The Circus

Yesterday, Sunday August 24, we took Alex to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – The Greatest Show on Earth!

Alex is smiling and happy even though I took away his beloved Green Bay Packers hat so there would not be a shadow on his face for the picture. He closed his eyes instead. Oh, well, I tried!

We paused for a picture in the parking lot in front of one of the trailers.

On our way in, Frank and Alex pose beside one of the circus trailers in the parking lot.
The show was held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Our seats were in Row 2 of Section 207 right on the aisle near Section 208 so we had a midline view of all the activities. And since we were at a balcony level we had a great overall panorama of all that was going on. Even though we were not close, Alex stayed engaged and clapped for most of the show.

We sat in Section 207 off to the right in the photo. An added perk to our seat location was that at intermission I scooted right out and was first in line to get us hot dogs and chicken strips for lunch.

There was a pre-show where ticket holders could go down to the ring for a closeup look. This is the view we had of the pre-show.

One of the elephants was painting. There was also a mini-act with a juggler and of course some clown activity. The pre-show floor option was open to all ticket holders and not just VIPs. 

We did not think Alex would enjoy standing with his view blocked by other people so we stayed in our seats. Besides, Alex was diligently working on devouring his large tub of popcorn. When we asked him if he wanted to go down to the circus floor level he vehemently shook his head no. He was settled in waiting for the show to begin. He wanted to eat his popcorn and leaf through the big glossy program we bought him.

Alex is watching the pre-show.
For the moment he is letting Frank look at his program in the background.

The show itself had a wide variety of performing animals: elephants, galloping horses, tigers, lions, dogs, goats, huge hogs, llamas, even a "unicorn", "pegasus", and "wooly mammoth".  Of the animal acts, I think Alex liked the energetic dogs best although he did recognize and point to the elephants.

This year's circus theme was Legends.

There were clowns (of course), trapeze artists, acrobatic gymnasts, diabolo (spool) tossing jugglers, and amazing high-wire motorcycle and human pyramid bicycle riding daredevils. In one dramatic motorcycle act, eight at once rode at high speed inside a huge steel sphere and they made a LOT of NOISE – pretty much as loud as the fireworks that started the show off with a big bang. Alex liked the motorcycles a lot and squealed with glee at the cacophony.

Frank and I had not been to a circus in a while and really enjoyed it. We were a bit surprised at a subtly different approach. There seemed to be no one super star. The ringmaster, although very good, was not an extremely commanding presence. The acts seemed to engage the audience based on sheer number of performers, be they people or animals, doing the same identical action but in sync with each other. Quantity versus quality seems too harsh a way to put it since the feats performed were impressive and there was a wide variety in the acts. But there were not a lot of "Oh wow's!" Synchronicity dominated difficulty. It worked well for Alex and so it worked well for us. We are planning to go again next year. I would recommend going. You do not need the excuse of having a little kid to take. Indulge the inner child in yourself and stuff your face with some popcorn.

A parade of elephants marched out mid-way during the grand finale
during which just about all the performers appeared for a last bow.

Salad and Ham? Hope you like it Sam-I-Am

Last Friday night we had three couples over for dinner. I planned on making a spiral sliced ham since it has no last minute prep like gravy or carving. I could warm it in the oven, take it out shortly before the guests arrived, and let it sit on the counter covered in foil. I asked each couple before hand if any one had dietary or religious restrictions about ham. I laughed when our friend Janet e-mailed back "We love ham. We don't get the  opportunity to eat it very often. A ham and two people is a life-long commitment." So true. After serving eight people, it has been a week of munching by the two of us and one happy Golden Retriever, and there is still ham  in the refrigerator. And this was half a ham!

These Costco hams are really good and it is true they do not taste salty.
I never bother with the glaze though. You don't need it. 

I also served a make ahead salad from a recipe of my mom's. She had gotten the recipe from the owner of a diner we frequented in the 1950's-1960's near my childhood home in New Jersey. At that time it was called the Clairmont Diner on St. George's Ave in Linden, NJ. The internet is amazing. I just googled it and it still exists only under the name the Linden Diner. Here is the recipe in my sister's handwriting.

I remember hot summer nights in New Jersey when mom would serve this icy cold salad with dinner.

