Category Archives: Summer

Midsummer Mozart Festival 2012

July 28, 2012

Our 6th consecutive Midsummer Mozart Festival at the Gundlach-Bundschu Winery, Napa.  Arriving at our usual time of approximately 4 PM, we were able to get our awesome seating again.

Mozart 2012
Mozart 2012

We met the same older couple there that we’ve been seeing since 2007 (when we started going).  Nice to see the same people year in and year out.  Christina Major was wonderful as usual, I think this is the 5th time we’ve enjoyed her singing!  Took photos with Maestro George Cleve as usual.  One of the nice things about this festival is the accessibility of the artist.

Program II
Program II

Seymour Lipkin
Seymour Lipkin

Christopher Bengochea
Christopher Bengochea

Christina Major (r) and Rebecca Davis (l)
R. Davis (r) & C. Major

Ticket Memories:

Ticket Memories
Ticket Memories

Pellegrino with raspberries
Pellegrino with raspberries

Cozy
Cozy

Menu:

  • Cucumber sandwiches with nova lox, cream cheese and capers
  • Asparagus noodles (courtesy of Robert)
  • Pellegrino
  • Raspberries and cream with chocolate cookies
  • Chessmen cookies (courtesy of Robert)
  • Hot chai
Maestro Cleve with the Two Kids
Maestro Cleve with the Two Kids

Memorable once again.  Long drive home….

Summer School 2012

June 18 – July 13, 2012

LEARNING STRATEGIES IN ENGLISH, MATH, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES

This course is designed to give students, grades 6-8, strategies in note-taking, outlining, highlighting, vocabulary enrichment, listening skills, test taking skills and organizational skills. These skills will be useful to students throughout their academic curriculum classes.

MATH POWER-UP

This course is only open to students entering 7th grade Pre-Algebra who need a review of the 6th Grade Mathematics Standards. Emphasis is placed on reviewing and reinforcing the basic skills needed for success in future math courses. Students will “firm up” their understanding and knowledge of mathematical concepts and procedures and apply these in solving real world problems. Teaching methodologies include direct instruction, small-group and cooperative learning. Manipulatives and technology are used to illustrate mathematical concepts.

Deer Lake Residence Camp 2011

“Come Sail Away”

This is a Girls Scouts residence sailing camp in the High Sierras.

Residence Camp Description

“Grades 6-9
With the wind in your hair and the sun on your face, spend your days on Kidd Lake. Balance the board, pull up a sail, navigate and experience the rush of windsurfing. Have a blast building crazy rafts and get a chance to paddle around Deer Lake. For some extra excitement, you’ll take a tour of Lake Tahoe aboard the 50-foot sailing yacht Tahoe Cruise.”

Happy Camper Departing
Happy Camper Departing

August 10, 2011 (Wednesday)
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August 11, 2011 (Thursday)
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August 12, 2011 (Friday)
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August 13, 2011 (Saturday)
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August 14, 2011 (Sunday)
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August 15, 2011 (Monday)
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August 16, 2011 (Tuesday)

"Tie Die"
And She Returns As "Tie Die"

The Ballet Studio – Summer Intensive Program 2011

Summer Session 2011, June 20 – July 29

Session 1

June 20 (Monday) – Day 1

Today was my first day of ballet summer camp.  There are 11 boys and girls.  4 of the girls go to SFBS.  I know 3 of them.  Also 1 boy from SFBS is in the summer camp.  I remember his face from the occasional co-ed ballet classes at SFBS.  Most of the day was ballet,  but there was 1 hour of jazz after lunch break then another hour of ballet.  Also the teacher said I could go en pointe.  Yes! An older student said I should go to Dancer’s Emporium for my first pointe shoes.  Dad thinks it’s okay but wants to make sure and talk to my teacher about it.

After camp was finished,  I went with Dad to his work and hung out there until it was time to go home.

Overall,  my first day of camp felt good,  because I was back in ballet.

Class Dismissed
Class Dismissed

Continue reading The Ballet Studio – Summer Intensive Program 2011

Summer Art 4 Kids Internship

As an artist’s assistant, this will be AMS’ first real job! She will be assisting Anna (Anna’s Art Workshop) in her children’s art workshop. Her duties will include helping the artist and helping to manage the younger kids attending the workshop. What a great experience!
C.

