Friday, April 5, 2013
Diane's View of Day 1
What Jeff didn't share was about dinner last night. We finally got to the hotel about 8pm. We were hungry and the hotel restaurant looked good. Jeff's resolve to not be "Minnesota passive" was tested right off the bat. We sat at the table for almost 10 minutes after being seated with no recognition from anyone that we wanted to be served. So we decided to leave and look for some place else to eat. As we left he got a call from someone wanting to book a concert in the park date, so I was attempting to lead him and look for a place to eat. However, with the time now after 8:30, many places were closed, so after walking around the corner, we headed back to the tavern next to the Palmer House called Millers (what drew us in was the daily special of lamb shank). It was wonderful (but they were out of lamb shank). Jeff had a patty melt and I had broiled Lake Superior whitefish. A good end to a first day celebrating our anniversary.
Well all, our wonderful 25th Anniversary trip has begun. And since we only seem to update this blog while traveling, I figured I'd write a few posts to keep everyone who's interested in the loop (get it? Loop. Cause we're in Chicago! Ha!) I'm writing to you by Diane's side in the beautiful, historic lobby of the Palmer House in Chicago. We're improvising breakfast with a little Starbucks and some yogurt from the drug store across the street, and catching up on our online stuff (free internet in the lobby, but not the rooms)
Getting here was mostly perfect. We flew directly out of the Falls and made our connection in Minneapolis no problem. The flight to Chicago was shorter than advertised, and just about as long as the flight from Int'l Falls. Two fifty minute jaunts and we're here: amazing. Our only hiccup on the trip so far with our pre-paid van for the ride from O'Hare into the city. We had been told to wait at door 2E, but weren't told there were two 2E's, an upper and a lower. Long story short, we made it into the city and I, personally, pledged not to be 'Minnesota Passive' for the rest of the trip. No, we weren't accosted or anything, but we did wait on a sidewalk for quite a long stretch.
Next stop, the Palmer House, the oldest, continually operating hotel in the US. Even the great fire didn't keep this hotel from opening its doors. I wish my sister Denise could see this place because she would absolutely love it. The hotel went under a recent renovation and they did a wonderful job of keeping the history while updating the infrastructure. I'll take pictures and post as we go.
Today we'll get out and walk around the neighborhood a bit. I'll make a stop at the Navy Pier (a kind of amusement park which also has some office space) to drop off some Icebox Radio gifts at the offices of the Third Coast Audio Festival. They are an interesting group that, like everyone in public radio, doesn't do drama but is somewhat interested in it. I'll drop off a couple of mugs and some recordings and work my unique charm. Who knows what might come of it. Perhaps a drama spot in their next festival? Here's a link for more about them if you'd like to learn: http://thirdcoastfestival.org/
More later.
Getting here was mostly perfect. We flew directly out of the Falls and made our connection in Minneapolis no problem. The flight to Chicago was shorter than advertised, and just about as long as the flight from Int'l Falls. Two fifty minute jaunts and we're here: amazing. Our only hiccup on the trip so far with our pre-paid van for the ride from O'Hare into the city. We had been told to wait at door 2E, but weren't told there were two 2E's, an upper and a lower. Long story short, we made it into the city and I, personally, pledged not to be 'Minnesota Passive' for the rest of the trip. No, we weren't accosted or anything, but we did wait on a sidewalk for quite a long stretch.
Next stop, the Palmer House, the oldest, continually operating hotel in the US. Even the great fire didn't keep this hotel from opening its doors. I wish my sister Denise could see this place because she would absolutely love it. The hotel went under a recent renovation and they did a wonderful job of keeping the history while updating the infrastructure. I'll take pictures and post as we go.
Today we'll get out and walk around the neighborhood a bit. I'll make a stop at the Navy Pier (a kind of amusement park which also has some office space) to drop off some Icebox Radio gifts at the offices of the Third Coast Audio Festival. They are an interesting group that, like everyone in public radio, doesn't do drama but is somewhat interested in it. I'll drop off a couple of mugs and some recordings and work my unique charm. Who knows what might come of it. Perhaps a drama spot in their next festival? Here's a link for more about them if you'd like to learn: http://thirdcoastfestival.org/
More later.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Biola
Early Friday, Diane and I got up and prepared to say goodbye to Santee and my sister Melinda's family. It was a great time seeing her and meeting new family members (very cute dogs), but we were eager to get back to Biola.
After a brief navigation of the California freeways, or 'The 5' as the locals say, we were safely back in La Mirada shortly after 1pm. Rachel was happy to see us, but looked a little frazzled. Torrey orientation had been fun, wonderful, and intense. This day marked the beginning of regular freshman orientation, so the campus was coming alive with nervous looking students and even more nervous parents. The Torrey students were asked to dress semi-formal for the first day of Freshman Orientation. Rachel was in a pretty sun dress and her steam punk boots. Those boots got quite a workout that day.
We started at the Torrey Tea. This event was held under a circus-sized tent that could seat over a thousand at round tables. Diane and I got a chance to meet some of the kids in Rachel's group, which is named Rossetti for - I believe - the English poet Christina Rossetti. First week of Torrey was a bit like summer camp, and Rossetti was crowned champion of the camp games. Their prize: a big jar of candy.
We had to leave the tea early to scoot over to the Department of Cinema & Media Arts for a tour of the facilities, dinner, then a welcome from various CMA professors. It was very inspiring for me to see the place where Rachel will most likely spend a lot of the next four years, and chat with some of the professors. The only real negative was my wish that I could join her. But how weird would that be? Rachel, for her part, was a bit overwhelmed. She'd now had three different orientations all tell her to balance various aspects of her life. If she balanced everything, it would be like juggling nine balls at once. Stress!
Saturday was a more relaxed day. Diane and I spent the morning back under the big top (that tent I mentioned) learning about the various departments of the university and how they were going to protect and educate our child. I have to say, Biola is VERY good at this. We heard from financial aid, campus security, campus health service, etc. Everyone seemed witty, earnest and good at what they did.
