Pooks Canyon

Leah concentrates on whittling with her new pocketknife. Yes, that is Grandma and Grandpa on the teeter-totter. While off finding mulled wine for Jon, he finds a medieval playpen for Axel. Nothing can contain this kid ;)

Jon is mending. The bones are supposed to "knit" about 2 weeks post-break (which is the day after tomorrow). He is thinking he'll get back out on the bike on Monday. In the meantime, he has been playing Internet chess and trying not to become overly corrupted with my Brugge Pubs ;) To all the friends and family with the kind words; thanks so much, it really helps! Nobody is really "down" around here and I haven't been blogging much lately because Jon and I have been trekking all over town doing the tourist thing. This town has an inexhaustible number of attractions! For example, yesterday, here is what we did: Astrid Park: Watched ducks play on a half frozen pond. They were busy fighting and playing a game that involved pushing floating wood around with their bills. The kids played on the frozen playground, complete with caves and a giant slide. We watched a British guy do the giant slide upside down and backwards. He came shooting out the bottom ...

Jon broke his collarbone in Rhode Island this weekend when a racer in front of him crashed, taking Jon out with him. He is currently in the hospital getting checked out. To Jon: The world is still our oyster and all possibilities for the future are wide open. We'll be with you soon; I love you.

While Mom, Dad, Leah and Desi were in France and Jon was in Spain, Bill, Margaret and I decided to pack up Axel and take the train to Ghent. Here is Axel making kissy face in the train window: Bill at the Bicycle Exhibit in the Folk Museum: Margaret stands on the castle turret looking out at the city... did the countess used to do the same thing? Bill at the guillotine: Axel lodges himself in a castle wall: Any good Belgian day trip ends with beer, this was a good pour:

A year ago, when planning our move to Belgium, I said to Jon that he needed to take me to Paris for our anniversary. What a man... he did it! So on Tuesday night we drove the 3 hours to Paris and checked into the Hotel Leveque on Rue Cler. It was a good thing we planned to drive because the Paris public transit workers are on strike. This is major because the metro (subway) is generally the efficient, quick first choice of travelers and Parisians alike for navigating Paris. Taxis were highly impacted and a lot of stuff was basically shut down because employees could not get to work. Night one we wandered into a restaurant called "Pasco" and enjoyed risotto (me) and fish and eggplant (him). In France eggplant tastes better because it is called aubergine, mushrooms taste better because they are champignions. Just my opinion. The next day we ate crepes (with champignions) and then went to rent some bikes. Paris has a great self-checkout bicycle rental system, with over 750...

Yesterday, while driving back from Paris with Jon, it occurred to me that it was Thanksgiving Day. I said, "Happy Thanksgiving." To which Jon replied, "It isn't Thanksgiving yet, is it?" Hmmm, none of the usual turkey decor, workplace time off, and trips to see family were there to clue us in. I had remembered TG earlier in the week and mentioned to Emily (the hairstylist at La Belle Frisee) that Thursday was an American holiday. She asked if it was one of those American holidays with presents. Explaining Thanksgiving, I said it is a time to have a feast with your family. Besides family, people also open up their homes to friends that have nowhere to go. Before eating, it is customary to give thanks for all the things you have gratitude for throughout the year, but may not express. Wow, America came up with this? And regardless of the "Day After" shopping and Christmas onslaught, the actual Thursday is pretty pure. I know that some people say...

It seemed like today's Superprestige in Gavere had more spectators than any race yet, perhaps the scene is just becoming more alive as the season rumbles on. I think there were over 10,000 people in attendance. Frite stands and beer tents were liberally sprinkled about in the woods across the hill which made for a fun spectating experience. The race course was unique in its hillside position, which provided ample opportunity for muddy uphill slogs and out-of-control downhill slides. The women's race was dominated by Katie Compton, who we were able to chant for on the last lap and congratulate in the parking area. She seemed pleased with the result and is optimistic about next weekend in Koksijde. Strangely, having insufficient safety pins turned out to be the most expansive experience of the day, sparking a search mission of international proportions. First I went to Jonathan Page's RV and asked Cori, his wife, if she had any. I thought this was a good bet because t...

