February

After a very busy December and January, February was pretty quiet. And cold. Very cold. We had one week where the temperature didn't manage to get above zero.

School gymnastics came to a close, meaning the end of Laura's gymnastics era. The team finished second in the first round of district finals, progressing to regional finals where they did a great job but unfortunately didn't qualify for the state finals.

W-L gymnastics varsity team.

Action shot on bars.

Laura was scheduled to have two cheer competitions which would have taken us away for the weekend, but both got cancelled very last minute meaning we had no plans. There was a lot of sitting in front of the fire drinking wine!

Russ and I ventured out one Saturday to the International Car Show at the DC Convention Centre, which had all manner of cars ranging from the everyday Mazda and Honda to Aston Martin and Rolls Royce. I was quite taken by the Aston Martin DBX, their first SUV, however at USD$250k I think I'll stick with less exotic vehicles for now! 

Dreaming of the DBX.

We sat in a Tesla Cybertruck while at the show. They are the weirdest looking vehicles, but incredibly comfortable for both driver and passengers. Would never be seen dead driving one in public though!

Weird but comfy.

We had another snow storm in mid February, this time during the day. Unlike last time where we woke up to a winter wonderland, this time we got to watch it progressively build up over the day.

Front view morning.....

....afternoon....

...evening.

Back yard morning....

....afternoon....

.....evening.

The kids got another snow day, but then it rained, so unlike our first snow which lasted about three weeks on the ground (just ice by the end), this time it was gone within 24 hours.

As Part of his American Studies program Russ traveled to Texas during the period 18-23 February, and in particular visited McAllen (which is down on the US/Mexico border) and San Antonio. 


The overarching purpose of the trip was to look at the application of US policy on immigration and the effect it has at both a state and federal level. Texas is one of those places where the cliche fits the bill - Texas is big, and things in Texas are done in a Texas way. Travelling through Texas looks a lot like travelling across the Hay or Nullabour Plain, big wide open spaces, just with oil fields dotted across the landscape.

First up was the small town of McAllen which is situated on the Rio Grande river, and one of the epicentres for immigrants crossing into the US. 

The Rio Grande river. The US on the left and Mexico on the right.

The wall.

A Texas boot shop. Yes, Russ bought a pair!

A night out with a bit of line dancing.

After spending a few days in McAllen talking with local representatives on the issues a small town facing, in the light of a national discussion on illegal immigration, the course headed to San Antonio. The time in San Antonio saw a continuation of the discussion on immigration, but also looking at energy production, and the role of journalism. 

A beautiful riverwalk weaving through downtown.

River cruises by day...

...and night.

No trip to San Antonio would be complete without a visit to the Alamo https://www.thealamo.org/

Scale model of the Alamo

To finish up the month, Ben had a Scout trip the last weekend of February, this time to Virginia Beach for a jam-packed weekend. 

No phones allowed, so there are no photos, however they did a tour of USS G.H.W.Bush, one of the newest nuclear powered aircraft carriers in the US Navy at the Norfolk Naval Base, before heading to Virginia Beach for ten-pin bowling and rock climbing. The next day the boys did indoor skydiving before heading home.

USS G.H.W.Bush (not Ben's pic!)








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