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The Regatta (subtitled: The Cold Day at the River)

We went to Columbus yesterday to watch Daughter #1 row in her first regatta. She's a club-level novice. I've marked her here with the arrow. Not knowing quite where to sit or station ourselves, we parked our chairs by the OSU tent and hunkered down, waiting for the boat to pass by. At the next regatta, we'll know to spend more time at the dock where the activity is.

I have no idea how many schools were represented at this series of races, but there were more long boats (they have a name which escapes me at the moment), and more rowers and oars and tents and trailers than I could keep track of. There was also more mud and muck than I could step over, given the weather in Ohio over the last few days.

While I'm glad there aren't more regattas to attend this fall, I'm excited that there are more to attend next spring. It's a fascinating sport, and it's satisfying to see #1 so enthusiastic about being a part of it. OH-IO.

Now about the subtitle. It was 40ish in degrees, and the wind was gusting at 35 to 40 mph, shooting leaves like bullets into unsuspecting faces. The clouds were thick and behaved like the antithesis of a thermal blanket--blocking out any rays from the sun and causing us to huddle like bunnies in a pile of coats and scarves and mittens. I started referring to them as Bastard Clouds, but daughter #2 scolded me for my vulgarity. They were bastards just the same.

The OSU tent offered burgers and cookies and the usual picnic stuff, which was nice, but still...it was cold, and that's all I can say. After about 30 seconds of pelting sleet, #2 and I left #1 and my husband and went to the mall, where we stayed warm until it was time to meet up with the rest of the family for dinner.

Here's one more picture of the Scioto River and the fall colors, which when the sun was allowed to peak through for brief moments, glowed like gold.

Comments

Sassy Sundry said…
Brrrrr. Good for Daughter #1 for being so fit, and good for you for saying "bastard." It was horrid here yesterday. Driving rain and wind blowing so hard that it knocked the power out for a few hours. I'll have to post pictures of the river I live on.
4:18 PM
Scout said…
Ooooh, no power. Did you curl up on the couch with a book and candles? I love when the power goes out, although I love when the power comes back on eventually as well. Odd, I wouldn't want to ever live without electricity, but I like to switch things up now and then and do without.
4:30 PM
Sassy Sundry said…
Actually, I had been huddled indoors all day long at that point, and I couldn't bear to be in here another second. So I went to a bookstore and read for a couple of hours (bought the book too---ever read Ruth Reichl? I'd read two of her other books before, but I'd never read Comfort Me with Apples).
4:46 PM
Scout said…
Sassy, I'm afraid I've never read anything by Ruth Reichl. I used to read like a fiend, but over the last several months I can't seem to find time, or inclination, or attention span, or a combination of all of the above. I've started several books, and have only finished one--The Kite Runner.
7:11 PM
Ms Mac said…
How very cool! Rowing is supposed to be one of the most intensive sports you can partake in. I'm quite sure that applies to the spectators too! ;-)
2:28 AM
dive said…
We're wimps here in Norfolk.
We have our regattas in summer.

And although I used to sail and row, these days I just zoom about in the rescue boat (not that I ever have anyone to rescue; just kids stranded in the middle of the broad in need of a tow).

And in case you think the rescue boat sounds at all glamorous, it's like a six by four foot galvanised metal tray (flat bottomed for all the reeds) with a puny outboard. However it is rather good for keeping beer cool, in a string bag over the side …
5:09 AM
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