Photoessay #2064 - Special seeds

Last year, on a trip to California, we stopped at my husband's Aunt Eliza's winery, J. Rickard's Winery in the Alexander Valley.  Beautiful spot, the grandeur of California.  She gave us the tour and I offered her a letterbox to put in their tasting room.  She loved it.  Not a lot of people have found it but some have.  And they mention that they bought a bottle of wine.  So it's helped a little.

Aunt Eliza gave us some packets of wildflower seeds.  I did just clean up the daffodils.  Why not use them?  I know, these are California wildflowers and they'll probably just rot out in our damp conditions.  Give it a try.

Nice job on the design for the packets.  So colorful to look at.

I was going to work on my devotional exercise piece, I'm having such trouble with.  Instead I've worked on my 'not white piece for Theo's anthology all darn day.  It's better, always better.

Photoessay #2063 - 'Overlake Complex

This fits into the 'nobody is safe' category.

This morning I helped a friend at Parent Group.  She had hip surgery a few weeks ago.  She needed some transportation help...from her followup appointment back to the rehab facility.

We all need this kind of help sometimes.

It was in the Overlake Hospital complex in Bellevue...I've seen it, maybe I've been there before, who knows?

I experienced the normal confusion driving in, what big building was it?  What parking lot?  Was there a place I should park if I'm picking up a patient recovering from surgery with limited mobility.\?  The parking folks were not particularly helpful, I'm sure I'm doing the weaving-around-I'm-lost thing.  My friend had given me a hint that though the doctor's office was at 510 in the Medical Tower, maybe it actually had moved to 710 somewhere else.

So I'm in Level x of what parking lot?  I go on the hunt and sure enough, the practice had moved from Medical Tower to the Pavilion.  Which was where?

After awhile, I found it.  And found her.  And, after more negotiation with the parking people, got her in the car.  We did the requisite 'getting lost in Bellevue' thing.  But eventually found the rehab place.  A giant truck managed to somehow block three entrances to the parking lot each time we tried to get in.

But I got her back.  She's exhausted and I go home.

But I did find this cool aerial map from the Overlake Medical Pavilion site.

Figure I live about 10-12 miles to the right of the Seattle CBD.  I came around the lake.  The rehab place was maybe towards the right and bottom of the image.

Photoessay #2062 - Sandy at sixty

I had to do this head shot anyway.  I'll have a short piece published in Your Teen, which is print and on-line out of northern Ohio.  How did I find them?  Months ago when I was spending more time placing my finished pieces (rather than being mired in Maier), I just goggled "parenting teens journals" or similar and wrote them cold.

They wrote back; they were looking for parents who were coping with prescription drug and/or heroin abuse in their teens.  Turns out I knew such people; they each wrote short pieces that were accepted.

They look for short (800) word 'parenting experience' essays.  So I took a 3k word piece and really (I mean really!) cut it down.  Sent it in, didn't hear anything until last week.

But they want a head shot.  Gulp.  So I convinced Dennis to take a picture, I tried to fix my hair, put some makeup on.  Put some my pretty pink rhody bush as background.  Decided not to wear my glasses, even though I have some kind of glasses on a lot.

So here's our best effort.  Reasonably ok considering.

So, in a act of true bravery I post this picture plus my age.

Interesting, these last several months, when I have chat with others my same age, they all say "have you had that birthday yet?"  And we all know what that means.

I know that none of us could imagine ourselves at sixty back in the day.  Can we imagine our children at sixty?

Photoessay #2061 - SIFF

On Saturday, we took Melina to a movie (The Painting)  at SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival).  Runs for about 3 weeks.  459 films.  They always have a snappy little intro that they run before each film.  During that showing, I put up my camera and took stills as it ran.

Again on Auto.   This one came out the best.  An example of what they throw at you real fast and a whole bunch of it.

Naomi was here; we mowed the front lawn; definitely a team effort.  Other than that I've been working on my 'not white' piece which will be in Theo's second anthology.  I've also returned to the main Maier Zunder paper for another revision.  Anne read the whole devotional exercise paper, it still needs a preface and a snappy scene to get interest.  It's a good start but still needs a lot of work.

