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: