Bew Gets a Haircut and Coloring

Saturday morning was beauty shop time for the Danville
Glynn girls. Dianne, Kira and Bew were off for a makeover. Bew was a little nervous about getting her hair cut and colored (or was that highlighted)?

Did it turn out well? I guess you'll have to ask Bew.

I Beat Gerry!

Well, the Marathon Girl (me) has successfully run (and finished) her first marathon. Boy, that was a long, long distance! The odds were in favo(u)r of rain, but thankfully, we had just overcast skies and perfect temperatures. Three of us in our Sole Mates running group couldn't find the meeting spot (don't you just hate when people say 'you can't miss it', 'cause it usually means it's possible to miss it). We were on our own. Then, just as we were lining up, we found the 5:30 pace group. That's the time we were pretty sure we could run, so we decided to follow Charlie, the pace leader. Charlie bolted from the start and was running a really fast pace (as you know, I pretty much only run one speed, and Charlie was running faster than that). Pretty soon, I lost my two Sole Mates. I figured if I could just glue on to Charlie, I'd be OK (I really didn't have a choice since I couldn't get my watch to work). After the first six miles, he announced that we were now on schedule for a 5:30 finish...clock time! For the rest of the race, Charlie and I ran a pace that was more to my liking. The crowds were terrific, handing out gels, oranges, ice, fig newtons, and my personal favo(u)rite...paper towels (you can do everything with a paper towel!).

It was like a big party for most of the way. The last 2-3 miles were on a road ramp and bridge (felt like a mountain), so there weren't many spectators. At the top of the bridge, Charlie said that there was no rule saying people HAD to stick with him if they wanted to sprint to the finish. I knew that, but by the end of the race I was having trouble doing even simple math (....let's see, we just passed the 23 mile marker...there are 26.2 miles in a marathon....is that 2 or 3 miles left....hmmmm.....and I was pondering this conundrum for at least one mile). I did sprint to the end and saw Gerry and Dad and Irene. They gave me a bouquet of flowers at the finish. What a wonderful day! I say 'day' 'cause it took the better part of it to finish (5:23:59). In this sense, I BEAT GERRY! Yes, the poor man has never in his life run for 5 hours 23 minutes 59 seconds. Needless to say I will not see Boston in the near future!

It was an extra special day to see Gerry, Dad and Irene waiting (and waiting and waiting) for me at so many stops along the way. I'll never forget that day!

Here are some photos of the race. Enjoy.Lois

Father & Son Cake Baking Contest at Cub Scouts

Last night we ventured off to cub scouts to see the annual cake baking contest. Click on this link to see all the entries: Father Son Cake Baking Contest.

We decided not to participate, but it was still fun to go and enjoy the spoils after the judging was done.

Conner and Parker both agreed that the iPod cake was the best.

Hearst Castle

This weekend we ventured out for a 4 hour drive south.  We spent the evening in San Luis Obisbo and then Sunday morning we gathered up our belongings from the hotel and headed over to the Hearst Castle.  I've attached some Wikipedia information on this incredible palace.  It must be seen to be believed !

Hearst Castle is the palatial estate built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. It is located near San Simeon, California, on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Donated by the Hearst Corporation to the state of California in 1957, it is now a State Historical Monument and a National Historic Landmark, open for public tours. Hearst formally named the estate "La Cuesta Encantada" ("The Enchanted Hill"), but he usually just called it "the ranch". The castle and grounds are also sometimes referred to as "San Simeon" without distinguishing between the Hearst property and the unincorporated town of the same name.

History

Hearst Castle was built on a 40,000 acre (160 km²) ranch that William Randolph Hearst's father, George Hearst, originally purchased in 1865. The younger Hearst grew fond of this site over many childhood family camping trips. He inherited the ranch, which had grown to 250,000 acres (1,000 km²), from his mother, Phoebe Hearst, upon her death in 1919.^[2] Construction began that same year and continued through 1947, when he stopped living at the estate due to ill health. San Francisco architectJulia Morgan designed most of the buildings. Hearst was an inveterate tinkerer, and would tear down structures and rebuild them at a whim. For example, the opulent Neptune Pool was rebuilt three times before Hearst was satisfied. As a consequence of Hearst's persistent design changes, the estate was never completed in his lifetime.