Photoessay #2060 - Blue blue sky

You hardly ever see such a blue sky and brilliant light here in Seattle.  I fooled around with the settings yesterday.  I often fool around with the settings on my camera (not a SLR) rarely getting anywhere.  Nope, just figured it out.  This picture was shot on AUTO.  A beautiful afternoon no doubt about it. 

A rhododendron with cream colored blooms shot from a low angle at the Japanese Garden in Seattle.  I wanted to catch that sky.  Shot right out of the camera, I didn't modify it at all.

And it has an easter egg.  Can you see it?

Yes, the bee, shown below, again no change made to the original image.

Photoessay #2059 - Million Melinas

This morning we took Melina to one of the 'family' SIFF movies.  The Painting.  Excellent, beautiful at the Egyptian Theater just off Broadway.  They had two mirrors across from each other.  Yup, you can get that reflection into the ages.  This shot, is not technically very good; not in sharp focus.

But Melina is standing in front and I'm trying to get the reflection thing going off into the distance.  Melina, when she looked at the picture said "is that the way I look from the back?"

Melina got very excited about a movie from Cambodia at SIFF.  Actually, it's a retrospective of the Cambodian film industry pre Khmer Rouge.  It would be tricky to get her there but we could do it.

Afterwards we had a picnic lunch by the Japanese garden, went to the garden then did some letterboxing in the arboretum.  Set of seven boxes, we found six.  Which means lots of rummaging around in brush .  Roots and Shoots out of Redmond does a good job though!

Gorgeous day, glad we spent the afternoon outside.

And the Oregon Ducks are on their way to the Women's College World Series, winning two from Texas today in the super-regional.  Whoo hoo!

Photoessay #2058 - They're at it again

Teddy the dog and Starbaby the cat, they like each other.  When the sun comes out, those two like to go out and sun-bathe.  You can tell that a dog helped with the kittens when Starbaby was little.  She likes Teddy.  She liked our previous dog Shadow.

Sometimes she likes the dog to kind of rough her up and drag her around.  She trains them to do it.  Weird kitty.

But here's some recent scenes in our backyard.  Some major love going on in the sunshine.

Photoessay #2057 - Potent photo

This picture appeared in today's Seattle Times. Taken three years ago, it shows President Obama bending down to let a young boy feel his hair. The boy's father, a White House staff member was leaving the Administration. By tradition, departing White House staffers can ask for a family photo with the President. Here, the family, all dressed up, visit the President's office for the picture taken by White House photographer Pete Souza.  The father told President Obama that each of his sons had a question to ask him and added that he didn't know the question. His older son(11) asked why the President had eliminated the F22 fighter jet .  The five year old also had a question.

"I want to know if my hair is just like yours," he told Obama, so quietly that the president asked him to speak again.

Jacob did, and Obama replied, "Why don't you touch it and see for yourself?"

He brought his head level with Jacob, who hesitated
.
"Touch it, dude!" Obama said.

As Jacob patted the presidential crown, Souza snapped.

"So, what do you think?" Obama asked.

"Yes, it does feel the same," Jacob said.

 The article pointed out that the photo is a favorite despite its awkward composition, the parents' heads are cut off, the boy's hand obscures his face and the older son is blurry.

Doesn't matter, the photographer captured the image which continues to be a favorite.

Sometimes, a picture just jumps out of the camera, sometimes in a surprising manner.

Photo by Pete Souza from the Seattle Times used without permission

Photoessay #2056 - Mountains

As I work here, mired in Maier--well I can sort of see the end of this paper, it's longer than I thought, already 11K words.  I think some of it can be cut.  It's just an endeavor.

How about a beautiful  picture of some northwest mountains.  We've got the rugged Cascades and Olympics.  But, amazingly, they are so much lower than the Sierra Nevadas.

I'm using Ilana's friend Erynn's fine pictures; she usually lets me use them so we'll call it good.  She does beautiful photography.  These look like the Olympics to me but what do I know!

Photoessay #2055 - UAB coming up!

Susanna at Megan's graduation party the other weekend.  Wearing the new UAB shirt that I bought her.  University of Alabama Birmingham.  One of those idea that's just so crazy that it just might work.  Now, to us, in the northwest, Birmingham Alabama is beyond the known universe, in another galaxy, you wouldn't really go there.

