Gearing Up for the 2011 Mulder Olympics

This note was recently sent out by the 2011 Platte Lake Olympic Committee and I thought my Cliff Note readers would be interested





Dear Family,



The opening ceremony for the 2011 Mulder Olympics is only seven days away and excitement is building among spectators and participants. As we gear up for this annual event, it is important to share some important changes for 2011. The schedule has been adjusted for a several reasons:



1. Athletes from a few countries cannot attend (Houston and Chicago)


2. The team from the country of Providence has to leave on Wednesday


3. Our #1 Olympic fan (Grandma) is leaving on Wednesday


4. Concern has been expressed about the physical trauma the full week event places on our senior athletes. Keith (he is almost a doctor) is worried about Craig and Kevin and Keith is recommending a shortened schedule.



2011 Schedule of Events



Sunday- 8:00 pm - Opening Ceremonies and Torch Lighting

The Olympic flame is currently en route from Toledo to Platte Lake. Several of the most illustrious athletes from the previous Olympic games (Bea Maugeri, Brenda Mulder and Tara Mulder) are proudly carrying the flame on its 287 mile route. But what famous athlete of the Mulder Olympics will carry the flame on its final leg and officially light the torch to start the 2011 Games? Come Sunday to find out.

Monday - All Day

The Olympic grounds along beautiful Platte Lake will be open all day. The 2011 athletes will have a chance to fine tune their skills on the official Olympic course.

Tuesday - Let the Games Begin!!

The 2011 Olympics will include three events:

1) Bean Bag Toss
2) Ladder Ball
3) Canoe Race

The format is as follows:

Bean Bag Toss: Each two person team will have sixteen bags to toss (8 per person). A bag in the hole is worth 3 points and one on the board is worth 1 point. Rather than competing against another team, you are simply going for the highest point total.

Ladder Ball: Each two person team will have twelve bags to toss (6 per person). The top rod is worth 3 points, middle is worth 2 points and the lower rod is worth 1 point. Once again, each team is going for their highest point total.

Canoe Race: Following the success of the 2010 event, canoe racing is back. We will have two races and will use the same course as 2010. This year we will time each canoe and rank the teams based on total time.

The Countries and Teams

Here is the tentative Line Up of Countries and Teams for 2011

Toledo:
Kevin and Bea
Liza and Gabi
Traverse City:
Craig and Kathi
Hannah/Celia and Laurel (Laurel,who lives in Ann Arbor is claiming TC citizenship)
Portage
Cliff and Brenda
Philip and Hannah
Providence
Tara and Mike

Scoring:

The winning team of each event will receive seven points, second place gets six points, third place gets five points, etc. The 2011 Olympic Gold Medalists will be the team with the highest point total after the three events. In the event of a tie, a croquet tournament will determine the champion.

Questions:

The Platte Lake Olympic Committee (Cliff) will be available on Sunday to answer any questions from the participating countries and athletes.

Visiting the Family

Our five days in Capriva was a whirlwind of visiting Brenda's relatives. When Noni (Brenda's Mom) immigrated to the United States in 1947, she was the only one in her family who came to the U.S. All of her other family members have stayed in the Capriva area. This is the main reason Brenda and I have visited six times in the last 11 years.

Altogether we saw 31 relatives including Brenda's Aunt Dora, Uncle Sergio, and numerous first and second cousins. As usual, they treated us like kings and queens. We had wonderful home cooked meals prepared by her first cousin Giorgio and went to incredible restaurants with Valter, Lucia, Felice and their families. We had such a great time and brought with us hugs and kisses from Popi and Noni.

What makes for a great Italian Bed and Breakfast?

Well if you ask Bryan, Keith and Philip, it is a foosball table and a pinball machine. For two of our nights in Capriva, we stayed at the Casa Griunit. Brenda and I first stayed here in 2009 and it is near the center of Capriva and has large, clean rooms. Plus it is really inexpensive - 60 euro a night and each room sleeps three.

Of all of our bed and breakfasts in Italy, Casa Griunit was the boy's favorite. On the lower level, they had a foosball table and an old pinball machine both set up for free play. So Bryan, Phil, Keith and I had many epic rounds and tournaments. It is not what you go to Italy for, but it sure was a nice surprise.

I have a problem: I am a gelatoholic

I doubt gelatoholic is a word, but it best describes by behavior in Italy. As most of you know, gelato is an Italian type of ice cream which is like nothing you have ever tasted. I love the taste of gelato and it doesn't help that Italy has more gelaterias then American has Starbucks. In the first nine hours of our arrival in Capriva, I had gelato four times.

But I am not the only one. All our family members love it ...Bryan, Keith, Laurel and Phil have all inherited my gelato gene. When you see these photos, you will understand why. I think even Jessie and Lisa have become gelatoholics!!

Drinking our way through Italy?

Italians do love the finer things in life, including good wine and tasty liquers. A highlight of our trips to Italy is drinking the Grion wine (produced by Noni's family including her brother Sergio and nephew Gorgio). Plus we toured a winery in Tuscany and tasted limoncello along the Cinque Terre. We also had the "Spritz Aperol". This drink is served over ice (a rarity in Italy) and includes aperol, soda and sparkling white wine. And a trip to Italy is not complete without a sip of grappa.

Italy and Disney 2011

I went nearly one month without a Cliff Notes posting. Well, I had a good excuse. On June 27th we left for a two week trip to Italy followed by a one week trip to Disney. We flew directly from Rome to Orlando. We have been planning our trip to Italy for a couple years and the dates just happened to fall near the Raymond James Summer Development Conference at Disney. A three week vacation was exhausting, but we loved it.

To fill you in on our trip, I am taking one or two items each day and sharing some thoughts and photos. I hope you enjoy...

The Really Big News!

On Father's Day, Bryan and Jessie took me out for dinner. They were visiting us in Kalamazoo and while we were eating, they handed me my Father's Day card. As I tore open the envelope, they both seemed very interested in my response. Well, here is the cover of card.

As you may have guessed, this was their way of announcing Jessie's pregnancy. The newest little Mulder (or Chewbacca as we call him) is due on January 22, 2012. How exciting!! Bryan and Jessie will make wonderful parents since they are both responsible and playful at the same time. Jessie is taking great care of herself and is even following the baby's development on an Iphone application.

I can see a lot of visits to Chicago in 2012.