I embellished it just a bit. Instead of one green pepper, I used half each of a green, a yellow, an orange, and a red pepper. I also used half of a huge red onion and half of a huge sweet yellow onion and apple cider vinegar instead of white. In this day of health consciousness I usually use olive or canola oil but for this recipe I stuck with the original flavor of the vegetable oil. I did cut back the salt about half but was reluctant to eliminate it since I think it is part of the pickling process. I sliced the cabbage about 1/4 thick instead of finely shredding it and I peeled the cucumbers before slicing to remove the waxed bitter skins. I made the salad on Tuesday for a Friday dinner using an upside down Tupperware™ cake taker to mix it all and store in my refrigerator, inverting and stirring each day. It makes a lot. That cake taker is very full so that the bottom barely fits on, but the vegetables do break down a bit and compact as they marinate. After dinner I still had enough to send each couple home with a quart container of the marinated salad. It keeps well.

Just curious I googled looking for the salad recipe itself. I found something very similar at allrecipes.com called the Claremont Salad. Hmmm. I wonder what the real history on this recipe is. The site's version is just a bit different but the marinade is essentially the same.

I wonder if this Claremont Salad hearkens back to the Clairemont Diner in New Jersey?
I do not believe New Jersey to be the hot bed of high cuisine
but this simple salad does have a homemade local ethnic folk taste to it.

Then I found that some else, now in Brazil, had posted about this salad. Click on this link for another person's memories. I guess it is more famous than I realized. http://tropicaldaydreams.blogspot.com/2012/01/claremont-diner-in-clifton-nj-i-grew-up.html

For the table setting I used our Barnyard Toile dishes and the yellow and black napkins I'd made to match the yellow table cloth.

Two of the plates carried out the ham theme.
The other six were two roosters, two cows, and two sheep.

We retired to the living room for a bit after dinner, enjoyed some relaxed conversation, and then switched off to the kitchen nook area to play two rousing games of Farkle. We had fun.

John and Marita, the couple who brought Farkle to play, each won a game. Suspicious?

Tomorrow night we are having three guests over for dinner. (Hey, if you've already cleaned the house, why waste it? It did not get that dirty in a week... ) We are not serving ham. Enough is enough!

Carrie's and Vivian's Visit

Monday, July 28th, Carrie flew up from southern California with Vivian to visit through Friday evening, August 1st. It was a first plane flight for nearly four-month-old Vivian. Frank and I had just returned from Seattle on the previous Saturday and we had a flurry of activity bringing out the baby paraphernalia, restocking the fridge, and cleaning (just a bit) in preparation.

You don't say! Really?

Frank and I were amazed at the changes in Vivian just during short time that had passed since her mid-June visit at ten weeks old. She holds eye contact longer, she smiles more consistently, she laughs, she grasps items, and she is beginning to babble. While she was here, Viv worked real, real hard and came so, so close to turning over from back to front but her left arm kept getting in the way! She finally mastered the roll the day she returned home. Frank and I did not see it in person but Carrie sent us a video of the accomplishment.

Vivian smiles now so much more than just a few weeks ago when we last saw her.

We had an outing and a visit every day Carrie and Vivian were here:
      Monday – airport arrival

      Tuesday – Toys R Us, San Francisco dinner, BART station, Becky visit
      Wednesday – library, mall, Ayn visit, tree #9 visit downtown
      Thursday –  outlet mall, Vickie visit
      Friday – Carrie run, Ted visit, Joann's, Alex visit, airport

Per Carrie, the Monday trip with Vivian went smoothly and Vivian was real good. She was much better behaved than the adult seat and armrest hog Carrie had to sit next to on the flight. We've all been there. At least it was a relative short flight, about and hour and twenty minutes. The baggage handlers damaged the stroller Carrie had gate checked, so we had to stop and file a claim at the luggage desk. It was cracked pretty badly at the handle. It could still be pushed but turning was dicey without holding it just so. Vivian was oblivious to it all and had smiles for Frank and me.

Tuesday morning Vivian tried out her new travel-friendly, inflatable bathtub. She had to get all gussied up because in the afternoon she was going in to the big city of San Francisco with her mom to have dinner with Carrie's friend Becky. I did not want Vivian and Carrie to go with a damaged stroller, so before I dropped them off at the Bart station to take the train into the city, we stopped by Toys R Us and bought a replacement stroller. We took it out of the box right at the front desk and assembled it there. Once on the train Carrie realized we'd left out a critical piece that held the car seat secured to the stroller. She could turn and go straight now, as long as she held on the car seat at the same time with her other hand. Oh, well. We tried. Once back home from San Francisco the missing piece was snapped in place and all was well. Carrie wrote a letter to the airline and hopefully there will be some compensation.

Have bath tub, will travel.

