Little Runners

We have some friends in town: Shannon and Kip and their little ones, Harry & Piper (tho I've petitioned to officially change her name to "Pipes", its way more SoCal).   They're hanging out in San Diego for about a month on sabbatical.  While I always thought sabbaticals were just times for professors (of which Shannon is one) to ponder great things related to their field of study, apparently they're also a time to kick-it LARGE in Sunny San Diego while their hometown of Halifax does its best to single-handedly counter global warming.

(by way of comparison, yesterday, I provided a brief to about 400 surly shipyard workers on why they shouldn't drink & drive while the Sabbaticalites explored tidepools and beaches.  I'm in the wrong business, apparently).

Its been great to catch up with them and see the kids bond.  5 days prior to their arrival, Teia had already declared Pipes her new BFF.  (she neglected to inform her former BFF, Ale, so Louise & I foresee a storm a-brewin' in room 20, Kate Sessions Preschool.  Stay tuned).  Pipes also shares Teia's propensity to spontaneously declare herself a different animal/machine/geographic feature every 30min.  First, both T and P are puppies.  Then one is a puppy and the other a cat (they still get along during this phase shift, thankfully).  Then both are cats.  Then one becomes a crocodile and the other a sand dune.  Then the sand dune wallops Harry and chaos ensues.  Meanwhile, the parents inch their way further & further away from the shape-shifting Battle Royale to catch up on old times.   Life is good!

This weekend had planned a fun-run & parade in Pacific Beach.  A one-mile fun run out & back along Garnet Ave (the main bar/taco stand/tattoo parlor strip in PB).  We headed out with great hopes for our younglings to enjoy the run along the strip and sit through a short parade.  Amazingly, things pretty much went to plan!!

Harry & Pipes decided to sit this one out (a wise financial decision, it would turn out) and initially only Teia agreed to sign up.  But one look at his intrepid little sister, suited up and ready to take on the world, and Kai was not about to let himself get one-upped!!

The only downside was the entry fee.  The race advertised $20/person.  No problem, kids races are ALWAYS cheaper.  Sometimes free!  

Except.In.Pacific.Beach.

So $40 later, we lined up at the end of the group, warming up to some dance music.  With a "Ready!  Set!  Go!!" we were off!  And..... kept going!!!   The last running race we had done (on Wolfe Island), we spent the better part of 200m cajoling/pleading/prodding/pushing our little runners along.  The bar was set pretty low for a race that was 8x's longer, so Louise and I already planned to cut the course whenever was convenient.  But as we cruised past 400m with hardly a break in stride for either, we started to wonder: are they going to make it the whole way???
























Yes, yes they are!!  Kai took a short walking break (his first official timed fartlek), but after I broke out the "wings", he found a second wind and screamed home.

T's shorter legs needed just a few more seconds of rest and she rocketed in right after.  Both received their prizes with reserved humility, thanking their parents profusely, the crowds for their support, and their corporate sponsor, Nutella.


We cruised down to the beach then back for the PB parade.  Unfortunately, I spent the majority of it in a sandwich shop called "Which Wich?"   A better name might be "When Wich?" because I was beginning to wonder when the hell I was ever going to get something Louise & I could eat.    The parade was an eclectic blend of marching bands, convertibles with Miss Teen riding onboard, and what I can only guess were 'bandits': local flora & fauna who randomly inserted themselves into the parade and everyone figures "Well, they're probably too stoned to cause trouble and too slow to suddenly run anyone over".  This included a minivan covered with buildings, a motorcycle gang of 60-somethings, and a couple preschools (only the parents were stoned for that one.  I think).

After such a day, we'd normally call it success to simply make it home and crash; T on the couch watching TV, Kai playing with planes, and Louise and I commencing our nightly russian roulette of "What will the kids actually f*#&*ing eat tonight?"  But there were bigger plans afoot:  Teia was having her first dance recital!!  

She has been going to dance class for the last few months, practicing a routine for the Nutcracker.  Specifically, the Dance of the Reeds.  Kai wasn't interested in the opening sister-less acts so we explored the darkened alleyways of a high-school while T & L watched other kids dance.  During T's routine, Kai was the very supportive bigger brother, cheering and clapping his little Peachy sister dance, tap, and twirl like she had parents who could actually dance, tap & twirl (without a white-man's overbite, to boot)!!  She did fantastic, tho her flexibility was called into question when she lined up next to an unfamiliar girl for the 'twirling-pair' portion of the dance.  Instead of grabbing that girl's hands, T grabbed her friend Edie's hands instead, leaving the other girl a little confused as T & Edie spun around longer & faster than anyone else.

 We gave our proud dancer a rose, befitting for a beautiful performance!

All were beyond tired by the time we got home at around 8pm.  A few bowls of cereal, milk & books later and both kids were sound asleep while the proud parents got thru a few more holiday-routines to get ready for the week.  Exhausting but well worth the efforts for all!