Natural beauty

Spring has been beautiful, but today I was

pleasantly surprised by more formal beauty.

The flower show is close to home so I walked over to check it out, not really knowing what to expect. I loved it!

The League of Women Voters won best in class.

My favorite grouping of colors

Edible arrangement

All from the creator's yard

More beautiful in person, but still great.

Smells much better in person!

Of course there were roses

I forgot to check the name, but this was my favorite of the single stems.

I am so lucky to be able to walk to a variety of events!

Another ceramic show

I was able to go to the opening reception at the high school last month.

It was a small show but A. had many pieces in the exhibit.

My favorite is having them all together.

Maybe it is time for a sale soon?

Another full day

The alarm was set for 4:10am so the marathon runners would get to Dodger Stadium without the panicked feeling of being stuck in traffic. Last year we could see people getting out of the cars and walking uphill the last 1.5 miles of the drive. My running partner rested her legs and got there on time, but it was better to early.

photo by Gustavo Castellanos

My cheering partner (my running partner's spouse and also my swimming partner) and I hung out at the 10K mark until the coffee place opened (thank goodness they had fixed the bathroom in the last year!). A couple hours after we arrived the first wheelchair racers and handcyclists passed by. Even slight uphills looked like a challenge.

On the other hand, even the slight downhill shown here allows for them to gather speed. The amazing things about the runners in the photo is that they looked like they were just loping along, but really they were going under 8:30 min./mile

I was surprised to see Nowruz banners in LA because I did not know there were enough celebrants in town. I guess if I went to LA more often I would know they had banners every year. You can see previous designs here. I wonder if there is anyone who turns the banners into wallets, tote bags, or other items available for sale.

Plenty of people were along the route at the 10K and 30K mark, it was definitely not crowded, but the finish was jammed and there were still several hours of finishers behind our friends. Attempts were made to examine bags and keep people from crowding the finishers, but it was a challenge. Despite that we met up with our friends, who were very happy to be done! They had both earned two medals, one for finishing the marathon and another for participating in a series that included a 10K, half-, and full-marathon over the course of about five months. Some people also had a medal for running a 5K the day before the marathon. Whew.

After a celebratory beer (included in the price of entry and for a fee for non-runners) sponsored by the local Hostelling International group, the racers shuffled off to the car.

We headed home and lucky for me I got back in time for Bach! 

A. was performing a bit late so I was able to hear him play.

A full day and a good one!

Pie Festival

A very talented person in town pulled together
a booth hosted by local Little Free Library stewards.

I solicited cookbooks from friends and neighbors.

So did a lot of people.

In addition to books we gave away bookmarks
listing the Little Free Libraries in town.

The festival brought in the amazing Sister Pie author
who has been featured in Bon Appetit  and Bloomberg.

Other entertainment included

live music, like this ukulele group,

old cars, including this modified '57 Chevy,

making digits of pi plates at the library,

and recipe cards from a lot of businesses.

Of course there were pies (cupcakes, really, but ignore that part),
like these made of felt

and these made of wax.

Of course there were edible pies!
I did not make it to the pie eating contest
and I have not seen the results of the pie baking contest.

The only disappointment of the day was not seeing these hats in person!

photo credit to Claremont Courier

Grocery List

On St. Patrick's Day I found this grocery list stuck in the grocery cart.
I felt slightly guilty keeping it since when I lost mine not long ago I was very sad. 

There was a guy who collected found lists and turned it into a book.

People used to post their found lists to his website, but that seems to have passed. Here is a little summary.

Things learned
More people than I thought like onions. Mayonnaise is difficult to spell. So is banana, apparently. And anchovies. And yogurt. A lot of people cannot spell very well. I try not to make fun of them too much. That’s not true. I make fun of them. A lot. Some people buy weird combinations of things or leave funny messages on the lists. It makes for an interesting collection. I used to think my handwriting was lame. Now I don’t. And lastly, very few people leave their grocery lists in the cart like they should!

Feel free to send me the lists you find. 

Water Conservation

Encouraged by my father-in-law I attended an open house at the Waterwise Community Center. It is only three miles away but I had never heard of it.

I loved the building, the setting, and outdoor art.

I am thrilled with our yard,

but I liked their demonstration gardens.

There were projects, like these origami boxes for taking plants home.

I was sorry I didn't have time to make a coaster.

The public had a chance to vote on science projects and artwork.

Claremont is not in the Chino Basin Water District, but some events are open to all. I will definitely go back!

Random Acts

Why would someone stick something small to the sign outside the library that lists the hours?

 I went to remove it and found a pleasant surprise!

I thought I should pass it on, but was encouraged to keep it. Thanks, random stranger!

Deutsche

Last week was the annual German talent show. Most of the third- and fourth-year students recite poetry in German, but a few dance, sing, and play instruments.

A. is only a second-year student, but was on stage twice,
once as a German club officer and once to be honored
for scoring at the gold level of the national exam.

The teacher arranges a private exchange program so maybe next year we will host a student in April and A. will go to Germany in June.