Open House

While on our Mother's Day walk, Claire and I came upon an open house on Oxford and 10th.  We decided that we really wanted to see inside, so we walked in.  Not only were we struck with the beautiful, newly remodeled kitchen, the skylights everywhere, the tucked-away corners and loft, but we learned that the house had been built in 1939 for noted watercolor artist Milford Zornes.  The New Deal mural in the Claremont P.O. was his creation.  Zornes lived in this house until his death in 2008 at the age of 100.

Catch-22

Both of the book clubs I'm in read a variety of kinds of books from current fiction and non-fiction to classics.  Next week the women's book club will be discussing Joseph Heller's Catch-22.  It has been on my "to read" list for a while since I didn't get to it when I was a student.  (And I don't count that I saw the movie in college.)  I have also wanted to read it because it is a very favorite book of both of my daughters.

Both of said daughters typically like very different kinds of books and movies, so for them to both like this one so much surprised me a little.  That is, until I read it.  The humor and logic remind me very much of Monty Python which are some of the videos that our whole family can agree on.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it in high school or college, but there were certainly parts of it that I found quite funny, and I did enjoy that this book is unlike any other that I have read.

Mother's Day 2011

Mother's Day consisted of:

• Sleeping in and reading the paper in bed
• Watching the Dodgers beat the Mets
• Having Claire make me a delicious lunch (eaten so quickly, I forgot to take a photo - ooops!)
• Taking a Photography Walk with Claire (pictures on Flickr)
• Going to a great Open House on Oxford Ave.

Even if the weather was cool and cloudy, it was a great day!

Saturday Breakfast

Veggie Omelette with fruit and wheat toast

The debate over where to eat breakfast this morning went like this.  BC Cafe? Walter's? Village Grill? Probably not Everest this morning.  Hmm.  We're not feeling it.   Let's Yelp.

Ah! Although we really enjoy the Euro Cafe, we've never had breakfast there and didn't think about it until the internet reminded us.  A perfect place to start the weekend.  Next time we'll bring the newspaper as we saw other folks enjoying theirs.

Kogi Run

Line waiting for Kogi truck

We hadn't had us some Kogi since December, and now that our weather is nice and warm, we planned a Kogi run for yesterday.  The Korean taco truck comes near us either in Pomona at Valley and Temple or in Diamond Bar at Diamond Bar Ave and Grand.  (I realized yesterday that these two locations are actually pretty close to each other, though the Diamond Bar one is far nicer.)

Wouldn't you know it, but when we got home and read the paper, we found this article about LA food trucks in the LA Times.  I didn't realize that Kogi is only about 2 1/2 years old and is sort of the first of the gourmet food trucks.

Saving Water

Sycamore Elementary School has been transforming its west front lawn these past few weeks. First came the new plantings of trees and plants inside of stone circles.  Then the cardboard boxes, broken down flat and spread over the rest of the lawn.  Now a huge mound of mulch (perhaps free from the city?) is slowly being spread over the cardboard.  It's too bad that I did not get a "before" picture.

Looks Like a School, Feels Like a Family

Every year the Vista PFA provides a luncheon for the school staff.  As usual, this year it was during state testing which coincides with National Teacher Appreciation Week.

This year's theme was Fiesta, and we were treated to traditional Mexican fare.  We always appreciate time to socialize together since during our regular days we are so busy in our own classrooms.

Orchestra Year-End

The Claremont Concert Orchestra has had a new conductor this year, and last night we celebrated the end of a very successful season.  (Our final concert this weekend featured Schumann's 1st Symphony and Mozart's Coronation Mass.)  As per tradition, the orchestra, along with the choirs, met for dinner at Scripps College.  I always enjoy hearing the plans of the graduating seniors, reflecting on the past season, and hearing plans for next season.

This year, we worked harder than we have before, moving to a two-evening-a-week practice schedule (one more than before) with more sectionals, and I spent more time practicing on my own as well as listening to the music with my part.  As a result, our level of play increased significantly, and now I find myself already missing playing with the group.  Seating auditions in August, first rehearsal of the season on August 30, perhaps with Beethoven's 5th!

Hope in the Classroom

Today marks the start of state testing in the Claremont elementary schools.  Every year I marvel at the amount of time and resources this takes, and how coloring in little bubbles in a booklet somehow says something to someone about the way a child thinks and understands and solves problems.

And then I just finished reading this exhausting and exhilarating book about the life of a 5th grade classroom in an LA public school.  If you can't grab the book right away, you can go to the website for this classroom and read about the life of 5th graders who voluntarily come to school at 6:30 a.m. and stay until 5.  They learn Shakespeare and art and music as well as science, math, reading, social studies and real p.e.

Now, how can I incorporate some of those ideas into the music classroom?

Two Years' Growth

Garden on May 4, 2009

 Garden Today, May 1, 2011