Spent the day in Hasselt for the latest installment of the GVA Trofee race series. It was a bit of a haul from Brugge so we left early. In the parking lot we met a half a dozen superfans (the Flemish like to wish Jon, "Much success!") who asked for Jon's trading card and some even wanted an autograph. We also met Reeve, a dude from Seattle, who flew out to Belgium just to watch cyclocross for a few weeks. We really are at the nougaty center of the sport here. After our course preview and Jon's warm-up we met back at the van for pre-race prep. Jon asked me to change out the pedals on his "C" bike (3rd of 3). Honored. I hop out of the van and grab the new pedals, pedal wrench, and large hex wrench. The moment I place the wrench on the pedal several Belgian men walk up behind me, cross their arms, and begin to converse animately in Flemish. Oh geez. I try to think back to my lessons from Peavey at Chico Cyclesport. There's some trick to how you a...

Warning, this is a long video (6 minutes) of us in Paris and may only be suitable for grandmas.

The morning drive to the Pijnacker race site started with a phone call to Mark Legg, Katie Compton's mechanic, husband, and all-around nice guy. He had volunteered to help Jon in the pits for the next two World Cups so we were discussing details. By the time he was actually pitting for Jon that afternoon he was a very happy man. Katie, UCI points leader and home-state girl, won her first World Cup. This was the first 'cross World Cup victory to be claimed by an American - ever. As I stood in the start area before the men's race the Star Spangled Banner played and I sang it - much to the delight of the Dutch fans (probably because they could not actually hear me). It was a "Proud to be an American" moment and I heartily thank and congratulate Katie. She beat 2nd place Daphny van den Brand by a minute. WOW! Jon's race was another mud fest, though it couldn't quite compare to Neil. The beer tent in Holland was much smaller and people drank the hot win...

On a drizzly Saturday morning we drove from Brugge to Niel, Belgium for the latest installment of the GvA Troffee series. Jon's premonition: "It's going to be a real mudder." The minivan was freshly emblazoned with large stickers reading "Jon Baker" and "Primus Mootry" (compliments of A.J. at Victory Circle Graphics) which made it easier to successfully find, and park in, the Elite Racer parking area. We parked right next to Chris Jones, USA. Once Jon was settled, Dad and I headed out to preview the course. For us, this meant finding the start, the finish, the pits, and, critically, the beer tent. After walking about 200 meters past the finish line, the course turned to greasiest, sludgiest, muddy cow pasture I've ever seen. Good thing we had donned our knee-high rubber boots. With the beer tent shimmering in the distance like a Belgian oasis, we trudged across the field. Several inordinately large piles of dark substance in the field w...

I want some hot Euro jeans! Doesn't everyone - deep down? I went to "Brooklyn" (of all places) where they have lots of cool jeans at fair prices. The shop girl said, "Mag ik u met iets helpen?" To which I replied, "I only speak English." Then she said, "May I help you?" I explained that I was from the United States and that I was looking for some hot Euro jeans though perhaps not using those same words. While helping me the shop girl said, "You don't look like the typical American." Given my outfit consisted of what I put on in a darkened room this morning (see below) for the mere purpose of being clothed at breakfast, I was very flattered: But as I am trying on the jeans I start wondering, what does this mean, I don't look like an American? Does this mean I don't have fluffy blond hair and enormous white teeth? So I say, "I'm curious, what did you mean when you said I don't look like an American? What d...

After the kinderen were put to bed, Jon and I decided to go out for some tea/beer (him tea/me beer) and possibly some dessert. I had walked past a picturesque little alley restaurant called de Vlaamsche Pot (the Flemish Pot) several times and wanted to go. So we went. After receiving our menus the waiter approached to take our order, we ordered some drinks and asked if we could see the dessert menu. The waiter rapidly shook his head and said, "but no, we cannot do thees, you must order entrees in order to eat here." I said we'd already had dinner but perhaps we might peruse the menu. As he walked away there was much more head shaking; about halfway across the room he actually stopped, turned to look at me, and shook his head again. He returned after we closed our menus. We asked to split the rabbit stew. More rapid head shaking (perhaps he will need chiropractic work in the morning) and, "no, no, no, we cannot spleet entrees." I, of course, must prolong ...

Jon submitted his race diary this week to Velo News and we've been waiting to see if they publish it. Today we checked out their website and saw what we at first thought was Jon's diary but turned out to be a very nice follow-up article on how things are going for Jon in Belgium.

Leah teaches me a new Flemish word daily, today’s word was boekentas (book-n-toss) which means backpack (or bookbag, more precisely). It’s Leah's birthday today. When I picked her up at school I asked one of her English-speaking classmates how to say Happy Birthday in Dutch. She kept repeating it to me and I kept repeating it back, eliciting peals of laughter from all the children. I hope they don’t think Leah’s mom is crazy.

