Life of Wry

As I looked over iPhone shots taken in the last 24 hours to see if there was anything to write about, I decided I could go with a Northern California theme… so here goes:

Nothing says Central Valley like a farm scape, as seen from the air… sort of like a Phil Gross painting that has come to life. This was shot late afternoon yesterday flying into Sac. I couldn’t resist an HDR filter:

This was shot last night while running from one classroom to another at the annual (and our last!) Back to School Night. I have to say, this is one of my favorite school events. I absolutely love tracing the path of Peter’s school day and listening to short, often rushed, presentations by all his teachers. It’s such a kick to sit in each class with the parents of all his classmates–so many of whom we’ve known since elementary school, and in some cases, pre-school.  As we darted across campus between his third and fourth period classes, I looked up to see this dramatic sky. No filter on this one, but I did give it a shot of clarity.

Had breakfast with Elliot this morning and then took a walk around Cesar Chavez park down by the Berkeley Marina. This one has a 70s filter:

This was shot driving across the causeway tonight on our way to an anniversary dinner at Ella’s (good restaurant, by the way). I don’t think I did anything to this one other than crop out the guard rail… just a rice field at about 7:00pm.

Driving across the Tower Bridge. Again, I think the sunset did all the work on this one. No filter, but I may have given it a little saturation boost in iPhoto.

And, finally, approaching the Capitol. Again, sunset at work:

Another highlight of my trip south was receiving from my Aunt Ellie a freshly published book about the history of Long Beach State.

I guess I’m surprised that a book of this sort didn’t already exist… but maybe nobody really thinks to document these things.  In any case, Barbara Kingley-Wilson now has, and it will be fantastic to read and get a thorough understanding of the stories that lead to what is now California State University Long Beach!

Including its founding in a tiny apartment building in 1949.

By my grandpa.

Here’s a photo taken in 1958 after the installation of a $1000 (!) “stone marker,” located at the new and official entrance to campus. Grandpa is the one on the right. He never liked having his picture taken, so there are few to be found…

The inscription in the book reads:

For Kari, Jim and Peter, 

Keeping a nice memory of Grandpa.

Love Aunt Ellie and Uncle Bud.

SO happy to have this book!

You know? I am appreciating these days that I spend with my mom. It’s not exactly a revelation, but some visits are better than others and this was a good one. They are all worthwhile, but, as I’ve documented over the years, some are more challenging. Aging, as I’ve been told, is not for the meek.

Happily, these four days were short on health mishaps, dramas and short fuses, and long on smooth sailing and fun activities well-spaced out.

Met my 7-week old great nephew River! 

Had an extremely lovely lunch with Aunt Ellie on the bay in Long Beach.

Had a fun and funny breakfast with Chris.

Returned to Polly’s on the Pier for a wonderful breakfast for lunch.

Stopped and walked at the beach twice.

Luxuriated in a long, fashion-filled Emmy telecast.

Went to a star-studded yet marginal movie in a theater equipped with reclining chairs.

Enjoyed a full and productive day of boutique shopping. 

Made only one trip to Trader Joe’s, one to Ralph’s and none to CVS.

Cooked up three great dinners and spread them over five nights. 

Talked a lot, lectured only a teeny tiny bit, and heard a lot of good stories from the olden days.

Played 30 games of gin rummy–10 sets, 92 hands. Mom won 15, I won 15.

I think that’s about it. See.. fun, relaxing stuff, nicely spread out.

Here are a few pictures…

Today, down by the Esplanade…

From Polly’s today, watched a well-trained, 6-year old seagull, Sprinkles, drink water from a cup and eat a row of bread laid out by a waitress (apparently a daily ritual for both).

Lunch yesterday with Aunt Ellie. Their house is visible from the deck of the Boathouse..a little to the right of mom’s head.

A shot from Sunday… the beach was crowded as temps have been in the high 80s the whole time I’ve been here!

And one more… this of the newest little family, taken today, but not by me:

Alexis, River and John.

And by great, I mean mom’s first great grandchild whom we visited this afternoon in Long Beach. This was my (the great aunt) and great great Aunt Ellie’s first meet up with River, who is now seven weeks old! (Keeping up?)

River was a bit dubious at first, but warmed right up.

I got to take him for a little spin! Here’s a picture John took and texted to me this evening. It was a sublime few moments until he decided he wasn’t having as much fun as I was, at which point I passed him back to Alexis.

Here’re the darling new parents–all a-glow–and a tired little guy.

Great visit. Great kid. Great new parents. Greats all around.

And earlier this afternoon, Mom and I had a great lunch with Aunt Ellie at the Boathouse at the marina.

They’ve been sisters-in-law a long time!

Great ones, at that.

Yesterday, September 21, was the 19-year mark!

I love you, too, Jim! Your handiness and cleverness know no bounds.

xoxo.

Experienced something new today. I’m gonna call it an LA thing, but I imagine it will be coming to a theater near you soon–wherever you may be.

So, my mom and I decide to go to the movies. Not much playing, so decide to see A Walk in the Woods, starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte (and Emma Thompson and Mary Steenbergen)… so how bad could it be? It’s a hiking movie! It features the Appalachian Trail. The Smokies! I was there kind of recently; I was looking forward to the cinematography. And even if it were bad… Robert, Nick, Emma and Mary. Pros, right? I enjoy them all. So we went.

It was not very good.

But it was worth seeing because of these:

Disregard what’s up on the screen; that was a pre-movie promo. But note the chair. It’s a recliner! And it was super comfortable–ample, cushy, wide arms.

I loved it.

At this theater, for some reason, when you purchase your ticket, you also select a specific seat, and then you have to sit in it. You don’t just wander in and sit wherever you want. I can’t imagine why they do this, but it’s part of the deal. We sat in Row E, seats 1 and 2. It was a very sparsely attended film at 3:00 on a Monday. But there we were. Dutifully reclined In our assigned seats.

