He Shoots, but does he score?

Here is a picture from last Friday's soccer game between Redlands East Valley (Red) and Eisenhower (Green) high schools. Spencer (#18) had an opportunity to play on the field instead of playing as the Goalkeeper. In the photo he attempts a header, but the shot just barely goes over the goal.

Reconnecting with an old friend

The wonders of the Internet have finally allowed us to reconnect with Charles & Squeaky Swenson in Pawley's Island, South Carolina. Thanks to postal address confusion and changing telephone area codes we'd lost contact with them until recently.

What would we have done without the Internet? Some will complain that in the information age we are bombarded by too much information. While that my be true to some degree - do I really need RSS feeds from all the major news services? - there are still many benefits. The greatest one is the ability to find "lost" friends.

Company is Coming

We recently heard from our Welzheim, Germany friends Willy, Brigitte, Tabea, and Almut Weller . They are planning a family vacation to California in August and will spend quite a bit of time with us.

We are eagerly looking forward to their visit and are already making plans for several short sightseeing trips. Trips to Las Vegas and Mexico are definite possiblities. We've got a bit of time to think of some unique attractions for them to see.

In a future post I'll take more about their visit and how we got to know the Weller family.

Where Did the Holidays Go?

It's almost a week into the new year and I must admit I wasn't ready for the old year to end. No, it's not that I had a super year that I never wanted to end, rather there were too many things left unfinished.

We would like to think that due to our Thanksgiving trip to New York City and Connecticut we got behind on our holiday decorating and our Christmas cards. Perhaps that is the reason .... Regardless, the decorations went up (but not for as long as Roberta prefers), most of the outdoor lights were lit (thanks to Spencer's initiative), and now the decorations are down (but waiting to be packed away). The artificial tree is however a different story - it's only 1/3 dismantled since I can't finish with it until the decorations are boxed (at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

So, if I can make one new years resolution (that I hope to keep) it would be that I need to start and finish the Christmas holiday on time this year.

Some More New Pictures

Here's the latest picture of Ethan and Spencer taken just before Christmas this year.






Here's a shot of Spencer in goal clearing the ball in a match between Redlands East Valley High School (REV) JV and Etiwanda High School. Spencer plays for REV.






Ethan, Aunt Pauline, and Spencer give Winchester a Christmas
present.

Recent Photos

Here are a few recent photos. First an obligatory picture of our house:








Roberta, Sig, & Spencer at Cafe Sevilla enjoying tapas (August 2005)







Ethan & his former girlfriend Courtney in NYC (November 2005)

Fall is in the air - sort of

Fall in Southern California is not at all like that of my native New England. Take last week for example. Friday it was nearly 100 degrees out, on Saturday the temperature dropped over 20 degrees, Sunday and Monday it rained.

October rain in Southern California is news! Living in a region where the average annual rainfall is about 14 inches, getting an inch a month before the official start of the rainy season is, well unusual.

Fall is the season I miss most about New England.

My first exposure to Fall in Southern California happened during my Freshman year at USC. October arrived and I kept waiting for the leaves to turn colors and the night air to become refreshingly brisk - the leaves didn't turn and smog decended on LA instead. I finally realized it was Fall when a brown heavy leaf fell from a Magnolia tree hitting the ground with a "thud." In case you've never seen a dead Magnolia leaf think of it this way; it is the color of dirt, large, and sturdy enough to use as a garden trowel.

The leaves on the Liquid Ambers are starting to turn, but it isn't anything to become too excited about. About the time they reach a decent color we'll have a Santa Ana wind, the temperature will rise and the leaves will be gone. So, while I won't have many leaves to rake, the grass (and weeds) continue growing year round. These days the only brisk air I feel is when the air conditioner gets stuck in the "on" position.

Something New

I just added a new Blog.  It an unofficial Blog for the East Hartford High School Class of 1975.  Let me know what you think of it.

September Already

Well, summer is almost over. How can I tell? Well, Ethan is back at Seton Hall to start his Junior year - he starts next week. Spencer starts his Freshman year at REV - also starting next week.

More later

A Hot August

No News is Good News?

Not much exciting going on here, just another day with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees. Roberta and Spencer had a great backpacking trip, so much so that Roberta wants to go back in two years and Spencer is considering a 200 mile 3 week treck.

I just finished another course, "Emerging Technologies." If you want to see the fruits of my labors, and of my group-mates, go to:

http://www.collaborationwiki.pbwiki.com

Quiet, too quiet

Well, it's been a quiet July so far. Roberta and Spencer are off backpacking in New Mexico until this Sunday. Ethan is working in L.A. and only comes home on weekends. In the meantime it's just the dog and I holding down the fort.