KatysBlog

Last Saturday, we ate dinner with friends at
Caffe Riace Italian Restaurant in Palo Alto, CA. Just as the last time
we went, the food was very good, the service was terrible, but the decorations are
almost worth the high prices. The restaurant tables are outside in
a combination plaza and park with some very large, very odd heroic art. The
longer and closer you look, the stranger these statues are.

Washing Machine Venus

1st Greek Hero

2nd Greek Hero

Venus again

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

My daughter Jessica loves to sing opera. Last week, she went with John, Paul,
and me to volunteer at SMUM (Santa Maria
Urban Ministry,
San Jose, CA) for Studio 17, the after school homework and computer lab. As
usual, we worked with the kids on homework for the first hour. During the
second hour, some kids wanted to use the computers but Jessica attracted
quite an audience when she started singing opera in the kitchen. The 2nd
through 6th grade girls at first were dubious, standing with crossed arms, but
soon started requesting more songs. Wearing her Carnegie Mellon shirt, Jessica
started with Spanish songs but they wanted
to hear Russian and German too. Finally, they asked for rap. Jessica did not
know rap, so she sang English folk songs and opera instead. They loved it.
Here is some of what Jessica sang:

• “Canción de la gitana habilidosa” – J. Castel (1761-1781) Spanish
• “Gretchen am Spinnrade” – F. Schubert (1797-1828) German
• “Lyubasha’s Aria” from The Tsar’s Bride – N. Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
  Russian
• “Barbry Allen” traditional folk song English
• “When I am Laid in Earth” – Henry Purcell (1659-1695) from “Dido and Aeneas” English

Homework time

Homework time

Computer time

Jessica singing opera

Jessica singing opera

Jessica singing opera

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

A few weeks ago, I was in a meeting in the Cliff House Conference
Room of the Sun Labs building in Menlo Park, CA. Some minutes
into the meeting, I noticed a red power cord hanging in a corner.
As the discussion continued, I idly saw that there was something large and
brown on the cord, about seven feet off the floor. I stared
at it and as I was saying “What’s that?”, a large and lovely
brown and black and white butterfly opened its wings. It had just
emerged from its chrysalis, which was attached to the red cord.
Apparently, when it was a caterpillar, it had come into the
building, crept into the conference room, and decided that the
plastic power cord was its perfect spot.

The meeting was very quiet and slightly shocked as we watched the unexpected
and beautiful new creature gently flapping its wings for the first time.
The butterfly then took off and flew into the overhead light fixture. It did
not come out again but since the butterfly was not
in the lamp later (I climbed up on the table to look), I hope that it
found its way outside. The dry chrysalis is still in the conference room…

Image Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson