Another Library

Outside of the library at the retirement community where my parents-in-law live there is a lovely collection of jigsaw puzzles to borrow.

The library has a fantastic selection,

including many, many shelves of large-print books
(more shelves are behind the photographer).

They thoughtfully have a children's section, too.

In addition to a catalog of holdings online,

they have a card catalog, too!

I can see why people like to live here.

Race Day

The half-marathon in Pasadena was sold out but A. and his friend found a cheaper one in Santa Monica. I thought it would be ridiculous to get up at 4:45 a.m. to go watch, but I changed my mind. I decided it would be nice to watch him run, to see the ocean, and to hang out with his friend's mom.

Check in started at 6:30 a.m.

The pier was lit up even at that hour.

The ocean and the birds were beautiful.

And they're off!

The course was on a footpath and went out about 2.2 miles and back so we were able to see the runners many times. A. was 2/3 when this picture was taken. 

People running the 5K and 10K races were on
the same course but with different turn-around spots.

My friend's son won and A. came in fourth, beating his goal time.
He celebrated with a dip in the ocean.

We found a good place for lunch 

and took our time strolling through the neighborhoods

and along the coast.

I am really glad I decided to go!

Art Openings

 Three openings in one week.

The first was in Pomona at the ceramics museum AMOCA. There was a juried exhibition and even though

this porcelain (!) pink sock did not win, I liked it.

What was amazing was that we could wander around the studio connected to the museum.

The only problem with the museum is that everything is a one-of-a-kind piece and there were little kids and people with big bags. I kept waiting for a big crash and I am happy to report nothing happened. My blood pressure has returned to normal levels.

A couple days later I was out walking with Baby C

and we stopped at the CGU art gallery

and we got a sneak preview of the show opening that night.

In the evening the curator spoke about the project, which is one of many. There was also an opening on the other side of the gallery, but I didn't make it there. We'll have to go back.

The last opening was also close to home. Our neighbor is the curator and it was fun to see what she does since I usually just wave as she walks to work.

image used on card mailed out for the show,
the 79th Scripps College Ceramic Annual

It was also fun to see Baby C and lots of other friends and neighbors. Being a few blocks of campus is something I love about where we live.

Missing the Excitement

It turns out it was not a coronation because there was no placing of the crown on the king's head. It was an accession, the, "act or process by which someone rises to a position of honor or power". It even showed up on my calendar.

It even showed up on my calendar.

The few Danish organizations I follow on social media highlighted the event, too.

The bus system explained why they were flying the flag.

The Royal Run shared lots of pictures from previous races.

I did not wake up early to watch all the proceedings, but was able to see the King waving from the balcony and listen to the analysis afterward.

I like reading about the changing of the flags and royal monogram. 

I am sorry to have missed the events, but maybe I'll be there for another exciting event.

New-to-me Libray

Just before Christmas we stayed at a friend's house not far from Santa Barbara. The library branch was just a couple blocks away and went each day before it closed for the holiday.

The Friends of the Library store was great to browse (only a teeny tiny bit shown) and they had just what I wanted (cards for sale because I forgot to bring one to mail to a friend with an end-of-the-year birthday).

They had a collection of non-book things that could be checked out, like a keyboard, tools, and cake pans.

The children's room was spacious and had areas to both read and play. Off of that area was a smaller room for even younger children.

"Honor Books. These paperbacks have NO DUE DATE and do not need to be checked out. Please return when finished." There were honor books in each section of the library, which meant I could take a book to read without having a card. I dropped it off in the return bin before we drove home.

The outdoor areas were nice, too, but it was too chilly for me to enjoy them.

Half-Day Outing

 

The morning started at one of the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, according to this article.

From there it was a short drive to Griffith Park and I wanted to go up the Fern Dell Stairs just because they were on the map.

The Leif Erickson statue is on the map, too.

The three-mile hike to the observatory and back was a bit steeper than I expected, but the views were fantastic.

Not a natural stream but still nice to be by the water.

Imagine you can see the Hollywood sign

And then back home to avoid the Friday rush hour traffic. It was a good to go and good to get back.

December leftovers

 

When we first arrived in Europe last summer we took a Flixbus from Amsterdam to southern Denmark. I had never heard of it before that and then I saw one close to home.

Maybe this is the new simplified California flag?

Not the most convenient bicycle parking spot

Morning run in Shaker Heights

On the trail in Claremont

December 31 = 12/31/23 (123123)
12-31 2:34.56