O.K. So my best story involves going to dinner in a restaurant that thinks that I care whether or not the napkin they provide for me coordinates with my pants/skirt (black for black or dark colors, white for light colors...the nightmare of lint...). This issue pales when confronted with the Facebook page, "You Know You Grew Up in Whittier if..." My new obsession...Henshaws, Rubis, Mrs. Butterfield at East Whittier, Beach Blvd., I can't get enough. I admit it here and right now. Do not judge me too harshly since my sister has posted on the above mentioned Facebook page, too...and she is SO much better than I will ever be.

New Weather Sticker for Cedar Grove

Rob told me that he was at Hole in the Wall at Cedar Grove, CA where highway 180 ends. So, I found a new weather Sticker from Weather Underground for that geography. It took a bit to make it work as they do not have our old format for stickers any more.

Let me know if you want any other weather updates here.


View Larger Map

Rob's Front Porch

Here is a photo of one of the places Rob camped this summer while working in King's Canyon National Park. I think it is near Rae Lakes? Anyway, the the blog post of May 15, 2011, there are photos of near this same area. So here is an actual shot from "Rob's room."

Summer Peach Cake Adventure

My friend told me this week that the peaches are in at our local Farmer's Market. So, Friday, she and I paid a visit to our favorite peach farmer. I got enough peaches to try this recipe, Summer Peach Cake. Steps include roasting the peach slices and peach chunks to carmelize them. Another step includes tossing the chunks (that sounds bad, doesn't it?) in crushed Panko bread crumbs.

This afternoon, I'll attempt to make the Summer Peach Cake, using the recipe found in Cook's Illustrated magazine.

The Gurgling Cod...More Information

After treating many family members to a cool glass of water from our very own Gurgling Cod and Gluggle Jug collection, I came across this video that filled in even more details on this mysterious, whimsical, table top item. Perhaps you'll find this informative, too.



http://bcove.me/86bodym5

A Saturday Excursion Back in Time

Today, at the invitation of Beth, several family members took a little California history field trip. We visited Pio Pico State Park, slated to be closed, a casualty of the state budget cuts.





Then we went to see a plaque on a rock marking the sight of a very important battle in the quest for the United States of America to take the area from Mexico. The battle was the Battle of Rio San Gabriel, and the marker is on the corner of Washington Blvd. and Bluff on the east side of Montebello.



For additional drama and information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rio_San_Gabriel

It was an interesting start to the day. Members of the group included Beth, Brianna, Doris, Glen, & Cindi. Beth and Brianna had this planned. Glen and Cindi joined in rather spontaneously.

Tour de France -- Stage 1 is Done

My story continues...click on the link between the photos to read it.

http://cindipeterson3.blogspot.com/2011/07/if-it-is-july-im-watching-tour-de.html

Independence Day weekend event @ WACC on 7/3

For those coming to the event on Sunday evening, at WACC it is a patriotic concert including orchestra, choir, band, and quartet. Eating will begin around 5 and the concert at about 6 pm.

Everyone is invited!

You can bring your own picnic or purchase food from these trendy truck vendors: Slammin' Sliders and Louks To Go Greek Gourmet. Click on the names for more information.

From the church website on this: "…on the lawn for a patriotic concert & family picnic. We’ll have food trucks and bounce houses at 5pm then the choir, orchestra, band & Generations quartet will perform some patriotic favorites at 6pm. Bring your lawn chairs & blankets."

WACC
8100 Colima Road
Whittier, CA  90605 


[view map]

The Latest from WAGH: Women Against Global Hunger

Here is the latest blog post from the group I lead called WAGH (pronounced "wag" like a dog's tail when it is excited). It may encourage all of us as summer heat heads our way.

http://womenagainstglobalhunger.blogspot.com/2011/07/heat-wave-coming-keep-your-cool.html

Tabby Gone Wild: Garage Attack, Part 2

Kitten screaming in garage -- all day. Went to investigate. It is caught in wires/cords/cables wrapped up/coiled for storage. Kitten is suspended off the ground and in full panic. Cute but deadly. Knucklehead. Tried a rescue to stop the meowing. Garden gloves on hands, towel at the ready to drop over it to wrap it up to extricate it. Mom cat charged me out of nowhere. I dropped the towel and ran out of the garage right behind Brynne carrying Pete.