As a reality check when I mentioned U Alabama Birmingham to people in the Florida, it sounded perfectly plausible.  Like hearing that somebody is going to Oregon State.

But the out of state tuition for their professional OT program....well let's just say that it makes Yale look cheap.  And I thought the out of state fee for University of Michigan was insane.  But my girl has worked so hard for several years to get into an accredited OT program and this is the one that accepted her...so we're going for it.

I admit, I'm the one who would chide parents for letting their children apply for expensive schools when they couldn't pay for them.  But that assumes that there are other perfectly fine options that would work.  I think she came reasonably close to being admitted to the program at Eastern Washington in Spokane.  Closer, wayyyyyyy cheaper, Susanna liked the people and the place.  What's not to like?  Except they didn't accept her.

But after giving her a spot for the interview at the last minute when somebody dropped out, waitlisting her and then offering her a spot.  Well, that's the one, then.  Either that or no OT program this year.  And when you've done an all out apply-for-graduate-school campaign, you don't want to have to do it all AGAIN.  So UAB it is.  I think it impressed them that somebody would travel all the way from Seattle to Birmingham Alabama on short notice for a grad school interview.

Go Blazers!

PS you may be wondering, with 4 kids including 3 daughters attending college, how many colleges have we paid bucks to.  NOT including community college.  (in no particular order)

University of Washington
Washington State University
Central Washington University
University of Oregon
University of Michigan
University of Alabama, Birmingham

Do I get a patch for this?

Photoessay #2054 - Bush left for dead

I had declared this azalea as dead three or so years ago when we had a big heat wave.  I know, I know, anything over 75 here is considered a heat wave.  But it got over 100 degrees here one day.  We even held Parent Group out the cement in front of the church, it was so hot.  This bush, it looked bad, real bad.   Like dead.  But because I never pull anything up, I just babied it along.  And look, years later, it's blooming its little heart out.  A little lopsided  maybe but still!

Photoessay #2053 - Six Million and One

Finally Dennis and I attended our first SIFF movie.  We're behind, we've got six movies to see.  Looking at the weekend's movies, I sent a list to him and let him choose.  For me, no brutality, little violence, no dark twisted stuff.

He was surprised that 'Six million and one' was on my list.  You usually won't watch Holocaust movies.\, he says.  But this one looked interesting.  A film-maker takes 3 of his siblings to the sites mentioned in their father's privately written memoir of surviving the death camps.  So, rather kicking and screaming, they go along and visit the sites.  It brings up a lot of things for them.  What's their relationship to all this?  How did their father survive?  And what if he did?  Does that really mean anything?  And what about the people who benignly live near these places of death and violence.  What does it mean for them as a group of siblings?

A bit of a memoir.  A bit of the most stunning and violent event for the Jews in the twentieth century.  A bit of siblings.  Jewish siblings.  Yes, it reminds me a bit of myself and my brother and sister.  Same age, parents the same age. But our Jewish parents lived in the US not in Europe.   Can we be loud, opinionated and demonstrative?  Yes, yes and yes.

Picture from the film, towards the end when the siblings stroll through the woods at the site of the final camp where the Germans basically locked up a whole bunch of people and let them there to starve.

I enjoyed it

Photoessay #2052 - Ducks advance to Super-regionals

I can't help it; I still have to follow Oregon Duck softball. Even though I haven't been down to Eugene to attend a game at Howe Field for two seasons and it's been five seasons since my daughter has been an active player. But I still follow them.  LIke most school-based athletic programs, everything turns over.  Different players, the 2007 season is ancient history to the current players.  Different coaches though the new head coach Mike White was an assistant coach during Susanna's freshman year so we do know him.

Ducks have had a very good winning season this year (and the past two with Michael White as coach).  Usually, they were sent to who knows where for Regionals because of the paucity of west coast programs, hosting requirements.  The only regional I attended (2007) was in Columbia, South Carolina.  But, this year, the Ducks were seeded high enough and had improved their facilities and they got to host!  Teams sent to Eugene: BYU, Portland State, Mississippi State. All duck fan knows that Portland State can be tough, they bring their best game when they play the Oregon Ducks.  BYU always an excellent team and Mississippi State is from the SEC.  Because BYU is involved, the Regional started a day early.

But the Ducks won three straight and will advance.  Yay!

