Art in Chicago

One of my favorite art museums in the world is the Art Institute in Chicago. We didn't get to go this time, and I plan on going next time I'm in Chicago, because I have not seen the new wing there yet.

We did manage to see some art, though, including the Alexander Calder exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art. I have always enjoyed Calder mobiles, but it is something special to see a whole bunch of them grouped together. We were not allowed to photograph that room, but there was a short movie being shown on the ground floor about the museum, so I snapped a photo of the Calder as shown on the movie. This gives some idea of the exhibit.

The rest of the museum took about 15 minutes to see - exhibits are sparse and few.

We also saw photos at the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College, but I only really enjoyed one photo arrangement by John Baldessari seen here.

Food in Chicago

Chicago is known for hot dogs and deep dish pizza, but we had other fabulous food during our stay.

Highlights:

Zed 451. We were taken out to this amazingly great restaurant near the Magnificent Mile. It is similar in concept to Fogo de Chao (a chain of Brazilian steakhouses), but the food is much more subtle and tastier. First you take a stroll through "Harvest Table" which is a salad bar of a variety of unusual dishes - vegetables, cheeses, breads, etc. Then the chefs come to the table with all kinds of meats, from venison and duck to mahi tuna and chicken. Dessert consisted of many little truffles, cheesecakes, and lemon meringues. We chose to walk back to the hotel rather than take the van so we could help all that delicious food digest.

The Signature Room. At the top of the John Hancock Building sits the Signature Room and Signature Lounge. We made reservations for the restaurant and were fortunate enough to sit at a corner table overlooking both the lake and the Loop. The service was excellent, the views magnificent, and the food was fine, and not too, too overpriced.

Wow Bau. So, this is not fancy at all, but we enjoy Chinese bao when we can find it, and this fast food place inside the Water Tower Place has a variety of things to stuff inside its bao, including my favorite - thai chicken curry.

Argo Tea. Pumpkin Chai. Yum.

Corner Bakery and Cafe. We just like it here.

Reunion

After we left Chicago from our sabbatical, I found seven friends from my elementary school days in Chicago on Facebook. Three of these friends still live in Chicago, and I was excited to have a reunion with them. We attended Murray Elementary School which is now the Murray Language Arts Academy - a magnet school for languages (Spanish, French and Japanese).

After meeting Lynette, Cynthia and Doris at the Third World Cafe, just a block and half from Murray, we walked over to the school which was closed for teacher inservice. We managed to get the vice principal to let us in for a look around, and we spent about an hour there reminiscing about our Kindergarten-3rd grade days. My friends actually went through all public schools in Hyde Park, but my family moved after 3rd grade.

See my earlier post about finding these friends on Facebook!

Architecture Tour

The first thing we did as tourists in Chicago was to take an architectural tour put on by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. This group hosts about 85 different tours, and we chose Historic Downtown (south): Rise of the Skyscraper - a two-hour walking tour. I have put pictures from the tour on my picasa site.

Two years ago we took a river boat architectural tour which we really enjoyed, and this one was probably even better, mostly because we got to go inside of the buildings.

Here is a blog by a woman who is taking all tours. Next time we go back to Chicago, we'll probably take another tour. The architecture of the city is inspiring.

Chicago!

We just got home after a glorious 4-day trip to my favorite city, Chicago. We had a summer day, a fall day, and a nearly winter day, one right after the other. Luckily for us, we got to stay in the Magnificent Mile, so we were walking distance to so many things.

We've been home from our Chicago sabbatical for just over 2 years, but it seemed like no time had passed. Some differences I noticed were: Trump Tower (in photo) is now finished, scaffolding around the Carson Pirie Scott building is gone, but construction around Calder's flamingo sculpture has gone up, it now costs $2.25 to ride the L or bus instead of $2.

Flooding in Northfield, MN

News is coming in fast and furious about the flooding of the Cannon River in Northfield, MN. I guess the river rose about 8 feet in 24 hours. You can read an update in the Northfield News or at the Carleton College website.