It's surprising, but there is a third rider here (no, not on a grassy knoll). Upon careful inspection you will see an orange bike in the background and a part of a knee off to the right. You guessed it! That's Breaker Baker :)

Went for a bike ride today and ended up having a coffee in Holland. Jon and I rode along the canals on our way out to the North Sea coastline; somewhere along the line we passed a sign saying we were approaching the town of Sluis. At this point Jon whips out a map and tells me we have made a wrong turn and are in Holland. Yay. Instead of dashing of to the nearest hash bar we settled instead for a nice coffee. An "Espresso" here is a cup of coffee and a "Mokka Espresso" is a regular shot of espresso. Dunno how to order a Mocha but it would probably involve the word chocolade. So I ordered a mokka espresso and Jon had a cappuccino and an appelbol. As we drank our coffee we speculated as to what the Appelbol would be. A bowl of apple? Mais non, it was a ball of apple. More precisely is was a peeled and cored apple, stuffed with cinnamon butter and wrapped in pastry crust. The effect is a spherical piece of apple pie. Delicious. Satisfied, we cycled off, circ...

My very good friend (BigChunkySole) is housing our cats in Boulder until February. I have been thinks about BCS and the cats often. She has a cat named Pudge that once ripped the tail off of another cat, costing her 1500 US Dollars. Just wondering how Butters, Maggie, Pudge, the kittens, Spence, and BCS are faring? Is it worthy of reality TV? BCS, if your out there, everyone would love to hear your comments.

I lifted this from bfisk's blog because it was too crazy not to! She said it is not a spoof.

We figured out Jon's race was on Channel One about 30 seconds before the start- perfect timing! This is the first time I have watched a live, televised, cyclocross race featuring my husband and I must say it was very cool!! We got a really great shot of him in the first lap heading through the barriers section. His start position was in the back because he only had 15 UCI points but he managed to come around a lot of other guys (very hard to do in 'cross). He said no one passed him which basically means he was riding behind a group that, had he started with them, he would've been able to keep up with them. We're happy with the result as October is really part of a building period for him. We expect better results in November and December. Thankfully the mechnicals got out of the way in warm-up, where 2 tubular front tires came unglued from their respective rims! This would be at least the 4th tubular he has rolled this season- all from the batch he glued himself....

Jon said to tune into channel 3 at 2pm to watch live coverage of his race. We got in front of the TV around 1:30 to see pre-race coverage and saw a cooking show instead. It was called SOS Piet and it was entirely in Flemish. Piet was a chef that came to someone's kitchen, made fun of their food, then showed them how to cook something. Piet liked to cook with champagne, apples, and his own brand of bullion. I watched carefully as he made his chicken (kippen) and tried hard to figure out the ingredients he was using. We went to the market later, bought the ingredients for Piet's Kippen, and made it. It was good. The pictures are of the chicken cooking in one dish and the mushrooms and apples in the other dish. Note champagne complete with glass for cook ;) And, of course, the final dish. See above for more about Jon's race on TV. Piet's Kippen: Salt and Pepper cut-up Chicken Cook in lightly oiled pan over medium heat Turn chicken when nicely browned and sprinkle l...

Pro Patria means "For One's Country." Based on the Lions of Flanders on the arch, I think it is more Flandrian patriotism than Belgian.

Axel and his Oma (grandma) hung out in Markt square while I was in the bank getting my ATM card.

Leah walks the Brugge streets to and from school in her school-issue safety vest. This is a very novel idea. Drivers are much more likely to see children in bright vests and are also reminded that these are children and hence might make unpredictable moves. Axel has mayonnaise on his lips after a large repast of frites with saus.

This is the cheese and sausage shop I mentioned in a previous post. As you can see the shop has quite a selection and the owner/operator will offer delicious recommendations if you tell her what you would like to use the cheese for. I asked for a good cheese to eat with red wine and she gave me the best goat's milk cheese I'd ever had. It was a hard cheese with a complex yet non-stinky flavor. The startled man in the pic was surprised when I popped through the door and snapped a photo (flash and all). But this is part of living in Brugge; everything looks like it came out of a storybook and the tourists outnumber the locals 5 to 1. The inevitable shutter-bugging and rubber-necking ensues. Today a woman stopped her car next to me and asked for directions. Later a man asked me to take his picture. A strangely dressed and very heavy British family passed me on the street, the mom exclaiming she needed a mini skirt after surveying the attire of size 0 mannequins in the shop...

