asbestos removal

if a picture is worth a thousand words, this one may qualify. maybe for a thousand laughs. but asbestos isn't really a laughing matter, so don't laugh. okay...just one chuckle, because andy does look pretty comical in that getup. ;)

a small section of two pipes needed to be removed so that the radiators in the kitchen and bathroom could be reinstalled. after multiple quotes for asbestos removal came back with a minimum charge of over $400, andy did a little online research a decided that by purchasing the "asbestos removal kit" and following standard practices he could safely remove the asbestos himself. all the tools used for the removal had to stay in the special bags that were attached to the pipes and ceiling...forever. once finished, his suit and all the bags containing the asbestos and tools were taken to a special facility for toxic waste. don't worry...he followed every procedure to the letter. oh the joys of old home ownership!

off to the races...cyclocross 2011

since moving to portland, each fall andy has raced cyclocross. last year he was granted a signal team paint job on the modified "meschke" bike he rode his first year. this was special because #1: he was getting to be OFFICIALLY on the signal team, and #2: the meschke bike was the first bike nate built...and was the first bike andy raced.

this year is his fourth year of racing, so it's all pretty familiar. andy's trying to place under 30, but would ultimately love to be finishing in the top 20. perhaps if he worked in a bike shop and had endless time to ride his bike. by the end of the year he will qualify for the "master's category"...for all the old guys 35 and up. ;) i'm sure he will stick with his singlespeed category, shunning his age and going for glory on one gear.

here are some of the best of this season's races so far...

alpenrose dairy

 rainier highschool

the hill that makes your eyes pop out

portland international raceway

fun with uncle nate while waiting for andy's race to start

one of these days it will be pouring on sundays again, but for now we are enjoying a few dry races. i'm hoping for at least one more...we will see what tomorrow holds. ;)

hood to coast

after saying each year he would not participate again, this marked andy's third hood-to-coast. for those of you who may not know, hood-to-coast is the largest relay race in north america and is known as "the mother of all relays." the race starts at on mt. hood and goes all the way to seaside. there are 1000 teams of 12 runners, as well as a large number of additional teams participating the the walking relay portland-to-coast. andy runs on his work's elite team and was the second fastest runner on his team this year! pretty good for a guy who does not consider himself to be a runner and only trains for a few months leading up to the race. ;)

with the musical done the preceeding weekend, this year we were able to meet andy in seaside. after driving around looking for a spot to park my behemoth van, we found a corn dog for lunch before finally reaching the beach. the kids had fun playing in the sand and walking through all the sponsors' tents while we were waiting for andy's team to finish and his van to arrive. the band on the main stage played "billy jean," making jeremiah very happy. eventually we found more snacks and strawberry lemonade, finally leaving for home as it began to get dark.

with all the masses of people who were in seaside, the road home was a slow one. for the second night in a row, i carried in sleeping kids...washing sand/dirt off of them with a washcloth once they were in their beds.