So Close

Yet so far.

I hope when the Metro Gold Line is finished I am healthy enough to take it to the Allen St. station and then cycle less than two miles to the Huntington Library and Gardens. At this stage is still makes more sense to drive there, which A. and I did.

Maybe there was a lingering scent of a corpse, but our timing was a bit off. Darn.

I never knew this is how jackfruit grew.
Today I saw it for sale at the grocery store, down from $24.99 each to $12.48.

A little hot, but so beautiful.

We had so much fun exploring the bonsai garden.

photo by A.

photo by A.

My attempt to take an artistic picture after watching A.

We had such a good time that we are planning another trip.

More Time Getting Filled

Soccer practice! Trying a low-key fall with AYSO.

Delivering brownies to the high school for a teacher luncheon the day before school started.
Lucky seniors who got a parking space were busy decorating them.

We tried something new in Pasadena.

Pay a flat fee and play all the arcade games you want.
Initially they had the place to themselves, but it filled up a bit later.

I left them there and headed over to the public library.

What a great place to hang out!

Today was the first day of school so only our international student and I went hiking.

I was amazed to see water.

Not shown - taking our student to the botanic garden, thrift stores, and Palomares Adobe in Pomona.  Also not shown, our student got to experience a California earthquake centered five miles from the house. Soon we will try a real American diner!

The Usual

When there is time to write I have nothing to say, but life has been so full I have forgotten to take pictures.

photo from Facebook
Tonight our international student arrives and will stay with us for five nights until the dorms open.

photo from Pomona's sustainability page

Today was the recoop sale when the sustainability people sell all the stuff people got rid off in May (fans, closet organizers, binders, etc.). I don't need anything, but there are always a few treasures like board games, a solar lantern, and an electric tea kettle.

A chunk of time was spent preparing for the League of Women Voters kick-off event for their voter engagement initiative. The goal is get leaders of organizations, anyone with a web page or social media presence, to encourage their followers to vote. The League tends to reach current voters with traditional methods and efforts are being made to branch out.

High school registration is labor intensive (so much paperwork even though most forms are completed online prior to arriving at the school) and many volunteers are needed. Originally I had a cushy job marking completed forms but I was quickly transferred to the student ID/school picture site. It took a little more thought, but it still gave me a chance to see students and some parents. I think A. got both a good ID picture and a good schedule (not which is more important!).

One of my favorite mornings was spent with the amazing person I used to care for as a nanny. Kindergarten starts next week and I will get to do pickup at noon sometimes. It will be great to have someone to play with, bake with, and read favorite books to!

Most Excellent Thing of the Day

In 2008 we took a family cycling trip in the San Juan Islands. One of the stops included a small county fair. What made the biggest impression on me was one family's scrapbooks of envelopes sent to them by a friend who travelled a lot. It inspired me to do the same and even though I don't always remember, we do have a small collection of hand-decorated envelopes mailed to ourselves from our different trips.

As I packed for Iceland I proudly remembered to take a self-addressed envelope (no stamp since I would need to buy one there). During our northernmost stay we sat down with colored pencils and drew little memories. I did not think to take a picture of it.

My parents received the postcard I mailed the same day I mailed the envelope. My parents-in-law received the postcard I mailed the same day I mailed the envelope. I began to give up hope. Maybe I forgot to put on a stamp? Maybe I forgot to put the country? Maybe it got stuck in the mailbox? Maybe all the postal workers in Iceland loved my envelope so much they wanted to pass it around and not send it to me?

And then, miracle of miracles, my parents-in-law were coming to my house and someone driving down the street asked if they were going to that house. My in-laws were told that the envelope had been delivered to the wrong address and the driver was returning it to us. Yippee!

Another Outing

I would never have thought a family trip to an outdoor mall would be fun and I am happy to report I was proven wrong.

Victoria Gardens is supposed to be like the center of a small town with shops, restaurants, little historical markers, and things that make it feel intimate. On the outer edges of the stores are a bazillion Tesla charging spaces but only two non-Tesla spaces, which were both in use. We found the parking garage and started strolling.

Our first stop was Hot Topic, which would be a great place to study pop culture. Who knew there was so much Harry Potter jewelry and pickle-based clothing? Mostly we wandered, but we did stop in the Apple store, Game Stop, Oakley, a watch shop (including watches designed in Rancho Cucamonga), and a whole store dedicated to shaving. We skipped the big chains for lunch and tried Punch Bowl Social, which had a bowling alley right inside the restaurant!

For me the highlight was the library, which is right next to the theater on the north side of stores. They had a fantastic magazine selection, a great Friends of the Library book store, and a big teen room. I love putting a stack of books on the self-checkout platform and having them all checked out at once. And I'll get to go back when I return books!

We all kept our phones put away so I have no pictures except for the paper straw I brought home from lunch to see if it would compost.

Positive Change

While not on my daily route, I run on the Pacific Electric Trail almost once a week. When we got to the western end this week we were surprised to find that the center median was having a central path added. When it was first created (more than ten years ago) there was discussion of turning it into a community garden, but that did not happen and most recently it had been used as an informal parking lot for the local neighbors.

Click to enlarge
Blue X marks western end of trail

Looking west toward First St. and Claremont Blvd., location of blue X

Riding east from the median work one comes to a six-lane road (blue X). Trail users are supposed to make their way to the light (blue Y), cross, and then go back up to the trail. Some people do this and others just take the shortest route. The road goes below grade level to go under the railroad tracks (blue Z) so it is difficult to see traffic.

Sorry about the lighting, but take my word for it that a curb cut is being added at the end of the trail, part of the median was removed in the middle, and curb cut was added on the other side. It looks like a light is being added, just as there are at the other intersections on the trail.

photo credit jasehnert
At most intersections there are lights that change only when triggered by a trail user.

The eastern portion of the trail is significantly nicer than the west (wider, both asphalt and decomposed granite, longer stretches without an intersection) so I appreciate efforts to improve the part closest to home.

Random July Pictures

A few pictures that didn't make it into a post.

Huntington beach after the guys rode there, we all watched
Denmark lose a World Cup game, and then went to the beach.

Gamelan Merdu Kumala in the Fourth of July parade.

Here is the thirty-second video version

Independence Day Committee post-event celebration

Post-summer phys. ed. celebration

It doesn't happen often, but I swam in three different pools in one day.
This is Pendleton Pool, the third and final one.