Working Together - at Church

That's Serafina at the top of the pyramid today at church. Lynn had this so say, "This reminds me of a pyramid Trevor and Tracy were a part of in their church youth days - love watching grandkids thriving just as their parents did!"

Tickling the Eighty-Eights

The kids' piano teacher held a piano recital at the Newman home (other students) Sunday afternoon. It was really quite amazing to see both the technical accomplishments of the kids as well as listen to their selections for "show" pieces to play. It was definitely a movie/show theme this year, with Disney taking the cake. Sam did Edelweiss from the Sound of Music, Serafina did Beauty and the Beast and Be Our Guest, and Matteo did a John Williams Star Wars piece (note his left-over-right technique). All the pics: JF2.com/140921/

Jen's Birthday

Happy Birthday to you! All the pics: http://JF2.com/140920/

AJ was dubbed Sous Chef for the day!

Headshot Day

It was Headshot Day, 'cause Papa needed one for the "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" program. Here's what we got:

"1, 2, 3, 4... 33, 34..."
And then, "I CAN'T WAIT till I count to the end."

Bed Bugs

When Daddy's away, Tracy gets a bed bug infestation. Every time.

Catch as Catch Can

Here are some miscellaneous happenings lately:

David builds the Great Wall of China.
And is quite happy with himself.

This is how they roll!

Homeschool Day 2

At least he has shoes.

Nothing tastes better than a Slurpie after the park.

Our Huntington Excursion

Lynn and I thoroughly enjoyed a fabulous Labor Day weekend excursion aboard the private railcar Silver Lariat and exploring the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena. It was a business excursion for the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, which also explains why the Huntington was the destination - as in Henry Huntington, railroad baron. It's the sort of place where you could spend a week and still not do it justice. Below are a smattering of pics from the trip. We stayed at the the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena; this place is a story on its own. If you're interested in seeing the entire gallery of photos, just let me know.

The service aboard the Silver Lariat was impeccable,
and the food was fabulous!

We caught our guys in action as we passed Guadalupe.

At the Tea Room on the grounds of the Huntington Library.

One of my better shots of Betteravia from the UPRR mainline.

Winding our way up the Cuesta Grade.

Crossing the bridge over Highway 101 in Ventura.

One of the many gorgeous settings in the gardens at the Huntington.

In the "foyer" of the bathroom on the Silver Lariat.

The Silver Lariat beneath the pedestrian bridge
at the San Luis Obispo Amtrak station.

Crossing the Stenner Creek trestle (just north of Cal Poly).

Handwritten letter by Albert Einstein.
One of many fascinating documents at the Huntington Library.

This room initially looked the most boring,
but turned out to be the most fascinating.
We caught glimpses into the minds of some
great writers and thinkers.

Blue Boy. Probably the most famous painting
in the Huntington collection.

With our new friend Jami (no e), wife of SMVRR's new Chief Mechanical Officer, Brian. This incredible wine room was at The Royce steakhouse in the Langham Huntington Hotel. Oh my! You may have heard of Kobe beef; how about Moyer beef, or Brandt beef? The menu includes a "flight" of beef if you'd like to try all three! BTW, we're pictured in the white wine room. There was another equally gigantic red wine room. We chose a Carr Cab Franc.