Saturday afternoon was free time, and it turned into some of the most memorable hours of the trip for me. I made a Target run for various last-minute supplies, got Rachel's self-designed work lamp working, then spent a wonderful half-hour just talking with her like we always do. She curled up in her bunk, I put my feet up and we both enjoyed the air conditioning. She was relaxing for the first time all week and shared much about Torrey, film, her plans for the term, and her hopes.
Later, we went to dinner under the big top with a few other Rossettis and their parents, and had a brief discussion on the biggest decision of the day: would we say goodbye tonight, or try to get together tomorrow? 'Tonight,' it was decided. A weight came upon me then as I knew the clock was now ticking. We ran some errands, looked around campus some more, generally killed time until the big event of the day: The Communion Service held on Metzger Lawn in front of the campus chapel. Eventually, that time came. We grabbed a back row of seats as Diane decided to avoid the uncomfortable chairs and just sit on the grass. We were surrounded by Rossettis. Rachel was the social butterfly, making plans with them for a Christopher Nolan movie marathon for Labor Day weekend. Then, the service began.
Biola has an events department, and people with lot of theater and film expertise so this was an impressive service. The worship team was set up on a stage with the chapel door as a backdrop. Big screens were on either side of the stage. At least four cameras were in operation giving us in the back plenty of good views. But the worship was real. Here we were with 2,000 people, outdoors as the sun set, worshipping God together in a way that we don't often get in the subdued Midwest. But this was a Communion Service, so it was not about 'Holy Rolling'.
We heard the president speak. We heard the dean of students speak. Then, four freshman got up and shared what had brought them to Biola: A blond Adonis from Sacramento, a baseball player who buried his grief at losing his father at age 12 in 'The Jock Lifestyle' as he put it. Now, he was over baseball and looking toward the mission field. A tearful girl from Egypt who's family used to kiss her goodbye when she went to church (she was the only Christian in the family) not knowing if she would be kidnapped or worse before making it home. A sober young man from El Salvador whose family had come to the US fleeing the civil war. And a bright young woman from Long Beach who was at Biola for her Mother, a single parent who had been victimized by a stroke many years earlier.
I watched all this not wanting it to end. I knew what the end meant. As the sun set, Rachel grew cold so I loaned her a button-up shirt I had brought along. I had my arm around her. Occasionally, she would rest her head on my shoulder. I cannot remember her doing this, though I sure she did when it was books and story time when she was very small. Presently, we came to communion. There were tables all around the lawn. We had bread which we dunked in a glass of wine. And as a bonus, they had put small glass beads representing the stones with which the Jews of the Old Testament had built altars everywhere they pitched their tents. All of us, parents and students, were asked to do the same, to build an alter to the Lord no matter where we pitched our tent. I took two of these stones and put them in my pocket. We stood in a circle with one other Rossetti girl whose parents couldn't stay, we prayed, we took communion. And it was time.
Rachel hugged the other girl, who was crying, and offered to meet her at the campus coffee shop in ten minutes. We walked through the remnants of the crowd. There were tiny clusters of people everywhere: two parents consoling a weeping daughter, a son consoling his weeping mother, several family members consoling an inconsolable girl who looked about 11 who clung to her big sister. Presently, we made it to our rental car. Rachel whipped off my shirt and presented it to me. 'Your shirt, sir,' said with a small laugh. We hugged, we offered last minute advice, she offered last minute assurances. Then, Diane and I got into the car, and Rachel turned away.
As I sat in the car, Rachel's retreating figure was framed by the light coming from a breezeway along a building. She had the same jaunty step she'd always had; an on-her-toes gait that reminded me of the little girl she had been. She went everywhere on tippy-toe until about age 8. I reached for my camera, then stopped. My good friend the photographer Tom Roush once told me, 'Some images are too important to photograph.' This was one of them. She moved through the light toward the shadows. She was headed to the coffee shop where she would probably console a lot of other friends who needed it. She got smaller, and smaller. And presently, disappeared in the darkness along the stage where the worship team still played.
I drove to the hotel and managed to get into our room before the tears came. Then I had a good 15-20 minute cry, and came out cleansed. This was right. This was correct. She was where she needed to be, and so were we. I haven't had a doubt, or shed a tear, since.
After a brief navigation of the California freeways, or 'The 5' as the locals say, we were safely back in La Mirada shortly after 1pm. Rachel was happy to see us, but looked a little frazzled. Torrey orientation had been fun, wonderful, and intense. This day marked the beginning of regular freshman orientation, so the campus was coming alive with nervous looking students and even more nervous parents. The Torrey students were asked to dress semi-formal for the first day of Freshman Orientation. Rachel was in a pretty sun dress and her steam punk boots. Those boots got quite a workout that day.
We started at the Torrey Tea. This event was held under a circus-sized tent that could seat over a thousand at round tables. Diane and I got a chance to meet some of the kids in Rachel's group, which is named Rossetti for - I believe - the English poet Christina Rossetti. First week of Torrey was a bit like summer camp, and Rossetti was crowned champion of the camp games. Their prize: a big jar of candy.
We had to leave the tea early to scoot over to the Department of Cinema & Media Arts for a tour of the facilities, dinner, then a welcome from various CMA professors. It was very inspiring for me to see the place where Rachel will most likely spend a lot of the next four years, and chat with some of the professors. The only real negative was my wish that I could join her. But how weird would that be? Rachel, for her part, was a bit overwhelmed. She'd now had three different orientations all tell her to balance various aspects of her life. If she balanced everything, it would be like juggling nine balls at once. Stress!
Saturday was a more relaxed day. Diane and I spent the morning back under the big top (that tent I mentioned) learning about the various departments of the university and how they were going to protect and educate our child. I have to say, Biola is VERY good at this. We heard from financial aid, campus security, campus health service, etc. Everyone seemed witty, earnest and good at what they did.