Baby Pete started crying. Scared all three of us. I'm sure the color left my white face. No harm done. Kitten is still suspended and screaming.


None of these are our pets! Insanity. Animal control will only come if the cat is in a box or a cat trap. Animal control said they could give me the name of a private contractor, but I'd have to pay them. No thanks.


We have not fed these creatures and do not want them to stay. It is a sad and aggravating situation.


Where's Beth when I need her. She's the cat whisperer.

And so it begins...

Above is a picture of Steffi out for a ride with Daniel for the first time, on Memorial Day 2011. We first went to the bike shop and got her a helmet that matches mine (but with different colors) and some pink gloves. We fitted her on a (small) bike that Timothy, Daniel, and Mom all rode at various points. It was Steffi's second time riding in 10 years, so she was a bit "wobbly," as she said.

We went to a bike shop in Long Beach, then rode around for 3 miles at El Dorado Park, then drove to Union Station and had dinner at Philippe The Original (Home of the French Dip Sandwich) before I left for Newhall on the train.

This augments last weekend's trip to Mt. Baldy Village to see the Tour of California as the bike racers finished their "stage" at the Mt. Baldy ski station.

The following picture, for some of you, ...


...may recall in your minds a picture from when Glen and Cindi had lunch with me at Mt. Baldy Village in July of 2007. That time I was riding my bike! (This year's trip was my first time going to Mt. Baldy Village in a car.)


Photo credits:
picture 1. Mom took the picture on Steffi's phone;
pictures 2 and 3. Steffi's dad took the pictures and I put them together (not a very fancy job of it, I know);
picture the last. Thanks Aunt Cindi for taking the photo and then Uncle Glen for posting it.

New Room for Rob

Rob headed out of Whittier today to visit friends and family for about a week prior to going to work in King's Canyon National Park for the summer. Complete opposite job from working in a library. We have such interesting nephews! We wish them all the best in the months to come. Post when you can!

And for redundancy...

New room for Daniel

I've just about moved in to the house/room I'll be living in for the duration of TMC's summer break. Mom's former coworker (and TMC alum)'s parents live about 3 miles from campus, and were gracious enough to lend a room for a few months while I work full time in the Powell Library at The Master's College. The semester ended on Thursday, and work starts tomorrow at 9:30am.

I'm really excited to go to Ontario on Saturday to see Steffi. I also hear that there's a rather important bike race going on right by there on some roads I've ridden on myself. So I guess if Dad wants to go up and see the race, I won't have to beg too much to get a ride up to Steffi's place for a few hours.

This picture was at the Reagan Presidential Library, where TMC's "Spring Party" (prom) was this year. Yes, that's the real plane we walked through, not just a fake background.


Here's another picture for some redundancy.

A Promotion...Well, Half a Promotion

I accepted a promotion with my school, Golden Valley Charter School. I'll be part-time "ES Advisor" and part-time ES (Education Specialist) beginning August 1, 2011. I've been an ES for 9 years. This year I had thirty students in my case load. That is sixteen families to visit every 20 school days. I cluster them geographically, so it is seven days out a month. Next year, I'll have 15 students, about 7 families, and 3 days out a month. I will also support 12 ES's in this administrative role. It will have very busy times of the year, as does any education job. I look forward to the change, though the work will have its challenges. Here is a photo of our staff in front of our Ventura offices.

Steve Captures the Chill

Steve traveled to South Lake Tahoe to see Stage 1, found out it was canceled, and returned home. He did get one great photo. He told me these were amateurs. I want to share his photo. I like the colors in the cyclists opposed the the gray and gloomy weather.

Tour of California start at Lake Tahoe Sunday, May 15

AS I type this, the National Weather Service is predicting 1-3 inches of snow for Lake Tahoe, CA tomorrow, the day that the Tour of California is scheduled to start. The website says there are contingency plans. I know I have seen video of other races taking place in the snow. Guess the move to May didn't make cold weather impossible.

