Sunflowers on a Sunny Day

Beautiful...

Music O De Day....

Lake Tahoe

Did I mention that we were able to visit Lake Tahoe? 

While there, we went on a lake cruise.

 

It was a sort of a spur of the moment thing.  In fact, it was so spur of the moment that the boat tour people held the boat that was departing while we parked and boarded.

We had a tour guide who told us all sorts of information about the lake as well as trivia as we made our way towards Emerald Island.  He even played his guitar and sang "Lake Tahoe" themed songs for the passengers.

  They cal him, Mr, Tahoe.


 The boat is powered by these huge paddles.

 It also has a glass bottom area to look under water, but the water is so deep and blue... all you see is deep blue, or green depending on the light on the water.

Look, here is Mr. Tahoe now! 
His real name is Darin Talbot.



If you click on the pretty arrow in the photo below, Mr. Tahoe will sing for you and you can pretend you are on the cruise if you'd like.  (Not my video, but "thanks" to whoever posted it!)

 All good things must come to and end.  Time to disembark and go on a hike.

We actually went on several hikes.  It was beautiful.  One Hike took us along the Rubicon Trail.  This one went along the beach.

2011 National Fencing Championships

It was almost July and the long awaited moment finally arrived.  It was time for the National Fencing Competitions.  These were to be held at the Reno -Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada.

If you are going to fence at this competition,  which Nate was, then the first thing you need to do is make travel arrangements, especially if you are a long way from Reno.  We had to make travel arrangements, our preferred mode of transportation was jet airplane.

We were welcomed at the airport in Reno by all kinds of flags and banners... and slot machines too.

 The city of Reno was easy to navigate.

I know this, because we spent a lot of time navigating around Reno, mostly on foot.  It was great to walk along the river that ran through the middle of town and explore the sights and sounds of the city.

 

Back at our hotel, the purple one in the photo above,  there were preparations

to be made for the upcoming tournaments.

Nate worked on his weapons.

This is the view from our ninth floor window.











Note the snow covered mountain peaks in the background.  Reno has a desert-like feel to it, only there are no palm trees and cactus. Drive a few miles and you are in the snow!




The next day we went to the convention center.
There were people from all over the world attending the USFA Nationals.











 
And then there was Nate.


He was there too

Soon the rooms would be filled with activity, and competition.  The first event for him was U 19 Men's Epee.

 He won some and he lost some.  Other fencers apparently won more than he did.

 But it was great fencing!

We were there several days over the course of a week and there were several different events that Nate competed in.  One was a team competition. 

Here are the three fencers on the team.












What a blast!  It was great.  They guys put up a great defense, but on a somber note, there are no incredible victories to report. Still it was an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of the national tournament, and visit places we had never been before.

You can check USFA records at www.askfred.com to see how they each fared in the various events. 

So, this is a little bit of what it was like at the USFA Nationals, 2011 in Reno Nevada.

Had a lovely time, wish you were there!