The Year in Pictures: December 2007

December! While we didn't do anything out of the ordinary, it's always a memorable time of year with decorations, presents, and festivals. As the end-of-semester rush slowed down, we found time for day trips to Naples (again) and to Pasadena. The Naples trip was more of a night trip to see all the holiday lights, and for both better and worse, we inadvertently chose the night of the annual boat parade. It was crowded and festive, but it was also CROWDED. The trip to Pasadena was much mellower, with our first visit--and a fun one at that--to the Kidspace Children's Museum on the grounds of the Rose Bowl. (And as only Cal fans could say: "So, THAT's what the Rose Bowl looks like in person.")



The lights in Naples weren't the only ones we toured, and I got a few decent pictures on one of our evening walks around the neighborhood. On another night, I also managed to snap a quick shot of Santa, who was scouting the neighborhood via a City of Los Angeles Fire Truck.



The roster of December festivals also includes the Winter Spiral at the boys' school. This was Everett's first such live performance with lighted candle, and he did well--although he repeated his birthday performance of his endearing "wet" technique for blowing out the flame. Tony's class did its own spiral, and then entertained us with one of their great musical programs.



Of course, the real highlight of the Christmas season are the visits with family, many of whom don't see but maybe one other time each year. Thus, we had a wonderful Christmas Eve in Diamond Bar, and an equally enjoyable week to end the year up in San Jose. And, yes, there were presents.

The Year in Pictures: September 2007

This is an easy month. It was back to school for all of us, which meant a busy but regular schedule following the free and easy days of summer. It was busier than usual, too, as now we had TWO boys going to Ocean Charter School and TWO boys playing soccer. This also meant I was coaching TWO soccer teams, including one that met TWO days a week with midweek practices joining Saturday games as part of our routine. Add in the fact that I was teaching a new class for the first time, and that I also began my TWO-year stint as co-chair of the Environmental Affairs Committee at the college, and the free time to brew beer and take photographs disappears. Indeed, we've only got a pair of photos from the month to share below, as I decided to go camera-free to the months two main events: a weekend trip for Audrey and me to San Jose for her 20th high-school reunion (fun time!), and a big party at my Mom's the weekend before to celebrate (belatedly) her 60th birthday and the completion of a big landscaping project she and Woody commissioned over the summer.

As for the photos, the first is of the two brothers on their way out the door for the first day of school. The second shows Everett (blue #10 on the right) in action during his first soccer game.

The Year in Pictures: May 2007

The month of May began with a weekend camping trip to the Temecula Valley, for a rendezvous with my mom and Woody, Lisa and Jon, and a large and rowdy contingent of fellow homebrewers from throughout Southern California. The occasion was the annual SoCal Homebrewers Festival, and it was our first year in attendance. The weather was on the cold (and windy!) side, and the camping at Vail Lake resort was disappointing--neither appropriately rustic/picturesque nor especially luxurious. But the beer fest itself didn't disappoint. During Saturday's festival, I intentionally left the camera behind, so as not to lose or damage it in a drunken stupor, nor come home with any embarrassing photos. But I did at least get a couple of nice shots of the boys playing with their trucks around the campsite.

The rest of the month, at least photographically speaking, revolved around Tony's school and cub-scout activities. One weekend it was a trip to the tide pools at Abalone Cove on the Palos Verdes peninsula, where we were treated to a bright sunny day and lots of wildlife and other photogenic natural features, such as Sea Stars, Marbled Godwits, and ocean-sculpted Altimira Shale.

Later in May, Tony and his den officially earned their Tiger badges, and crossed the bridge toward a second-grade year as Wolf cubs. Never has a sense of pride shined more brightly across Tony's face, and it was a moment to reflect on what truly had been a very busy and productive 2006-07 school year.



Speaking of school, May was marked by the annual Ocean Charter's annual Spring Faire. This is a huge event for the school, both a "Waldorfy" celebration of the changing seasons and the major fund raiser of the year. The latter more or less consumed Audrey's spare time and energy during the preceding months, and it was nice for all of us to get that task complete (at least until next year!). But the celebration was also much enjoyed by all, beginning with a traditional Maypole dance by Tony's class and followed by a day of play. Combined with the regular routine of school/work and weekend t-ball and ice skating, May was a busy month indeed.