Not Very Exciting

What has been going on?

Last week I donated platelets while watching this move.

We were going to watch a movie at home on Friday but instead went to sleep before 9pm.

Long week!

We went to a Jewish Bat Mitzvah (including prayers in Hebrew) and a Presbyterian memorial service (including scripture readings in French and Thai).

On Saturday evening we all went to a new-to-us movie theater and saw Ford v. Ferrari
It does not pass the Bechdel Test, but it was entertaining.

On Sunday I did something I have not done in years, maybe decades.
I bought running shoes that were not Brooks. I hate getting new
shoes and wondering if I made the right choice, but I hope they work out.

On Monday I went to Huntington Gardens with a friend.

Stay tuned for the blog post about updated internet service,
to be written when my blood pressure returns to normal.

The rest of the week was work and meetings for me, finals for A., and a conference for D.

The other big event happened here. We went to the DMV without
an appointment and now we have a permitted driver in the family.

More Trees

I wondered what it meant when I saw that the Green Crew would be planting trees in the park. What about the open space? The view of the concerts in the bandshell?

It turns out they planted a tree to replace one that been lost, but mostly I saw trees on the tree lawns in the area.

My neighbors, who no longer had trees on their tree lawn, said they received a note from the city asking if they wanted a tree and were able to choose what type they wanted. They agreed to keep the green bag filled every 5-7 days, which will allow the tree to be more deeply watered.

 I am grateful for the way the city honors its official seal (history here). 

One Final Travel Post

In addition to San Francisco and the capitol

we stopped in Davis for crepes,

to wander around campus,

and to gawk at bicycles. It is hard to imagine what it
would be like when students are on campus.

In Sacramento the other two went to the train museum, which I regretted skipping after seeing

lots of pictures about the mailroom on board

and table settings from different lines.

On the other hand, I found the library next door fascinating!

People use the archives (timetables, maps, photos, menus) to do
research for books they are writing, family history,  or simply out of curiosity.

I just happened to find what has been called the essential book about cable cars (The Cable Car in America: A New Treatise upon Cable or Rope Traction as Applied to the Working of Street and Other Railways, by George W. Hilton). It is in the rare book collection a few blocks away so I may go read and learn more.

We met up and walked past the marker for Transcontinental
Railroad Mile 0, through Old Town, and along the river.

Our last outing of the trip was to Santa Cruz for 

running

and cycling. A good time was had by all.

We slept in Paso Robles

and had a beautiful drive home.

Happy new year, everyone!

Things I Don't Understand

Some English speakers have a habit of dropping the letter R from words (e.g., cah instead of car) and adding the letter R to words that don't usually have one (e.g, idear instead of idea). I was thinking of this as I was cycling along the recently redone boulevard near our home.

Several bus stops had their benches and trash
containers removed and bike racks were added.

In a few places (including across the street from the bus stop above)
these decorative benches were added. Are they to be used by tired
walkers? By people who want to admire the newly landscaped
area? By people who like watching traffic? I don't know.

Back to LA

I would not list any of these composers as my favorite, but I appreciated being invited to go by bus with my neighbor to hear the LA Phil. The bus left town early enough to get us to the pre-concert lecture, which significantly helped me understand what I was about to hear.

Great seats for the lecture! Our seats for the concert were to the right
of the french fries (one name for the structures that surround the organ).

It is great that they give away cough drops, but
maybe they could find some with quieter wrappers?

Before the concert we had time to socialize and walk in the garden.

x

There were nine bass for the Wagner piece!

photo taking during warm-up
So many mallets! 

I enjoyed our view of the conductor.

Then it was time to head home. I was a little sorry not to wander around downtown a bit, but it was also nice to get home in time to get some things done.

Unusual Weekend

I am such a slow reader! Or maybe I am a normal-speed reader and am easily distracted. This weekend I finished a book I had read before and started reading again in October, just for comfort of the familiar.

Purchased at Loganberry Books in Ohio

Next I finished this for book club.

I don't remember who suggest I read this,
but I finished it in one sitting.

I finally started this for another group,
but it will be slow because the reality is so tough.

I also need to finish the On the Same Page book,
which I have been reading for a month or so.

Travel Adventures

After an easy and dry drive to San Francisco we joined my sister's Christmas tradition of hanging out and eating. Even with thirteen people in the house (but only eleven people sleeping in the house that night) there were still quiet places to just be on one's own, but plenty of people to play and chat with.

Cable Car Museum
And a small example of why this is such a
great city to have automatic transmission

The next day we were lucky again because the sky was a beautiful blue and my sister was willing to drive us to the cable car museum taking the scenic route. It is great to see a city through the eyes of a local.

The cables cars themselves do not have engines so
this is the place to observe the engines for all the lines.

I was happy to see all the special tokens in the museum and was only a
little sad that I did not live in SF in the late 1970's in order to collect them.

From the museum we walked to  City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, another place I had never visited. 

It does make me realize how many books I have never heard of.

We rode the California Cable Car (line C) past Chinatown

and enjoyed hearing the bell

and watching it in action.

A. found a good Italian deli for lunch 

before we went to Japantown to look at stationery, pens, and so many tempting things.

And that was it. We took a couple buses back to my sister's place, packed the car (which we charged while we were sleeping and gallivanting around town - thank you!!) and headed to the next part of our adventure.

No bridge toll on the way out of town - yippee.

December Leftovers

I will get back to our trip next post, but this one has a few photos from last month (last year, and for some of you, last decade).

The new building by the train station is near completion.

A college basketball game, inside and outside the gym.

A. made a very small bowl for me.

Happy New Year!