Saturday afternoon was free time, and it turned into some of the most memorable hours of the trip for me. I made a Target run for various last-minute supplies, got Rachel's self-designed work lamp working, then spent a wonderful half-hour just talking with her like we always do. She curled up in her bunk, I put my feet up and we both enjoyed the air conditioning. She was relaxing for the first time all week and shared much about Torrey, film, her plans for the term, and her hopes.
Later, we went to dinner under the big top with a few other Rossettis and their parents, and had a brief discussion on the biggest decision of the day: would we say goodbye tonight, or try to get together tomorrow? 'Tonight,' it was decided. A weight came upon me then as I knew the clock was now ticking. We ran some errands, looked around campus some more, generally killed time until the big event of the day: The Communion Service held on Metzger Lawn in front of the campus chapel. Eventually, that time came. We grabbed a back row of seats as Diane decided to avoid the uncomfortable chairs and just sit on the grass. We were surrounded by Rossettis. Rachel was the social butterfly, making plans with them for a Christopher Nolan movie marathon for Labor Day weekend. Then, the service began.
Biola has an events department, and people with lot of theater and film expertise so this was an impressive service. The worship team was set up on a stage with the chapel door as a backdrop. Big screens were on either side of the stage. At least four cameras were in operation giving us in the back plenty of good views. But the worship was real. Here we were with 2,000 people, outdoors as the sun set, worshipping God together in a way that we don't often get in the subdued Midwest. But this was a Communion Service, so it was not about 'Holy Rolling'.
We heard the president speak. We heard the dean of students speak. Then, four freshman got up and shared what had brought them to Biola: A blond Adonis from Sacramento, a baseball player who buried his grief at losing his father at age 12 in 'The Jock Lifestyle' as he put it. Now, he was over baseball and looking toward the mission field. A tearful girl from Egypt who's family used to kiss her goodbye when she went to church (she was the only Christian in the family) not knowing if she would be kidnapped or worse before making it home. A sober young man from El Salvador whose family had come to the US fleeing the civil war. And a bright young woman from Long Beach who was at Biola for her Mother, a single parent who had been victimized by a stroke many years earlier.
I watched all this not wanting it to end. I knew what the end meant. As the sun set, Rachel grew cold so I loaned her a button-up shirt I had brought along. I had my arm around her. Occasionally, she would rest her head on my shoulder. I cannot remember her doing this, though I sure she did when it was books and story time when she was very small. Presently, we came to communion. There were tables all around the lawn. We had bread which we dunked in a glass of wine. And as a bonus, they had put small glass beads representing the stones with which the Jews of the Old Testament had built altars everywhere they pitched their tents. All of us, parents and students, were asked to do the same, to build an alter to the Lord no matter where we pitched our tent. I took two of these stones and put them in my pocket. We stood in a circle with one other Rossetti girl whose parents couldn't stay, we prayed, we took communion. And it was time.
Rachel hugged the other girl, who was crying, and offered to meet her at the campus coffee shop in ten minutes. We walked through the remnants of the crowd. There were tiny clusters of people everywhere: two parents consoling a weeping daughter, a son consoling his weeping mother, several family members consoling an inconsolable girl who looked about 11 who clung to her big sister. Presently, we made it to our rental car. Rachel whipped off my shirt and presented it to me. 'Your shirt, sir,' said with a small laugh. We hugged, we offered last minute advice, she offered last minute assurances. Then, Diane and I got into the car, and Rachel turned away.
As I sat in the car, Rachel's retreating figure was framed by the light coming from a breezeway along a building. She had the same jaunty step she'd always had; an on-her-toes gait that reminded me of the little girl she had been. She went everywhere on tippy-toe until about age 8. I reached for my camera, then stopped. My good friend the photographer Tom Roush once told me, 'Some images are too important to photograph.' This was one of them. She moved through the light toward the shadows. She was headed to the coffee shop where she would probably console a lot of other friends who needed it. She got smaller, and smaller. And presently, disappeared in the darkness along the stage where the worship team still played.
I drove to the hotel and managed to get into our room before the tears came. Then I had a good 15-20 minute cry, and came out cleansed. This was right. This was correct. She was where she needed to be, and so were we. I haven't had a doubt, or shed a tear, since.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Flowers for Mom
This post is because as we have explored and visited various locations in southern California I several times remarked that mom would want to see the variety of flowers. I have no clue what these plants are for the most part but I was amazed at seeing trees and shrubs in bloom in August. To me, for the most part, those are spring bloomers. I'm not a great photographer, but thought I'd share a few of the blooming plants we have seen.
The pale blue blooms are very dainty, petite and look strangely out of place on the shrub.
While not a flowering plant at this point, this fern was just too cute to ignore. It was soft, almost fuzzy.
This tree was beautiful and in many locations around the Biola campus. I didn't get very good pictures but was surprised by trees full of delicate blooms in August.
Both of these plants were thick, almost shrub-like in appearance, about 1 foot high. I'm not sure if they were individual plants or not.
These two are the same plant, the leaf growth was unusual and the blooms were very lily like.
All four of the above were taken at the park surrounding the USS Midway and stood out.
Okay, not a plant but a cool statue about 8 feet above the ground and moving in the wind. We were on Coronado Island at a park looking across to downtown San Diego.
Again, not plants but a couple of photos of the amazing Coronado Hotel. This hotel built its own power plant, kiln for firing bricks, metal shop and foundry, laundry and telephone lines all before most of these services were available in San Diego. In fact, I learned that the hotel still does not only its own laundry but laundry for approximately twenty nearby hotels and motels. The woodwork was awesome and impressive.
Bird of Paradise. I was amazed at how much like a fancy, colorful bird this flower looked. Don't think my pictures do it justice.