Sorry no pics, mom. I need to put new batteries in the camera and just haven't done it yet... The BIG news is that Leah is going to start going to school tomorrow. Yes, a real Belgian school with Flemish speaking kids. Margaret and Bill suggested investigating this option as Leah seems to need the interaction. Margaret found the local school online and we walked down there. 30 minutes later she was enrolled (or "inscribed" as the headmaster called it). Her class has 10 students, 2 teachers and there are several non-Flemish-speaking students there so she'll have an additional teacher that will teach her basic Flemish when the other students are taking regular Flemish. Wow. Margaret and Leah said it was like one long Flemish day camp.

Well we schlepped the whole family plus bikes and wheels to the Premiere Coup du Mond (1st World Cup) yesterday. Jon is still getting his sea legs (literally) as riding at sea level actually has a different and not always positive effect on muscle activity for those that reside at altitude. So, the Kalmthout World Cup was good practice for Jon. Tabor (in the Czech Republic) is the second world cup and takes place next weekend. Jon and Bill fly out on Friday; women and children are holding down the fort. I am loving the cheese and bread here and went to the baker this morning for fresh bread and later stopped by the cheese and sausage shop and bought some amazing cheeses and cured meats. The pride of quality is evident in the shops and it seems they would rather lose money than use inferior ingredients. Everyone wants to be able to say they have the best cheese/meat/bread in town and we benefit from the quality. In the US, merchants often strive to offer the biggest or the cheap...

The family is scrambling about this morning preparing for our trip to Kalmthout for today's world cup race. Jon won 19th place yesterday (haha) at Lebbeke, which is a top 20 in his first European Race of the season. Good job honey! More on Kalmthout race later...

More questing for adapters has led me to stopping by hotels and asking. Makes sense because they are most likely to have travelers asking these sorts of questions. The Hotel Azalea sent me to Blokker but the Hotel Endsor (also near our house) insisted that I take two of theirs! He said I could borrow them as long as I wanted. After letting him know where I lived (in case one of his real customers needs one) he jokingly said, "Okay, I'll send the police after you." Brugge is the ideal place to expatriate yourself, locals here are very friendly and accommodating.

Was at Blokker today as part of the never ending quest for US to European plug adapters. Blokker is like a little tiny Woolworths and is very near Markt square in Brugge. Of course there were no adapters because this is the umpteenth store we've been to and they just don't have them. In the quest I ran across a display of plates all labeled "Borden" in Dutch and "Assiette" in French. It turns out that Borden is Dutch for plates. I always thought Borden sounded like an English word but it may be more Dutch than anything else.

Beenhouwersstraat 5, 8000 Brugge, Belgium Today is Margaret's 64th birthday! We have been out and about looking at presents, dessert items, candles, and suitable restaurants. Bill and I found a restaurant called Oud Brugge and have 6:30 dinner reservations. Axel delights people here in the same fashion as in the US, drawing kind looks and happy faces from some unlikely sources. He likes to eat the waffles, as does Leah though she has her's topped with caramel. Yesterday we ate frites with a side of about a 1/2 cup of Mayonnaise. The frites are amazing, the Friterie has piles of freshly julienned potatoes on a large angled shelf above the fryers. When you order they sizzle them up to a crispy golder color and then sprinkle with salt. The frites are served with these cute little plastic skewers and they are delicious. There are other sauces besides Mayonnaise that I should try but they are difficult to pronounce. The people in Brugge probably do ...

We are in Belgium and done with Jet Lag! What can I say, Brugge is great. Baby Axel is hitting the pave early... if he had any teeth they would likely rattle right out of his head on the stroller rides through the cobbled streets. Yesterday I ordered "een wafel natuur" which means one plain waffle and said thank you in Flemish (aka Dutch). The Arabic gentleman at the snack shop had no idea I wasn't a local. This morning a mother and her grown daughter had a minor dispute at the coffee shop regarding who would pay, until the daughter forcibly pressed a coin into the mother's wallet. The mother, exasperated, turned to me and said something in Flemish. I smiled, nodded and said, "Ja." I've basically been going around all of town practicing my Flemish; here is the key: You cannot let on that you speak English, once you do everyone will speak English to you. You proceed until apprehended in Flemish.

More punctures and mishaps today for many. Tim Johnson took a risky line in the first sharp corner and crashed. Powers went off course which dropped him back to the 3rd group. Perhaps most heartbreaking is Chris Jones' luck: he flatted right before the finish after being in the lead for several laps. Breaker Baker was right in the chase, racing for 8th place with Jeremy Powers, Mark McCormack, in the final lap until rolling his tubular. Ugh! He couldn't even get it to pop back on so he could complete the race. Multe Urban led the first lap then faded to the 2nd group. Youngsters Jesse Anthony and Chris Jones took charge forming a 2 man group for nearly the entire race. Johnson had another come-from-behind result, finishing seconds behind race-winner Jesse Anthony. Ok, so Tabor? Kalmthout? We look forward...