This is the current weather report:

Stapled Thumb

O.K. So the Monday following the infamous February 2, 2011 at Schnell School in Placerville, one of the most wonderful students in my class picked up a stapler that another student had dropped on the floor. This is the result. It was one of those PaperPro staplers with extra "spring-loaded" action. He said it did not hurt; it felt like "pressure". I thanked him for trying to distract us all from recent events, and he looked at me and said, "I didn't do it on purpose!" His mother came and took him home. She pulled it out with needle-nose pliers. He wanted to come back to school, but there was only a half hour left in the day, so she convinced him to stay home. He was very brave; his teacher recovered nicely after some rest. The best part was the reaction of the people from the district office who were substituting for our office staff. They don't usually get to see what the staff in an elementary school office deals with every day. Now they know why the paperwork doesn't always get finished and sent to the D.O. on time...

Rain Update from Doris

Had 1" of rain on Wednesday, .45 on Thursday and .4 on Saturday.  Total this season now 15.5"

Sam LaCara was a genuinely good man. Sincere, positive and always very interested. He was a good role model at a delicate time when I needed to know what a positive attitude could do, and how a grown man should act. You never got off without at least a conversation. But his words were always motivating, not punishing.

What an immense loss for the city of Placerville and the many whom he mentored and cheered over his years as an educator.

"Cardboard Dreams" Web Page

When you get to the web page, click on "Trailer" in the top right corner. http://www.cardboarddreamsmovie.com

"Cardboard Dreams" Movie Day - Part II

I wouldn’t miss this for the world.

Probably 30 college students and freshly graduated moving through our home, carrying equipment and boxes, snacks, a coffee pot, a twin bed, make-up, costumes, lighting...and everything they need for making our house look like their script, to feed the cast and crew all day, and they have two trucks and all their cars out front. One of the trucks is the generator, so they don't use our electricity. They got “no parking 8:00am-10:00pm” signs from the city. Very impressive.

Just talked to a first year female student who wants to be a director when she “grows up.” They are all so cute and working so hard on so many things that it takes to shoot a 30-minute film! Crazy. I love this stuff. The young actor said they were shooting until 12:30 last night (this morning). He is in 7th grade and chose not to homeschool. He said Algebra is very hard — that’s cute; proud that he was in algebra this year, yet humble enough to admit he thinks it is hard.

OK, back to my GVCS tasks -- I am working today from my little corner office. Concentrate. Concentrate. The house is full and buzzing with activity. AND I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING — except Sam who is loving it, now that he got his barks out and sniffed everyone. He is relaxed on his “blanket” by my desk. He is on his leash and will remain attached to my wrist — too many open doors and gates. But the real reason is... He wants to steal the scene! Ha!

Christmas Eve Family Breakfast 2011

Mark your calendars for the morning of December 24, 2011. You are invited to breakfast at our home for the traditional Peterson Christmas Eve Family Breakfast. We will look forward to hosting. This will be a fun and tasty alternative to breakfast out at a local restaurant. This will be our Christmas gift to the family. So plan your holiday commitments accordingly, and help us to remember this hospitable idea and early invitation in 11 months. Perhaps the menu may include pancakes, egg casserole, a gooey baked French toast, bacon, sausage, juice, and coffee, but we'll leave those details for another day.

Universal Truth & Encouragement

Loving friendships take the sting out of times of painful reality.

New Year's Eve Dog Rescue @ LAX

Glen rescued an escaped fancy dog in the parking garage/LAX Terminal 6 on New Year's Eve. This poodle, Benji, was wearing a fancy outfit and leash. She was nuts and running crazy--probably frightened, loose with no owner in sight. Glen opened our car door, and she jumped in. Glen was able to grab her leash. He took charge and calmed the dog down - whisperer style. While we were waiting for the airport police to arrive to help determine what to do next, the owners returned to their car nearby. They were upset when they noticed the dog was gone, and we heard them scream its name. We reunited the dog with the owner chick. Attention dog owners: a chip is of no value when a normal person finds your dog and wants to call you to find out how to get it back to you. If you are going to chip your pet, get a tag with your phone number, too! And one more thing...don't leave the window down and your dog inside the car.