July 9, 2011 (Saturday)

Today’s theme was trains.  No girls came.  First I helped paint wooden trains.  I got a lot of paint on my hands wiping off paintbrushes.  I had to fill up the paint canisters and help the kids chang colors

Then I helped make paper trains covered in stickers and filled with popcorn.  I also attached bells to the trains that the kids made.

After break, I helped a  boy named Watt make train tracks.  He was the youngest there so he was a really messy drawer.  I also helped glue on bridges and tunnels with a hot glue gun on all the boys’ train tracks.

At the end, I got paid $15.  That’s a lot of money.  Anna, the art teacher said she’d let me know if there were going to be any other camps I could help with.  I liked my first job.

Midsummer Mozart Festival 2011

July 16, 2011 (Saturday)

This will be our fifth consecutive Mid-summer Mozart Festival at the Gundlach-Bundschu Winery, Napa.

Midsummer Mozart Festival
Midsummer Mozart Festival

Once again we will get our usual stage right front seating in the Gold Circle.  As usual, we’ll bring great snacks and food for a stage front picnic.

Festival Program One
Program One

We’re so lucky we have the Complete Mozart Edition on CD from Philips.  I’ve loaded the Program One from above into our iPad and have started listening to it in advance of the festival.

Our menu this year is:

  • Sliced tri-tip steak, Santa Maria style
  • Wild rice, clam mushrooms and shallots
  • Pelegrino with grenadine and orange juice
  • Strawberries and cream
  • Hot chocolate
  • Popcorn

 

Festival Time

Yaay!
Yaay!
Christina Major, "Ruhe sanft" from "Zaide:, K.344
Christina Major
Cleve and the kids
G. Cleve and the kids
Jon Nakamatsu
Jon Nakamatsu

Ticket Memories

Ticket Memories
Ticket Memories

California’s Great America Park 2011

June 18, 2011 (Saturday)

To celebrate the end of the school year and beginning of summer!

Summer's Here!
Summer's Here!
On The Eagle's Flight
On The Eagle's Flight

Great Barrier Reef

Barrier Reef Wave Pool
Barrier Reef Wave Pool
Water Everywhere
Water Everywhere
At Wave Pool
At Wave Pool

 

The Rides

1. Celebration Swings

2. Vortex

Click for Video

3. Demon

Demon?  Where?
Demon? Where?

4. HMB Endeavor – 4th Best Ride

HMB Endeavor
HMB Endeavor

“I refuse to close my eyes”

Click For Video

5. Flight Deck

Click For Video

6. Drop Tower

Time to go home!

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strange Tides”, A Movie Review

June 12, 2010 @ 4:20 PM

http://youtu.be/KR_9A-cUEJc

The Story:

Captain Jack Sparrow escapes from a British prison to find his ship the “Black Pearl”.  The “Black Pearl” has been sunk by Captain Blackbeard, another pirate and his arch-enemy.  Sparrow is kidnapped by Blackbeard to serve on his ship, the “Queen Anne’s Revenge”, in his search for the Fountain of Youth.  Only Captain Sparrow knows where it is.  The English, lead by Captain Barbossa, a pirate in the service of the Crown as a privateer, is also looking for the Fountain of Youth (Barbossa actually wants to kill Blackbeard).  It turns out Sparrow’s lady love, Angelica, is Blackbeard’s daughter and has just recently realized it.  Also competing against the British for the Fountain of Youth is the Spanish Crown.  The Spaniards are in possession of a journal that can lead to the Fountain.

All set-off to find the Fountain of Youth at nearly the same time.  They are all driven to find the Fountain at all cost.  The ritual for activating the Fountain’s age-reversing water includes a mermaid’s tear, Ponce de Leon’s two silver chalices, a sacrificial person, and the Fountain’s water.  The searchers converge at the Fountain and have a big battle.

Spoiler Alert: the Spanish want to destroy the Fountain, Blackbeard wants the age-reversing waters, Sparrow wants his ship back, Angelica wants her father (Blackbeard) to be her father and Barbossa wants to kill Blackbeard.

The Spanish destroy most of the Fountain, Barbossa kills Blackbeard, Angelica gets the years of Blackbeard’s life (and gets exiled to an island), and Sparrow gets the “Black Pearl” back.

Like:

The stunts, the costumes, and the humor.  The story was so-so.

Dislike:

Not enough action, there were some unclosed subplots like what happened to the Preacher and the mermaid, Sirena.  I also did not like the constant arguing between Sparrow and Blackbeard.  But the most annoying thing is that Will (the beautiful Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan were not in the movie.  Boohoo!