Wilderness Trail on the Web

We were not the only people hiking the 5-mile loop of the Claremont Wilderness Park this morning. With the wonderful weather that we've been having this summer, we could hike the trail from 9:30-11 and not get too hot. Many, many other people took advantage of the loop today, as well.

I discovered a website that shows the route along with pictures. The only difference between that website and our hike is that we take the route the opposite direction.

Quakes

Once a summer you just gotta go to a baseball game. It didn't hurt that we had coupons for 2 free tickets to see the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and see where we sat! Just behind home base, and not too far up. I was pleasantly surprised that the people around us were not annoying - no foul language or anything. The family in front of us with two school-age boys and a little girl made it through 6 1/2 innings before the children got tired and cranky.

Armchair Travel

This year finds some of my friends flung to the far corners of the earth. And while I dream about our next sabbatical, it is still three years away. For now, I will be content reading blogs and following my friends on the internet.

My friend, Pat, is spending a sabbatical year in Christchurch, New Zealand and has started a blog called Down Under and Over about her family's adventures in the land of the kiwi.

Friend Deb has taken a job in Doha, Qatar working for Northwestern University-Qatar as dean of students. Her DeanDebra blog is here.

Another family we know will be spending the year in Denmark, and although a blog promises to appear, it hasn't yet.

A Great Loss

The Harvey Mudd College and Claremont community has lost a dear friend and colleague this summer. Gray Bell, the first physics professor at HMC, passed on last week. Gray was a warm, generous person whom I had the pleasure to know for the past 24 years. I will miss him.

First Came Plums, Now Come Peaches

Produce is ripening late this year because we've had cooler than usual temps all spring and much of the summer. Usually the peaches are finished by the end of July, but they are just starting now. Yesterday I made 12 half-pints of peach jam. Four are regular, 8 have crystalized ginger. I'm curious to see how these ones come out!

I also made some peach salsa, but it is gone and I'll have to make more. Darn!

New Mexican Restaurant

I've always held that the best Mexican food came from places which didn't worry too much about overhead. You know, the dives. We enjoy Patty's and Los Jarritos frequently. Now Claremont has a nice sit-down Mexican restaurant in Village West - Casa Moreno. You could call it a chain if you want since the original is in Covina. The decor is quite nice. You can watch sports on two tvs at the bar, but the sound is off, so it's not too loud.

The service was good, and it seemed that it was fairly busy, which is a good sign.

Hal had the Chiles Rellenos which were a little greasy, but alright.

I ordered the Mole Poblano - Grandma Teresita's Special, and it was delicious.

Claire's plans to move to Boston seem to be materializing. This week one of her new roommates found a place for 4 in Allston, a neighborhood of Boston bordering Brookine where we lived on sabbatical when Claire was 4. She sent her roomie a check for first, last and security. Although this is not a picture of her exact apartment building, it is similar to her new digs and just down the block. The lease starts on Sept. 1.

Success!

All it took was for Hal to check all the settings on my scanner software, and *presto chango* I can scan my medium format negatives in color or b/w! A little clean-up (removing dust and color correction) in Photoshop Elements, and, voila! I have only done one negative at this point. The deal is, I pay Claire to scan all my negs by buying her a ticket to Boston next month. More on this in a future post.

This photo was taken in the 1970s when the youth group I was in (First Baptist Church of Wichita, KS) drove our blue bus to Detroit to paint a church. Here we are unpacking upon arrival.

Medium Format Negatives

A few weeks ago I ran across a pile of old negatives from my brownie camera. While squinting at them, I found some that I no longer have copies of the prints for, and I would really like to have some of them again. I have a scanner which will do slides and 35mm negatives, but no matter which setting I try, it just won't read the 2 1/4" square negatives. I am looking online for photo services, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to pay $0.99-1.99 per print. Maybe someone I know has such a scanner and will let me use it....

Cheapskate Does Not Necessarily Mean Bargain Hunter

I am attracted to magazine covers that promise new ways to save money. I stand in line at the store to read the article, pick it up at the doctor's office or check it out of the library. Invariably, I learn that if I buy clothes that don't need to be dry cleaned, I'll save hundreds of dollars over year and other equally obvious tips.

