The World according to a Smartass

Images from Abu Dhabi

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:20:00 +0000

I just came back from a trip to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where I checked out the new Abu Dhabi Triathlon with its unique distance 3km swim, 200km bike and 20km run. Prize money for the event is $230,000 for the Pros and $20,000 for the amateurs ($1,000 for each age group winner.) Wow.

Below are a few images from the trip:

The Check-In counter at Etihad Airlines

I was very comfortable on the flight

Reading Trizophrenia by Jef Mallett on the trip

We stayed in the Shangri La hotel

The view over the pool

The Grand Mosque is just across the river

Returning from a run along the river

One night this car was parked in front of our hotel

We got to visit the stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Beautiful from every angle indeed

As most of us wore shorts we were given a Kandura to wear

Stunning colors and artwork everywhere

Lots of Italian marble was used in the creation of the mosque

Our tour guide took us also to Heritage Village

James from 220 Triathlon in the UK makes a friend

The view from Heritage Village to modern Abu Dhabi and all its construction

The very luxurious Emirates Palace Hotel is quite a landmark

The swim course behind the Emirates Palace Hotel

Part of the race will be on this 5 Lane highway which will be shut down for the triathlon

Here is the run turnaround of the event

Amazing local food offerings

We also visited the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital

A variety of feathers are available to repair broken wings

Putting this patient from Pakistan to sleep

A broken wing feather had caused imbalance

This Falcon is almost good to go

About 5 minutes after the operation the patient is good to go

With an Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital resident on my arm

The trip to Abu Dhabi was fantastic, but now it is time to go home

Abu Dhabi soon

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:23:00 +0000

Next week I am heading to Abu Dhabi for a few days to check out a new race venue. I am super exited as I have never been to that part of the world before. Lots of things to see for sure. Plus my passport will enjoy the exotic stamp.

Poor little fellow

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:02:00 +0000

One day when Amy and I walked back to our Condo in Kona we noticed this little fellow who seemed to have had some unfortunate encounters. :-(

Impressive speech

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:37:00 +0000

No need for an intro here, this man says it all.

Impressive display

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:53:00 +0000

The former Bayer AG headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany was transformed with 5.6 million LED lights into a huge display of colors. Wow

Some Ironman Hawaii 2009 impressions

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Defending champion Craig Alexander contemplates the task ahead as the sun is coming up.

Amy volunteered at the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships in the swim-bike transition.

... as Navy seals parachuted in just before the start.

The Pro men and women awaiting the start signal.

The age group athletes are slowly easing into the water.

Many of the Pro men are lined up like a string of pearls as they come over the horizon. My buddy Luke McKenzie is in the front here.

Andreas Raelert and Craig Alexander just passed Faris Al-Sultan in pursuit of the leaders Chris Lieto and Chris McCormack.

We grabbed dinner at Huggo's on the Rocks to stay strong until midnight.

The view from the restaurant was spectacular

Just like the year before, Amy and I waited for the last person to cross the finish line.

2009 winners Chrissie Wellington and Craig Alexander greet and embrace the last finisher just a few seconds before midnight.

Images from Maui 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:16:00 +0000

After an endless trip on Thursday we arrived safely and with all of our bags in Maui late last night. We pretty much passed out when we got into our room and woke up relatively early. 5am Maui time / 11am Eastern Standard Time.

The stunning view in front of our hotel in Wailea

Amy loves the beach

The view from the main hotel pool is just spectacular

A scenic and windy view on our way to our run

At the start of the Waihe'e Ridge Trail run today (Thank you Lauren for that tip)

Up and up and up and up

Not exactly the end of the trail, but the turnaround point to go back down

A quick pic before heading downhill and trying not to squint with all that sunscreen in my eyes

And down the hill we go, yeah

Although mostly downhill, there were a few tiny uphill sections

Mama's Fish House was a highly recommended restaurant choice and we had lunch there after the run

The view from our table is hard to beat

The food looked and tasted fantastic

Milk, it does...

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:33:00 +0000

Milk is said to do a body good, but in Germany it appears that milk does a few fields good. Well, we are looking at farmers protesting low milk prices.

Well, well

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:48:00 +0000

This might have been the longest break I have taken from this blog. Maybe I have too many things going on. :-)

Julie Bower

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:27:00 +0000

Police woman Julie Bower of Broward County, Dog the Bounty Hunter wants his haircut back. :-)

Beautiful spot

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:40:00 +0000

This Coca Cola spot won an Emmy for outstanding commercial and deservedly so.

The September 2010 target

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:18:00 +0000

On Monday I registered for the 2010 Ironman Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. Race date is September 12, 2010. Below is the list of folks who qualified this year for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Well, they qualified in this year's race for the 2011 race in Hawaii. But that gives me a rough idea how fast I will have to be next year in Madison if I want to race in Kona in 2012. :-)

Happy Birthday Mama

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Ich wuensche dir alles liebe zum Geburtstag.

A nice visit...

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:07:00 +0000

Paul and Anita came to visit us this weekend and they arrived Friday evening. Pete was very excited to see them, and they were equally happy to see Pete. After showing them around in the new home we went out for dinner to the Village Tavern in Reynolda Village. We ate outside and the temperatures were perfect indeed. We chatted forever and got home pretty late.

Saturday morning we headed out for a bike ride and did about 45 miles

Are you taking a picture of me?

