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)

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.