Danskos

During the REI Fall Sale, I was casually browsing through the shoe section, and I found these Dansko sandals. As soon as I slipped them on my feet, I feel in love. They are probably the most comfortable pair of shoes / sandals I have ever owned.

I have been teaching in them all week, and my feet are extremely happy. Plus, I am two inches taller!

I heard about Danskos from my daughter, and since then, I have found out that people who are on their feet every day (like nurses) choose this brand.

And no, I have no connection to this company.

Bernard Field Station Fire

Life in Claremont was pretty exciting for a few hours yesterday afternoon. I was home in the afternoon, and around 4:00 or so, I heard a low-flying aircraft that made the house shake. That happens occasionally, and I always wonder if I should somehow avoid an airplane crashing into my house, but am never sure what the best course of action should be. Then I heard another plane, then a helicopter, and I knew that something was going on. I grabbed my camera and went outside and snapped these shots from my front porch. I was hoping that they weren't chasing some gunman who would run on my street.

It occurred to me that the best way to get immediate news of what was going on was to check Facebook, and, sure enough, I found out that crews were fighting a fire at the Bernard Field Station, just four blocks north of my house, and right across the street from Harvey Mudd. I made a comment on Facebook that I knew where to get immediate information (usually I head there when I feel an earthquake), and my friend asked me if I hadn't gotten the emergency call yet. I hadn't, but around 4:30,  the phone rang with the automated warning.

By that time, the fire was nearly contained, although the traffic was a mess on Foothill and Mills for quite a while, I've heard. In the end, 17 acres burned, 115 firefighters worked to save the Botanical Garden and all homes in the area. No one was hurt, no structures were damaged. The fire was sparked by a metal saw being used by Golden State Water doing work along Foothill. Here is the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin report. The Courier also had a good article, but it's probably behind a paywall. 

Friends posted some pretty scary-looking photos of huge smoke plumes and high flames, but apparently the wind was blowing them away from my house, and I did not smell or see smoke.

Deutsch at Oldenborg

Hallo Liebe Leser!

Heute hatten wir unser Mittagessen im Oldenborg Center gegessen. Warum? Weil im Oldenborg können wir  Deutsch mit anderen Menschen sprechen. Wir wollen informieren, besser Deutsch zu sprechen.

Hello Dear Readers!

Today we ate our lunch at Oldenborg Center. Why? Because at Oldenborg we can speak German with other people. We want to get better at speaking German.

Oldenborg is Pomona College's Foreign Language Center with graduate resident assistants who speak various languages and facilitate language and cultural learning. On Wednesdays the tables are designated as beginner tables, so we felt that although we are past our first semester of German, it has been so long that we really need a refresher.

I was surprised at how much I could actually participate at my level, surprised at some words that came back to me, and surprised at how many words I have forgotten. Well, maybe not so surprised at that. As soon as someone would remind me of a word for which I was searching, I felt like hitting my forehead with my palm.

Anyway, I am once again reminded that the best way to learn a language is immersion!

First Day of School

Yesterday was the first day of the school year for music classes at Vista. As much as I love the slow pace of summer vacation, I am happy to be back at work. I find that I do so much better with my time when I have some structure. I usually think that I am going to get so much done during the summer, and while I get to about half of my list, it's never the amount I think I'm going to do.

Not only that, I truly enjoy spending time and playing music with my students. I used some of my favorite old lessons and added a few new ones which keeps me fresh. Also, at the start of the year, the students are more receptive to learning. They aren't tired of school yet, and their new teachers, new classmates are still exciting.

A Full Day at Church

From the CUCC Facebook Page

The first Sunday after Labor Day, congregations often have a Homecoming Sunday, or some such day to celebrate the start of the fall season. Sunday school starts up again, choirs are back to regular rehearsals, etc.

It was a busy day for me with Women's Choir practice, regular church service, and music committee meeting. However, the most exciting part was the installation of our new lead pastor, Eileen Gebbie. We have these events rarely, so it was exciting to see all the community members participate in the celebration, from the pastors of local churches, our own conference minister, representatives from Kiwanis and other organizations as well as two CPD officers and a firefighter.

Because red is Eileen's favorite color, she requested that people wear red, and the sanctuary was very brightly colored for the festivities.

Tall Ships Festival

Today was a perfect day to escape the heat of the Inland Empire and go to Dana Point to partake of the Tall Ships Festival.  The Brig Pilgrim, docked at the Dana Point Harbor, is a replica of the ship from Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast. Some of the tall ships in the harbor are used by school groups for 3-5 day living history and oceanography learning. You can read about those opportunities here. 

During our four hours at the festival, we toured through about 6 tall ships, watched a little play on board the Pilgrim, people-watched (lots of people dressed up as pirates, a few as mermaids), saw some aquariums, watched a parrot show, saw some hula dancing and watched a demonstration of sailors climbing the rigging to let out a sail. 

This was a very popular event with many, many people. It continues on Sunday. Here are a few of the many, many pics I took (as usual).

A very cute pirate

Some grown-up pirates.

Part of the Royal Marine Corps in the play

Royal Marines firing away

Pirates getting ready to board the Pilgrim to free the captive, Jean Lafitte

Jean Lafitte in need of rescuing

Pirates vs. Royal Marines

Climbing in the rigging. Not what I want to do.

A pirate and his parrots

Kids with parrots

A Bell for Adano

I had never heard of this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel before it was chosen for book club. Published in 1944, this book centers on a small Sicilian town during the Allied occupation in 1943. An American major takes over the running of Adano. Major Joppolo works hard to do what is right for the people of the town, including getting a bell to replace the one that was taken during Mussolini's rule and melted down to make ammunition.

My general sense of the book is that the comedic parts reminded me of the movie The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, but other parts of the plot slogged along. In this day when we've read Catch 22 and other war novels, this book feels dated to me, but if it was reworked as a short story, I think that would improve it.

Sagehen Cafe

In all these years I've been in Claremont, I have never eaten at Pomona College's Sagehen Cafe. I did not realize that it was a sit-down restaurant, but I was very happy for the great air conditioning inside today. The reason for the visit was for us to meet with a German professor who is from Switzerland to pick his brain for any ideas about living in Zurich and learning German. Besides learning more about actual Swiss life, he will give me contact information for his sister who is a piano teacher, living in Bern (the Swiss capital) who has Zurich music connections. That, in itself, was worth the whole lunch, which was actually very informative in many respects.

Oh, yes, the lunch was pretty good, too.

Blue Jasmine

Saw our second movie of the summer at the Laemmle, this time Woody Allen's latest offering - Blue Jasmine.

I pretty much like Allen's films, perhaps my favorite is The Purple Rose of Cairo. While walking home we agreed that although the cast is quite devoid of Allen's usual actors, and the setting was not New York, the patina of the film felt like Allen. The jazz music and the messed-up characters fall into his genre. Cate Blanchett is fabulous as the Blanche DuBois character. (It's a long way from Rivendell to San Francisco, but she makes the transition look effortless.)

Labor Day 2013

Even the Delhi Palace Express is closed for Labor Day.