It was a beautiful day for a bike ride

Cruising along Baltimore Road towards Flint Hill Road

Amy, Paul and Anita in our driveway after the ride

I was wearing an older kit from the Wangener Rad Union

Late lunch at Ollie's bakery and Paul and Anita had tomato soup and focaccia bread

Amy and I had salmon and cream cheese on delicious rolls

I love strawberry tarts with custard. Yum

Paul could not wait digging into that chocolate cake

Everybody looks a bit confused after a light afternoon nap

After dinner at Mozelle's Saturday night we walked back to our house

Sunday morning we did a trail run at Salem Lake and after getting cleaned up we had brunch at 1st Street Draught House. Another place that is in relative easy walking distance from our house. Food was very good and the place itself is quite nice. Anita and Paul both said that this would be their favorite hang out if they lived as close to that place. But commuting there from Chattanooga would be quite a stretch.

Pretty impressive drawing skills

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Senator Al Franken showing that he can draw a map of the USA from memory at the Minnesota State Fair.

Jordan Rapp wins Ironman Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

Wow, my buddy Jordan Rapp won the Ironman Canada last weekend. Overall that is.
Congrats Jordan, that was an amazing win.

Ants, ants and more ants

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:01:00 +0000

If you served coffee to a guest in the designer coffee cup below you better be ready that it gets dropped on the table or the floor. After all, who wants "ants" in their coffee?

Ramblin' Rose Tri 2

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:23:00 +0000

We have been in Winston-Salem for a bit more than a year now and Amy decided to race the Ramblin'Rose Triathlon again. When she did it last year we had barely been here, and this time Amy actually had planned it a bit longer in prep for a Half Ironman in September. The goal was to be faster than last year and hopefully go sub 1 hour. Amy had an awesome race and finished in 59:07 and 51st out of almost 500 starters. (last year she finished in 1:04:22) Below are a few pics from the race.

Amy sets up her little transition area quite focused

Amy with neighbor Caroline before the race

The transition area with Winston-Salem in the background

The pre race meeting was busy and enthusiastic

The pool looks quite serene

Caroline and Amy in line ready for the swim

Amy about to start her swim

This race has a long run from the pool to the bike transition

Amy and Caroline in transition

A quick transition allowed Amy to get out fast

Heading out for the run after a fast bike ride

Almost home, sub 1 hour and more than 5 minutes faster than last year

The results area was quite popular

The ART piece that stayed at home

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:26:00 +0000

I made this mixed media art piece for the recent ARTpARTy but somehow felt that I liked it too much to give it up. I created a second piece and kept the one below. What you see are real flower elements on a black painted canvas with a really thick coat of lacquer on top.

A yard update

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:02:00 +0000

The front yard of our home on Clover Street was quite nice when we bought the home earlier this year. It really needed a bit of love though and some expert grooming and now it looks fantastic. Mostly bushes were trimmed back, a small rotten tree removed and some smaller bushes redistributed. Plus lots new mulch added.

This is what the front of the house looked like in April of 09

Nice cufflinks

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:27:00 +0000

Made from old payphones, these cufflinks are quite nice.

ARTpARTy on Clover

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Last night we had our first ARTpARTy in our new home on Clover Street and it worked out great. There were lots of interesting and beautiful artworks plus a ton of nice people. Below are a few images of the people as they arrived with their creations. A few hours later everyone went home with someone else's art.

Amy finally wanted to create her own art piece

My artwork reflect to much that we had to go outside to not use the flash

Despite being a bit sick the last week, Mary was able to come

Caroline and Matt each worked on an art piece for the party

Art pieces showed up in all kinds of different ways

The older son of Nate and Jenny give them the inspiration for these popular items

Laura and Jared brightened up the party with their painting

An old tourism card print was crafted by Scott and Mitch

Tom and Travis and their candle art

An endless art piece by Laura

Luke and Melissa worked with wood

Ken is a neighbor from up the street and created an interesting Mango

Leanne and Breck worked in cork

Stacy created a 2-piece artwork

Treb ran an errand for us and thus came a bit later with his beautiful rope work

Faded glory

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:06:00 +0000

We recently noticed that the dishwasher not only took the coffee stains out from inside this mug, but also the writing on the outside of it. Amy kind of felt bad because she used it a few times, but I think she is not to blame. My award seem to be fading away in conjunction with my fitness. :-)

Coffee and Milk Art

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:39:00 +0000

Mona Lisa in coffee and milk? Or should I say an image of Mona Lisa created from over 3,500 coffee cups of various mixtures of milk and coffee? One thing is for sure, someone in Sydney, Australia made quite an effort to create this piece.

Life is a beach

noreply@blogger.com (Herbert) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:32:00 +0000

Well, the title should have been Life at the beach, because that is where we were last weekend. Amy, Pete and I went to Litchfield Beach in SC where we met Amy's Dad Ron and his wife Amy. We had a great time and especially enjoyed the delicious shrimp dinner that Amy prepared. Yummy.

Pete seemed somewhat puzzled by the ocean and the sand

Friday night we grabbed dinner on Murrell's Inlet

Saturday morning we went on a 2 hour ride before it got too hot or busy

Happy to be on the bike after a long time off with various injuries

Looking good with a new leash and collar

Trying to be as close as possible to mom and dad during the drive