I looked at the UO site, noticed they had a new section on Howe Field, the venue you love to hate.  It's got atmosphere, for sure.  They had a photo gallery.  I love examining pictures, figuring out when they were taken.  I was the one who identified the little picture that Washington had on their site showed Jenn Salling playing shortstop for UO.  Those, back in the day, remember that Jenn's 'transfer' from Oregon to Washington was controversial.  Anyway, I got it if nobody else did.

So I look at the 5 pictures.  Hey, does that kid look familiar.  Yup, my very own daughter playing center field.  Which means 2004 or 2005.  Because she's wearing shorts, I would guess 2004.  Playing Arizona???  From the cherry red jerseys.  That's not Jo Gail at third but she didn't really play until 2006, inconclusive.  Could be Ani Nyhus in the circle.

Wow, Cal loses winner bracket game to Arkansas.  #1 seed of the entire tournament and in all the rankings.  Huge upset.

Photoessay #2051 - Fetching

I loved the punchline of this cartoon "I started out fetching."  The dog in the cartoon clearly has gone way beyond fetching.  For my dog Teddy, fetching remains the ultimate activity.  An end in itself.  He knows the reason that he has been put on this earth ... to fetch.  OK, he brings the groceries in and he will have another chance to do that tomorrow.

He never tires of it.  He always works on selling me "See, I drop the ball at your feet and you throw it.  Then I go get it just as fast as I can.  I will jump high or crash through brush or slide.  Anything to get that ball.  And then I bring it back and I drop it at your feet.  Then you throw it again, it's a great game!" 

I used to take him to the dog park and I wouldn't throw the ball.  So he would work every single person to try to get them to throw it.  He had a system, drop the ball at their feet, nudge the ball towards them and look up, repeat until they give in.  Dog park people generally would.  Some would say "Teddy, I know your ways and there is no way I'm throwing that ball because it never ends, I'm not doing it!" But Teddy would keep nudging the ball and looking up until they gave up.  "I know I shouldn't do this, " they said but they did it anyway.

"That's some quality fetching," one man said and sighed as he tried to convince his boxer to bring the ball.

So, if you need any fetching, if you want to throw a tennis ball and have somebody bring it back to you, I've got the guy for you.

Just went to the NCAA Regional #16 at Husky Stadium.  Good game, they beat Harvard 2-0.  Generally well-played.  Some grumbling among the softball ranks as Washington had lost 16 of their last 20 games.

Oregon's hosting!  They host Thurs-Sat because BYU is in their regional.  Portland State and Mississippi State eliminated from that regional.  Ducks have to beat BYU tomorrow.  BYU is a good team....

Photoessay #2050 - Talk with a third cousin

I was thrilled today to talk with a third cousin, Ken B in the Maier Zunder  line.  Ken's son had contacted me when he read some of my Maier Zunder posts.  He had mentioned that his father was really interested in Maier.  It took me quite awhile before I convinced him to give me his father's contact information.  I sent a draft of my paper to him and we scheduled a phone call (along with his wife) for this morning. 

Fun!  Clearly he had read my paper and enjoyed it.  We talked about other possible cousins, I'm not sure there are that many even though Maier parented 11 children.  Too many only children and people marrying late.  But I will continue to look.  He had a silver cup presented to Maier on the occasion of his 70th birthday (I might have seen that cup mentioned).  He has a lot of Mishkan Israel information.  He promised to send me a picture of the cup.

I told him about my 1974 family history and how I had revised it after talking to Regina Bear, his grandmother.  I promised to scan the two versions and send them to him.  He remembered hearing about my grandmother Regina Baumann.

Today's picture is taken from the 'new' (circa 1960) Mishkan Israel lobby.  The old stained class from the Orange Street temple were broken and made into a mosaic around a small dome.  Interesting mosaic.  I'm thinking that said "Maier Zunder".  The name of his wife Regina Zunder is more clearly shown in another panel.

Photoessay #2049 - Arson

I know a family with a 15 year old child who wants to control his family and all things around him.  Now he's involved with the juvenile justice system.