And finally, there are lots of different succulents. This is one. Many weren't blooming but I was amazed at the variety of leaves. This had very delicate, mini-petaled blooms scattered across it.
Enjoy, and know we are thinking of you all as we take in this new to us environment.
Diane
The pale blue blooms are very dainty, petite and look strangely out of place on the shrub.
While not a flowering plant at this point, this fern was just too cute to ignore. It was soft, almost fuzzy.
This tree was beautiful and in many locations around the Biola campus. I didn't get very good pictures but was surprised by trees full of delicate blooms in August.
Both of these plants were thick, almost shrub-like in appearance, about 1 foot high. I'm not sure if they were individual plants or not.
These two are the same plant, the leaf growth was unusual and the blooms were very lily like.
All four of the above were taken at the park surrounding the USS Midway and stood out.
Okay, not a plant but a cool statue about 8 feet above the ground and moving in the wind. We were on Coronado Island at a park looking across to downtown San Diego.
Again, not plants but a couple of photos of the amazing Coronado Hotel. This hotel built its own power plant, kiln for firing bricks, metal shop and foundry, laundry and telephone lines all before most of these services were available in San Diego. In fact, I learned that the hotel still does not only its own laundry but laundry for approximately twenty nearby hotels and motels. The woodwork was awesome and impressive.
Bird of Paradise. I was amazed at how much like a fancy, colorful bird this flower looked. Don't think my pictures do it justice.
And finally, there are lots of different succulents. This is one. Many weren't blooming but I was amazed at the variety of leaves. This had very delicate, mini-petaled blooms scattered across it.
Enjoy, and know we are thinking of you all as we take in this new to us environment.
Diane
San Diego
Morning, everyone
I'm writing to you poolside at the moment from the cozy and luxurious Casa de Hartman in Santee, California. It's my sister's place, in truth, but there is a very lovely pool to my right and separate guest quarters and all, so I think the luxurious label fits.
For those of you interested in all things Rachel, I can't really help you. We have had only one communication from her after dropping her off at Biola. This is all according to plan, however, as we knew she would be crazy-busy this week with Torrey orientation and Diane and I welcomed the chance to get off the road for a while. Her one communication was very upbeat. She loves her Torrey group, and is exhausted but happy.
As for Diane and I, we got to see some of the sights of San Diego yesterday with my sister, Melinda
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| The Coronado from the beach. |
Then it was back to Melinda's house in Santee, just east of the city. The big entertainment of the week, other than the backyard pool, has been a new dog in the house. The Hartman's already had a lovely, lanky greyhound-sheppard mix named Lacee, and just added a little Chihuahua called Dolorous (Dee Dee for short). It's been fun watching the dogs play and frolic as they figure out who is alpha.
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| Dee Dee & Lacee around the pool. |
Tomorrow, Diane and I head back to LA for the general university orientation at Biola. This will be our chance to see the Cinema and Media Arts department where Rachel will be doing most of her non-Torrey work, and to spend a couple more hours with her before heading back to the hotel. On Saturday, there will be a number of parent orientation programs on campus followed by a worship service on Saturday evening. Bright and early Sunday morning, Diane and I will head out for real and start back to Minnesota. More on that as it comes up. See everyone soon.
-J
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Halftime
It's halftime of our journey west, and unfortunately I won't be able to bring you any of the interesting news of the trip, that is - Rachel related news. Diane and I have re-located 60 miles south of her to the San Diego suburb of Santee and the home of my sister, Melinda, for some well-earned rest off-road. Rachel has begun 'Torrieantation', the orientation into the Torrey Honors institute at Biola. This is an intensive program that will largely replace her general education requirements with a classical curriculum based on texts such as the Odyssey and the Iliad, including a lot of time spent in discussion. She has been assigned a 'house' (just like Harry Potter!) and a small group within that house of 10-12 students. These students will be tied together their entire 4 years, learning how to challenge and support each other as they move through the curriculum. She'll still study film, and have a few general classes to take, but most of her academic life at Biola will be tied to Torrey.
Yesterday, after move-in (I was nearly 'done in') we all gathered at the school chapel for a discussion between three of the Torrey faculty to give us parents a taste of what it'll be like. They were very smart and funny people, and they spent 90 minutes giving us an example of the type of discussion Rachel might expect over the next 4 years. What excited Diane and I most about the program is it's focus on developing people who can not only think, but discern truth from falsehood. One professor (the funniest theology prof I've ever heard) described it as learning a core value such as, in his case, the Trinity. Then, allowing your mind to expand around that core value in ever widening spirals until you find yourself miles away from the core, but still tied too it. This really resinated with me. Begin with truth, then move away without fear. So much of Christian life has become about identifying falsehood so we can disapprove of it, making sure everyone within earshot knows we disapprove. The best statement to sum up our introduction to Torrey yesterday was, "Learn to love all things appropriately."
Enough of that. Back to travelog! After Torrey intro, we took Rachel and a new friend named Miranda out to the Chinese place just down the street from campus. Miranda is from Albuquerque and, like Rachel, is a very motivated, smart kid. We had a chance to meet her Dad and Grandma, but they had to head back to New Mexico early, hence our dinner invite. After that, it was a strictly non-tearful goodbye (we'll see Rachel in three days) then another blessedly uneventful trip on the California freeways to Santee. Since we'll be here for a couple of days, I'll write more about that later.
Yesterday, after move-in (I was nearly 'done in') we all gathered at the school chapel for a discussion between three of the Torrey faculty to give us parents a taste of what it'll be like. They were very smart and funny people, and they spent 90 minutes giving us an example of the type of discussion Rachel might expect over the next 4 years. What excited Diane and I most about the program is it's focus on developing people who can not only think, but discern truth from falsehood. One professor (the funniest theology prof I've ever heard) described it as learning a core value such as, in his case, the Trinity. Then, allowing your mind to expand around that core value in ever widening spirals until you find yourself miles away from the core, but still tied too it. This really resinated with me. Begin with truth, then move away without fear. So much of Christian life has become about identifying falsehood so we can disapprove of it, making sure everyone within earshot knows we disapprove. The best statement to sum up our introduction to Torrey yesterday was, "Learn to love all things appropriately."
