A Year Of Photos

This morning I went through all my photos from 2013 and decided not to bore anyone with my favorites, or whatever, as a year-end post. I did delete over 500 photos. That is from this year alone! I mean, how many pictures of flying pelicans, oceans, plants, food, bad photos of oneself, etc does one need to leave on the computer?

I ran across this one that I took last week. We were wandering through the colleges, and I was going to show L where I could not find Gabby Giffords' signature, and, low and behold, it popped right out at me. (You can see it right in the middle of the photo.)

So, in lieu of a year-end wrap-up, I will just say - Looking Forward to a New Year!

Alle Meine Kleider

During our family time on Christmas, my daughters reminded me of a German song that I had forgotten. They must have learned it from the children's choir director at church when they were in elementary school.


Grün grün grün sind alle meine Kleider,
Grün grün grün ist alles was ich hab
Darum lieb ich alles was so grün ist
Weil mein Schatz ein Jager, Jager ist.

It basically means, all my clothes are green because my love is a hunter.

You can go through other colors then. Blue for sailor, white for baker, black for chimney sweep, and then all the colors for a painter.

I found this funny video on youtube so you can hear the song. 

Inside Llewyn Davis

When my daughter L was young, and I thought she was old enough to have me read The Phantom Tollbooth aloud to her, she looked up at me somewhere in the middle of the book and said, "I don't really understand this book, but I really like it!" Well, I probably should have waited about 2 or 3 years to choose that particular book, and I hope that someday she gets around to reading it to herself, because she will understand it now, for sure.

I am waiting for C and B to come over soon for some football viewing so that we can discuss Inside Llewyn Davis, the latest Coen Brothers film. H and I walked out of the Laemmle yesterday and said, "We really liked that film. What did it mean?"I don't know if waiting 2 or 3 years will help me understand it, but others' insights might.

Of course, we had to look up reviews online and in the LA Times hard copy. The Times talked about the music of the movie (which I really, really liked, especially since the lead character played by Oscar Isaac not only acted well, but sang and played the guitar for reals. [sic] Then I asked H what he thought about the meaning of the cat (We had had a discussion about the meaning of the cat at the last episode of the Sopranos….), 'cause that cat wove it's way throughout the movie. I came across this article in the Atlantic (and it has spoilers, so you are warned). I thought it had some great observations and might be on to something.

In any case, I plan to see this movie again at some point. I'm glad I saw it in the theater first, though.

Library Check-Outs

This is an odd sight on my library account page - no check-outs and no holds! I recently read and returned the newest No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book (The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon) and The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida (written by a 13-year-old Japanese autistic boy to explain what it's like to be autistic). Now I need to read some of the books that I own…

Philippe's For Breakfast

All good things come to an end, and this morning we took L and C back to Union Station for their return home. Their train left at 10:10, so we thought it might be a good time to try Philippe's for breakfast. L had only ever been once, and C had never been to this iconic LA eatery. Traffic was light, so we made great time, and the lines at Philippe's were not long. Somehow we never get to LA for breakfast, so this seemed to be our chance to try it out.

The portions are large, and we were pretty stuffed when it was all over. I had the veggie omelette which comes with hash browns, coffee, and either biscuits or toast. I think it will hold me until lunch!

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Christmas has been particularly wonderful this year. As many know, when children grow up, and create their own families, it becomes rarer to have everyone in one place at one time, especially for Christmas. We feel so blessed this year to have one of those years.

Some of our highlights of this year's holiday (to add to the trip to the Natural History Museum):

1) watching The Apartment, one of B's favorite movies (1960 with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLain)

2) remembering lots of old songs and singing all the lyrics we could remember

3) looking at old family photos and home movies from the 1960s and 70s

4) eating really, really good food (and spending lots of time preparing it - thanks C and B!)