Jon hasn't found a mechanic to pit for him this weekend... unless you count me! Good thing Mavic offers neutral mechanical support. 1/2 lap into the race yesterday, Jon stopped into the pit with a rear flat- ugh! Hard way to start a race - just ask Tim Johnson who rolled his tubular right after the start and ended up dead last coming into lap # 2. As a group of 5 formed at the front (including Powers, Anthony, a German name Multe Urban, Adam Myerson, and the team Nerac guy - Chris Jones) Tim and Jon were both scrambling to move up through the snaking line of 'crossers. Jon's been having early season mechanicals. Most problematic yesterday was the chain falling off to the outside and, ironically, getting stuck in his carbon chain guard. As T.J. flew through Jon's group, Jon tried to hop on but the chain was having none of that. The pits were interesting and after the excitement of being the first member of the pit to actually have to do something, I settled into t...

I took Axel and Leah to the Morning Glory coffee shop overlooking the harbor in Gloucester, MA. Baseball excitement abounds here as Boston is charging through the AL Championships. We are happy to be 1/3 the way to our destination. Axel was a ball of energy on the plane and had all the passengers eating out of his hand by the time we touched down at Logan. That said, I'm looking forward to having another adult with me on the transatlantic flight... Axel wore me out! Today Jon squares off against some 'cross powerhouses such as Jeremy Powers and Tim Johnson and we can't wait to see him race! He is back at our b&b (Harborview Inn) wrenching on his bottom bracket. Go Jon!

Wow, well yesterday VeloNews published their article on Jon's Euro 'cross campaign and today in the VeloNews mailbag readers had this to say.

Today Axel and I went to the coffee shop; Axel wore one of my favorite shirts, the one that says, "My Dad is the Man." A woman commented on it and I said, "It's true, his dad really is the man!" If anyone has any doubts, check out this Velo News article for further proof :)

Packing up for (and pondering) the big jump is consuming a lot of time! Luckily my Mom is coming at the end to shower us with loves and hugs while I finish up. Not a lot of time for photographing da childrens and blogging them. Ever check your own blog to read what's new and realize that you have to actually post something new in order for that to work? Probably not, I'm likely the only blogger in the blog-o-sphere that has done that. Leah, Dara, and I went to see The Rock in the new movie "Game Plan." Objective criteria might mark this movie firmly in the pretty lame category. We loved it and laughed at a bunch of things including a beefy football player moved to tears by The Rock's performance in his 8-year-old's ballet recital. A kindergartener exiting the theater was overheard saying, "That was the best movie ever!" Laura (Dara's mom and lovely person) came to get the girls and currently has them off swimming and eating ice creams. Axe...

Here are 4 blogs I found that are written by female expats in Belgium. Soon Pooks will be a fifth. V-Grrrl Wingfields in Brussels The Belgian Years This in my REALITY

These guys were a well-oiled playing team at the park. Axel is at the age now where he really wants to do more than his little body will allow. Step in Leah with her playful attitude and capable big-sister skills! They're the cutest kids in the park... just ask me.

We hope you're having fun in Las Vegas and wish you a sensational 'cross Vegas!!!!!

Axel and I stopped for a Cheese and Fruit lunch at the In House coffee shop at Flatirons Crossing. After lunch Axel stood in front of the Regis Salon until every female employee in the shop had gathered to smile at him.

Jon has won this race all 4 times they've put it on.

Click To Play A little video of the happenings in Parker, CO yesterday. By the way, all people with MacBooks become amateur filmmakers.

We're on the dance floor at the Boulder Theater, the lights are low, the DJ is pumping, people are sipping fruity drinks from cute little straws. Did I mention this was "Baby Loves Disco?" Yes, the people on the dance floor are children, mostly 3 and under. There are hula hoops, bubbles, and little shakers (that Axel loved). The bar is stocked up with goldfish crackers, fruit, and juice boxes. This is quite possibly one of the cutest little things I've ever seen. Axel and his hula hoop rock out to "Thriller." He loved the shakers.

Jon's leave of absence from BEA started today. When I congratulated him and asked him how it felt to be unemployed he said, "I don't know but BEA stock went up a dollar today." Ha! Turns out a corporate raider bought 300 million dollars worth of BEA today. The timing is humorous. Jon left his cube completely intact so his place there in February should be pretty secure.

Here is Axel in the courtyard at Jon's office; I brought sandwiches.