On Wednesday we stayed home in the morning because some service people were coming to measure for plantation shutters in our master bedroom. After lunch I had a meeting at the Livermore Library for a group of knitters/crocheter who are fashioning sweaters to decorate trees in downtown Livermore in celebration of fall and the arts. Once I get into that, I will post about it in my quilting blog. Carrie and Vivian hung out in the reading room of the library and Vivian nursed while I was at my meeting. After that, we left for our nearby Stoneridge Mall because I had a one-day-only coupon for 40% off at Gymboree. We bought some outfits there, and walked around just a bit, returning home before Vivian would want to eat again.

Vivian looks adorable in her sailor dress and
got lots of complements when we went out.

Later in the day Wednesday our neighbor Ayn came over and met Vivian for the first time. The weather was beautiful and we sat out on our back deck. Afterward we took an evening stroll in downtown Livermore so I could visit my tree and take measurements on it. Viv took it all in from the comfort of her stroller – now with all parts intact!

Our neighbor Ayn relished the opportunity to hold a baby
and Vivian obliged her willingly.

Length – 70 inches minus 24 inch hem height from ground
Diameter just below top , middle, hem  – 32.5 inches, 29 inches, 30 inches
Hmm... a figure like Twiggy. 

A sweater for a tree? Seriously, Grandma?

Thursday we went to the outlet mall in Livermore, Gymboree again. We got an early start to beat the heat and be sure of a parking spot. Carrie and I – and Vivian, of course – had a snack in Starbucks. Carrie and I had a wee sampling of chocolate at Ghiradelli's but nothing for Vivian there. Carrie bought a replacement pair of New Balance running shoes and I bought a Clark's handbag.

Vickie visited Thursday afternoon. She commented on the interaction between mother and baby as she watched Carrie put her face real close to Vivian's, look directly in her eyes, grin widely, and respond when Vivian reacted and smiled back. Vickie admired how much love was communicated and how the baby just seemed to soak it in and was made to feel so special. Vickie remarked that not all babies are so lucky, and it was so heart-warming to observe that exchange of mutual affection.

Vickie Visits Vivian... has a nice alliterative ring to it, don't you think?

Say "Hello there, Miss Vickie..."

Friday was Carrie and Vivian's last day here. They did not have to leave until an evening flight but the five days had whizzed by so quickly. Carrie had not even gone out to an exercise class or a run so Frank and I watched Vivian while she broke in her new running shoes. The weather was hot, Hot, HOT and she was gone almost an hour. Frank and I thought of calling her cell to see if she was OK and needed rescuing via car, but we did not want to alarm her into thinking Vivian was inconsolably upset with her gone. Vivian fussed just a bit, refusing to give in to a nap, but Frank was more successful than I in soothing her. She did drop off to sleep just before Carrie returned. Carrie came back from an almost four-mile run so flushed and sweaty that Frank and I were concerned. But it was nothing that a shower couldn't fix. Vivian continued to nap through Carrie's shower, but just barely. Those scant 30 minute cat naps of hers go by quickly!

Vivian's thinking... "I am tired, Mommy went for a run. I will not sleep. I WILL NOT sleep!"

Vivian is determined...
"Grandpa may walk me all around this darkened room, my eyelids are heavy,
 but I WILL NOT go to sleep."

Frank succeeded in soothing Vivian and settling her
so she could sleep in my arms briefly while Carrie was running.

Later in the afternoon Friday we all took a ride over to see our friend Ted since he, too, had missed meeting Vivian during her June visit. We talked a bit outside in the garden area, in the shade of course (because it was so hot). We set off from there for a short ride to the local JoAnn's Fabric store because they were reputed to have a sample of tree sweaters on two of the trees in front of the store. We drove by the trees (giving our critique and absorbing some ideas), picked up an iced coffee for Carrie at Starbucks, and drove home for a light mid-afternoon meal before it was time to depart for the airport.

Vivian visits Ted out in his garden.

It was not a trivial task, but as a team Frank and I deflated the inflatable travel bath tub. Its leak proof valves work much better for inflating than deflating. Carrie packed while Frank and I used our four hands for the tub flattening. We left a bit early for the airport because on the way we were going to visit Alex and take him along on the ride with his niece. Vivian slept on the way and Alex relaxed beside her.

Vivian is a planner like her mom.
She figured if she slept in the car then she could be awake for the whole plane flight!

There was not a lot of interaction between Alex and Vivian
but at least they were on the same wavelength when it came to slumber.

Alex switched to shotgun with Frank and they waited in the cell phone lot while I went into the terminal,
ostensibly to help Carrie but more honestly to maximize granddaughter time.

We said our final goodbyes then Carrie and VIvian passed through security.
Vivian had one more feeding at the gate before the plane flight home to see her Daddy.

