It's Not About the Bike

Teamwork is one of the qualities that is really hard to force on any group. It often has to grow out of a mutual respect and understanding between group members. Sometimes it works best when it extends beyond the core activity and develops organically through shared experiences. Last night we were working on a little Headstrong teamwork.

For those of you that don’t know, Cristina Lindsey is now a proud homeowner. Linz invited our expert chef (Ray) and expert eater (me) along with supporting cast members Emily, Brian and Sam over dinner last night and we had a blast. You know what they say…a team that plays together stays together…err, is that, a team that eats together stays together? OK, I made that up but you get the idea.

As I arrived at Linz’s house, I was seriously impressed that there was a sign in her yard proclaiming that her yard was the “Yard of the Month” in her neighborhood. I might be able to give Linz a few tips on the bike this season, but now I know that she can definitely give me some tips on yard maintenance and landscaping!

In the kitchen, Ray walked Linz through the preparation of his popular fish tacos and we all pitched in to lend a hand. Emily made some awesome guacamole for starters. Brian’s slaw was coming along great until he realized that his avocado dressing would have to be made using avo’s that were as hard as baseballs. He did not despair and hatched an ingenious plan to pulverize those little beauties in the blender. Let’s just say it wasn’t his best effort, but he made the avocado soup work in the slaw. I decided that instead of baking brownies at home I would mix up the batter, pour it into the pan and bake them at Linz’s house. Now that worked like a charm as the smell of baking brownies is hard to beat.

Let me just say that the meal was a huge success. Linz’s first attempt at fish tacos was very yummy and we all ate our fill. We ate a lot and laughed even more. We told some stories and relived some awesome experiences right there at the kitchen table. We were even treated to a retelling of Emily “The Hammer” Woods’ now infamous Mallet Wonking story from Master’s Nationals. That had us all crying just like it did in Bend. Man this is a fun group of people.