5) (and this is a lowlight, not highlight) not going to see The Hobbit, nor hiking in the foothills, both which were on our to-do list

6) playing Legos, Carcassonne, and some wii u, although we didn't get to Citadel

7) watching people get just what they wanted (headlamps, indoor/outdoor thermometer, Legos, Danskos, yoga mat, shaver, cookbooks, dino slippers, and a vacuum cleaner, among other things, including donations to favorite charities)

8) just being together - the best part of all!

H and C (C Mc, to be precise, since it is hard to discern from the context here), assembled H's birthday present - a Lego version of the UN Building. See post from last year….

LA Natural History Museum

What I learned at the LA Natural History Museum today:

California teachers get in free. Not advertised... Students still have to pay. 

The plesiosaurus, a large sea reptile, had one baby at a time and it was a live birth. The baby was 40% of the mom's size at birth. This skeleton, found in Kansas, is complete with fetus. I already knew that Kansas was under water at one point. This skeleton was nearly complete, only the head and the top of the neck are fabricated.

The T rex grew rapidly and did not live particularly long. These two skeletons show a two-year-old and a juvenile, about 13-14-years old. Huge size difference.

The museum has a very cool miniature replica of downtown LA, a WPA project built between 1939 and 1940. 

We had not been to the museum for many, many years, and I enjoyed seeing how more open and bright the dinosaur exhibits are. Unfortunately, C was not feeling well, so she and B did not accompany us on this trip. However we did make a stop in Arcadia to pick up a friend of L and C's (a student at the U of O) who is home on vacation.

Together Again

All the chickies are back in the nest! L and C arrived from Oregon by train last night to join us with C and B for some family time. Hooray!

The Weekend Before Christmas, When All Through the Village

The Claremont Village is an exciting place once the holiday gets underway. Yesterday while sipping tea at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, my friends and I watched as groups of kids, fresh on winter break strolled up and down Indian Hill Blvd. We waved to our students and former students as we all relished our new-found freedom.

Cars, cars everywhere. 

The CHS Orchestra entertained parents and passers-by with carols in front of City Hall.

Winter Sing!

I have a new attitude about Vista's Winter Sing. I have always just dreamed about the moment that it is over and I can start my vacation. This year I found myself looking forward to the actual event. I think I am finally remembering that we are not having dress rehearsals (the very worst part of the whole thing), and that for the past few years when it was over I thought, "that wasn't so bad."

This year I felt excited about all the pieces the kids were going to perform. We had two audience sing-a-longs (I'm not sure how much the audience participated in Feliz Navidad and Winter Wonderland, but I know the kids enjoyed the songs). I had 18 beginning strings perform along with the Vista Orchestra, our (now) traditional Jingle Bells. I loved the Ks in Gingerbread Cookies and the 1st graders were adorable in I Want to Be an Elf. I was amazed at the beauty of the 2nd graders singing Simple Gifts - so clear, loud and on pitch. You would think that I would know they could sing that way, but, really, they ratcheted it up two notches for the performance.

I also learned that for the 5th and 6th graders, who do not like to sing in public, having them lead the group singing for Winter Wonderland and then do a body percussion with a rap about wrapping Christmas Presents was a fine option. I totally stole the choreography for the final number (4th and 5th graders) from this youtube video which the kids LOVED rehearsing. If more of the kids had actually shown up for the performance, it would have been better, but, for those of us there, it was really fun.

Recorders, were, as usual great, even though this is the smallest class - about 22 kids total - but they just rocked their pieces.

The kids were just amazingly good and so happy to be there, and I enjoyed watching them be their very best.

I have also come to appreciate, more and more, how easy my job on the actual night is. The teachers are there to keep track of their classes. They set up and clean up, and they make the kids look great. Special thanks to my fabulous husband who helped move risers and chairs and stands, and then got out the vacuum at the end and stayed to turn out the last light.

Methodist Nativity

Here are some shots from the Claremont United Methodist Church nativity scene (see my post from last year). This year I actually took the time to read the explanation (and take a photo of it) before I drove off. Click on the photos for a larger view.