Aside: I want to go on record of being tremendously grateful and supportive of the juvenile justice system in our area.  I appreciate the concept that most take for granted, that those who with criminal behavior can receive assistance and learn lessons so that they have the opportunity to change their behavior BEFORE they turn 18 and then have to face the consequences of the adult penal system.  I agree with many critics who are alarmed by the number of people that the US locks up.  Juvenile Justice assumes that almost all young people can change their ways with community assistance.

One of the crimes involved (though nobody was injured) here is arson.  Arson.  One of the most frightening ancient crimes.  The power  of fire's destruction.  It can be set so easily and the resulting fire can destroy everything in its path.  Who can look at a burned out building and not feel fear and revulsion?  Many young people find fire and setting fires compelling and fascinating.  But how far should you go?  Where's the boundary between playing with matches and setting a malicious or fatal fire?  What a difficult question!

My family shared a cul-de-sac in a residential neighborhood.  Most of the neighbors when my children were young also had children about the same age and we often worked cooperatively.  One boy had his difficult behaviors.  Once when he was about ten, he knocked on my door and asked for matches.  I looked at him and said "No, I will not give you matches."  I thought to myself, there is no way on this earth that I would ever give you matches!

But, isn't that a human fear?  That there will be a fire.  In our home.  That will hurt those we love.  I was present at a small house fire caused by a holiday candle the day after Christmas.  Nobody was harmed and most damage was done due to smoke and some high performing sprinklers.  But it upset that family tremendously and they decided to move even after the damage was fixed.

Photoessay #2048 - Working Teddy

Teddy carried in the groceries for me today.  It takes some patience but I want to establish the skill for him.  He's game, especially if there's treats involved.  It took him four trips to bring in the groceries.  Including a cantaloupe, bananas, half gallon of milk, several pounds of oranges, two tri-tip roasts, some canned things.  He's in business!

First shot shows him in the back of the car, getting loaded up.  Then up to our front door and up another half set of stairs up to the kitchen.  He's not sure why we play this game, he prefers fetch.

He's young and strong and he likes to work....

Photoessay #2047 - Charl's turkey

My brother Charlie, an artist, enjoys photography.  Most artists show talent early in life.  Charlie, not so.  He did not do much artistically until he took up stained glass as a young man.  He returned to it a few years ago and has produced some wonderful pieces (I have a few).  I know I've featured some on this blog.

Last summer, he visited and stayed with us while doing some business.  He attended a session my photography class with me that I took at a local community college.  We both had "a little better than average but not SLR" digital cameras.  I told him that he would find out what his camera would not do.  He enjoyed the class immensely and the first thing he did when he returned home was buy a good SLR for himself.

We did some letterboxing with Melina and my friend Lee.  We had to drag him out of the woods because he was so busy taking pictures.

He sent me several turkey pictures today.  He wrote

I was taking some pictures of some flowers at Cantigny Gardens for my “Photography Exposure” class, when these boys came “a strutting” along. 

Needless to say that it was the female behind me (whom I did not see until later), and not yours truly, that these boys were trying to impress …

The iridescence almost hurts your eyes.  Great job of capturing the image.

I had an exciting Maier Zunder moment today.  A descendant had written me several months ago and said that his dad was interested in MZ.  I've been bugging him for his dad's contact information for months and finally got an email address last week.  I wrote and his dad replied, said he had lots of materials and was NOT tired of talking about Maier Zunder (as opposed to my family) and we set up a time to talk later in the week.  Yay!

 I think we are third cousins.  His great grandfather is Theodore and my great grandmother is Delia, both children of Maier.  I'm handicapped as  my grandmother Regina was an only child so no second cousins.

Photoessay #2046 - Parent's weekend

Today Dennis and I went east (vs south yesterday) across the Cascades to Ellensburg for a day at Parent's Weekend at Central Washington University.  Pretty quiet, I thought maybe it was because we went on Sunday rather than Saturday but Naomi said there wasn't many people around Saturday either.  The Chimp thing was the draw but we found it was sold out.  So we went to the Brunch and to her broom-closet room in Kamola Hall and went to the Science Building and Library as well as Black Hall where all of her classes are.  She's now firmly in her Elementary Education/Literacy major so she has all her classes there.  She likes Kamola (one of the oldest buildings) but will likely move out with a friend to an apartment next year.

Warm and pleasant in Ellensburg, a small town.  We fooled around for about four hours, had some ice cream and headed back over the mountains.

