A Piano!

Joan has given Abi and Eli her piano - and finally we were able to get the guys all together to move it in. Eli approves!

Now to find a place for lessons...

Long Beach Escape

Aunt Carol and Uncle Bob were in town just before their cruise to Mexico. Aunt Pat and Uncle Bear took them down to Long Beach for the day, and it was beautiful!

 

Thanksgiving in Our New House

The prep started at 8 in the morning with rinsing out a still slightly frozen turkey. I rubbed the whole thing with olive oil, cracked pepper and salt, and dried sage, then stuffed it with oranges, red onion, fresh sage and fresh rosemary.

Eli even helped set the table. And here he patiently awaits the "Turkey Please!"

It was nice to have a housefull for Thanksgiving - Uncle Bear and Aunt Pat, Carlean, Joan, Marge, Mia and Caude, even the illusive Will turned up! Though the photographic evidence remains sketchy...

Shaun and his sibs were in rare form. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

San Diego - ASHA Convention

I had the opportunity to go to the ASHA Conference again this year, conveniently held in San Diego! Red flew in for a belated birthday, so we spent the afternoon on the harbor. We even got to have lunch with my current supervisor, Joe Givens. It was a great convention, and I got to hear speakers from the Music Therapist Association of America, as well as professors and researchers from UCL. I even stopped in at the booth for ISU and said a quick hello to a couple of professors. The convention center is located on the harbor just south from the Gaslamp District - and there were tons of restaurants by day and clubs by night in packed into those blocks. Staying at the Palomar was very convenient, as well as a very luxurious way to attend the convention!

This weekend in San Diego, they were holding the America Cup sailing competition. So we got to see some of the catamarans up close in the harbor. We also walked by the USS Midway and took the ferry to Coronado for ice cream Friday evening.

Veteran's Day Downtown

Abi's request for an outting this weekend was to go back to the Natural History Museum. The kids enjoyed looking at the panoramic displays, and I wondered how close this might look to what Matt and Jacinda and Zeph got to see in real living technicolor (so to speak!) on their safari...

My favorite is still the hall of gems and minerals, though.

And at the end of the day we got to stomp through Uncle Bear's alma mater, USC, and even have a quick dinner in the University Village. Eli was tuckered out, but he perked right up when Uncle Bear arrived with his Wendy's french fries!

A Grand Day Out

 We piled into the suburban and headed out to Torrence today for the Handweavers' Guild expo, where we tailgated in style with butternut squash soup (hot out of the thermoses) and roast pork sandwiches on artesian bread. Then on to the Getty Museum to view the Medieval Bible illumination exhibit (and some fall color in California!)

It was a beautiful day and we could see all the way to the ocean from the terrace.

Abi's favorite part was rolling down the hill on the neatly manicured grass in her white pants...

A Real Front Yard

Eli surveyed the work from the porch as he ate his snack.Uncle Bear and Phil put in the brick edging and poured cement for the middle of our walk.

The very next day the gardeners were back with a pallet of St. Augustine sod. It's so beautiful, like a perfect soft, green carpet :) And the neighbors approve, too, we finally have a real front yard!