Enough of that. Back to travelog! After Torrey intro, we took Rachel and a new friend named Miranda out to the Chinese place just down the street from campus. Miranda is from Albuquerque and, like Rachel, is a very motivated, smart kid. We had a chance to meet her Dad and Grandma, but they had to head back to New Mexico early, hence our dinner invite. After that, it was a strictly non-tearful goodbye (we'll see Rachel in three days) then another blessedly uneventful trip on the California freeways to Santee. Since we'll be here for a couple of days, I'll write more about that later.
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| Rachel, Miranda and Diane head to dinner. |
Monday, August 20, 2012
California Snoozin'
We made it!
That's right, we have successfully navigated half a continent and approximately 2.200 miles to arrive in the City of Angles, or at least a very nice corner of the City of the Angles called La Mirada. At the moment, we are all taking a very well earned morning off. The traditional 'Moving of the Stuff into the Dorm' happens at 1pm at which time Rachel has about a few hours to start setting up. Not quite sure what Diane and I will be doing, but I imagine we'll be helping some. Then, at 5pm, we all get together at the college's chapel for a Torrey orientation session. Rachel is part of the Torrey Honors program at Biola, which is the reason we drove out this week instead of next. For the next few days, she'll be going through orientation for Torrey while Diane and I head down to Santee (near San Diego) for some time with my sister, Melinda and her family.
Yesterday, everyone felt great about finally getting here, and the city itself was a welcome change, too. We started the day in the desert and had had just about enough of that experience by noon. It is very beautiful to look at, but a little warm and dry for our tastes.
We were greeted with a fine day in LA. No smog that you'd notice, brilliant sunshine and around 85 degrees. Our hotel has a very nice, private pool surrounded by palms, and we spent a pleasant afternoon lounging. It's strange, but pools just seem more 'pooley' in Southern California.
After that, we thought we'd go check out campus not half expecting to get in (it's gated) but arrived to discover open gates and empty parking lots. We walked through campus, found her dorm which was also wide open because a few people, RA's mostly, we already moving in and getting set up for the year. Rachel found her room which appears to be at the very outer edge of campus. It is literally as far away from the film school as you can get. Ah well, at least she won't have to worry about working out.
After that, it was a quick dinner at a Mexican place, then an adventure on the freeways to visit friends from Minnesota who live in LA proper. We got lost once, but actually found our way again without GPS! It was good getting off the beaten track and getting a feel for the real city, the packed in homes, the diversity, and winding hilly roads were all pretty exotic for us Northland folk.
I've attached a few pictures of looking around campus. More of that to come, of course. Talk to you soon.
-Jeff
That's right, we have successfully navigated half a continent and approximately 2.200 miles to arrive in the City of Angles, or at least a very nice corner of the City of the Angles called La Mirada. At the moment, we are all taking a very well earned morning off. The traditional 'Moving of the Stuff into the Dorm' happens at 1pm at which time Rachel has about a few hours to start setting up. Not quite sure what Diane and I will be doing, but I imagine we'll be helping some. Then, at 5pm, we all get together at the college's chapel for a Torrey orientation session. Rachel is part of the Torrey Honors program at Biola, which is the reason we drove out this week instead of next. For the next few days, she'll be going through orientation for Torrey while Diane and I head down to Santee (near San Diego) for some time with my sister, Melinda and her family.
Yesterday, everyone felt great about finally getting here, and the city itself was a welcome change, too. We started the day in the desert and had had just about enough of that experience by noon. It is very beautiful to look at, but a little warm and dry for our tastes.
We were greeted with a fine day in LA. No smog that you'd notice, brilliant sunshine and around 85 degrees. Our hotel has a very nice, private pool surrounded by palms, and we spent a pleasant afternoon lounging. It's strange, but pools just seem more 'pooley' in Southern California.
After that, we thought we'd go check out campus not half expecting to get in (it's gated) but arrived to discover open gates and empty parking lots. We walked through campus, found her dorm which was also wide open because a few people, RA's mostly, we already moving in and getting set up for the year. Rachel found her room which appears to be at the very outer edge of campus. It is literally as far away from the film school as you can get. Ah well, at least she won't have to worry about working out.
After that, it was a quick dinner at a Mexican place, then an adventure on the freeways to visit friends from Minnesota who live in LA proper. We got lost once, but actually found our way again without GPS! It was good getting off the beaten track and getting a feel for the real city, the packed in homes, the diversity, and winding hilly roads were all pretty exotic for us Northland folk.
I've attached a few pictures of looking around campus. More of that to come, of course. Talk to you soon.
-Jeff
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| The Bells of Biola |
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| Finding our way. |
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| Sigma Hall -- home |
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| Through the doors for the first time |
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| Rachel's room. |
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Lovecraft's Desert
Hi folks!
I'm writing this, once again, from the road. We've descended from the heights of Colorado into the desert of Southern Utah/Arizona. Today's route takes us from St. George Utah, through a tiny corner of Arizona before moving into Nevada and eventually, California. This is our last day of driving this leg of the journey, and I think everyone is ready to be done. The hotels have been fine, the breakfasts maybe a little too big (at least for me) so we have no complaints.
Yesterday, we traveled through the barren wastes of Eastern Utah. I was reminded that this territory was once a giant lake, and looking at the mountains all around us in that country, I could really see it. They look like the drawings you see of the bottom of the ocean. I even got inspired for a Lovecraftian tale. Maybe its never been done before. For forest dwellers, that landscape was an intimidating sight. The sky is huge, devoid of trees as it is. And every climb of the road feels significant because it seems like something should be over the other side. Of course, there's mostly more of the same. As we descended, a bit more green began to come into the landscape until we arrived at St George where there was plenty of low green growth and a few trees.
