Hello there! We haven't written any posts up lately (or really done much of anything) because of the ever-changing CoVid situation here in GZ. We went from not being able to leave our neighborhood and getting tested every day to closed testing stations and open everything over night. School has been online since November 16 and we are still trying to get a handle on just what in the hell is going on. Even though things are "open," CoVid is spreading like wildfire, and everything is still closed. Interestingly, people here refer to getting the virus as "catching sheep" because the word for sheep (yang) is the same as positive test. So, there are a lot of people catching sheep right now. It's pretty intense. Seems like what the states and the world went through two years ago...
Anyway, with all the chaos outside, Cora, Lea and I signed up for a Mountain Race that was supposed to happen before Halloween but finally sorta happened yesterday. It was delayed four times until it was cancelled and turned into a "flash race" (which means it still happened, but it isn't official because people are afraid to host an official super spreader event). Since the girls and I were feeling good. We got out and "ran" (walked mostly but did it), Ashley stayed home as our emergency contact. It ended up being 7.03 miles with 1486 feet of elevation. We finished it about 4 hours. The race was quite an experience for the girls and I. It was a lot of work, but the girls overcame some fears, built up their confidence, had a lot of fun, and were proud when they finished and got their medals. Even though it was a little chilly in the morning, it turned out to be a beautiful and exciting day. Here are some of the pictures.
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| Pre-race jitters |
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| The start/ finish line |
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| Advertising |
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| They ran for the first 10 minutes... I kept trying to tell them to conserve their energy, but they were too excited. |
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| Cool old pipe of some kind? |
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| Beautiful day |
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| Guangdong Countryside |
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| They kept stopping to pick flowers for Mommy (it was cold, I think Co's face was a little numb) |
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| Silly on the Trail |
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| Going up |
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| Nice view |
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| Proud Papa |
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| Really beautiful day |
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| Guangdong Mountains |
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| There were multiple spots on the trail where ropes were required. These were probably the scariest parts of the trek (going down more so than going up), but they overcame their fears. |
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| Peak |
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| Weird pond in the middle of the mountain |
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| Standard Chicken Farm |
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| Weird fancy houses |
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| Koi fish sidewalk |
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| Bumble bee windmill? |
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| Cameras at the entrance of the last peak |
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| Almost there |
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| Gravesites along the mountain |
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| Home stretch! |
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| Thrilled with their medals (and maybe a little tired) |
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| Waiting for the cab ride home |
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| Pre-Race Fun |
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| Cora was so excited |
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| We did it! |
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Obligatory promotional picture
6 MONTHS TO GO! We love and miss you. See you soon. |
