

Seven there is one of our pitchers. She and her husband have been playing softball with Buster for many years. Her husband is the team manager. They're super nice folks and they often join us for dinner after the games. Would you believe Seven's a grandmother?

This is Seven's grandson. He's three years old. I think he's a switch hitter. We're gonna be adding him to the roster any day now.

Softball night is always loads of fun. We won both games of our double header and we had a huge crowd for dinner at Knights. Next week we once again face the only team that's managed to beat us this season. We like a good challenge!