Day trip

 After an evening thunderstorm we were surprised to wake up to steady rain. The forecast looked good so we loaded up and headed out. Traffic was bad because of an accident, but we got to the start of our ride before they started the route and safety talk.

photo credit Trek Travel
Great weather in Santa Barbara!

We were surprised to learn that the ride was hillier and shorter than we expected,
but it seemed like a good challenge and we were motivated to get to the lunch spot.

Happy to say we needed the van only to hold up our bike.

The view at lunch (with the ocean in the background) reminded me a tiny bit of
Iceland if I imagine the swimming pools are natural hot pots dotting the landscape.

photo credit Trek Travel
The ride back to the beach was fast and safe.

But wait, there's more! 

Just a few minutes from the end of the ride is the slip where our neighbors keep
her parents' sailboat (that her father built!) and we got to go out on the ocean.

Photo credit - Rich M.

I enjoyed seeing the animals and hearing the talk about the 

Spirit of Dana Point, a replica from the 1770'.

D. has been on plenty of boat trips, but it was my first time sailing in over twenty years. I felt wobbly when we got to land and was happy not to be getting in the car to drive home quite yet.

We had a tour of neighbors' parents house and garden and enjoyed a meal outside.

The drive home was uneventful and our garden was well soaked!

Cleveland - something blue

Also something purple and lots of other colors, especially if you stand very close, which I remember doing as a child when my art class visited this painting. I am becoming my dad, visiting favorite paintings when going back to museums I have been to before.

We were not able to get tickets to the Yayoi Kusama exhibit, but maybe we'll see a similar one in LA.

Also blue, the sky behind this apartment building,

which has a suit of armor that I had never noticed before.

Not so blue, 

the sky behind the Euclid Beach Rocket Car at the Cedar Fairmount Festival.

I got to sit in the front row!

Cleveland - something borrowed

Yippee - A. borrowed my bicycle so he brought it down from above the garage.

I borrowed my mom's bike, which looks like this.

The first place I rode was the library.
Peter Potamus has been there since my childhood.
The hedgehog in the teen room was new. You can check out the Quillcam here.

Cleveland - something new

So maybe this doesn't really qualify as new since it is in an old building, but it was new to me!

See the tiny sign for Ray's MTB?

Check out this video for a better visual view.

Nana was nice enough to drive us to the west side. 

Ray's Indoor MTB Park consistently ranks among the very best indoor mountain bike parks in the world! A. learned about it from some English YouTubers! Even though it was summer the park was open one day when we were in town. 

A. was happy to wear his shirt to his first MTB team meeting and have people recognize it.

We are looking forward to a return visit!

Cleveland - something old

Maybe just old -ish.

1901
My high school, remodeled to look like the original building.

1927
The city's summer pool

1928
The William E. Telling Mansion, which is becoming the
Museum of American Porcelain Art. When I was a kid it was a library. 

1980?
From a box of my sister's treasures

October

I am always pleasantly surprised when my favorite team is still playing baseball in October.

I am happy to listen to almost any baseball game, although I think the world has had enough Red Sox versus Yankees games to last a while.

In addition to listening to baseball games
I love to go back and see what the writers predicted last March,
even if they always pick the Dodgers.

September leftovers

Pictures that didn't make it into a post.

Convocation

The kid I take care of often changes the mannequin.

AYSO season has started.

Our yard sign

Four-ingredient cookies