So when I saw Jeff Yeager on the Today Show touting his new book The Cheapskate Next Door, I thought I would read what he had to say about me. Of course, I checked the book out of the library, since I really am a cheapskate. In the best sense of the word. No kidding. The subtitle of the book, The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means, supports my idea that being frugal and thrifty, isn't dowdy and boring, but is actually cool and fun.

Before daughter #2 takes off to her first apartment, first job, her own independent life, I am going to make her read this book. Of course, our example of frugal living throughout the childhoods of my daughters ought to be a good foundation for them both, but it never hurts to hear good advice from someone other than one's parents.

Back to My Baseball Roots

If you know me, you know I am a Dodger fan. In 1988 when Kirk Gibson hit his walk-off home run against the A's in the World Series, I got the religion. It doesn't hurt that I am married to an Orel Hershiser look-alike. Orel won the Cy Young Award that year.

The Dodgers played in the post-season last year, but this year they are in trouble. With the McCourt's divorce and all, I don't have great hope. By which I mean, I have no hope at all.

So what's a girl to do? Look at the standings and realize that my first true baseball love is doing well and follow that team. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, my Dad watched the Sox on WGN and took me to Comisky Park. I learned how to say Luis Aparicio and No-Neck Williams.

Funny thing happened with I looked at the current roster. I found out where my favorite Dodger from last year, Juan Pierre, went. Yay! So, even though I don't get WGN, I can still follow the games online.

Claremont Summer Tradition

You know it's summer in Claremont when - it's Monday night and it's time for another Concert in the Park. Last night Memorial Park hosted the Sgt Pepper's Beatles Tribute Band. (I assume these lads are the group of that name from Northridge, and not the band from New Orleans.) Thank goodness the night air has finally cooled down so we could enjoy sitting on lawn chairs, watch the people wander the park, see the crowd up front dancing and hope that the kids climbing the tree don't fall down and break something.

Little Bee

Next week our book group will be discussing Little Bee by Chris Cleave. This has been on the bestseller list for a while now, and with the promise of a story of a Nigerian girl, I was excited to read it. It started off well enough. The voice of the Nigerian protagonist was appealing and it traded off chapters with the English woman, Sarah whose son who lives every day in his Batman costume. Cute.

When the story starts focusing on Sarah's failing marriage, the writing gets more pedantic. As the story of "what happened" a few years before unravels, it is hard to believe that the self-centered Sarah would have behaved as she did at the ocean in Nigeria.

From then on the plot becomes more and more contrived, and the back story of Little Bee never really materializes.

Perhaps my book club will give me more reason to appreciate the book, but for now, I will continue to read my sister's blog about real people in Nigeria.

Heat Buster, Part 4

Another great place to enjoy the air conditioning is the Laemmle Theatre. The best idea is to choose a long movie that lasts for a good part of the afternoon. At 160-some minutes, Inception fit the bill, and we were not the only people who had that idea.

The movie itself was interesting, though confusing at times (Hal had to explain some of it to me after it was over), and the visual effects were pretty amazing. A little too much of the shoot-em-up parts, the music was pedantic (and loud), but I'd have to say "see it" - and I liked it way better than Avatar.

The Beach to Beat the Heat

Our heat wave rolls along with relief promised by Tuesday. We were not the only people who had the idea to hit the beach today. Hal packed up our bikes and headed to Huntington Beach. Riding up the beach path for 3.75 miles, we arrived at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve where we saw lots of birds, including terns, egrets, and plovers. Our house was 87 degrees when we arrived home. Perhaps we should have spent the night by the ocean....

Hot Weather Vegetables

Three vegetables grow best in hot weather: tomatoes, squash and peppers. Our one yellow squash plant is very, very happy this summer. I've been enjoying all kinds of sautéd dishes which feature this vegetable. I also like to pick the basil and rosemary from the herb garden for seasoning.

As you can see, along with normal-looking squash, we also get very odd-looking squash.