Book Club Weekend

This weekend our book club will discuss Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. We rarely read science fiction, but this being a classic is one of those "I probably should have read this one" books.

Although it feels dated in some ways, I was surprised to see that it was written in 1931. I might have put it in the 1950s, it was that forward-thinking. I am sure that we are going to have a good discussion.

Back in the Teaching Groove

This is my first week back to teaching general music, and with it comes the usual remembrances of the start-up:

1) There is great excitement in considering all the new possibilities

2) Kids have forgotten so much over the summer

3) It's tiring, and I have to pace my voice so I don't loose it

4) 2nd graders can't wait to be in 3rd grade so they can play recorder

5) I go kicking and screaming into getting up in the morning, but when I get to school, I really enjoy what I do!

Memorial Park Tree

This poor tree in Memorial Park lost a big branch this week. Earlier this summer it lost an even larger one.

Need a Place for a Wedding?

On Saturday my string trio played a wedding held at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, a place I've strolled through many times. It had never occurred to me that one could have a wedding here, but it was a beautiful setting. The Garden has staff on hand to bring people up from the parking lot on trolleys. This particular ceremony took place in the California Natives Container Garden. Upon chatting with some staff, I found out that information on rentals are on the RSABG website.

Indian Hill Villas

Yesterday morning we experienced a time warp. We had signed up to help our new associate minister move into her new apartment, and we found out that she will be living in the same complex we started out in when we moved to Claremont 25 years ago. With the exception of the vaulted ceiling in the bedroom, her apartment was the exact floorplan of our apartment here, and all of a sudden we remembered living here with a one-year-old as newcomers from the midwest.

Friday Night in the Village

Here are a few shots from last night's wandering through the Village. People were out in droves, enjoying the eateries, the free music and the lovely weather.

Theft at Vista

When I went into Vista today, I noticed that the "Snowball Mac" that usually sits in the staff room was missing. I wondered where it had gone, and the office manager told me that someone broke the window on Tuesday night, reached in and took it. Because they didn't actually enter the room, the motion sensor did not activate the alarm. I usually use that Mac to print out stuff for the classroom, so I'll have to find another computer somewhere on campus.

Vista del Valle Elementary in the Courier

Today's Claremont Courier has a big article about the improvement that Vista has made in state testing scores. After being placed in Program Improvement last year, Vista del Valle turned a negative into a positive in improving its Academic Performance Index score by 50 points (770 to 820) during the 2009-10 school year. The statewide target score is 800.

I can't help but think that one of the many factors that lead to this success is the opportunities the students have to learn music - not only in the classroom, but also the instrumental music in which many upper graders participate.

Things Kids Say

This is the week the music teachers go around to the elementary schools to promote our program. We gather the 4th-6th graders in the multipurpose room or outdoor stage and tell them some information about the program and play the various instruments as an example of what they can learn.

Despite the fact that I start the assembly by saying that we don't teach piano or guitar, we always have students ask about these instruments.

The funniest thing I heard today, though, was one of the students asked the jr. high music teacher his name, and he said, "Mr. Johnson." Another kid remarked, "You're married?" That's better than last year when the student asked me if Mr. Ryan (the high school teacher) was my son, and then I found out that I WAS old enough to be his mother! (Read the original post from one year ago today.)

Music Rug Update

We've reached exactly half of our goal for the music rug today! Keep those donations coming! Tell your friends.

Interfaith Worship

This morning in church, we welcomed our local Imam, Shamshad Nasir and members of his congregation to read from the Qur'an. Not knowing much at all about Islam, I found it interesting to listen to the chanting of the holy text, in Arabic.

The Particular Blahh of Weird Magic Realism

When I first heard about this book, Amy Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, about how the protagonist can taste the emotions of the person who made the food, I thought about the magical realism in books such as Like Water for Chocolate. It's not like that at all.

Without giving away the strangest part of the book, the main theme seems to be isolation, and I'd much rather read Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men if I'm going to read about that.

At least it was a very quick read.

