Preview

 May 2000

March 2014

Stay tuned for more before and after photos!  If you can't wait, stop by!

Perseverance

In high school I was the slowest swimmer in the fast group.

I am still among the slow people, but I am hoping if I can't get faster then I will simply outlive my competition.  At my most recent meet there was only one woman in the 90-94 age group and no other woman older than 76 participating.

The meet was a pentathlon, meaning everyone swam the same five events (50 yards of each of the four competitive strokes and a 100 yard individual medley).  Each person was given a total time and ranked according to that.  I am one year older but 0.5 seconds faster than last year!

Swimming with a team definitely made it more fun

despite the fact that it was cold weekend (no sunshine and blue sky).

Here I am in the green cap swimming breaststroke.  Slowly.

Now our team's pool is set up for long course (50 meters) so it is time to start thinking about the summer season.

Passage of Time

As we begin the celebration of our house's adoption day (mid-March 2000), it is good to look back.

September 2003

August 2006 (with the landscape designers)

March 2014 (with Indah Bulan again)

A Couple Follow-ups

I am tempted to send this picture to the city, which is creating intersections like this.

To discourage crossing where there is no crosswalk, there is no curb cut and the sidewalk dead ends.  Doesn't look so effective to me.

We have not found someone to carve our large tree stump, but we did decide what to do with the log.

We were originally thinking about succulents, but the redwood is too acidic for them.

Gas Station Gambling

I don't know if Arco gas stations have spread to the east coast, but around here they are known for not taking credit cards and passing the savings onto the customer by charging less for gas.  There is one in the way to the pool, so even though I usually cycle there, I don't mind driving once every other week (or so) and buying gas on the way.  (Lesson learned - I decided to ride my bike on Monday and stop by later, about 5pm, and there was a line of cars waiting.  That is not for me so I drove home and went back today).

There are three ways to pay for the gas.  By the pumps is an ATM-like piece of equipment, but instead of dispensing money it takes money after you enter your pump number.  You can also go inside and say, "Twenty on two," or something like that (I felt like a real Californian when I started doing that).  The third way I'll discuss later.

The game begins when you guess how much money to put down.  You could just guess over, put down a lot, and get change at the end.  You could put down whatever you want and if it isn't full you just go about your business.  This doesn't work for me because since September 1996 we have recorded every tank of gas that has been put in the car, including the date, the amount, and the trip mileage.

The best days are when I put money down and and the tank fills with just a few cents left.  In the old days I would have gone inside for the change, but I have become a rebel and pump the last few cents worth even though the rule says not to top it off.  Not so long ago D. helpfully pointed out that $0.12 of gas at $3.79/gallon is not enough to cause a spill.  It was a life-changing lesson.

What will also be life changing is the third way of paying for gas.  As I was looking for the link to add to this post I learned that I could buy pre-paid gas cards.  I would get the card, use it like a credit card, and never have to guess how much to put down, never break the rules by pumping a little more, and never have to stand in line behind someone dealing with lottery tickets!  Amazing!

Math Field Day

After doing well on a school-administered test, A. was selected as one of five students from his grade to represent the school at a district-wide Math Field Day held at Harvey Mudd College.  The students from his school along with students from several (but not all) other elementary schools in the district were given another exam, which was proctored and graded by Harvey Mudd students.  Afterward the kids had a chance to learn about physics with a professor and other students.

 A. did not qualify for the next level (a Math Field Day held by Los Angeles County Office of Education), but was enjoyed the day more than expected.  He was very pleased that he designed the winning car, which was powered by blowing through a straw.

At the celebratory lunch he was sharing a few of the problems, including (not sure how to write this) one over 2 plus 3 over another fraction so you if you solve it you end up with one over 78 over 29.  He hadn't learned what to do next, but knows the trick now.

I don't think we'll start studying for next year, but I am grateful for the positive experience.

Precipitation

Sometimes I write about about how hot it is, but I don't usually write about the weather in the winter because I figure you know it is warm here while it is cold elsewhere.  But this weekend we have had more rain than all of the previous weather year (which is different from the calendar year or the academic year), which begins on July 1.

Our neighbor's liquid amber (sweet gum) tree lost a major branch,

bringing some wires with it.

Because it is L.A. I feel the need to show some random palm tree debris.

There are no sprinklers in the front and I don't water much
so I am glad it is getting a good soaking.