I also ordered a hot dog.. my first movie hot dog ever (though that’s nothing new).

There were also ushers who patrolled the theater. One told me to put my phone away when I pulled it out to snap a photo.

Whatever.

The whole experience sort of bugged mom, though she found the seats comfortable enough. Me, I’d do it again.

Using a picture taken yesterday by our friend Wes, whose black and white photography–in this case the action behind the action–always tells such a great story.

The story here: two content parents spending a warm Saturday morning in the company of funny friends–baseball loving, kid supporting parents all–watching our boys scrimmage against a fancy Bay Area private school team. Of course they’ve developed into mature, talented athletes, of course they’ve learned a thing or two about relationships, working hard, and countless other life lessons. Of course they’re sweet and funny and surprisingly manly. Of course we have no idea how they got from where they were to where they are. It’s all quite a show.

And why we’re glad to be there, and smiling inside.

And they won 14-4. Yay our guys.

Flying south to see mi mama. I’m the one waving….right side, over the wing… see me?

jk.

Flight’s delayed. I’m sitting here blogging, eating a Dos Coyotes Yucatan salad, listening to poorly delivered CNN news on the overhead TV at Gate B19. In the tech zone with three devices open and cranking. Happy enough.

Saw an amazing movie tonight, Meru. I am borrowing this gorgeous photo of Mount Meru, taken by Jimmy Chin.

This is a view of Mount Meru as seen from
Tapovon Basecamp. The Shark’s Fin is the central pillar in the
formation and the part of the mountain most obviously shaped like a
shark’s fin.

Go see this movie… for the story, sure, it’s insane, but also the photography. Good lord.

Says the film’s description:

In the high-stakes pursuit of big-wall climbing, the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru may be the ultimate prize. Sitting 21,000 feet above the sacred Ganges River in Northern India, the mountain’s perversely stacked obstacles make it both a nightmare and an irresistible calling for some of the world’s toughest climbers. In October 2008, renowned alpinists Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk arrived in India to tackle Meru. Their planned seven-day trip quickly declined into a 20-day odyssey in sub-zero temperatures with quickly depleting food rations. Despite making it to within 100 meters of the elusive summit, their journey, like everyone before them, was not a successful one.

Until it was.

I’m not giving much away by revealing that they did, in fact, summit Meru, but it wasn’t until a few years later on their second attempt, in October 2011.

It occurs to me that I saw two of the three climbers–Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker–at a dinner in San Francisco in what must have been just days after their successful ascent/descent of Mount Meru!  I’m kind of blown away by this. They were speaking at the annual fundraising dinner of the American Himalayan Foundation and were part of a panel, moderated by Jon Krakauer, of people who’d climbed Everest.  Since I’d been to Everest Base Camp earlier that year, I was interested in hearing them speak (lucky for me, I got an invitation!).

The guys on the panel, ranging in ages from 30-somethings to 80-somethings, were all fascinating with great stories.

Here’s a picture I took that night.. Jimmy Chin in the middle, and Conrad Anker on the right. They sure don’t look like they’ve just returned from any sort of ordeal!

And yet, as the movie clearly shows, they most certainly have!

The following year, I went again to the AHF dinner, this time with Peter. Jimmy Chin was again a speaker, this time talking about his experiences in general of being a mountaineering photographer, and specifically of filming his descent of Everest on skies. The program also featured that Sacramento kid, Alex Honold, who is known world wide for his solo, unassisted free climbs of famous walls, like El Capitan and Half Dome. No ropes. (No comment!)

These guys are a little nuts.

Back to the movie…. Besides breathtaking photography (including some surreal footage of an avalanche) and a lot of rock jock speak, there are genuinely spiritual aspects to mountain climbing and the pursuit of the world’s most dramatic and challenging peaks. The film does a great job of respecting and revering the mountain, while also honoring these guys for some seriously crazy life choices. I really loved it.

From my seat…

(That looks like a neat, swoopy peak on that range behind Anker, no?)

And here’s a view down.. you can see the other two climbers below.

Here is a good site on the making of the film.

Oh, what to write about…what to write about…

I have narrowed it down to four possibilities:

1.The Davis High School varsity baseball team played a rousing game this afternoon against Yuba City and had the most unbaseball-like outcome. Davis won by a score of… ready for this?… 19-17. THAT kind of score just never happens. My scorebook is a work of art.

2. It RAINED. It rained a little while they played, and it poured as we rode our bikes home. We were drenched by the time we got home, but it was an uncommonly exhilarating ride, not just because we were wet and it was cold, but because water actually fell from the sky and it felt like we were part of some earthly miracle.

3. I had my first experience with acupuncture today. And suction cupping. And oh my oh my oh my oh my. If half of what he said will happen happens, I am soon to be in a much happier, less painful, less restrictive place. He stuck about a dozen needles in me! I’m so blown away, so thrilled, so optimistic. How could I not write about this one?

4. And finally. Jeb, Jeb, Jeb. When candidates were asked in tonight’s republican debate (the grownup debate, not the kids’ table one) which woman they’d suggest for the $10 bill, Jeb raised a few eyebrows with his response. A good answer might have been Rosa Parks or Clara Barton–you know, famous American woman who made a difference, you know, in or for America.  Jeb’s answer was Margaret Thatcher. Yes, that Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of England. In truth, he was probably just looking for a way to pander to Reagan republicans by linking Thatcher to Reagan and thus himself to Reagan. But.. instead, I think he just linked himself to his boneheaded brother.  Looking forward to the headlines tomorrow on that one.

Anyway… too tired to write tonight. But lots of possibilities for tomorrow…