My mother is delighted with the koi pond outside the dining room in the senior community where she now lives. The big brightly colored fish, and a visiting mallard duck family, are getting fed frequently (the lobby desk has cups of fish food available for the asking), as well as being featured in her ever-present sketch book.
Images Copyright 2012 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
My son Paul has been enjoying his Astronomy classes by Dr. Fraknoi at Foothill College, near the south end of San Francisco Bay. He and I stood in line to see the 5 June 2012 Transit of Venus on the big telescope in the college observatory. It was open to the public all afternoon, thanks to the Peninsula Astronomical Society. Everyone was invited back for their regular Friday night and Saturday morning programs.
The trees were between us and the Sun by the time we climbed the spiral stairs but we looked anyway. We had already seen the image on several of the smaller telescopes available outside. The curious crowd of kids, parents, seniors, and folks coming off work were patient despite the long wait. The tiny dot of planetary shadow moving across the bright Sun looked unimportant, even when you knew that Venus is just a little smaller than our own Earth.
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Images Copyright 2012 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
We went to the Beach Chalet today for a family lunch. My brother Pete and his daughter Lynda, and our cousin Rip and his wife Joanna were visiting. They joined Eleanor, Paul, John and me for a leisurely meal watching the Pacific waves break on sunny, windy Ocean Beach near the Cliff House. The Beach Chalet is not only a particularly interesting and beautiful San Francisco landmark, its preservation (along with the Lucien Labaudt murals on its walls) was the passionate work of many years by our family friend Jo Hanson. Inside the oceanfront building are many delightful mosaics and murals from 1925 but my favorite work is the stair rail with mermaids and mermen, an octopus newel post, and other undersea scenes going up to the brewery and restaurant.
Images Copyright 2012 Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
While we were trailing after my daughter Jessica during her graduation events last weekend, I was charmed to see so many animals had infiltrated the ultra-geeky world of Carnegie Mellon University. I don’t just refer to the CMU Scottish Terrier official mascot – although Scottie was there – but wild animals too. From the early morning robin and bunny to the sparrows in the grass during the commencement service, CMU creatures joined our celebrations.
Images Copyright 2012 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
My son Paul is very much enjoying his second year at Foothill College (Los Altos Hills, California). The family teases Paul that he is working his way through the course catalogue in alphabetical order. So far, he has taken only classes starting with the letter A: Art, Algebra, Anthropology, Astronomy.
Last weekend, his sister Jessica and I were consulting with Paul on his classes for this summer. We thought he was going to break his pattern by taking swimming and a practical software class, until we saw that the Foothill catalogue calls these Aquatics and Adobe In Design. Maybe Paul will get to the B classes next year.
Image by Katy Dickinson 2012 Copyright
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
Cleaning out my late father’s old Tbird, we found: 2 books (A Pirate of Exquisite Mind and The Feynman Lectures on Physics, vol.5), 3 metal boxes full of tools, at least a dozen western maps, 2 umbrellas, 2 pocket knives, a pillow, coins and toothpicks and binder clips everywhere, 2 jackets, tissues, window cleaners, a new backpack, 2 water bottles, one of my mother’s earrings, and an old flashlight.
Wade Dickinson loved cars – having fixed and built them since he was a boy in Hickory Township, PA. Today, we said goodbye to his last car, a red 1991 Ford Thunderbird in good condition, donated to KQED public radio since no one in the family wanted to drive or store it. It was sad seeing the Tbird drive off on the roof of the tow truck, hopefully to a new useful life.
Images Copyright Katy Dickinson 2006-2012
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
My daughter Jessica graduated from Carnegie Mellon University yesterday in Pittsburgh PA, with college and university honors, Phi Beta Kappa. My son Paul and I flew in from San Jose CA and her husband Matt flew in from Seattle WA for the big event. Here is some of what I saw in our joyous three day visit:
Jessica and Paul
CMU
Phi Beta Kappa
Congratulations to the Honors Students
Three Wonderful Kids
Going to Graduation
Jessica and Proud Mom
Carnegie Tech – Class of 1948 Her Grandfather’s Medallion
Processing into the Stadium
Honors Regalia
Relaxing After All the Fuss
Pictures by Katy Dickinson 2012 Copyright
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
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