I was delighted with these photos of the 20 May 2012 lunar eclipse taken by our friend Laura from the San Francisco Bay Area. We missed seeing the event because my son and I were in a jet, coming home from Jessica’s CMU graduation. Paul was particularly disappointed since he has been taking astronomy classes from the inspiring Professor Andrew Fraknoi at Foothill College. Notice that Laura even caught sun spots in her pictures!
Images Copyright 2012 Laura Holmes
Filed under News & Reviews
My son Paul just finished his Freshman year at Foothill College (Los Altos Hills, California). Like his Grandmother, Eleanor Dickinson, he is an artist. Paul spent his first college year studying art and math. This quarter, he did an extra credit portrait for his first Drawing class. Paul took a photograph of his sister Jessica and played with the image to increase contrast, then created the portrait above in charcoal on paper. The teacher liked it so much, Paul got an “A” in the class! Paul has also been taking ceramics each quarter, so we now have dozens of lovely small bowls to find homes for.
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Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
My son Paul is in his 3rd quarter at Foothill College here in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is very interested in art and design and has become fascinated with ceramics in particular. Paul recently made a remarkable set of 3 cups on the wheel, decorated with Kanji characters, as presents for his sister Jessica and her fiance Matthew to celebrate their graduations from college this week. Paul said that he does his best pots when he lets his hands work without thinking too much about it.
Here are some of Paul’s recent creations:
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Images by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2010-2011
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
Christmas has been particularly busy this year because my daughter Jessica and son-in-law-to-be Matt are home from college and there is much to do to get ready for their marriage next summer. She will be returning to CMU in ten days and not back until May. Matt will be returning to Willam and Mary. They are both in their Senior year.
Jessica and Matt visited Mount Madonna Park where they want to be married. We bought her wedding shoes and had the first fitting for her wedding gown – the second fitting is next week. (She will be wearing my gown.) Jessica and Matt are shopping for rings and scheduling tastings at the various candidates for wedding caterers. This is in addition to our usual holiday activities and John going to rehearsals for his role as the Magus Melchior in the Epiphany church pageant next Sunday. Some of what we have been doing:
Paul enjoyed his first quarter at Foothill College. He made us large ceramic Christmas presents, including a large and charming Hedwig the owl which Paul made for Jessica and Matt. Some pictures:
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Images Copyright 2010 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher
Filed under Caboose Project and Other Trains, Church, Home & Family, News & Reviews
My 18-year-old son Paul is enjoying his first quarter at Foothill College. Today, he went to his clay art class. Paul is creating a large sculpture of Hedwig the owl. He took his first college math test yesterday. We celebrated by going out to Yuki Sushi on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen. Paul ordered gyoza and California rolls, with strawberry Mochi ice cream for dessert. One of his favorite meals!
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Images by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2010
Filed under Home & Family
Yesterday, I paid $193 for my son Paul’s first Freshman quarter at Foothill College (Los Altos, California). Foothill is a community college where Paul will be taking a light load for his first term and living at home. Today, my daughter Jessica in her organized way sent us a detailed breakdown of the costs for the first semester of her senior year at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). Tuition at CMU is $20,590 and other expenses (food, housing, books, travel) come to $4,525 for a half-year total of $25,115. I think that works out to CMU costing about 100 times what Foothill College does. CMU is a great school and Jessica has done very well there (she is on the Dean’s List again, with High Honors!). It is worth the cost.
Here are the kids having fun together during Spring Break in Egypt:
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Images Copyright 2010 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
OK, you would think that all of the graduation-from-high-school stuff last month would have tipped me off but I was still very excited today when my soon-to-be 18-year-old son Paul finally registered for his Fall classes at Foothill College today! Foothill is a 53-year-old community college set on 122 wooded acres in Los Altos Hills, California (south of San Francisco). Their web-based registration system is still messed up so Paul finally gave up and went to the school to register in person but it is done at last. He will take Intermediate Algebra (lecture and lab), Ceramics, and a study skills class. He met with a college counselor at the Disability Resource Center who recommended this light load his first quarter so he could get used to being in college.
I am so proud! When your kid has disabilities, you take every little progress as a triumph!
Images Copyright Katy Dickinson 2010
Filed under Home & Family
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