I took a bunch of pictures of her at the brunch.  I like this one.  My baby!  22 years old.

Photoessay #2045 - Fruit plate (for a grad party)

This late afternoon and evening, Dennis and I went to a graduation party for Susanna's friend Megan and her roommates who will graduate from a private college in Tacoma tomorrow.  The party guests were almost all family of the soon-to-be-graduates.  And us.  And Megan and Alex who I know very well, the doctor couple who have started a used toy store where Megan and Susanna work.  And their three kids who we all also know.

We enjoyed ourselves, beautiful weather so we could all be in the backyard of their modest rental near the school.  Barbecued chicken and salmon, clams, potato salad, other things.  I made a fruit plate, going for more finger food rather than cut up fruit you have to spoon out.  Susanna was concerned that somebody else was bringing fruit.  But my plate went out early in the party and (just look how yummy it looks) most of it went quickly.  The other fruit people came later and they had more cut up fruit in a bowl.  So it all worked out (as it does in almost all pot lucks).

None of the pictures of the party struck me but I did think my fruit plate was beautiful.  Alas, no local fruit, probably the carbon cost of that plate in the importation of the fruit is huge.  From Mexico and California mainly.  But it looks so pretty, flashy even.  (the ants are painted onto the table cloth, don't worry).

Photoessay #2044 - Whetstone Chocolates

I noticed a chocolate place right near where we stayed in St. Augustine. A building next door looked like a factory. A sign out front said "tours today'. I'm sold. I'm on vacation, why not a tour of a chocolate factory. Like everything in St. Augustine, it cost money. I was completely prepared to go by myself. But Dennis wanted to go. Great tour and lecture on the health benefits of chocolate. Hey, you don't have to convince me. Like most women, I adore chocolate. We got to go into the factory part where the older chocolatiers worked. Apparently the son of the founders, an engineer, designed a lot of the equipment. Great quality chocolate, don't you love the colors in the shell assortment? We bought a small box. They make everything themselves and say that they buy from small organic growers.

 I'll buy more! I'm ready sign on!

Photoessay #2043 - Regina Zunder

Many thanks to my cousin Mary Ann F who I have worked with very closely on my Maier Zunder paper.  Last November, I traveled to New Haven just to do research and the two of us spent three days on the ground collecting information.  As I reflect on the six months since, I'm surprised what I learned on that trip.  I didn't even know about the devotional exercises controversy before I went.  I didn't know where he lived.

I've been working on these topics since.  I now have spent another two days assembling this paper.  I've added several pictures today including this portrait of Maier Zunder's first wife, Regina.  At the beginning of this day, I had no good image, the picture hung on Mary Ann's living room wall.  But I wrote and asked Mary Ann to take a picture and, with some limited resources and working together, we came up with an image that I could use.  I know that there is still some reflection in the image; maybe Dennis can do with something with it.

So, thanks Mary Ann, as always.  For years, I've referred to her as the 'brains of the operation'.

A picture from November with Marvin, the archivist of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven located the the Ethnic Herictage Center on the campus of Southern Connecticut State University.

Photoessay #2042 - Back to Alligator Farm

I figure if I actually went to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, I should post at least one alligator picture.  They mostly lay there; we got watch them eat so alligator wafers and some (now dead) rats.  They do lay around warming themselves in the sun.  I could see that an alligator in the water would be way more dangerous in the water.

I couldn't resist posting another bird mom and baby picture.  Another one that just popped out of the camera.  Cute chicks, fluffy.  We couldn't figure out why all those birds were in those trees and not in other places.

All else ok, around here.  Dennis did moan a bit and then figured out how to do my fancy numbering.  I have most everything assembled.  But I need to get the size o

f the file down because I couldn't post it.  Make all those figures smaller.  Pretty tedious....

Photoessay #2041 - Document preparation

Since I've come home, I've been working on my main Maier Zunder paper.  I've written about 15 pages of the devotional exercises paper.  But I knew it would take a lot of work to get the main paper into shape.  I had the text (which likely needs another revision) and a collection of pictures and documents mostly included in my overworking mind.

So I've been working on this for *3* days.  It's getting close.  I've prepared and added the pictures, picked the appendixes, scanned those documents, put everything in order.