Weather

Summer has officially arrived. We've had a cooler than usual June and beginning of July, but starting yesterday, the heat came blasting down. Today there are beautiful cumulus clouds over the mountains where there are flash flood watches, but only a 20% chance of rain.

It is so hot that I have taken refuge in the air-conditioned Honnold Cafe with an iced drink, my laptop and book.

Tiling Project, Part 2

Living Room fireplace before and after! The before picture is from 1994 when we were in escrow on the house.

Tiling Project, Part 1

Kitchen backsplash before and after!

New Library Hours at the Claremont Library

The Claremont Library has changed hours for the first time in a few years. Although it will be open more hours, it will be closed on Mondays. I think I will like the fact that it opens at 10 a.m. on most weekdays, although I probably won't take advantage of the 8 a.m. opening on Fridays and Saturdays.

Another Kogi Adventure

Since Mom and Dad are here for a visit, we thought a trip to the Kogi truck was in order. Here are some shots from our adventure.

Mom orders one burrito and one taco.
I have a new name - Sharly. Mom's new name is Tely.
The sky was beautiful on the way home.

Selecting Books

In both book clubs where I am a member, we take turns hosting the group. It is the responsibility of the host to choose the book for discussion. We like books that are out in paperback, and it's good if the book isn't too long. My next turn to host isn't until November, but I want to find a choice that I think everyone will like, or at least be interested in.

I may have found my November pick - Love and Summer by William Trevor. The last Trevor I read, Felicia's Journey, was too grim for me, but this story of a forbidden summer romance between two lost souls is poignant and elegantly written, in true Trevor style.

Eastern Gray Squirrels

Since we have lived in Claremont, the squirrel population has increased dramatically. Apparently, the species we are seeing more of are the invasive eastern gray squirrels which are displacing the native squirrels. My vegan daughter decided that if someone caught one or two, she wouldn't mind eating one since that would not negatively affect the ecosystem. However, after she learned that these squirrels carry plague and other disease, perhaps she'll take a pass.

Borrego Springs Earthquake

Yesterday I felt the 5.4 earthquake near Borrego Springs at 4:55 p.m. about 120 miles southeast of Claremont. It was probably on the San Jacinto Fault. For me, it lasted just about 5 seconds and was a small jolt and a little swaying.

Harvey Mudd College Chemistry

If you want to know what's going on with the chemistry department at Harvey Mudd College, you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and now on their new Tumblr site.

My favorite is the movie of the lead project at Vista del Valle Elementary School which is right now the second post down on the Tumblr site.

See My Other Blog

Today was a great day for me! Read all about it in my music blog.

Star-Spangled Fourth in Claremont

As per tradition, I was out socializing all day with nary a moment to blog. Church, party #1, party #2, parade-viewing, pick up Hal from the airport, party #3, fireworks. Here are some pics from the CUCC parade entry.

Imperfection in Rome

We've come to know Lake Wobegon through the stories of its various citizens, and a small town in Maine where Olive Kitteridge lives through its inhabitants. In the new release, The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachman, the life of an international English-language newspaper published in Rome from the 1950s through 2007 shows itself through the stories of the people who put it to bed every night.

Each chapter explores one character, from the publisher and editor-in-chief, down to the copy editors, and exposes the foibles (hence the title of the book?) of everyone. I read a review of the book and saw the word "Rome" and read it for that reason, but I enjoyed it primarily for the writing, the characters, and the mini plots of each chapter.

Further Adventures with Plums

Today in the quiet house, I made a plum pie (recipe courtesy of Kim), plum crumble (recipe courtesy of the internet), and plum muffins (a recipe of my own experiment).

For the muffins, I took this applesauce muffin recipe and made a sort-of plum sauce, where I boiled plums in water, added sugar and stirred until it was somewhat thick, and used it in place of the applesauce. They are delicious! With plums still falling off of the tree every hour, I think I'll try oatmeal plum muffins tomorrow.

Plum Jam

Yesterday Claire, Kelsey and I made 19 pints of plum jam, and somehow, we didn't use up even half of our plums. Click here to see a little movie of our afternoon adventure on youtube.