Glider

After we put in the new landscaping last year, we wanted to put in a glider in the little seating area, but we never found one. Until Saturday. We went into Costco for hummus and berries and came out with hummus, berries, and this great glider! Now we need the time to use it!

Carleton Day at JPL

On Saturday, Hal and I toured JPL with a group of Carleton alums. Out of 5,000 employees at JPL, four are Carls, and all four led the tour. We learned about the newest rover that will go to Mars, saw the clean room where it is being assembled, and learned more about the current rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) as well as other things that people at JPL are working on.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my Wonderful Mother!

Compañía Nacional de Danza

Last night took Hal and me to the Orange County Performing Arts Center where we watched the Compañía Nacional de Danza. Claire had recommended this group to us, and we were not disappointed. Upon arriving, the person checking our tickets told us we had been upgraded to better seats, and we think it was to fill up the lower part of the auditorium. We didn't complain! Despite the unfilled house, the audience was very appreciative of the performance and applauded loudly.

The three pieces in performance were Gnawa, Castrati, and Arenal. You can see a short clip on youtube of Arenal here.

Hotel on the Corner

Up for discussion at next Wednesday's book club is Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which is on the bestseller list. Set in Seattle during WWII and 1986, it's a sentimental story of Henry, a Chinese-American preteen and Keiko, a Japanese-American girl. Although I always enjoy learning about a time and place through fiction, the writing style of this book is flat and the characters never fully realized. For a story about the Japanese internment camps, I much preferred Snow Falling on Cedars.

What Kindergarteners Hear

I was hoping that the one of the kindergarteners would say or do something cute today so I could blog about it. Well, one did. We are learning the song "This Pretty Planet" by Tom Chapin. Some of the words are "you're a garden, you're a harbor" and as the first group of students walked out, one was singing, "you're a baker, you're a barber."

Chance

Today:

• I taught a class about chance music and art which included a discussion of Jackson Pollock.
• Hal took students on a field trip to the Getty to learn about art conservation and science where he took this photo of a display showing work on Jackson Pollock's art.
• We watched Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock on Netflix.

Dreaming of Summer

I love it when it's warm enough to wear sandals with no socks. Happy feet, happy me.

Auf Wiedersehen, Michael Lamkin

This fall Michael Lamkin announced that he would retire at the end of the year, and today was his final concert with The Claremont Concert Orchestra. We performed Strass's Emperor Waltzes, Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, and Brahms' First Symphony. We will miss his leadership very much, but we are glad that he will have the chance to enjoy his retirement.

May Day

May Day in Claremont. Folk Music Festival is ramping up. Alumni from the Colleges have converged. Claremont Concert Orchestra plays tonight and tomorrow.

This morning was gardening here. Here is the vegetable plot before. See how the broccoli has gone to flower.

Here is the garden after the broccoli was removed and new vegetables from Mt. Fuji Garden Center were planted: two tomato plants, one yellow squash, mild mesculun mix, and a red pepper plant.