Carrie was really good about sending us text updates when she and Vivian were at the gate and ready to board and when they had landed safely in Orange County. It was a great visit and we are so pleased that Carrie made the effort, especially with all the preparations it entailed, to come! The next time we will see them, other than Skype, will be at Vivian's christening in October.

Seattle – Final Day and Home to CA

Saturday, July 26th, we needed to check out of home base by 11:00 am. At 10:30 am we were all packed with cars loaded and said our goodbyes in the driveway. John & Sue left with Joe & Margaret for the airport. Joe & Margaret had a mid-day flight back to Virginia. John & Sue would not be flying back to Boston until late that night on a red-eye flight. Frank and my flight back to California did not leave until 4:30 pm. We decided to spend the few hours before we had to leave in some low key activity like visiting model homes in the area just to get a sense of decor and prices.

On the way to one set of models, we hit a detour because of local road construction. The detour re-routed us near the locks. We changed our plans and visited the locks instead. We'd get an on-foot vantage point of what we'd passed through on the cruise at the start of our visit. As an added bonus, we learned that there were a fish ladder for salmon going up stream and botanical gardens at this location as well.

At this location we crossed the bridges at the large lock and then the small lock, and saw a fish ladder in action.
Retracing our steps, we crossed back and strolled the botanical gardens.

Our timing was perfect. We arrived just at the start of a guided tour with an introductory presentation by a park ranger. We learned how the addition of locks had changed the path of waterways in the Seattle region, some of them going away entirely. Ships gained better routes but then fish lost their access paths and had to learn new routes to fulfill their life cycles.

Fish access to the south end of Lake Washington was entirely closed off with the building of the locks.

Our ranger tour took us across the large lock, then the small lock, then the long causeway to see the fish ladder on the far side.

This aerial view shows the large lock at the center, the smaller lock down a bit,
the V-shaped walkways, and at the far bottom, the fish ladder. 

The botanical gardens and Cavanaugh House are at the top left.

Frank and I crossed a walkway spanning the large lock and then paused to watch an Argosy tour boat pass through the smaller of the two locks. Coincidentally, the boat that was passing through while we watched was the Good Times III, the same one we had been on earlier in the week.

Frank is crossing one of the V-shaped walkways. This one crosses the larger of the two locks.
Each walkway parts at its center, the base of the V, and rotates open to allow the passage of ships.

Looking along the sight line of the large lock is a raised train trestle in the distance

The trestle is counterweighted so very little force is needed to rotate it up and down

for the passage of large ships.

The Argosy cruise boat is in the smaller lock being lowered to the water level of Puget Sound.

We continued on following the signs to the fish ladder. L-shaped partitions in the spillway area give the fish a place to rest between steps. We visited an underground viewing station where we observed fish as they struggled against the current. Sockeye salmon are most likely in July and that is what we were seeing. The ranger tour ended at the underground viewing station.

There is a universal symbol for just about everything according to this sign.
My best guess... fish ladder this way?

The fish can pause at each partition to rest.

This is the underground viewing station for the fish ladder.
At least three breeds of salmon pass through here. Sockeye are the most common in July.
Large king salmon are most common in August, and coho salmon, in late September.

Above the underground viewing area was a patio region with seven stainless steel sculptures. The art display, called Salmon Waves, was created by local artist Paul Sorey to celebrate the success in the fish ladder in promoting the migration of salmon. The curling shapes and shadows they make on the concrete surface are wave-like. An angle grinder was used to create the watery looking surface of the sculptures. Stainless steel keeps them shiny and almost irridescent like fish scales. The overlapping panels are like scales, too. I really liked these sculptures. They were sleek, shiny, and tactilely inviting with a real sense of movement.  You can see more details on these sculptures at the link http://paulsorey.com/SalmonWaves.

I love the silvery color of the waves and these shapes fascinate me. I am drawn to them
whether they be in the swirls of snow in Frozen, the locks of hair of the Princess Rapunzel in Tangled
or the curlicue stitch pattern of a quilt.  

You can tell by the length of Frank's shadow that it was close to mid-day.
I imagine that the sculptures' shadows form awesome wave patterns on the concrete, too,
at the early and the late part of the day.

Frank and I headed back toward the botanical gardens. We were curious about a house we noticed on the grounds. It is the official residence of the Seattle District Engineer of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. Foxglove, poppy, and fuschia are just some of the flowers here peppered among exotic trees and shrubs from many countries. The greenery was refreshing and it was a great way to end our visit to Seattle.

This bronze plaque summarizes the history behind the house on the grounds.

