Brian Phelps competed in a race in San Francisco, swimming from Alcatraz (the island with the prison on it) and then running over the Golden Gate Bridge and other places in the city. The above photo shows him on the bridge; we have seen another photo of him in the same race emerging from the beach in a frog-man wet suit, which captures the action-hero aspect of the competition. The running portion of the race was more than ten kilometers long, but this probably was not as difficult as the swimming portion, which was perhaps a few miles long, especially since the swimmers were pushed off-course by stronger-than-expected currents. Brian performed better than expected, finishing eighteenth in his category, and he might again compete next year. Congratulations, Brian.

At the time of Brian and Karen's wedding (pictured in the archives), Clare's family in New Mexico brought Matt and Clare to a hotel on an Indian (Native American) reservation; the hotel and the restaurant were so good and interesting that Matt's parents later visited too. ** A photo of the shadow of the London Eye reveals its size, as the people are like ants, when we hadn't even yet reached the top. ** Clare punted in Cambridge on Matt's birthday; when Matt tried to punt through the same (or a similar) bridge, his pole got stuck on the bridge and he nearly fell in: unlike his brother Brian, Matt is afraid to swim in natural bodies of water - though in the Cam there are fewer Great Whites.