Month: December 2013

  • Friday Updates

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    Étienne and Carl enjoyed some snow time before school. Within the two hour school delay, my back yard went from white to almost all green as the boys rolled up large snowballs.

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    Étienne tries to roll Carl into one of the large snowballs. Just good clean fun!

  • Snow!

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    Today, Seattle Public will start two hours late. This is our view at 6:30 AM.

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  • Thanksgiving 2013

    This year we made a last minute flight to Lancaster CA for dinner with Judy's family. Both of her siblings came with their families. After working the day at Nyer Urness house cooking and serving a turkey dinner for 120 people, we hopped a flight to Burbank CA.

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    I made use of the full video option on my Galaxy S3 to entertain the boys with yet another Markiplier YouTube video. You can search YouTube yourself for a sampling of their entertainment.

    These two pictures call for a little explaining...or maybe not.
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    First we have Judy watching previews before Catching Fire, the latest Hunger Games movie. Second we have a tooth from Carl's impeccably clean mouth! This tooth has caused nothing but pain and complaints for the past three weeks! I was about to yank it out myself. Two weeks ago I thought he did pull the tooth as he held up a molar and said "Hay look, I lost a tooth!" To my dismay it was not the one bothering him, but a different one I never heard about. He always feels cheated by the Tooth Fairy so this time he left a note for the Molinator.

    We finally made it to the Pletsch residence and stumbled into a cutthroat game of Apples to Apples.

    Carl is answering the question "What is Relaxed?". Teachers did not win, the winner was Noodles.

    And now for the big event: Turkey!
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    Judy and Erin work the kitchen before dinner. Erin organized the whole meal, thank you Erin. With fifteen mouths to feed you did a great job planning a meal from across the state.

    This gathering is all about the grandchildren. Here they are in all their glory.
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    Carlton, Étienne, Eleanor, Veronica, Julianna, Meghan, Charlotte, and ... I guess Blitzen was out getting more pie.

    We stepped out for a little cool air and got the run down on the neighbors house lights.
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    Grandpa Ron seemed puzzled by the technique of hanging empty light strings. We thought this was a sly attempt to thwart bulb thieves! Lancaster must be riddled with them.
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    It turns out the neighbor is an Air Traffic Controller and wanted the placement of each bulb to be precise without extras dangling on the ends. Here is the result. Great Job!

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    Time to introduce the host of honor. This is the grandmother of all seven grandchildren, Kathy. We all gathered to wish her a warm thanksgiving. Happy Holidays Kathy.

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    It is not a holiday without the carving of the bird. I made it through 120 turkey portions at Nyer Urness House on Thanksgiving day without lifting a single knife. Today was my chance to carve the bird.

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    No party post is complee without a picture of the party girls. Charlotte & Erin, and Erin and Meghan.

    The real couple can be found here. Cousins!
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    Eleanor and Étienne

    This trip is made possible by the loving children of Ron and Kathy. Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All.

  • Getty Center

    On Sunday December 1, we headed to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
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    That is it on top of the hill. From here it looks overcast but the day was sunny and clear.

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    Since our last visit over ten years ago, the museum added free IPod Touch tours. You simply check out an IPod and headphone and click your way through a tour. We chose a Monsters Angels and Demons tour geared for children. It included reviews by children in their own voice. Several pictures were narrated by characters in the frame. Carl's favorite was described by a small pig in the lower corner.

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    This is a typical installation. When the descriptor panel has a reference number, we can type that into the IPod and get more information.
    Before I visit a museum, I try to pick out an exhibit to look for. This time I selected a Rembrandt. I remember seeing this painting in my grade school textbooks. This was my opportunity to see the real thing!

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    Here the kids show of our find. You can click on the pictures for a larger image but to really see it, the Getty website has high resolution digital images of their complete collection.

    After the rich world class paintings, we can rest our eyes with a stroll across the plaza.
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    Every season is beautiful in LA, here is a beautiful sunny fall day in LA. Over Carl's right shoulder you can see downtown LA. The plaza offered nothing but beautiful vistas over every outlook.

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    Étienne and Uncle John are having a moment. We met John and Erin's family at the museum. For a Sunday morning, the crowds were not bad.

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    Meghan, Erin, and Charlotte Pletsch pose for a glamour shot!

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    Here are both families enjoying the art.

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    I even caught an artist at work. She took an opportunity to soak in the sun, beautiful people, and architecture of Getty Center.

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    When I first met The Judy we visited the original Getty Villa in Malibu. The Van Gogh Irises had just been cleaned and put on display. The painting was bare, no security glass, and surrounded by a red velvet rope. I could lean in and put my nose within a couple of feet of the canvas. To my surprise, the picture was on display again. Here it is secured behind glass and drawing quite the crowd.

    I did verify that pictures are allowed. Flash pictures are prohibited and a few areas forbid all pictures. One lady near me shot several flash pictures that drew the attention of the docents. I held my DSLR low hoping they did not mistake me for the culprit. They caught up with her and expressed a polite reminder.
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    Canterbury and St. Albans: Treasures from Church and Cloister
    I had to take this picture. I looked around for any restrictions but missed it in the darkened hall. I too got a polite reminder. I took about 200 pictures and this is the only forbidden one. I post it here for your enjoyment.

    The large window on the far wall is the real deal! You can read about it on the Getty Center website. I spent my high school years selling church bells with my father. I remember sitting beneath the large stained glass windows of the Midwest churches. This room offered several pews facing the windows for thought and reflection.

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    The typical vistas of the Getty Center. LA does not have clear skies every day. Actually they can be few and far between. We got one this December 1, 2013.

    On our way out of Lancaster we took a drive down The Musical Road. Enjoy!

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    Do you recognize these rocks? I remember them from a few episodes of Classic Star Trek. It is hard to miss them on the drive along Highway 14 between LA and Lancaster.

    Another rare find:
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