Caffe Allegro

If you are looking for a quick, inexpensive and tasty lunch during the week, try Caffe Allegro in La Verne. Today we chose to sit outside (it's a warm December day!) and try the $10 Express Lunch Menu. It was delicious, and we will definitely go back and taste some of the other selections from this menu. 

Minestrone with a half sandwich (shrimp and salmon open-face)

Lasagne Marinara (vegetarian, but you can add meat sauce for $2)

Beethoven's 9th

This is the order of wonderfulness:

1) Listening to a recording of Beethoven's 9th - pretty good

2) Listening to a live performance of Beethoven's 9th - excellent

3) Performing Beethoven's 9th - Beyond excellent

4) Sitting in the viola section, surrounded by over 200 people making glorious Beethoven music -

Bliss

Shoes That Fit

Some traditions are meant to last only so long before they lose their meaning. It would appear that our annual White Elephant Exchange in our church group has gone that way, and last night, instead of bringing gifts for each other at our annual Christmas party, we all brought shoes and socks for that great program Shoes That Fit. I always thought that this was a local organization, having seen the cards with children's shoe sizes hanging on bulletin boards int the Claremont Village. The website says otherwise. We did not have any particular children to shop for, but we all brought shoes and socks in a variety of sizes and styles that I am sure will find a good home. I, for one, thought that this was a far better idea than the White Elephant Exchange, and I hope this, or something similar, continues every year now.

Claremont Yoga Party

Another holiday weekend starts. Yesterday Claremont Yoga hosted its second Holiday Open House with chair massages, cello music, food and wine and adorable babies.

I particularly enjoyed the chair massage . . .

Joyful Voices

I think I am nearly done blogging about last weekend. Just in time for another December weekend to start! It certainly is that time of year….

Our women's choir at church had our first annual Christmas party. I thought it should be simple, so I suggested that everyone bring their family, an appetizer and a bottle of liquid refreshment, and then I asked one of our members if she'd let us come to her lovely house. Normally I might not write about just a party where we all had a lovely time chatting with each other (because we really don't have enough time to do that during practices….).

However, what was the most fun part was the singing. It was suggested that since we were in a house with a piano and people who enjoy singing, that we sing some Christmas songs. I was elected to play the piano, which shows how hard up we all were, and I played along, as many notes as I could. Some were right, most were wrong, but the singing was not deterred by my fingers, and it proved to me, yet again, how singing with a group of people is so good for our spirits and souls. The wine probably didn't hurt, either….

Holiday Homes Tour

The Pomona Valley Hospital Auxiliary raises money for the sick baby and hospital assistance fund, Sunday's fundraiser was the Holiday Homes and Classic Cars Tour. L and I were asked to play at the tea which is at the beginning of the tour, held in the La Verne Community Center. We put aside our usual Celtic Music and played traditional Christmas music in a room that was spangled and tinseled up for the season. 

Ann Patchett

I am not a big short story fan. I prefer to read something that will last a long time, otherwise I might forget what happened. It's like watching a movie over a tv series. If the movie (or short story) is particularly memorable, that's great, but if I've had my nose in it for a period of time (even if we binge on a tv series and watch a whole season in one week or so), it tends to stick in my aging brain.

So, when I saw that Ann Patchett had a new book out, I quickly got in the queue at the library for it. Imagine my (slight) disappointment in finding out that it is a collection of essays. I'm always on the hunt for fiction, and essays are the short stories of nonfiction.

However, this IS Ann Patchett writing, and I was drawn into the essays with ease. Although the subjects are wide-ranging, I found that there was a sort of flow to their order. The funny thing was that the final essay was my least favorite, and many people, self included, don't particularly like her novels' endings (even if we loved the book).

One of the most interesting essays I found was her introduction to the Best American Short Stories 2006 for which she was the editor. She made such a strong case for the short story that I actually went on to paperbackswap.com and ordered that 2006 collection. So, we'll see if she makes a convert out of me….

