READING: Various sources on the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and the end of the Second Empire in France.
SWIMMING NEWS: Friday we left for Tennessee to attend Matt's first college swimming competition meet at the University of Tennessee, a 3-way meet between IU/Tennessee/Kentucky. The meet was Saturday and we stayed an extra day, driving back Sunday. The IU boys beat both Tennessee and Kentucky while the girls beat Kentucky but fell to the Tennessee Lady Vols.
Photo: Matt swimming the backstroke at a meet for the first time in about a year and a half...he did well with a nice finish time. Watching Matt swim was so much fun, he did really well, no new best times yet as it is early in the season, but he was very close to his best times, so that was encouraging and he was chosen to swim on the A relay, so he was very happy about that, a great deal for a freshman.
Photo: Matt in white cap with red "Indiana" in lane 5. 100 Freestyle, Matt finished first in heat 1 of 2...was so much fun to see his name up on the board with that "IU" affiliation and that number 1 finish...let's hope we keep seeing a lot of that through the years!
He swam the 50 Free, 100 Free, 100 Back, and on the 200 Free A Relay.
Photo: IU guys getting fired up, Matt is at the top. Coach Mike at the left, Coach Loos at the right in the white shirt, Coach Donny seated. Matt really likes all his coaches, which is terribly nice to hear as a parent!
Photo: Matt seated in red towel...just in case you thought I was kidding last week about how much his body has changed with the weight lifting...look at those shoulders...he did not have those two months ago!
Here's the connect for the college swimming site with the article about the meet, girls at the top (Lauren did a great job but I unfortunately did not get a good photo...next time!), boys further down in the page, and Matt's name is mentioned four times, so that is fun.
Photo right: Matt and Ian (Ian is Matt's roommate)
Anyway, we all had a great time and Ian made the travel squad as well so we enjoyed sitting with Ian's parents at the meet and getting to know them better. The Tennessee pool is just a few years old and it is gorgeous, a wonderful place to watch swimming.
COOKING BYTES: I still cannot find fresh persimmons at the market. They are fast becoming the most elusive thing to locate and I am going to need them soon for the Thanksgiving round-up post the Twitter pals are participating in. The search continues. Where are these things hiding out? Anyone? I am figuring they were/are in season as Mitchell, IN had their big persimmon festival a few weeks ago, surely they were ripe by then, right? It's a mystery.
FAV NEW FIND: Nick Malgieri's The Modern Baker: Time-Saving Techniques for Breads, Tarts, Pies, Cakes, and Cookies cookbook has been reissued and is now out in very nice paperback book with beautiful photos. This is a wonderful book of recipes and I was so happy to hear that it is available again for order. You might want to put this on your Christmas list as the recipes are delicious, well-written, and, best of all, you get successful results on the first try, so here's a connect for you, nice and handy, click here.
FAV THIS PAST WEEK: Going to Tennessee was very nice. The drive was lovely with all the changing leaf colors and the beauty of the mountains of eastern Tennessee. We had terrific weather all three days.
WEEK IN REVIEW: The week went really fast with work, getting ready for the trip, driving to Tennessee, etc. All fun. The Hawks beat the Hoos in football in IC, no surprise. It's a win/win when one is a HooHawk fan...I like either team to win...this does not, however, hold true when it is basketball season...I'm Hoo all the way then, except when Hawks are playing the Boilermakers, then I'm definitely on the Hawk side of the blacks and golds. Big Ten Basketball season cannot get here fast enough.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: Checking out this Heartland exhibit at the ISM. This is what's happening at the ISO this coming week: Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony.
PRAYING FOR: Stuart, a 16 year old boy at GCHS battling cancer for the past 17 months, please join me.