Last night, we stepped out of the car into real desert heat for the first time. No one was terribly hungry, so we walked a couple of blocks down to a frozen custard stand and called our berry sundaes 'dinner'. Given that our last two meals were huge, it was a good thing.
As I write this, we have just come down out of the mountains and were greeted with the sight of the desert plane. The next landmark is Sin City, followed by our destination. More later as we stop traveling for a few days.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Rockie Mountain High
Evening all,
We're all sitting at the Academy Hotel in Colorado Springs at the moment, zoning in front of screens. It was, methinks, a good day. First off, there were no travel issues which is the biggest blessing. Weather has been good throughout the trip and the roads have been pretty open. Diane had to deal with a few twists and turns and hills as we crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska this morning (not many hills in Nebraska, but we found them!) but other than that, smooth sailing. The day ended in Colorado Springs, the town where Diane's folks grew up and she still has a lot of family. We had dinner with Opa Lissenbee (her father's father) and Uncle Hans and Aunt Julie. It was catfish night at the Cracker Barrel, so we ate well, staggered back to our very nice hotel, and are getting ready to hit the sack. Rachel is chipper and excited. Her mother and I are tired, but hey, we're getting up there and this was the second 10-plus hour day.
Tomorrow, the climb over the Rockies and back down again to the very Southwest corner of Utah and the town of St. George. Apparently, it's 100 degrees there this week so that will make a nice change. Then, on Monday, the final push across the desert and into the City of Angels.
The photo for today is one you on Facebook have already seen. I call it: Nebraska - A Portrait. Take care, all. And I'll connect tomorrow.
We're all sitting at the Academy Hotel in Colorado Springs at the moment, zoning in front of screens. It was, methinks, a good day. First off, there were no travel issues which is the biggest blessing. Weather has been good throughout the trip and the roads have been pretty open. Diane had to deal with a few twists and turns and hills as we crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska this morning (not many hills in Nebraska, but we found them!) but other than that, smooth sailing. The day ended in Colorado Springs, the town where Diane's folks grew up and she still has a lot of family. We had dinner with Opa Lissenbee (her father's father) and Uncle Hans and Aunt Julie. It was catfish night at the Cracker Barrel, so we ate well, staggered back to our very nice hotel, and are getting ready to hit the sack. Rachel is chipper and excited. Her mother and I are tired, but hey, we're getting up there and this was the second 10-plus hour day.
Tomorrow, the climb over the Rockies and back down again to the very Southwest corner of Utah and the town of St. George. Apparently, it's 100 degrees there this week so that will make a nice change. Then, on Monday, the final push across the desert and into the City of Angels.
The photo for today is one you on Facebook have already seen. I call it: Nebraska - A Portrait. Take care, all. And I'll connect tomorrow.
And...We're Off!
I'm coming to you through the miracle of wireless internet on I-90 just outside Mitchell South Dakota. We have completed the first day of our journey to California, and have begun the 'Plains to Mountains' portion which will dump us out on Colorado Springs by 7pm tonight. Day one was wonderful. We started with a bit of rain on familiar roads, then drove into 70 degrees and sunshine by day's end.
The trip, in case you didn't know, is to take Rachel to college at Biola University in Los Angles. Yes, we're driving. We've rented a Jeep Liberty for the purpose (picture attached) and it's a very comfortable car. It's a little short and boxy compared to our Sable wagon, but the only real challenge with that was learning to pack all of Rachel's stuff vertically instead of horizontally.
I'll be checking in frequently (plenty of time to write on the road) so check back soon.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Prom 2012
I had really wanted to post regularly this year, as it was Rachel's senior year, but alas it hasn't happened. We have lived and loved the special moments of living life to the fullest, but that meant there hasn't been much time for reflection and posting about what is happening. But I wanted to share her senior prom night with you. In January, Rachel and a friend went looking for prom dresses. Rachel had her heart set on a green dress. She was unable to find a green dress so came home and asked if I would make one for her. We worked together to design and make her prom dress. Here are a few pictures from getting ready and pictures followed by Grand March.
Thank you for sharing a small bit of this evening with us.
Diane
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Almost Vacation Time!
Tomorrow we will be beginning our vacation! We'll drive down to the cities and pick up Sarah before spending the night at a hotel and then catching a plane early tomorrow morning for SeaTac. The last few times we've flown back to visit family on the west coast we flew into Portland, but this time the tickets to SeaTac were significantly cheaper than flying to Portland.
And we're excited as we get to spend some time in Seattle showing it off to Sarah and meeting up with friends (namely godparents for Stephen and Rachel) before heading north to Sedro-Woolley to visit Diane's family for a few days then head down to McMinnville to visit Jeffs's parents for a few days before flying back home.
This will be a fairly quick trip, but we are going to take all three children which probably won't happen again or not very soon. So getting 10 days in which all of us could get off work and clear schedules was something of a miracle.
Looking forward to seeing the west coast soon!
Diane
And we're excited as we get to spend some time in Seattle showing it off to Sarah and meeting up with friends (namely godparents for Stephen and Rachel) before heading north to Sedro-Woolley to visit Diane's family for a few days then head down to McMinnville to visit Jeffs's parents for a few days before flying back home.
This will be a fairly quick trip, but we are going to take all three children which probably won't happen again or not very soon. So getting 10 days in which all of us could get off work and clear schedules was something of a miracle.
Looking forward to seeing the west coast soon!
Diane
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Completed!
Six months ago I gave Sarah and Rachel a Christmas gift that culminated Friday evening in them participating in a fashion show at Convergence.