The teacher had VERY specific ideas about what elements to include and what kinds of page numbers to start and stop in each section.  I thought I would have to have a prior file just for that.  But, as I got closer, I realized that WORD would make a Table of Contents.  Yes!  And a list of figures and pictures.  Double Yes!

I have some verbiage about hos to put the roman and arabic number ranges using sections.  But I'm confused about that.  Will ask my trusty husband when he comes home.  He'll crab and complain but he'll do it.

So it's close but I can't believe how much time it has taken me.  Currently running at about 75 pages.  Title (at this time):

Maier Zunder

A Leading Citizen of Nineteenth Century New Haven

 

Photoessay #2040 - Back to graduation

The first part of our trip involved going to Ann Arbor for Ilana's graduation.  Though it didn't all work out just as I wanted, we did get to participate in some of those 'graduation goodies'.   I do not take these things for granted.  Some parents do not get the chance to experience the role that these events provide.  It's sad when a parent may see other parent's children graduate or marry and they do not get to play their 'proud parent' role.  It's a loss that not everybody recognizes.

Ilana had arranged to get together with two other students and their families for a pre-graduation luncheon.  Emily and Megan, the other graduates are in the middle of the picture.  These graduates also both have jobs which makes things easier.  One young woman is going to a third world country helping a school build a library; the other is going to be part of library staff at a small school in rural New York State.

But here we are with the other proud parents, dressed nicely enjoying our special luncheon.  Very nice time.  I deeply appreciated it.

And another shot on the steps of the hall where the graduation took place.  A nice one of my two younger daughters.  It being Michigan, the weather couldn't decide if it was hot or cold.

Today was her first day of work...I'll have to call and get the report.

Photoessay #2039 - Flagler dome

Flagler College really impressed us; mainly because it seemed a legitimate small private liberal arts college with a VERY reasonable price tag.  I've spent that much on a year at Washington State University.  And that was before the big price hikes we've seen in recent years.

At this point, there seems no way that a young person can get a professional degree without a ton of crippling debt.  I agree that student loan debt is next big bubble.  We continue to pitch in multi-thousand dollar contributions.  We thought U Michigan out of state fees were outrageous but they seem like NOTHING compared to what U Alabama Birmingham wants.

Also, we realized in Florida that people we talked to felt that Alabama Birmingham was reasonably known and nearby.  Here, it seems like it must be in a foreign country PLUS an alternate unknown universe.  Crazy.

Dennis and I continue to pick up the strands of projects that we left behind 10 days ago.  Teddy seems to have done well with Jannelle plus he had a puppy to play with some of the time which he enjoyed.

Back to Flagler, the college is built around a grand resort hotel built by Mr. Flagler.  Much of it has been restored to it's former over the top grandeur.  Really, such a waste of resources to make everything so darn fancy and costly.

Picture looks up at the domed ceiling in the former main lobby which is an entrance to the college.

Photoessay #2038 - Gamble Rogers Folk Festival

First of all, we're home. It takes a LONG time to get from Jacksonville Florida to Seattle. And I did manage to cobble together something from the refrigerator after eating out for 10 days in a row (I'm really going to have to look into those  Cuban dishes).

But first let me tell you about the concert we went to last night.  St. Augustine stages the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival with a Friday night concert then four stages going all day Saturday.  We got to go the Friday night concert down at the Marina, about 6-8 blocks from where we stayed.  Five hours, five local bands, what a treat!  In the middle was Willie Green who is an old-fashioned blues man playing the harmonica and singing.  "The real thing" as they say.

The second picture shows the backdrop for the stage.  Right along the intercoastal waterway by the "Bridge of Lions".  This  is just how it looked yesterday evening.

And we never needed a sweater the whole time we were there.  Shorts and sandals all the way.  Very very pleasant.

Photoessay #2037 - The Veranda

Tomorrow we go home.  I plan to feature the porch on the second floor at Oveido House where we are staying.  An older home with a great location, right at the edge of the best kept secret, Flagler College.  And right at the edge of the downtown St. Augustine where there is tons to do.

There's a folk concert down there this evening that we'll attend.  Or part of it.  Our friends whose family owns this place, made sure that somebody dropped by their beach chairs, which we have used.  But they're old and they weigh a ton.  Carting those things the six or eight blocks to the Marina area is not an option.

