Cancun for Amy

 Amy, we've been to 3 Mayan sites near Cancun - each of them quite different.  I think this is the best place for me to share images and pictures with you.  Unfortunately, it's an old blog template and the space for photos is narrow and cuts them off or forces me to minimize them.  Maybe you can click on the pictures to enlarge(?).

CHICHEN ITZA

The first time we were in Cancun (2007) we went to Chichen Itza ("chee-chin eetz-uh").  It is a site that has been restored and is being significantly maintained.  I remember it being the largest of the sites we saw, but then again it's been 14 years ago, so maybe my memory is fuzzy!  We had a guide, and we learned a lot.  A year before we got there people were still allowed to go up the steps of the Great Pyramid, but that is no longer allowed, unfortunately.  It is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and, as well as the Great Pyramid it also has a temple complex, a "sports arena," a large cenote, and other features.  I don't have as many pictures of Chichen Itza as of the other two sites, as I don't think we had a digital camera in 2007, so these are scans of photos.

TULUM

We've been to Tulum twice -- once in 2012 and once in 2017.  When I picture Mayan ruins I picture them surrounded with jungle.  Tulum, however, is on the coast, overlooking azure-blue waters.  It is gorgeous, but I have to admit being disappointed at how many people were swimming below the ruins, which made it hard to get the beautiful photos I wanted.  We didn't have a guide either time for this one.

COBA

Coba is not just surrounded by jungle, it is IN the jungle.  This was the only site at which we could climb to the top of a pyramid, which was AMAZING - really hard, but really amazing!  The top of the pyramid is high above the jungle canopy, so it was absolutely a bird's-eye view of the jungle.  This was 2012, and I'm not sure if rules or regulations have changes since then.  This site was the most rugged and least restored, which was also kind of cool to see -- seems more "natural" somehow.

Anyway, whether you choose to check out Mayan ruins or not, I hope you will have an absolutely SPECTACULAR time in Cancun!  Here's one of my favorite photos of David from our journeys there.  He loves to sail!!

The End of an Era

Today was our youngest child's last cross country meet, so this was officially our last sports event David and I attended as parents of a participant.  It is beginning to feel like a countdown at this point as we head towards "empty-nesting!"

We're super proud of Caleb for his efforts at cross country over these last four years!!

Today's race was the sub-section race up at Angel's Camp (aka "Frogtown".)  Here is Caleb before the race.  His school arrived quite early, so they once again (thanks to Caleb) laid claim to the gazebo as their "base."

At the starting line:

The pack at the beginning of a hot and dusty race!

Partway through - at a spot that was a little less dusty and much more scenic!

Caleb bringin' it home!

Happy post-race face!

The line above his ankle shows how dusty the race was (and this isn't a tan line, as he is a barefoot runner when not in an official event).

It was good to get up to the hill country.  I hadn't had a chance yet this semester to get out of town - so thanks for the good excuse Caleb!!!  I needed this!

Bye Froggie!

The best part of the day was practicing Messiah together on the drive home - three parts: me on alto, Caleb bass, and David tenor - GOOD TIMES!!  (Official practice begins tomorrow - 'tis the season!)

LOVE!

Anthony proved he would go the ends of the earth for the woman he loves.  He did it!  He flew to New Zealand to surprise and propose to the amazing and beautiful Brianna Mulder!  The picture below is of them skyping us today to give us the news officially and tell us the stories!!

 In pictures here's a bit of how it played out  .  .  .

Later addition - I just grabbed this photo off of the facebook page of the woman who helped set this up.  Brianna's friends had her believing she was creating a music video for Anthony that day, so she was being filmed singing to him across the ocean.  Little did she know he had flown across that ocean to propose and was at that moment walking towards her!!

And later yet  .  .  .  prayers of friends:

O

Last week we took a family trip to Eugene, Oregon to check out the university where Anthony will begin his grad work this fall.  It seems like a particularly good fit for Anthony, especially given that Eugene is known as "Track Town USA."

The closer we got to Eugene, the more ubiquitous the letter O became!

Fenton Hall - home of the math department:

Just down the path from Fenton is Deady ("dee-dee"), another math building, which is where Anthony's office will be.  It's a very old building - built between 1873 and 1876, and it does not have air-conditioning, so it's really awesome that Anthony's office will be in the basement!

I found a picture online of the campus from 1894 (looks like a football game - GO DUCKS!) with Deady Hall in the background (the tall, narrow building in the middle).  Clearly it's got quite some history!  This makes me wonder if it's haunted!  Do ghosts haunt schools, or do they stay away?

My favorite spot in Deady Hall was the 'reading room' for undergrads, which was named 'Hilbert Space.'  It has an attached closet full of board games, which is exactly as it should be!

Some other points of interest (to me!) on campus were this sculpture of Einstein sticking out his tongue, which I thought was a pretty classy building adornment!

And the office of physicist Richard Taylor, since I'm an unabashed mathematician and physicist groupie I sought out his office hoping to find him in.   Alas, he was out  .  .  .

Directing Change

What a day!  Caleb and his film-making team from Enochs High School entered a student video contest called "Directing Change."  The contest was put on by "Each Mind Matters," and the categories were "Suicide Prevention" and "Ending the Silence."  More than 420 teams in the state submitted a video.  The Enochs team created a PSA on suicide prevention, and they won first place in their region, which meant they also advanced to state-level competition.

The started the day today at our county office of education to be recognized by the county school board and County Schools Superintendent Tom Chagnon.

That was an awesome way to start the day, but what was yet to come blew me away entirely.  I had no idea how big a deal this was!  It absolutely ended up being a red-carpet event!

Caleb headed up to Sacramento with his teacher, Neal Barlow, and his team.  David and I followed later.  The screening and awards were held at the Crest Theater.

 Here are actor Max Adler and producer/director/editor Bradley Buecker introducing the event.

And the Enochs team won second place in the state for their PSA "Perception."

Here's a video clip of them getting their award:

Bradley Buecker:

Caleb and team members Megan and Justin chatting with director (and future colleague?) Bradley Buecker:

In front of the state capitol building:

Here is their award-winning PSA: