Our first family trip into DC

We went down to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom today. Big crowds but very beautiful. Dylan seemed to enjoy the fresh air - although he slept through most of it.

Dylan (the Younger) Live!

I saw Bob Dylan live in Portsmouth Virginia (mid-1990's). This one is better (enjoy).

Dylan Brody Spanheimer (b. 5:03pm 12 March 2009)

Welcome Dylan!

We're just back from the hospital. After a fairly easy pregnancy (Michelle's words!) and a quick delivery (she started pushing around 5pm, a couple minutes later...) a few complications set in. But, all is well and we're the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy. Dylan Brody Spanheimer was born at 5:03 on Thursday 12 March. He was 6 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long. Perfectly healthy, looking great, though I'm not sure where he gets those chubby cheeks!

You can see a running slideshow of our first photos on the upper right side of the blog (click on the photo and you'll be directed to another site which has bigger versions of the photos). Enjoy!

Antarctica Expedition

To those who have been looking for stories from the big trip - sorry, preparations for the baby have kept us very occupied! I'll get some postings from the trip up soon - until then I've posted some of the best photos on the slideshow to the right (click on any of the photos to be taken to the a larger version of the entire album).

The Next Adventure: Antarctica!

With just over one week until departure I'm making final preparations for the next big adventure: a 3 week sailing expedition from the tip of South America to the Antarctic Peninsula. Darryl Eggins and I have signed up with Team Mowbray for what should be an amazing crossing of the Drake Passage onboard his 60 foot schooner "Commitment." Tony Mowbray is an Aussie sailor with an impressive resume including a solo, non-stop and unassited around the world voyage and 15 Sydney to Hobart races (including the infamous 1998) to his credit.

Most of the gear is in order (Gor-tex, down and wool) we should get some nights on the ice and the photography should be amazing (I'll be taking approx 20Gb worth of memory cards for the Nikon gear!)


I'm also reading up on offshore sailing - plenty of great accounts of open water sailing to help me prepare for this trip of a life-time.

Unfortunately Michelle won't be joining us - at 7 months it just wasn't going to happen. I'll owe her a big adventure of her own when the litle man is a bit older!

More about Team Mowbray Expeditions can be found here:
http://tonymowbray.com.au/index.htm

3D sonogram...amazing technology. Here's a 31 December look at the bubbie (29 weeks). [No, we don't have a name picked out yet!!]

Looking forward to a great New Year!

A Few Days in Bermuda

With the fall exams complete we escaped for a few days in Bermuda. It was a quick flight from DC - which was nice. Michelle had booked a great house right on the water, fantastic views of the bay and a multi-tiered porch...perfect for smoking a few Cuban cigars! Although we had a bit cooler temps than expected and a bit of rain it was a very relaxing 6 days - we rented a sailboat, did a bit of snorkeling, toured a few of the towns and mostly didn't think about work...very nice.

Michelle in Brazil

While Les watched the Formula One Grand Prix final from home, Michelle traveled to the host nation of Brazil (doesn't seem right...she doesn't even like racing!).

Les prepped her on the status of the championship so she was conversant with the cabbies in Rio and Sao Paulo.
Although the real purpose was (apparently) business Michelle was able to see the sights of Ipanema Beach (where bikinis are mandatory!) and the 120' tall "Christ the Redeemer" statue overlooking Rio.

Michelle back in Europe

Exam time for Les and Michelle departs for Europe. 4 days in the UK and then another week in Germany. Another chance to catch up with "Dr. Dave and Dawn" and a trip to the British countryside and beautiful Leeds Castle. Making the best of an otherwise "business trip." While back in Germany Michelle caught up with Simone and Michael.

Mid Life Crisis

Finally - I'm back on a motorcycle again. It's been so long that I thought it best to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course. Despite the mocking I got from Paul Cooley it was well worth it - and I'm loving the new bike, a BMW f650GS Dakar...zoom, zoom!

Michelle back in Oz

While Les was chained to his desk prepping for the Fall MBA exams Michelle escaped back to Oz to bring our new news to her Mum and sisters. Being the Aussie winter (they actually do have a winter, kind of) the girls booked a B&B at Lake Mountain. This was Michelle's mum's first experience with snow, and she even strapped on the snowshoes! Michelle (and bubbie) joined Bernie, Tamara and Daniel for a cross-country ski.

Of course, no trip to Oz would be complete without a visit with good friends in Melbourne. Michelle caught up with Rod, Lauren, Paul and Dave.

She finished off the visit with a road-trip to the old 'hood: passing through Seymour (her birthplace) on the way to Mildura (on the mighty Murray!).

Michelle in Kona (Hawaii) with Greg & Lisa

I am off yet again on another trip leaving Les to his studies. A few days relaxing in Kona Hawaii with Lisa, Greg and their daughter Sarah, they were kind enough to offer me to join them on their vacation, how could I refuse. It was the Kona outrigger race weekend, both Lisa and I were wishing we were in the race, but for me being 11 weeks pregnant it probably wasn't a good idea.
We had a fantastic night snorkel with the Manta Rays, they were so close if I had of reached my arm out I would have touched them, they were doing barrel roles right underneath us, it was a pretty amazing experience.
The next few days were spent exloring the foods of Hawaii, with a side trip to the volcano's. There was an obsession to find the only chocolate growing farm in Hawaii and we did. Even after seeing how coco is grown and the bean is prepared for chocolate, still didn't put me off eating it. Of course our food exploration took us to a coffee farm, where we not only got to try the local coffee, but Lychee's, avacardo's and see the crazy chooks, that thought they were dogs or cats.
Enjoyed a few days snorkelling, with the warm waters and the fish are colourful, how could you not enjoy it. The last day before getting on my plane was spent stand up paddle boarding which I really enjoy, the baby certianly got a tase of water sports on this trip.

Bubbie on the Way!

In late July it was confirmed that we've got a baby on the way!

We're expecting a boy in mid-March 2009.

Michelle in Mexico

Yet another business trip for me, this time to Mexico City. I must say I wasn't really expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. unfortunately being a few weeks pregnant I was not able to enjoy the margarita's, imagine going to Mexico and not having a margarita, that is like going to Australia and not having a beer. However I did enjoy some fabulous Mexican food, it really made you realize that the "Mexican Food" that we get here in the US is definitely modified for the American pallet.
Got the opportunity to take a trip into the old part of town, it was pretty amazing, they had Aztec ruins right in the heart of the city, which was surrounded by these old buildings and churches. It definitely would be a great place to go back to and explore a little more.
Oh yes and I did do some work while I was there!

Desperate East Coast Night Skiing

After a stunning ski trip to the French Alps we were Jonesin' for some late season fresh turns...so we drove up to Whitetail in Southern Penn. It wasn't France...it wasn't Colorado, or California...but it was still a lot of fun - hadn't been night skiing in years.