As the swim season winds down

The swim season is winding down.  Heidi is grateful.  I feel like it was a good season.  Tyler and Kira were gone a lot and swam okay for how much they practiced.  Blake struggled with his attitude/depression/anxiety and his swimming suffered.  He felt like if he wasn't on the A relay, then why swim at all?  I tried telling him that swimming has been the best therapy for my depression and anxiety but he wasn't having any of it.  In the end, Blake made county and felt good about that.  Parker didn't swim much; he preferred to just play at the pool with his friends.  His technique was not awesome and would not take stroke advice.  

Hanna was the cutest.  She always swam with a smile.  The older kids on the team love to fawn over her, do her hair, ask her about her times, and it's cute.  Here she is right before the 25 butterfly.  

Scott had a sectionals meet in Roseville with the Aquabears.  He got 8th in the 50 meter free (24.22), 3rd in the 4x100 free relay (52.5 split), and qualified for junior nationals.  He was pleased about his performances.  I am most pleased that he enjoys his time swimming, performs at a respectable level, and has good friends.  

Woodlands coaches

Scott with Anna, Jacob and Zach

Tuff guy before the 50 free

Went to din din with the Skabelunds after.  Shari was Heidi's coach at BYU.  

I did the national anthem on Saturday at the Conference meet and on Sunday at the sectionals meet.  The first was planned.  For the last, I approached the announcers desk and asked, "Do they do the national anthem before finals?"  

"Yes."

"Do you have someone lined up to sing it?"

"No.  We're going to do the recording."

"Then I volunteer as tribute."  The announcer was skeptical, like, Who's this guy, randomly showing up, claiming to be able to sing?  Mimi was a meet official and vouched for me.  It was not my best performance but it wasn't bad.  They said, "Representing the Walnut Creek Aquabears, Danny McMillan will sing the national anthem."  My goal is that other people think,  I can sing just as good,  and we never play the recording again.  But we're not in Utah.  

Okay, bye.  
 

Annual McMillan family reunion

Kira and Tyler left to the east coast for the annual McMillan family reunion, a 10 day church history tour guided by John Peterson.  We opted to stay behind because we did not think Parker would survive the bus ride, and we did not think the others would survive with Parker on board.  

We instead had a mini-vacation, starting with some work at Vecna's (The Clayton property).  Heidi purchased the windows while the kids and I got donuts for good grades.  Then we ran the RC cars at Vecna's the rest of the afternoon.  

On Friday we left for Big Trees in Calaveras county.  Last time we went was 2014 and I thought the kids would enjoy it but Blake fought with Parker and Hanna quite a bit and it was not enjoyable.  The trees are impressive, though.  

The kids enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at Beaver Creek.  

On Saturday we went to Pine Crest.  I thought it would be fun to run the RC boats but it was packed, packed, packed, and we couldn't do it.  People were blaring their music so loud that even after we asked them to turn it down, we ended up just moving our camp.  I would not return to Pinecrest again but one of my prior co-workers really loved it. 

Here's Hanna with her cute new sunglasses

Scott obtained some new Pit-Vipers and got a pair for Heidi.  

On Saturday night we tried to go to Dragoon Gulch for a hike but the kids were melting down.  Scott and I went to the tractor pulls at the Sonora fair.  The other kids did not want to come.  The tractor pulls were the highlight of the trip for Scott and me.  We saw over 60 pulls.  One tractor was a turbine.  Several were V-12s.  Most were pushrod V-8s, some as large as 650 cubic inches.  Only one engine blew and it was memorable.  I don't know how people can survive those events without ear plugs.  

One of my requirements for a hotel was continental breakfast.  The Best Western of Sonora did not disappoint.  

On Sunday we went to the Jamestown historic railroad museum of 1897.  We rode a train pulled by a 100+ year old locomotive with a rich history of service.

All of us started on the tour but Blake was acting out and had to be monitored by Heidi.  Scott and I completed the tour and learned a lot about the history of several locomotives and their roles in cinema.  The #3 locomotive was the most famous and made an appearance in Back to the Future III.  

Scott found some turbos in the junkyard

Popcorn for the train ride

Parker enjoyed his pinwheel

It was a fun trip but could have been a day shorter.  I was burned out of working so hard but vacationing with my kids is not relaxing.  

We got updates from my sibs with pictures of Kira and Tyler.  Despite how much he complained about how lame it was going to be, Tyler seems to be enjoying himself.