What a crazy month this has been here (just north of Lafayette, Louisiana). We have been very fortunate. Hurricane Rita damaged the fence and hammered my banana plants and my other tropicals. We were without power for 15 hours - a minor inconvenience relatively speaking.
I was most concerned for the many hummingbirds who have adopted me and depend on me for 2+ quarts of nectar a day divided among 5 feeders. Watching them is so amazing. Friday, the eve of the storm, brought strong gusts of wind and rain. The size of these birds belies their strength. They surge through it all and manage to consume amazing amounts of food in spite of the fact that their feeders are swinging in the wind. They are most active just before sunset. Standing a few feet away, I watch them and listen to their chirps and the sound of their wings. Normally, they are territorial and stage little fights. Sometimes you can hear the beaks make contact like tiny sword fighters. The evening of this storm there was none of that behavior. They took turns feeding and just seemed to be intent on fueling up for the night ahead. Occasionally one of them will fly up to me, hover and dart back for more nectar. If I observe them from inside the house through the window, I'm no more than 2 feet away from them and they seem to realize that I'm the lady who fills the feeders. The worst of the storm hit around 3AM. When I got up the next morning, I honestly didn't expect to see my birds, but Barry had already refilled and hung the feeders I had removed to protect from damage during the storm. In the back of the house was a female (who really does own that feeder) perched on the S hook waiting for me to replace her feeder. There were definitely fewer birds, but the numbers continued to increase throughout the day and it seems most are back and completely unharmed. I've been researching Digital SLR cameras and hope to get a lens that will allow me to take pictures of these birds as well as lots more (bodybuilding) images for my web site. At this point I've decided to go with the Konica Minolta 7D. This picture was taken with my Olympus C-5050 zoom camera.
It has been heart breaking to watch all the innocent animals suffer throughout these storms. Knowing that some are as resilient as hummingbirds gives me hope.
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When I was in Las Vegas for the USA, I had the opportunity to work with Mike Yurkovic of Physique Art, Inc. I'll be preparing a gallery soon with these pictures. Here's one of the images that I like.
Just a quick post to all my concerned family and friends to let you know that all is well. We had a little high wind, but nothing significant. We are very grateful since it could have been so much worse.
There will be lots to do and many months before things return to normal for the people in Katrina's path. My thoughts and best wishes are with them.
It seems telephone (land lines and cellular) service aren't working right now, so email may be the best way to communicate in the next several days.
Thank all of you who have written and for your good thoughts and wishes!
On July 30th, Amanda Dunbar won the light heavyweight and overall titles at the USA Bodybuilding Championships in Las Vegas, NV. It has been my distinct pleasure to have assisted her with her contest preparation over the last several months. She was unwavering in her determination and dedication and I am grateful that she trusted me to get her in her best ever condition. Congratulations Amanda and welcome to the IFBB! You can see more of Amanda Dunbar on her web site at: www.amandad.com
This year has been fantastic for the athletes I've assisted. Jennifer Chehardy won the lightweight at the Southern Classic in Jackson, MS and was the lightweight winner at the Junior Nationals in Chicago on June 19th. Look for her to move up to national level competition next year...For those of you who may be interested in working with me on their contest preparation, I'll be adding a new page to my web site with more information. In the meantime, you can drop me an email with specific questions regarding this service.
Important news for those who care to make a difference!
On September 24, my wonderful niece Christy Dodge is going to make a difference in the lives of some very special people by participating in Walk for the Gold®! Walk for the Gold® is a premier fund raiser for Special Olympics Northern California and Christy will be joining hundreds of other people to help raise money for this wonderful organization. If you'd like to make a monetary pledge on behalf of Christy (or on behalf of me for Christy) you can follow this link.
Good news, ya'll! My member's section is open on my web site. There, you can find lots of galleries and video clips with more being added weekly. Here's an example of one of many you can view there...
Drop by, pay a visit and let me know how you like it and what you'd like to see more of.
Here's a picture from Saturday's leg and calves training session. I'll be posting workout galleries on my web site soon covering each body part along with video clips.
The member's section should be opening any day now. I hope to have lots of interesting and hopefully, motivating pictures covering competitions, candid shots, studio shots and lots more.
I just posted new update pics for my countdown to the Master's Nationals July 23rd. Here's one of my favorites we took. You can view more by clicking on the link above.
Here I am with my Hummer H1 loaner from Gerry Lane Hummer in Baton Rouge. We were due for an oil change (free for as long as you own your vehicle) on our H2 and Barry was able to take advantage of the sale prices at the mall. He insisted I drive and I fell a bit in love with this new Alpha model H1. It has the duramax diesel engine and is much quieter and more powerful than previous models. The interior is improved as well and it is so much fun to drive. I enjoyed every minute and wished I had a ranch in New Mexico where such a vehicle makes a lot more sense. Gerry Lane has a new showroom off I-10 and it is a must-see if you're in the area. I've been in this truck over the obstacle course and it is the most fun you can have going slow. The staff at Gerry Lane are amazing and I can't recommend them highly enough if you're in the market for a Hummer H1, H2 or the new H3 (made in Shreveport, LA) which they say are selling extremely well.
Today was made really great by a terrific leg workout with my training partner and husband, Barry. We squatted, supersetted extensions with adductor work and finished with seated leg curls. Calves were done with extended and bent leg exercises. We get the best results using moderate weight and high reps (at least 30) for calves with lots of stretching in between sets.
I'm training and dieting for the Master's Nationals in Pittsburgh, July 23rd. This contest has become a pro-qualifier for the women's bodybuilding and figure division winners for the first time this year. My contest prep is going very well and I'll be adding lots of details about this in the coming weeks. The photo was taken last Saturday along with several others you can view on my web site.
Welcome to my journal. This is the place where you can keep up to date on all the occasions and events in my life. I'll be writing about my own bodybuilding contest preparation as well as notes about the athletes I'm working with. I'll be sharing my thoughts on and pictures of the contests I attend as an NPC judge for the state of Louisiana as well as the competitions I attend as a spectator and/or "Coach". I hope you enjoy reading about my world and that I can help to inspire you toward achieving your personal fitness goals.