Music Rug Update

An update on the Music Rug front. We have collected almost half of what we need of the $750 to buy this great rug for the Music Room at Vista del Valle Elementary School. We are happy to accept donations in ANY amount, large and small. Send your tax deductible donation to

Vista del Valle Elementary School

550 Vista Drive

Claremont, CA 91711

with the notation "music rug" in the memo line.

Thank you for your support!

Being Sports Nerdy

A few weeks ago we bought a digital tv tuner to plug into our computer. Now that we don't use a VCR anymore and don't have TiVo, we can use our new tuner to record shows off the air if we're gone. We haven't done that yet, but tonight, while both Brett Favre and the Dodgers are on tv, we can watch both simultaneously.

Small Things

Sometimes it's just the little things that make my day. Here are two new flavors of Trader Joe's nonfat yogurt that appeared in my local store and just happened to jump into my cart today. I haven't tried them yet, but what can be bad about chocolate and blueberry?

Picasa Collage and Cactus

This morning our cactus was blooming, so before the flowers closed up, I grabbed a few shots. I had heard that one could make photo collages with Picasa, so after playing around for a bit, I figured out how to do it. In Mac it's pretty easy, once you realize that photos in iPhoto are integrated with Picasa as well as Blogger. Huh?

Here is a youtube video tutorial which is helpful. You have to download Picasa 3 from the internet, I think, but it was already on my computer, so I must have done that in the recent past.

Once I created the collage I saw the blogger button and then this posted to my blog. I had to publish the photo and then edit it to add text.

End of Summer Garden

Just when I am about to give up and pull out my wild, overgrown garden plants, I find more food hidden underneath the foliage. Tonight I made one of my favorite dishes with an onion, pepper and tomatoes from the garden. After sauteing the onion and pepper, I added squash (from the store since the squash plant really is done, I think), broccoli and some of the tomatoes with a little Arrabiata sauce from Trader Joe's. I pour the mixture over about 10 4-cheese raviolis from Costco (those are really tasty) and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 1/2 hour and eat.

Secret Garden for Grown-Ups

On Tuesday our book club will add two new members (that will put us at 8!) and we'll discuss The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I like a good epic novel, and this one fits the bill. A 4-year-old girl steps off a boat that has just landed in Australia with no accompanying adult. A young man finds her, takes her home to his wife and, after finding no one to claim her, raise her as their own.

How did this little girl come to travel from England to Australia by herself? Through flashbacks, research and journeying, Nell, and then her granddaughter, Cassandra, finally find the answers. The writing is lovely, the story compelling.

Saturday at the Movies

There's nothing like a hot Saturday to make you want to cool off at the movie theater. Hal suggested that we see Get Low a few weeks ago, and it was still playing at the Claremont Laemmle.

Duvall is great as a backwoods misanthrope in this American fable. This movie goes to show that you can have a good film that specializes in the human character without a lot of big budget for special effects. We also enjoyed Bill Murray as the undertaker.

Quarter Century

Twenty five years ago today, I became a mom for the first time. Happy Birthday to my sweet Liesl! Here's a picture from Liesl's second birthday party. We celebrated with five friends in the backyard on what looks like a pretty warm day.

New School Year at HMC

Fall classes have begun at the Claremont Colleges, and here are some shots from the goings-on at Harvey Mudd. Harry Potter fans will enjoy the renaming of the dining hall. The second photo is from a poster session given by students involved in summer research. This is the second year for this opportunity. It didn't hurt that food was involved to entice all students into the gym at the Linde Activities Center.

First Orchestra Rehearsal of the Semester

Not only first rehearsal of the semester, but also for our new conductor. After going over the syllabus for 30 minutes, that only left us an hour to practice. Rehearsals are now 90 minutes long, but twice a week instead of one 2 1/2 hour rehearsal. I was amazed how much energy I still had at the end of the short rehearsal. I'm still not sure about giving up one more evening each week, but I enjoyed the playing that I am more than willing to give this the old college try!

See my music blog about my audition for the orchestra.