Flowers, greenery, and a mixture of sun with dappled shade made this indeed a pleasant place to be.

It was time to leave and head out to the airport. We did not want to miss our flight. It had been ten fun-filled, information-packed, eclectic days of sight-seeing, but we were looking forward to enjoying the familiar comforts of home.

WE'D BE ASLEEP IN OUR OWN BEDS BY EARLY EVENING!

Seattle – Under and Above Ground and Looking Back

Friday, July 25th was our final full day left in Seattle, which we concluded with a tour underground and a re-visit to aviation for an above ground airplane tour. Unfortunately, Frank somehow tweaked his back getting out of the bath tub the previous evening and so he was not up for the day's activities due to random but painful spasming. John & Sue and Joe & Margaret went off in the morning for the Seattle Underground tour but I elected to stay home with Frank. All was not lost. Frank and I found an entire series of YouTube videos showing various portions of the tour. This link is a pretty complete tour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUG-476A5cI.

Per the YouTube video, this scene is showing the glass blocks of the city sidewalk above
 that serve as a skylight for the walkways below.

Seattle used to exist on a lower elevation but a big fire wiped out much of the merchant district. The city government decided to rebuild but with brick and stone instead of wood and at a two story higher elevation to solve back-water pressure issues. The Underground Tour looked at the remnants of this lower city and told some Seattle history. Frank and I also bought a used copy of this book on the subject for $1.50 from Amazon.

This book was authored by Bill Speidel,
co-founder of the Seattle Underground Tour.

All six of us lunched together at home base, determined to empty the refrigerator before our departure the next day. In the afternoon, five of us used our rain checks to go back to the Museum of Flight and go inside the Concorde and Air Force One, which we had been unable to do on Wednesday. Frank was content to stay home alone. Boarding the Concorde we learned some random bits of information germaine to a plane that can fly at twice the speed of sound.

Touring beneath the Concorde.

The sign on the left bemused me that they chose Oklahoma to do their testing.
Did they think Oklahomans would not be bothered?
As for the sign on the right, I guess I do not really understand my science.
If you chase a solar eclipse do you not get the same image all the time?

We also boarded Air Force One, noting the signage giving a litany of famous people and circumstances in which the jet had been pressed into service. We'd learned at Boeing that when Air Force One airplane is manufactured, two people minimum are involved in every detail to avoid mistakes or sabotage. I would bet that this precaution pushes up the the price tag.

Touring beneath Air Force One.

John & Sue are looking at the Presidential Conference Room onboard Air Force One.

The suite mates from McCormick Hall's Fifth River East at their finest? Hardly!

This shiny fuselage made for a multi-million dollar fun house mirror for Sue, me, and Margaret.

It almost seems a bit irreverent...

How far mankind has come! This statue at the Museum of Flight reminds us of the progress from the simplicity of the flight of the bird to the complexity of the orbits of an astronaut.

"Keep the Dream Alive", the statue urges.

John & Sue wave from the bridge at the Museum of Flight while Joe looks on.

That night we ordered in pizza for dinner. We would be parting ways tomorrow to head home. The men sat in the living room and solved the world's problems, one final time. After packing, the women played Fluxx™at the kitchen table. Ironically, we would all soon be returning to the "flux" of our daily routines at home.

Fluxx™ is a card game where the rules are constantly changing.
Keeping track of them is a challenge but a lot of fun.

During our time in Seattle we'd explored transportation

• by car
• by train
• by boat
• by plane
• by monorail. 

We'd exercised our bodies and our minds by

• hiking in nature and in the city
• touring undersea, aviation, and underground museums
• viewing panoramas from observation decks and towers and near waterfalls
• appreciating art in sculptures, both metal and glass
• playing balance, word, number, and logic games
• assembling puzzles and LEGOs™ 

Our collection of tickets indicated just how busy we were in Seattle. Add this to the many conversations and meal times and we had a very happy, very social time together indeed! I have just one more Seattle post to write describing Frank and me, just the two of us, touring the Ballard locks from a land vantage point rather than from a cruise boat, before boarding our flight home to California.

Not shown are tickets for the Museum of Flight and the Seattle Aquarium.
Free activities such as Mt. Rainier National Park, Snoqualmie Falls, and Ballard Locks are not shown.

At the end of every vacation there is the conflict between a sadness that it is over and the desire to be back in the comfort of your own home. Blogging, I realize, blunts this conflict. With each post I am extending and reliving the adventure while sitting in my own familiar surroundings. I hope the same is true for John & Sue and Joe & Margaret as they read this. I thank them for sharing this Seattle journey with Frank and me.