Below is the video that Jeff took of the girls modeling in the fashion show. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150220097871160
This was a huge project that was hard work, delightful and very rewarding. I have done a fair amount of sewing and was in 4-H sewing for about 6 years growing up. But I hadn't done much original sewing. The girls and I brainstormed, they drew/sketched what they wanted. We bought fabric (lots and lots of it) and then I set to work to create what they imagined. I worked with five different patterns as well as creating many of my own pieces. Both dresses were made in muslin for fit and to make sure I was heading in the right direction with what they imagined.
Cutting the real fabric was scary. Was this going to work? But as the dresses came together I began to get very excited. It was so much fun to see their imaginings become real.
Here are a few more pictures of their dresses.
You can also check out both Rachel and Sarah's Facebook pages for additional pictures. Once the dresses were basically complete it was time to steampunk them. Sarah is a talented artist and this was her specialty. We visited a number of stores, the best being a watch repair place who let the girls have about 10 broken watches for free that they dismantled and used to create very beautiful jewelry.
This was such a wonderful time to connect with both girls and create works of art that they will (I hope) remember for a lifetime.
And if you are on our visit list in July when we fly back to the west coast then you might get to see these dresses as we are mailing them to my parents house and then will ship them back at the end of the trip.
Diane
Below is the video that Jeff took of the girls modeling in the fashion show. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150220097871160
This was a huge project that was hard work, delightful and very rewarding. I have done a fair amount of sewing and was in 4-H sewing for about 6 years growing up. But I hadn't done much original sewing. The girls and I brainstormed, they drew/sketched what they wanted. We bought fabric (lots and lots of it) and then I set to work to create what they imagined. I worked with five different patterns as well as creating many of my own pieces. Both dresses were made in muslin for fit and to make sure I was heading in the right direction with what they imagined.
Cutting the real fabric was scary. Was this going to work? But as the dresses came together I began to get very excited. It was so much fun to see their imaginings become real.
Here are a few more pictures of their dresses.
You can also check out both Rachel and Sarah's Facebook pages for additional pictures. Once the dresses were basically complete it was time to steampunk them. Sarah is a talented artist and this was her specialty. We visited a number of stores, the best being a watch repair place who let the girls have about 10 broken watches for free that they dismantled and used to create very beautiful jewelry.
This was such a wonderful time to connect with both girls and create works of art that they will (I hope) remember for a lifetime.
And if you are on our visit list in July when we fly back to the west coast then you might get to see these dresses as we are mailing them to my parents house and then will ship them back at the end of the trip.
Diane
Sunday, June 12, 2011
St. Paul weekend
Jeff and Stephen left in Stephen's car on Friday about 1:30 pm for the cities. Rachel and Diane followed about 2 hours later as they both had to work. We all met up together at the hotel we were staying at with Sarah and met her friend Rachel for a brief time Friday night, but it had been a long week and we were all very tired (except for Sarah who was hyped that we were visiting).
So Saturday morning we met up to try on the costume I'd made for Sarah and Jeff, Rachel and Stephen ran errands. They went to the apple store for Jeff to get his Father's Day present, a new cable he wanted for his ipod. They also checked out a magic and costume shop for a couple of hats, neither of which they found.
We then went to lunch at the Chatterbox. Lots of laughter, conversation and good food was involved. We walked up to the Teasource so I could stock up on my addiction. I love good tea and needed some summer teas for iced tea.
We followed that up with a trip to the Axman a surplus store to look for gadgets for costumes and I found corks and colored tape for summer craft projects. The girls had also stopped at a watch repair shop to ask if they had any broken watches they could have for their costumes and came away with about ten watches and stopwatches to take apart.
Saturday evening we cooked a dinner at Sarah's house outside in the fire pit then played Arkham horror. Sunday morning we met at 9 at Shish a wonderful restaurant for breakfast. It was marvelous to meet up with the Utters and hear their latest and just spend several hours talking and laughing. This weekend there was lots of laughter, hugs, and talking.
The dogs decided Rachel was pretty special and both wanted to sit with her. We teased her about being a dog person now (as opposed to the cat fanatic she is.)
Stephen headed west to Morris where he will work with faculty this week on a conference presentation and his TA stuff this fall. He'll then fly to Michigan for the conference, when he returns he'll spend about a week with Sarah in the cities before attending Convergence with Jeff, Rachel and Sarah.
So Saturday morning we met up to try on the costume I'd made for Sarah and Jeff, Rachel and Stephen ran errands. They went to the apple store for Jeff to get his Father's Day present, a new cable he wanted for his ipod. They also checked out a magic and costume shop for a couple of hats, neither of which they found.
We then went to lunch at the Chatterbox. Lots of laughter, conversation and good food was involved. We walked up to the Teasource so I could stock up on my addiction. I love good tea and needed some summer teas for iced tea.
We followed that up with a trip to the Axman a surplus store to look for gadgets for costumes and I found corks and colored tape for summer craft projects. The girls had also stopped at a watch repair shop to ask if they had any broken watches they could have for their costumes and came away with about ten watches and stopwatches to take apart.
Saturday evening we cooked a dinner at Sarah's house outside in the fire pit then played Arkham horror. Sunday morning we met at 9 at Shish a wonderful restaurant for breakfast. It was marvelous to meet up with the Utters and hear their latest and just spend several hours talking and laughing. This weekend there was lots of laughter, hugs, and talking.
The dogs decided Rachel was pretty special and both wanted to sit with her. We teased her about being a dog person now (as opposed to the cat fanatic she is.)
Stephen headed west to Morris where he will work with faculty this week on a conference presentation and his TA stuff this fall. He'll then fly to Michigan for the conference, when he returns he'll spend about a week with Sarah in the cities before attending Convergence with Jeff, Rachel and Sarah.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Winter's return and prom
After a delightful week of warm weather, snow just about all melted, including a high of 68 on Tuesday, the weather changed and Friday the weather became colder and we woke to snow on Saturday morning with a total of over 6 inches by nightfall with a bit more this morning. Of course this was also prom weekend, so yesterday 74 girls in beautiful long dresses ventured out into the weather with a daytime high of 36 and snow pretty much all day long. It was wet, cold and not very prom-like. It was fun to see the girls coming into the high school for grand march with prom dresses, sweatshirts and mukluk or ugg boots.
