Front Yard

Some neighbors have grass as a ground cover in front of their house.

Some neighbors have already removed their grass.

Our neighbors just started a project that they hope will reduce their water consumption.

Some houses owned by Scripps College are doing the same thing.

Last week

This week

Last week

This week

Even the people who live where it rains are reducing the grass as ground cover.

Even if I don't like to garden I do appreciate the variety of front yards.

Pi Day

Since the people in the U.S. write the date with the month followed by the day, we get to celebrate Pi Day, which is 3-14 (3.14, the ratio of the circumference to the diameter).  Some people suggest we should celebrate tau, which is 2π, but it hasn't caught on.

from State Farm

Today was special because not only were the first two digits to the right of the decimal point represented, by including the year and the time the first nine digits were represented.

How to celebrate?  The Pomona College Math Department made a shirt (and shared it with a physicist).

Most of the family went to the Pie Festival in town.

I made onion pie for dinner

and served bread and Apple Pie Jam.

Of course we had to pull out our collection of Sir Cumference books.

Now we need to plan our trip to a country that writes the day and then the month so we can celebrate on 22/7, a common approximation of π.

Another first

I shared with a hiking partner that I was training with the couch-to-5K program and she said she was, too.  We looked at a few upcoming races to run together and picked the one closest to home.

Turns out it was a fund raiser for the American Brain Tumor Association and I saved $5 as a survivor!  I have supported other people's fund raisers but never done one of my own.  I mentioned it on Facebook and within a couple hours more than doubled my original goal!

Should I stop there?  I figured I could at least mention here and give you a link, but I am going to run regardless of how much money I raise.  I will be truly happy just to cross the finish line since not so long ago I was blogging about making it around the block without holding onto D.'s arm.

Sidewalks

Where I grew up there were inspectors who checked the safety of your house and if something were wrong you had a set time to fix it before you were fined.  This included the sidewalks, which were the homeowners' responsibility to repair.  There must have been some flexibility because some people replaced the beautiful slate slabs with concrete and others brought in more slate.

photo from the LA Times

A recent story on the radio said Los Angeles homeowners used to be responsible for sidewalk repair but the city received a grant to fix sidewalks.  The money ran out but the responsibility is still the government's.  They have money set aside to deal with accidents related to uneven sidewalks but don't have money for maintenance.

I searched the local municipal code but did find instructions about repair.

I was thinking about this topic while walking a friend's dog in a different neighborhood.  I like that their sidewalk stamps include the year.  Remember when I wrote about the new sidewalks near us?  They said they weren't allowed to put a stamp at all.

I see a local wheelchair user in the street sometimes and now I realize why.  He certainly couldn't squeeze through here and I understand that they want to protect the tree, but

 why wouldn't a freshly poured sidewalk be more stroller- or wheelchairs-friendly?

At least there are no complaints about shoveling!

A weekend away

We drove past many wind farms on the way to the faculty/trustee retreat being held in Indian Wells.

Definitely a good day for a windmill.

Mornings and evenings were set aside for presentations and discussions,

but the afternoon was for fun.  Options included hiking, cycling, golf, tennis, and a horse show.

Can you guess where A. went?

He took some great shots and learned a lot about the cost of buying and keeping a horse.

There was childcare but putting a bunch of kids next to a hotel guest did not work out so well.

A. was happy to be included in the evening meal instead eating mac & cheese with the younger kids.

Dessert for the adults was better, too.

I don't know how much was solved by the weekend, but I finished two weeks of Sunday New York Times and a movie I had borrowed from the library and renewed twice.

OSS

In this area kids in their last year of elementary school go to Outdoor Science School (OSS) for three-to-five days.  Our local elementary school kids go for five days and this year are sharing the space with two other schools' sixth graders.

When R.'s class of 12-year-olds went on a trip they were told a date and time to show up.  No meetings for parents to ask questions of the camp director.  No meeting for the kids to ask questions of the camp director.  No packing list.  No list of forbidden items.  No permission slip (time four).  Life is here is a little different.

the grand send-off from the whole school

and they are off!

Some parents were nervous about the bus driver taking the kids to the camp up a mountain road in the snow (I was in this category - how much experience driving in the snow do these people have?), but we received a note from the principal saying all was well.

After a long ride up the hill, our sixth graders have arrived at Arrowhead Ranch!  They’re enjoying a good deal of snow on the ground and it's still falling.  This sounds like the start to a very exciting week.
Take care,
A

One teacher stays with the kids all week and other teachers go up for a day or so.  They have posted some pictures so we know all is well (I wasn't worried about this part).

photo taken upon arrival

From what I have heard A. is having a fabulous time, enjoying the hikes, meeting new people, and eating good food.

from the Arrowhead Ranch video

from the school website

 It has been a strange week without any soccer/music/art/other places to drive.  I am glad he is having a good time, but I can't wait to give him a hug and hear all about it.

Small adventure

Having company is great because it gets you out and about.  We had only a short time to explore this afternoon and the request was for a different part of town.  The strongly ethnic places aren't close to here, but we made do.

After taking the scenic route we stopped at Adobe de Palomares, an estate built in the 1850's.  It is about two miles from our house and this was the first time I had visited.  I promise to stop by on a Sunday when it is open before another 17+ years pass.

I didn't realize it is the beginning of wisteria season.

California poppies, too, and maybe Texas bluebonnets?

 Our next stop was a grocery store that has food different from what we get closer to home.  Super King is just down the street less than two miles, but I have been only once before.  (This should not be confused with King Soopers in Colorado, where I have been countless times.)  We had fun looking at the incredible variety of olives, vegetables we didn't know how to prepare, and sampling Mexican cheese.

It was a great adventure in less than two hours!