Comba Art Studio

After all the fun at the Book Lovers Sale at the library, we headed over in the rain to our friend, Steve Comba's, art studio open house. (He doesn't have a website, but you can google him and see other photos.) I particularly like Steve's large landscapes. He uses quite a bit of detail. It would be great to have one of his works in my house, but we don't have any large walls - anywhere. In typical bungalow fashion, we have lots of doors and windows to help decorate the walls…. He does do smaller works, too, though. Perhaps we will end up with one or two one of these days...

Here are some of photos of yesterday's visit.

Book Lovers Sale

Today I told H, "It seems that even though I always try to get rid of things, it seems as though I can always buy more books." He answered, "That's one transgression I will grant you." So, yeah. (And truthfully, there are plenty of books which go through the revolving door of my house. In and then out to a friend, or a donation, or to paperbackswap.com.) 

It's December, and that means too many fun things to do, even on a rainy Saturday. First thing on my list yesterday was to get to the Claremont Library Book Lovers Sale. This is not to be confused with the  bi-annual sale where you can get a book for a buck. This one caters to discerning reader with better quality/more "expensive" type of books. 

I particularly enjoyed this section in the corner of the library - the Plain Brown Wrapper Collection. Just click on the photo for a closer view of the scandalous titles. 

Here are books for the young and young-at-heart.

Coffee table books for the art lover.

Travel, anyone?

But here, this was my treasure of the day. Now I don't have to ask you to give me your copy, Dad! It was a deal for only $8 (after using my $2 off credit for being a member of the Friends of the Claremont Library). (I had seen a copy in Vancouver, BC over a year ago for $15, and I passed it up then.)

Christmas Tree Lot

In the 27 years we've lived in Claremont, I don't think I've seen anything on the lot of the northeast corner of Indian Hill and Arrow Hwy. Well, I have seen the Pilgrims from Pilgrim Place on Friday afternoons with their signs promoting world peace, but nothing else. Just before Thanksgiving I noticed that a Christmas Tree Lot had appeared. Meaning, the fence and signs were up, but it wasn't until after Thanksgiving that the trees appeared. 

Disclaimer: Daughter C took the first photo on the day we were out shopping for groceries for Thanksgiving. I took the second photo while stopped at the red light after the trees arrived. 

Die Zauberflote

Last night I was trying to remember how many operas I have seen staged. I think it was about 6. Un Ballo en Maschera in San Francisco as a teenager, one opera in Vienna as a college student, two in Chicago on our last sabbatical (Dr. Atomic and La Traviata), and two LA Opera productions - Grendl and Marriage of Figaro. Maybe there are more, but I can't remember them.

Last night makes 7, then. We went to the LA Opera to see this amazing production of Mozart's The Magic Flute. I can hardly begin to describe it, so here is a link to the trailer so you can get a taste of it. This particular interpretation of the opera comes from the Komische Oper in Berlin, and it looks like a silent film from the 1920s. The wall on stage is white, and all the "scenery" is projected animations. The Queen of the Night is a large spider (creepy). Truly, this is a production for the whole family. Very kid-friendly.

We also attended the pre-opera talk given by the conductor which was very helpful and enjoyable, although I think we were about the youngest people there. It's unusual for us to go into LA on a weeknight, but it was so worth it, and I will probably always remember it. Also, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is all gussied up for Christmas, so it was especially lovely.

Children's Room at the Library

I wish I had thought to take photos of the Children's Room at the Claremont Library before the remodel, but I didn't. However, here are some photos I snapped yesterday when I went in. I did not take photos of the computers since kids were working on them (including one Vista student working on her science fair project), but there seems to plenty of them for homework. 

The grand opening will officially be January 18, 2014. You can read about it here.

New Agave

One of H's colleagues is expecting her first child and decided that all the potentially hazardous poke-your-eye-out plants have to leave their yard. They offered us some agave, and we took them up on just one. It's a pretty good size, and now our yard is protected from any attack babies. Now, if only it would reach out and get some of our squirrels….