Today, we returned to the beach because I wanted to go swimming in the warm ocean.  Put on my bathing suit and really go in.  And I did and stayed in quite a while in the gray green water of the east coast of Florida.  Am I ever pooped out!  One difference with this sand, very sneaky, it looks like you've brushed it all off but it makes it's way along with moisure into anything that's touched the beach.  I enjoyed being in the waves though.

Farewell to St. Augustine, we've enjoyed it, haven't seen half of what's here!

Photoessay #2036 - Saint Augustine Beach

Many thanks to Curtis who confirmed that my orange flower the other day is a hibiscus.

Today we went on a tour of the Whetstone Chocolate factory which is very near where we are staying which resulted in a substantial chocolate purchase.  How can you go wrong buying chocolate?

We also went to St. Augustine Beach.  We have beaches near where we live but the experience is quite raw, I can't stay out there long, rough sand, freezing cold water and a charcoal gray aspect to the water.  Dennis doesn't particularly like the beach.  But I talked him into going 'just for awhile'.  Saint Augustine Beach is beautiful.  Easy to get to, park, beach easy to walk on.  Water SO warm, like Hawaii.  We brought a beach chair and some towels and had a lovely hour or so.  I went wading a lot.  Not crowded.  Lovely.

Photoessay #2035 - Alligator Farm

Everything in St. Augustine comes with a price.  There's lots of tours and places to see but everybody wants a piece of that tourist dollar.  However, the Alligator Farm ($21/person) seemed to be worth it so we gave it a shot.  And were not disappointed.  Lots of things to see and lots of alligators and people doing demonstrations about what alligators do, which is lay out in the sun a lot.  We did get to see some mooning alligatoors as it is spring time.  But all those gators were overshadowed by the bird rookery in a lagoon in the back.  We don't know why all of these birds (egrets and such) come to these trees to roost and nest and raise their young.  But they do and there are hundreds and hundreds of them.  All making noice.  White feathery ones and plainer white ones and dark heded ones and showy ones with bright orange and red coloring.  They all have nests, some are sitting on eggs, some have bitty baby birds and some have good sized young birds.  And everybody's making a racket and very busy.

I have one picture of one of the trees.  Look closely, there are many many birds and nests.  The second one is a closeup of one bird's nest.  Her baby is getting pretty big.  But don't drop your babies because it's a lagoon full of alligators.  Literally.

Photoessay #2034 - Saint Augustine

It's not that I didn't post yesterday, it's that I posted twice the day before so I figured I was good.  Yesterday was mostly a travel day from Michigan to Florida.  All ran smoothly.  Ilana and Matt dropped us off at the airport before noon and by later that night, they got the truck, went to IKEA, loaded up the truck and moved to Indiana.  Pretty good.

St. Augustine has lots of things to see.  We're staying at Oveido House in one of the apartment which has worked out very well.  It's pretty dark inside here during the day, my only complaint.  We're right near the downtown, lots of walking.  Weather perfect.  Out come that shorts and t-shirts.

My picture today comes from the courtyard from Flagler College right nearby.  In fact, the tennis courts from the college are right across the street.  The college is headquartered in a former grand hotel from the 1880s with really over the top decoration, all restored, all beautiful.  Liberal arts undergraduate school.  With, (get this!) tuition plus housing cost only about 20K.  Unheard of!  I paid this much for Naomi to go to Washington State.  The campus seems very well appointed, what's not to like about this place?

We took the tour, I think this is a hibiscus.  An example of a picture right out of the camera, nothing else needed.  You can see a tower from the grand hotel to the left.

Last night we tried a local Cuban restaurant down by the water.  Excellent!  Plus they were holding a planning meeting for a local chapter of LAMA (Latin American Motorcycling Association) at the next table.  "Anybody can join; we are a family-oriented organization!).

We walked around the town today, went to the fort, debated whether to buy a 3 day pass on the trolley thing.  Had a short (practically for free) right on one of the horse-drawn carriages.  Freda had another place on her list, up the road in Globalization Central, turns out that it's a chain restaurant.  But it was really good. 

We've got a place picked out for tomorrow.  There's local convience store/pizza place around the corner, I see h ow you could operate just out of that place.

Oveido House has a lovely veranda.

From Florida, guys!