Tuesday, April 14, 2009

New buildings, goats, signs, and flowers

The new sign, that seems to keep disappearing, is working fine. As I begin my walk in the morning, it is usually this temperature.

There is a beautiful new building on Tinian! It is part of the large construction company on Tinian, and will be used to work on vehicles and for storage.

Having worked on my share of metal buildings (while working as CEO of a roofing company in Cleveland, Ohio, about half of our work was installing metal roofing and siding, etc., on metal buildings such as this one.

The nice part about this building is that they 'recycled' much of the material used to build it! As you can see, no one would be able to tell it wasn't brand-new material. Congratulations!

The workers continue the interior construction, and they will be installing a gutter system that will be hooked to a water-retention system, to collect rainwater for later usage.

I discovered these stone mounds in a field by the NMC... have no idea of their significance.

They are clearing a large area next to the existing cemetery... hmmm

Say hi to my little friend... but don't get to friendly, as I'm sure he will soon be someones dinner!

The concrete curbing has been installed all the way down to the dock. Now they are working on the sidewalks, and in filling-in the gaps at roads and driveways

This new home by the High School has sat for quite a while without any progress being made

However, right next to it, another new building is going up!


There are some beautiful flowering trees on Tinian!







We have a local from Tinian who is training for the XTerra marathon on Saipan! Joshua Manglona, shown training above, is from Tinian. His parents are James and Emily Manglona. Hegraduated from Tinian High School.
XTerra refers to "off-road." It's a triathlon (swim, bike, and run) that uses rugged trails for the bike and run. The Saipan event is a qualifier for the XTerra Championship in Maui in October. Here's a Saipan Tribune article about XTerra and Tagaman, the triathlon the weekend after XTerra!
Saipan Sports Fest 2009 set to sizzle

XTERRA Saipan Championship and Tagaman Triathlon Set
Saipan Sports Fest 2009 is set to sizzle from April 15 to 26 here in the CNMI. The annual event, set in this tropical paradise in the western Pacific, is expected to attract competitors from around the world for the 8th XTERRA Saipan Championship and the 20th Annual Tagaman Triathlon.
The crown jewel of the XTERRA Global Tour, the XTERRA Saipan Championship will offer competitors of all levels a challenging course on April 18 highlighting Saipan's lush jungles, Japanese caves, and war relics from World War II.
The Tagaman Triathlon on April 25 will give competitors an opportunity to see the most of Saipan. The 2-kilometer swim starts at Pacific Islands Club Saipan in the south, with the 60-km bike taking competitors all the way north to Bird Island. The 15-km run starts and finishes at Micro Beach.
“The Northern Marianas Islands are a tropical island paradise, and this annual sports fest gives us an excellent opportunity to share that beauty with a broad international audience,” said Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Perry Tenorio.
“We're looking forward to another round of strong competition and memorable moments this year.”
This year's events include:
April 17: Tank to Tank Swim, XTERRA Sunset Scramble 5k/10k and awards ceremony, XTERRA Saipan Welcome Reception;
April 18: XTERRA Saipan Championship, XTERRA Sport, XTERRA Kids Bike Race, XTERRA Saipan Championship Awards Ceremony and Awards Dinner;
April 19: XTERRA Saipan Championship Beach Barbeque;
April 20: Bike Tour of Marpi;
April 21: Pro Bike Clinic;
April 22: Tank to Tank Swim, Hash Run; and
April 25: 20th Annual Tagaman Triathlon.
XTERRA Saipan Championship and Tagaman defending champions Andrew Noble and Renata Bucher have confirmed that they will return to defend their PIC Double titles. Julie Dibens, XTERRA 2008 World Champion who also won the women's 2007 XTERRA Saipan Championship, is returning. Ditto for Mike Vine, winner of the first XTERRA Saipan Championship. Current USA Champion and seven-time NORBA winner Shonny Vanlandingham will join the event for the first time.
For further details or to register, visit www.xterraplanet.com or www.saipansports.com.
Mandatory athlete briefing will held at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan beach volleyball ball court area for the XTERRA Saipan Championship on April 17 and for Tagaman on April 24. (PR)
Here is more about the XTerra events:
XTERRA America Tour Opens Sunday
Thursday, March 26, 2009
2009 marks the 14th year of XTERRA off-road triathlon racing and the ninth year of the U.S. amateur series now known as the XTERRA America Tour. This year there are 63 races in 33 states from coast-to-coast, and a pair of the longest standing points series races kick off the dirt-strewn season Sunday with XTERRA Miami in the far southeast and XTERRA REAL nearly 3,000 miles away on Cali's west coast.
Casey Fannin has won the XTERRA Miami off-road tri two years running (as has Rachel Wood in the women's division) and will be back in Florida to see if he can make it a three-peat. Out in Granite Bay, California the legendary Mike Pigg - 1997 XTERRA World Champ and one of the most successful triathletes of all-time - jumps back into the off-road tri scene for the first time in years. A number of familiar names will join him to start their seasons at XTERRA REAL with the likes of multiple-time age group XTERRA World Champions from Reno - Tom Lyons and Kent Robison - along with NorCal ambassadors Janet Soule and Cliff Milliman, Bend, Oregons Dave Cloninger, and last year's men's winner Trevor Glavin from Salinas.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The rocks that was collected that out see are from the 2008-2009 Upward Bound students. It was gathered so that the riding mower will have will go by easily.