More Concerts: WIBC

Nov 24^th, Sunday: Even though it was Joan’s birthday, we decided not to go to the Boston Brass concert at WIBC (Western International Band Clinic – HS students audition to go and then they stay the whole weekend at the SeaTac Doubletree and have rehearsals ALL days for two days –Sat/Sunday-- and then play the concerts on Monday.  Also, band directors have workshops all weekend and Andy went to those.  It’s an annual event – we went two years, too, to see Clayton….and the Boston Brass then too.  The family knows the Boston Brass guys, Natalie soloed with them a couple of times) because of the traffic and parking problems: President Obama was flying into SeaTac for the Democratic  fund-raising dinner --$25,000/plate – landing at SeaTac instead of McCord AFB where all the other presidents would fly into, so SeaTac was closed and I-5 closed both north and south lanes.) 


with the Boston Brass tubist
 

      Winnie texted to see if we’d like to go to the concert and that they could pick us up….so we went and had a wonderful evening at the Boston Brass concert after all!  As Andy said, "You NEVER want to miss a Boston Brass concert!"

     Monday – Clayton’s birthday and WIBC concerts, which started about noon. After the concerts, they announced those students who had been chosen to go to the Australia band exchange next October. .... ( all based on the auditions which were required for these bands even this weekend,)   we were just sitting there, only ½ interested.

     They announced the six that had been chosen (out of the 350 who wanted to go) and said that those students had known ahead of time. But they said the best ones --four--were getting a scholarship to go and that those students did not know that they were selected.
      Clayton was the first one announced!!! He ran down raising his arms cheering! People really liked that.  We just couldn't believe it.  (Joan just kept saying, “I can’t believe it!” over and over.)  They announced the students ' schools first, so the schools were honored too.
      They announced the other two students and then said that the next student would be the first time two students from the same family would be going (and Joan started to say, "No, No, it can’t be!”)... And yes, Eastside Catholic was called again and it was Natalie!  They received medals which were actually engraved with their names!

     So they will be going to Australia next October for 10 days!  (They do have to provide about ½ the cost, but so much is already given!
   Such exciting days!!!

At Cheesecake Factory

Clayton had another concert that night with the Issaquah Symphony.  He arrived early.

Grand Obsession

Joan just finished reading Grand Obsession: Madame Curie and her World, by Rosalynd Pflaum which was a wonderful biography. Madame Curie received two Nobel prizes (although she was not really recognized at first since she was a woman) and also her daughter later.  Of course, we all know that she and her husband dealt with radioactive substances, handling them with their bare hands, not knowing how dangerous they were, even putting a glowing test tube in his shirt pocket (and getting a burn on his skin under it), having the glowing tubes in their house at night since they liked to see them glow – they were sick but didn’t know why.   But what she discovered and with the commitment to the work…wow!

Update on Plans

We had originally planned on two years in order to decide / find where we would want to settle in retirement.  We did want someplace WARM.  And we have just kept going on because we liked [almost] everywhere!  And we cannot decide! 
    (A friend asked, Have you every discussed where you might settle down?  Yes, almost every week!).
     Joan wanted Florida, especially St Augustine, where we like it so much (owning 8 weeks there – Yikes!) but Ron said it was too hot in the summer.  We talked about Phoenix, - after all it’s dry heat, isn’t it? – but it’s really an oven there in the summer, no matter the "dry" heat! 
    We have decided that Hawaii is about the perfect temperature place, especially since now that Joan’s brother is moving there full time, but…..yep!  it’s those grandkids!  Friends we know have lived in Kona seven years and they have seen their grandchildren in Seattle just four times , and they said that was fine with them. 
       Well, not for us!
      We’re going to try to spend more time in Seattle while they are growing: Clayton, the oldest, will have his senior year next year and Faith,the youngest, is 10.  Not too many more years left….

Crystal Snowflakes with Faith

     We showed the family here in Seattle the pictures of the crystals we made with Sidney, and Winnie said maybe Faith could make those for “Market Day”, an economics activity at school where kids make things to "sell" in their "Stores"... They use some sort of play money and the whole school comes to "buy".
     The Borax snowflakes would be perfect , yes, so we are going out to the house today and work with Faith.  Both parents are busy teaching, then taking the other kids other places, so we’ll have time to work with Faith.
     We went to the gym this morning and on the way back to condo ("home"), got Borax at Ace Hardware.... And quart canning jars too!!!!.. And pipe cleaners at JoAnne Fabrics, all right on the road home.  So we're all set!!

It worked!

Making Crystals in Phoenix

 

Yes, this Project was triggered by one question on Monday, asked by Sidney, Amy’s daughter: Do you know how to make crystals?

Then Sidney said she needed to make one for science extra credit... Joan knew about using alum and copper sulfate... but didn’t know about using borax. Also, she hadn't done the "geode" with an egg shell and never grew crystals just on rocks. But…. we did all that! (Alum in the spice rack at Wal-Mart, Borax from the laundry aisle, copper sulfate from Home depot plumbing area.) The borax is really pretty too, snowflakes and geodes.


Sidney then makes 

marshmellow molecule models.

Joan always had her students do this, whether it be making atoms, molecules or geometric shapes. She used grapes for Ebony.. They don't make those
colored marshmallows like they used to.
      We made huge copper sulfate crystals when Joan homeschooled the boys (5th and 7th grades) and Keenan just wrote that he still has the alum and blue crystals on his desk at UIS even now.

What Is This Man Doing on This Ladder?

Fixing a fan, of course!

We are visiting Joan’s niece in Phoenix (Mesa).   Amy had purchased a fan that attached flush to the ceiling and her living room had a sloped ceiling.  Even though the Lowe’s man said it could not be done, but needed to buy a new fan, Ron was able to gerryrig the rod from the old machine onto the new one ... Took a little ingenuity. (and three afternoons!)

 

It works!

Shadow fan.

To Phoenix in the Villa Mirage

We're in Phoenix – or rather Scottsdale.  We had a companion airline ticket to use and an expiring  bonus week from Platinum Interchange, and we got a good deal on a rental car, so Joan will be able to swim everyday and see her niece Amy too who lives in Mesa.
 We’re staying at Scottsdale Villa Mirage, a Diamond resort. We saw the CEO of Diamond Resorts on “Undercover Boss” twice and the resort has been remodeled since they took over from Sunterra.

  Nov 3
     Joan’s niece Amy was going to come over today but then she said she didn’t feel too well, so we’ll get together at her place tomorrow... So Joan could swim after all today…. she went about 5 pm and had it all to herself.   Well, no sun on the pool and it was cold out if wet – so not very many people out then.  The fitness room has exactly the same equipment as Planet Fitness so we can use it easily.  We walked around to get acquainted today because we were WAY TOO TIRED yesterday – to even move!  Our flight left so early that we got too tired.  (Are we getting old?)
     For some reason, even though we came in on an exchange with Platinum, we are listed as Diamond owners.  Ron went and talked to the concierge today and signed us up for the owner update Tuesday morning, they said it was a GROUP only.....we’ll see.....but they did give us the free internet since we are "owners" – haha!