A Month of Thanksgivings

Lynn offers these Thanksgivings (in no particular order):

Day 1 - Books

Day 2 - Food and Fellowship

Day 3 - Grandkids

Day 4 Family Fun (Easter...)

Day 5 - Family getting together from a far (more...)

Day 6 - The Gift of Music (more...)

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9 - Beautiful places (more...)

Day 10 - New adventures (more...)

Day 11 - Proud member of the
11 Airborne 511th parachute infantry

Day 12 - Healthy Blessings

Day 13 - Amazing Swim Instructors

Day 14 - Refreshing Rain to Run In

Day 15 - All the Ways to Love Blackberries

Day 16 - Important Causes to Support
#TeamJilly ‪‪#‎epilepsyawareness

Day 17 - Being Free to Let Loose (more...)

Day 21 - Blessed with a beautiful voice, Serafina sang for the residents
of the Manse in SLO - a wonderful way to begin the holiday season!

Day 22 - Sweetest of Grandkids in Nipomo.
Thanks to Jen for the photo, too!

Day 26 - thankful for the freedom to take the dog for a walk on this beautiful sunny morning!
And for friends who understand when I post a picture sideways,
or even just think I post a picture sideways even though the phone did it right.

Day 27: As Tiny AJ observed, "I'm thankful for my family and brothers and sisters."
All the photos: http://JF2.com/141127/

Day 29 - For goofy traditions, like the Great Pumpkin Roll,
that family and friends can enjoy. Photos: http://JF2.com/141129/

Home Classroom

It's fun seeing this SLOCA hybrid school arrangement from the home side (after having seen it from the school side when I taught there a couple years ago). Here are a few shots of the goings on so far...

Carpets can be much fun!

Matteo's Viking ship

Sam's making Latin flashcards.

A timeline is starting to take shape.
Eventually it will be all the way around the ceiling.

You never know when you might need some beads, coins, marbles, or the like.

If anyone needs something cozy.

The "Kids' Cubby Hole" lower right is pretty cool!
That over-stuffed chair gets much use as well, mainly for reading.

Activities do spill out onto the deck.

Halloween costumes drift toward history they're learning.
Serafina is Guinevere, Matteo is King Arthur, and AJ is a Dragonslayer.

Coloring

When AJ asks to color with you, it could mean a myriad of activities: checkers, chess, ball toss, watch TV, and even actual coloring with crayons and paper (outlining feet and hands is really fun!). With the new rug in the new classroom, chess has notched up a bit. Of course, AJ has a very unique style of playing, and a very unique set of "AJ rules" to go with it.

Babies' First Trade Show

It was the twins first trade show with Daddy. And it was the big one - PMA. They were huge fans, particularly of their own badges.

Dracula

10/23/14 - Opening night

October 23 thru November 2, 2014
Produced by the Cuesta College Theatre Department
Role: The Child

October 3, 2014
First crack at make-up! This is a VERY different production for Serafina, and she brought the "audience" to tears on a run-through today. Takin' it to the next level.

October 25, 2014
A Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival representative watched her third show of the run and provided about 45 minutes of feedback to the entire company immediately following. He included Serafina specifically in his comments saying her every word, sound, and movement portrayed the emotion of the moment. Wow.

10/22/14: The hair artist for Dracula
asked if we could bring Serafina with corkscrew curls...

Sam got into it, too!

Railroad Time

Major transportation organizations, like the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, need to stay on top of time across their entire system!

Picasso, Einstein, and... Schmendiman

Charles
Dabernow
Schmendiman

Have I mentioned that I got a part in a play at the SLO Little Theatre?! The play is by Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin), called "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." The Lapin Agile is a Parisian bar and provides the venue for the entire play about a chance encounter between Picasso and Einstein - and yours truly! And a number of other characters. Pictured below is our first look at the set (thanks for the pic, Pam!). Read all about the play here. Schmendiman (that's me) will soon be bursting in through the door out of the picture to the right... Check out this SLOLT blogpost.

Update 10/16/14: The first review is in, from New Times. "But it's Jamie Foster as Charles Dabernow Schmendiman who steals the show in the second half..." (with apologies to my fellow cast members who are, to a one, better at this and far more experienced than I). Full New Times review. Then the Trib's review. And the review from Two for the Show.

Click here for a bunch of photos.

Update 10/1/14: Uh-oh. We're getting close.

Update 10/5/14: A "moment" is added to the set.

Update 10/7/14: We played to a small group
from PCPA for tonight's first dress rehearsal.

Update 10/17/14: Our own Picasso (Toby) sketched this
out on the whiteboard in the green room.
Left to right, top to bottom:
Germaine (Megan)
Sagot (Larry)
Gaston (Tom)
Schmendiman (me)
Freddy (Bobby)
Suzanne et al (Alicia)
Visitor (Arash)
Einstein (Cameron)
Picasso (Toby)