BOSTON TO MAINE

Boston Massachusetts has a lot going on. Especially at 28 Dearborn Rd, in nearby Somerville (my bro's abode). That's all we need! I love this picture and laughed - no joke - for at least 20 minutes immediately after taking it, because it looks like Sean Manaka has pointy ears. I found pointy ears hilarious for some reason. After having a long night, running around Boston, talking the talk, and playing the music, we hit the bed and wake up early to wate for a package that never comes and to head to Maine to meet the whole family!

After a very short (2 hour) drive, we arrive in Portland, Maine and meet everyone in the parking lot, and take pictures from the floor of the elevator.

Mom gave me and Sean hats for our triathalon team, "Vikings", so we posed as if we were the gangster type of Vikings.

We found Nicky and Jon in their hotel room. They were both jovial and nonchalant, even with the weight of a looming early morning triathalon on their mind's shoulders.

Upon bringing our clean clothes and triathalon tidbits into the hotel, showering, chatting it up up up, then down some, we headed to the cars to go to the location of the triathalon.

Before we even got there, Sean rolled down the passenger window in the Volvo. I wasn't paying attention to his actions, so I couldn't prevent them. Instead I realized all too late that the damage was done: the window was off its track once opened at all, and fell down into its slit in the door. When trying to fix it by raising the "automatic" window and simultaneously "manually" pulling it up, it became a shark fin. We left it until we had more time and a plan to fix it for good.



We got to the location of the triathalon, where we met up with Jon's family, the Larner-Lewis-es. They joined us for a walk along the part of the triathalon's running path. I snapped a few photos; some with people; some with pugs; some with people with fog.



Mom and Sean chat about who will run the first 1/2 mile mini-transition from the 1-mile ocean swim to the transition building where I await my relay team's "Chip" (small baton bracelet) with a bike.





Next, we gather with other triathletes for an informational meeting about the triathalon rules and procedures. This is where I learn that there is a killer pair of hills that I have to get up at the 23-mile marker (out of a 26.2-mile bike). I was nervous. What's more, I had never ridden a road bike before: the handle bar positions, your body position, the brake setup and the shifting setup is entirely alien to me at this point, the day before the race. YIKES!


At least Nicky and Jon have been training, including some other triathalons to work up to this one. These to diligentes went so far as to arrive in Maine early enough to check out the course! Can you imagine?! Well, this will be loads of fun, success or not! Everyone's smiling and thinking and that's a good thing!

We call it a night and head out to Amato's for dinner. Sean and I both have a calzone and a sandwich, just not in that order. Everyone else enjoys one good dinner (not two)!

Good night! Wish us luck in the race! I'll let you know how it went once it wents!

-Your nervous and excited Landescaper, N8 (VIKING, BIKER)