More Racing...

Chloe had a weekend of two northeast regional races May 15-16. She finished on the podium on race #1 but was crashed into in the pre-final of race #2 that kept her off of the podium in that race. The entire weekend was a bit frustrating and the chassis got bent when she was wrecked by another competitor, a chassis that has only seen three races! Luckily, we got her chassis sorted out before we hit the road for Canada on Wednesday evening to compete in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship outside Toronto. Unfortunately though, Chloe's motors that were with the engine builder didn't get returned to us in time for the races in Canada and Chloe would have to run on a rented motor (UPS returned the motors as they thought they smelled odd and didn't ship them).

 

The race was at Goodwood Kartways and we were joined by our fellow racers and friends who stayed with us in the RV (yup, 9 people in the RV).

Our view from the RV.

 

The kids playing on track after racing.

 The off-track highlight was when Sonja and I went to purchase beer. If you've never bought beer in Ontario, you're missing out. Straight from the movie "Strange Brew" with conveyer belt and all.

Lets just say I burst into laughter and had to leave the store, eh. Sonja had to step in and complete the transaction. She managed to keep a straight face until she hit the exit. When we returned and I recounted my experience to Matt, he said, "Yea, its Canada, what did you expect you hoser?".

As for the racing, the real reason we were in Canada, Chloe started the week off well. When it came to the race days though, she seemed off pace. It wasn't until after Saturday's race that it was discovered that her chassis was bent (again!) after a tangle during a practice session. Once again the chassis was repaired and her lap times improved by half a second!

While Chloe didn't do as well as hoped (she was really disappointed after Sunday's race and it was heartbreaking to see), we have no doubt that Chloe will be more competitive in the next round of ECKC racing when we have her new chassis and her own motors.

On the way back from racing, we stopped at Niagara Falls.

And, just in case you wonder what we do at the track when we're not watching Chloe race, here's a snippet.

Kindergarten Festival

The kindergarten teachers and students at Oliver's school put on a festival towards the end of every school year with singing and dancing. It's a very cute way to celebrate the closing of the school year.

 

Oliver and his BFF.

And in case you're still wondering what goes on at a Kindergarten Festival, here's a video of the last song and show ending...wait for the surprise!!
 

Canadian Club Racing

My Mother's Day was spent at the track. In Quebec.

 

Whatever, it was fun and my daughter got on the podium for me!

 

Chloe is running with a Canadian race team this race season and many of our races will be taking place in Quebec and Ontario. Our first Canadian race was this past weekend and Chloe did really well racing in her MiniMax on a wet race day. She came in third.

We brought along two extra passengers this weekend, Dylan and Karsten, who didn't race but were under our watch as their parents competed in a cross-country race (fun). The boys didn't race which meant Oliver had someone English speaking to hang out with, which he loved.

Emma Claire had Dylan and Karsten all to herself until big sister and brother arrived home from school.

 

Our campsite. Not the most scenic.

The three boys watching the racing.

Chloe on grid with her wets on.

Emma Claire loved jumping in puddles. I think I changed her clothes at least twice daily.

MiniMax podium.

Birthday Bike Ride

Along the bike route.

Both Oliver and Chloe outgrew their bicycles so we went to a local bike shop and purchased them new bikes. It's amazing how fast Oliver has progressed on a bicycle. He taught himself how to ride a bike in the fall and now he is on a bicycle with gears before age 6.

We stopped for ice cream at the turn-around point (mile 11).

Since winter finally decided to depart and spring never really showed up, we've enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather (YIPPPPPEEEE!!!!) that's perfect for bike rides along our county maintained bike path. We went for our first family bike ride on my birthday and made the trek from our village and back without any complaints!! That's over twenty miles and Oliver kept a blistering pace most of the time to insure he was the leader of the pack.  It was a great ride, day out and birthday!

Swim Banquet

 

Chloe's swim team annual dinner and awards was this week. Chloe got recognized for her swim times and got to hang around her swim friends out of the water. Only Chloe and I got to attend the event as Matt was on business in India and the event lasted a little too long for Oliver and Emma Claire (so they got to spend quality time with the babysitter).

 

 

Chloe getting an award.

Watching the end of year slide show.

Chloe dancing!! What?!