The indoor pool, modeled after Roman baths, with gold mosaic tiles.

The estate is a pastiche of historic architectural styles that Hearst admired in his travels around Europe. For example, the main house is modeled after a 16th century Spanish cathedral, while the outdoor swimming pool features an ancient Roman temple front transported wholesale from Europe and reconstructed at the site. Hearst furnished the estate with truckloads of art, antiques, and even whole ceilings that he acquired in their entirety from Europe and Egypt.

Hearst Castle featured 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres (0.51 km²) of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, an airfield, and the world's largest private zoo. Zebras and other exotic animals still roam the grounds. Morgan, an accomplished civil engineer, devised a gravity-based water delivery system from a nearby mountain. One highlight of the estate is the Neptune Pool, which features an expansive vista of the mountains, ocean and the main house.

The Neptune Pool looks out to the mountains of the central coast.

Invitations to Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and '30s. The Hollywood and political elite often visited, usually flying into the estate's airfield or taking a private Hearst-owned train car from Los Angeles. Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, James Stewart, Bob Hope, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill were among Hearst's A-list guests. While guests were expected to attend the formal dinners each evening, they were normally left to their own devices during the day while Hearst directed his business affairs. Since "the Ranch" had so many facilities, guests were rarely at a loss for things to do. The estate's theater usually screened films from Hearst's own movie studio, Cosmopolitan Productions. Hearst Castle became so famous that it was caricatured in the 1941 Orson Welles film Citizen Kane as Charles Foster Kane's "Xanadu". The estate is portrayed as a gloomy and ridiculously self-indulgent barony.

The Gothic Study.

One condition of the Hearst Corporation's donation of the estate was that the Hearst family would be allowed to use it when they wished. Patty Hearst, a granddaughter of William Randolph, related that as a child, she hid behind statues in the Neptune Pool while tours passed by. Although the main estate is now a museum, the Hearst family continues to use an older Victorian house on the property as a retreat — the original house built by George Hearst in the late 19th century. The house is screened from tourist routes by a dense grove of eucalyptus, to provide maximum privacy for the guests. In 2001, Patty Hearst hosted a Travel Channel show on the estate, and Amanda Hearst modeled for a fashion photo shoot at the estate for a Hearst Corporation magazine, Town and Country, in 2006.

[edit]Size

The total square footage of the castles on the estate exceeds 90,000 square feet (8,300 m²). The area of Casa Grande, the "castle", is 60,645 square feet (5,634 m²). The area of the guest houses on the property are:^[3]

• Casa del Mar: 5,875 square feet (546 m²)
• Casa del Monte: 2,291 square feet (213 m²)
• Casa del Sol: 2,604 square feet (242 m²)

[edit]Location

Hearst Castle is located near San Simeon, California, about 250 miles (400 km) from both Los Angeles and San Francisco, and 43 miles (69 km) from San Luis Obispo.

The castle itself is five miles (eight kilometers) inland on a hill. Access is only by a scheduled tour bus, and as of 2008 tickets are USD$24-$30 depending on the season and time of day. Reservations are recommended during busy periods such as summer, weekends and holidays. Evening tours with Living History docents portraying Hearst's guests and visitors are available typically Sept to May.

Directly across the street from the entrance is San Simeon State Park, which features a fishing pier and a public park.

Tour of California Bike Race

Today we got a chance to go for a bike ride and experience the Tour of California.  We met some people from our internet triathlon training program who are currently following the tour and riding each of the stages.  John Stark made the following video:

The attached picture is of the Endurance Nation coaches, Rich and Patrick.  On the tour, one drives, one rides.  I got a chance to ride with Patrick for a few minutes; he's one fast dude!

Parker Sings Happy Birthday to Grandpa Julian

While practicing with the  Superbowl 2009 3D glasses....

Parker, my I-Phone and YouTube

Parker always asks to borrow my phone.  In the past, I was always nervous and would watch  over his shoulder to see what he was doing.  Now, I have full confidence in his  abilities.  He powers the phone on, scrolls through the various icons and plays games as he sees fit.  Recently he has taken up watching YouTube videos.  His favorites seem to be Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedge Hog and other Sega creations.

This morning, after finishing breakfast, he borrowed my phone and settled down to a little video time before heading off to school.

He has a very odd skill set for someone who is 3 and 3/4.