Paddling

We joked the other day at work that there's now a fitness requirement for the Client Services team. Our new GM is a nationally ranked Dragon Boat racer and now, along with her partner, racing outrigger canoes. My boyfriend has been pulled into the sport, and - while not necessarily more enthusiastic about it than our other coworkers - is very, very excited about it. They train three days a week in the SF Bay (and outside the gate) with the SFOCC.

Some basics:
- It's paddling, not rowing. Rowers go backwards, paddlers go forward.
- The outrigger is the thing on the side
- Unlike most kayaks and other small watercraft, outriggers are ocean-going (waves aren't a bad thing)
- It's a fairly popular sport these days - as evidenced in these photos.

These photos are from a Santa Barbara race two weekends ago. It's one of the largest California events. My boyfriend's team won by 1 minute 13 seconds (a huge lead in a 36 minute race), and was then disqualified for ridiculous reasons. Southern California teams train for a year and then race the second year; Northern California teams race their first year. The team was disqualified for having one person that had competed the year prior. Read it another way: 5 members of the team had LESS experience than the other competitors. I think they're less frustrated now, but needless to say, it's going to be a good season.

Puerto Vallarta

Galen and I just got back from Puerto Vallarta. It was my first trip there; his first trip to Mexico. I'm not sure I'll ever go anywhere else - I'm not sure we can top it. We stayed at the Hacienda San Angel, a self-described boutique hotel, with a friend from work and his lovely family. The Hacienda is the first place I've stayed that is actually more beautiful in person than in pictures. The hotel consists of 4 houses that have been completely remodeled and joined into a single area, with multiple pools, marble floors in and out, antiques everywhere, exquisite service, amazing views, and lots of privacy. We barely left the place - it was hard to leave.

On the last day we saw the reception area across the street, which if anything is even more impressive. If you're planning a destination wedding, this is the place.

Olympus

I bought the Olympus underwater camera for Galen's birthday and the trip. It's awesome - you can use it underwater up to ten feet. The picture quality is great, it's reasonably priced, and smaller than the CanonPower shot. Even if you have a camera (or a few), this is a very worthwhile addition.

Casa Kimberley

We attended an SPCA fundraiser at the (in)famous Casa Kimberley. The house on the left was Elizabeth Taylor's home; Richard Burton bought the place across the street. To avoid the picketing nuns, the unmarried couple built a bridge over the street to connect the houses.

The owner of the hotel we stayed in recently bought the properties. They've been only minimally maintained, and she plans a complete renovation by 2010. It's going to be an amazing spot.