The girls attending with Rachel.
Rachel attended with friend Scott Ducharme. They were in speech together and at one point had agreed to go together as the state speech meet is usually the same day as prom and thus difficult for anyone who qualifies for the state speech meet to go to prom as well. Scott ended up dropping speech this year and Rachel didn't qualify, but by that point there weren't many unattached who planned to go.
The group of ten.
Rachel had a wonderful night and enjoyed the experience. She had two women come along side and help her get ready. Debbie Griffith was her Sunday School teacher last year and has always loved Rachel's features. Scott is her nephew and when she found out they were going together, she took charge. She did Rachel's makeup and convinced another woman, Pam Rooney to come and do Rachel's hair. I was grateful as I had to work until 3pm and pictures were at 4. Thank you to both of these women for their assistance.
Rachel and Scott were part of a group of ten who went to dinner together and then after post-prom (at 5am today) went to one of the boys house to watch a movie, doze and have breakfast before she came home at 10am for a bit of sleep.
The theme was Secret Garden. The woman coordintating the decorations went all out. The kids all came out these 'garden gates' for the march.
The bridge the couples posed on during the march. Many of the girls were afraid they would trip and fall. (No one did.)
The girls attending with Rachel.
Rachel attended with friend Scott Ducharme. They were in speech together and at one point had agreed to go together as the state speech meet is usually the same day as prom and thus difficult for anyone who qualifies for the state speech meet to go to prom as well. Scott ended up dropping speech this year and Rachel didn't qualify, but by that point there weren't many unattached who planned to go.
The group of ten.
Rachel had a wonderful night and enjoyed the experience. She had two women come along side and help her get ready. Debbie Griffith was her Sunday School teacher last year and has always loved Rachel's features. Scott is her nephew and when she found out they were going together, she took charge. She did Rachel's makeup and convinced another woman, Pam Rooney to come and do Rachel's hair. I was grateful as I had to work until 3pm and pictures were at 4. Thank you to both of these women for their assistance.
Rachel and Scott were part of a group of ten who went to dinner together and then after post-prom (at 5am today) went to one of the boys house to watch a movie, doze and have breakfast before she came home at 10am for a bit of sleep.
The theme was Secret Garden. The woman coordintating the decorations went all out. The kids all came out these 'garden gates' for the march.
The bridge the couples posed on during the march. Many of the girls were afraid they would trip and fall. (No one did.)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The last week
Whew! What a week! We were busy all week. Jeff continues to just barely keep up with the writing, recording and editing schedule to get the bi-weekly podcasts out for Icebox Radio Theater. He has some cool plans for the theater for the summer, including a number of live shows around the county. He is also working on a pilot radio show with another radio host for fall.
Rachel is speech captain and the end of season get together was Saturday. She was trying to figure out what to give the team members when she decided to give them all llamas as one member learned a song about llamas at a meet and they ended up singing it regularly the rest of the season. But when we went looking for cheap llamas to buy, we struck out, so being the insane people we are, Rachel and I designed out own and made a dozen llamas this week. They were a hit.
On Monday night, the swim booster club held a meeting and I officially relinquished my position as girls swim team concession coordinator. We also worked on organizing the first of what we hope will become an annual Baby Broncos swim camp.
The weather this past week has been good for the melting of snow this past week, but we had a lot of snow this winter and that means a lot of water now present. But crocus are blooming in the back yard and a bee was visiting the blooms when I tried to photograph them.
This weekend I worked in the junior room on Saturday for one of the part-time employees who wanted some vacation time. I took in the fabric and pattern pieces for the costumes for Sarah and Rachel and got most of the pieces cut out. Now to get sewing.
This morning Rachel and I worked in the sound booth at church and then I went back to the library again. The library was given the chance to offer a second photography workshop for adults by a professional photographer. But the only days available before the end of the fiscal year were weekdays (which wouldn't work for most adults) and Sundays. So we offered the class this afternoon, but that meant I had to open the building and be there during the class. Then tomorrow night we have the opportunity to host author David Housewright, a Minnesota award winning writer of mysteries set in the Midwest.
A busy time at the Adams household, but I don't know if we'd have it any other way.
May God bless your week.
Diane
Rachel is speech captain and the end of season get together was Saturday. She was trying to figure out what to give the team members when she decided to give them all llamas as one member learned a song about llamas at a meet and they ended up singing it regularly the rest of the season. But when we went looking for cheap llamas to buy, we struck out, so being the insane people we are, Rachel and I designed out own and made a dozen llamas this week. They were a hit.
On Monday night, the swim booster club held a meeting and I officially relinquished my position as girls swim team concession coordinator. We also worked on organizing the first of what we hope will become an annual Baby Broncos swim camp.
The weather this past week has been good for the melting of snow this past week, but we had a lot of snow this winter and that means a lot of water now present. But crocus are blooming in the back yard and a bee was visiting the blooms when I tried to photograph them.
This weekend I worked in the junior room on Saturday for one of the part-time employees who wanted some vacation time. I took in the fabric and pattern pieces for the costumes for Sarah and Rachel and got most of the pieces cut out. Now to get sewing.
This morning Rachel and I worked in the sound booth at church and then I went back to the library again. The library was given the chance to offer a second photography workshop for adults by a professional photographer. But the only days available before the end of the fiscal year were weekdays (which wouldn't work for most adults) and Sundays. So we offered the class this afternoon, but that meant I had to open the building and be there during the class. Then tomorrow night we have the opportunity to host author David Housewright, a Minnesota award winning writer of mysteries set in the Midwest.
A busy time at the Adams household, but I don't know if we'd have it any other way.
May God bless your week.
Diane
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