Another Old Friend

So much has been written about Eurovision this year that it is hard to find a new angle, but I'll just say that I enjoyed it.

I have no idea how odds are determined, but Croatia was picked to win.

Maybe my favorite part of their act was the lace all over the drum set.

Each country has a jury that decides how to distribute its points and the public also gets a vote. 

The whole world does not get to participate in the contest,
but the whole world can pay to vote.

I was originally watching the Australian broadcast and could see that it cost $0.65AUD, which is less than 50¢ USD.

I decided to see if I could watch the Danish broadcast, which I could. It turns out I was missing all the filler bits, like this silly act. It was there that I learned that 

it cost only 1DKK or 15¢ USD for their vote.

I was not in Australia or Denmark so

if I wanted to vote it would be €0.99, which more than $1 USD.

Sweden won Eurovision last year and was the host this year, fifty years after ABBA won.

ABBA had said they would not perform this year, but I, like many people, hoped they would change their mind. They didn't. This computer-generated group performed instead.

The second-place song last year, and the favorite of the public, was from Finland. The hosts claimed this would have been the dance number while votes were counted if Finland hosted. That would have been fine with me.

None of this really describes the event, just bits and pieces that stood out to me. In the end, Switzerland won.

It was not as fun as a party with friends in Denmark, but being able to watch and text with friends around the world was a fine second choice.

Visible Mending

I had seen beautiful pictures of repaired ceramic pieces, like this

on Etsy.

The Embroiderers' Guild has a lovely introduction to visible mending with thread.

I was inspired to try it myself after seeing my sister's sweatshirt when we were together last month.

Quick Fix

I was surprised to wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to see my clock because the power was out (no photo).

I had this email the next morning.

I knew it had been restored, but had hoped they would be able to tell us the reason for the outage.

We took a walk later and met these people.

They said they were replacing a cable. Maybe a squirrel had chewed through a cable. We were impressed that they were dealing with it so quickly and without further outages. They said that was their job, even if it meant missing a family birthday party. Darn squirrels!

Like an Old Friend

 The LA County Fair has moved to May and the weather is significantly cooler.

It was good weather for cycling, there
was a bike rack, and it was being used.

Shopping is popular with some people. Here are things I did not buy.

A flag, even though I may get an Ohio or California flag one day.

totally fried anything

I did see someone who had bought this.

I did not buy a Dodgers casket.

I usually spend my time seeing things I had seen before, but this visit I saw Clydesdales for the first time.

My old favorites include

competitive table setting

also known as tablescaping.

I also like the crochet, embroidery, and other textile projects, but I took only one picture!?!

People can bring their projects

and sit and work on them.

I like going to the art center, but this year's exhibit did not capture my interest.

The last stop was 

the G-gauge railroad, which I have never examined, but always like visiting. I just learned it is open during the year, too.

Definitely worth a visit.

Good Idea

When the kids were little and we lived in a NY college town there was a school supply store (if memory serves me correctly, and it is possible that it doesn't). As part of the store there was a recycle section where people could leave egg cartons, toilet paper tubes, fabric scraps, and things a classroom might need for projects. I loved finding a place for things that might get used again and I also loved finding things I wanted to use with my kids.

A couple local friends told me about something similar in Pasadena on a much larger scale and the three of us headed to Remainders for an adventure.

There were many aisles of treasures.

Sewing treasures, paper-related treasures, 

yarn treasures,

not so many science treasures, and even

a few free treasures.

I thought large rulers was a funny name for a yardstick.

Unfortunately, I have all the treasures I need. I managed to spend $1.38 on a couple items. The best part was learning where to take all my treasures when they need a new home.

Weekend Activites

 It was nice to have a weekend with only a few activities.

The library was hosting a bring-a-plant, get-a-plant
event and also had small pots to paint.

The baby and her mother came and we tried to
paint her hand onto the pot. Easier said than done.

From there we went to the first game of the Division III women's water polo national championship. It was hosted by the Sagehens and included one other team from the region (the cross-street rivals), one team from a region that included Austin College and one team from a region that included Augustana College. Both California teams won the first round with lopsided scores.

I learned that Austin College has a kangaroo as a mascot because they had a Kangaroo Kourt, but people liked that so they got a real kangaroo as a mascot. It died so they bought another one. I am happy to say that now only humans dressed up as kangaroos represent the college.

We watched a tiny bit of baseball, but mostly chatted with people.

In the evening we went joined the First Saturday Art Walk, which included a performance inside the movie theater's lobby.

It rained a bit overnight but was dry enough to get out on the tandem. I wonder how I ever did this ride on my own.

We got back in time to get good seats for the championship game, which was surprisingly not sold out and also surprisingly a bit lopsided.

Sagehens, Division III champions
One of these players will do research with D. this summer.

Time to turn in early to get ready for the week ahead.

April Leftovers

I never mind a layover in Denver.

I always visit the brick roads (two) when I am home.

The building my father points out every time we drive by it.

Kids at school were pulling weeds and using them to build homes for bugs.

Having tea in an oasis of a backyard

Our not-dead tree

Baby's dad brought back treasures from his travels