USA Pro Challenge: Helping Tejay van Garderen

Tejay van Garderen needed a little help at the finish of the Vail time trial today.

This Was A Bit Disturbing

At least all of those messages are marked as "read" on my MacBook.

Think She's Excited?

I hadn't heard of "Teen Beach Movie" before tonight. Obviously, Veronica had.

Girl Scouts Pool Party

It's not unusual to see us at the pool. But this obviously wasn't at Robin Hill Pool.

Veronica was invited to an end-of-the-year swim party for her Girl Scout troop this weekend. Curious to see what the pool was going to be all about, I set about to use some simple technology to find out.

It was a matter of plugging the street address into Google maps. From the looks of it, this swanky home in Bellevue had nice curb appeal. So that passed the initial test.

 

The final step was to take a bird's eye view of the pool itself. Of course, when a photo like this is taken in the winter or spring, it's not so appealing. But the fact that it was an in-ground pool and had a diving board gave it a passing grade.

As for the swimming, the girls gave it a passing grade, although the water was a bit too cool for me. We did have a nice game of "Simon Says" which might go down as the first I can remember being played in a swimming pool.

Thanks, Veronica, for letting us join you at your Girl Scouts swim party!

This Guy Is Smart

If you are opening for Justin Bieber, make sure people know your name.

Dress Up Like Dad Day?

This is what I came home to this afternoon. Quite the surprise.

Back to the Future: Hillcrest Estates

We'll see how this turns out. It's expected to be quite a place when finished.

We added to our "Back to the Future" series of photos today by snapping a "before" photo of the area near Hillcrest Estates where an elaborate "Grand Lodge" will go up on some vacant property at the corner of Highway 370 and 60th Street.

You can read all about it – and even view a virtual tour here. Judging by the photo at right, it's going to be a pretty amazing place.

If you don't want to follow the link, here is a bird's eye view of the master plan. The "cottages" are already in existence and where Aunt Jean lives now.

Working Lunch

Filip Sercu shot this photo of me using some of the screaming fast wifi at a Swiss cafe.

Finally ... My Luggage Arrives

Here's the poor guy who had to deliver my luggage. He was in a rush, obviously.

I've never seen so many luggage tags on a suitcase. Yikes.

So my luggage didn't catch up to me when I arrived in Geneva on a Delta and KLM Airlines flight Friday. And it actually didn't catch up to me until early Sunday morning – just before 1 o'clock. What a saga. And I was simply waiting for it. I can only imagine the drama the delivery driver experienced making his way on narrow, Swiss mountain roads, late at night, through pouring rain, to a hotel that was completely shut down for the night.

Did I mention this guy only spoke French? Well, that was a bit complicated. Fortunately, there was a chef from Vancansoleil still in the lobby and he directed this guy in. But by the time he showed, the hotel was completely locked up and the driver ended up about 300 meters from the hotel in the team parking area. I ran out into the rain, signed for the two bags, gave him all the Swiss Francs I had (about seven), plus three Euros and he was on his way.

My Office

This will be my office for the next five days. (Photo by Filip Sercu.)

First Meal in Switzerland

This was the starter. Not bad at all.

I actually tried the fish (out of frame). The fries were awesome. Should not have eaten.

Dessert was this caramel apple pie thingy.

Back to the Future: DJ's Dugout

You probably know by now how fond we are of taking our "Back to the Future" photos around town. If not, here is a post to catch you up.

Today, we were able to check another location off our list. This one involves the DJ's Dugout that went up in Aksarben Village. We took the original photo Sept. 30, 2012.

Take note of the Ponzu Sushi and Grill restaurant in the upper left of the original photo. Many people have wondered what "Ponzu" means. Now we know ... "hidden restaurant."

We wondered why anyone would build a restaurant right in front of Aksarben Cinema.

Now we know the answer: it's a prime location at Aksarben Village.

Working Poolside

A bit of a self-portrait by the pool. Yes, I did get sunburned.

These Guys (Gals) Eat A Lot

Yes, it takes four pizzas to feed them at dinner time.

And an entire skillet full of scrambled eggs at breakfast.