My front yard is peach factory.
The first dwarf tree I set in place was up by the walk on the way to the front door. My sister and brother-in-law bought this slip of a tree as a housewarming gift. For the last thirty years it has cranked out the peaches. It stands just 7 feet tall. I work it similar to a bonsai tree. Its branches are carefully pruned in the Summer and the Fall to maintain its shape and still allow the house numbers to be identified through it. I thinned it very carefully this year. It produced big big peaches. The ripe peach size that will fill up your hand and still leave more room. Usually I need to find a piece of wood to support its limbs with the fruit as it matures. This year it wasn't necessary. One year I was a little lax about this chore and the entire center broke from the weight of the peaches of the tree. This was not a problem for the long time survival of this tree. I pruned off the broken trunk and allowed the rest of the tree to grow around it. This tree produced 13 quarts of peaches this year. I also have a bag or two in the freezer of its chopped up fruit love to trot this fruit out as a special tree with whipped cream in the winter or fall when no stone fruit is available.
This tree is a patented variety of dwarf peaches called Bonanza. It was one of the first dwarf varieties out there. It is the first peach tree that is ripe in the Summer. It is ready for tree ripe harvest in the third week of June most of the years. This year it was a little late, as are most of the stone fruit in my yard. When it first came out there were warnings against propogation of these trees. They are still available in nurseries and I think that the patent is nearly expired.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Future of Teaching
At coffee this morning I picked up and read this article in the NY Times. Its main thrust is that the IVY league graduates are not always picked to teach in the new corporate concept company called Teach America. There are concerns about the length of time and devotion to the job that these new entrants to the job of education bring. To me it brings up some startling issues that we face as a nation periodically. Is the job of teaching our young.. the future of America.. to be foisted upon.. it will look good on my resume folks? Or will the work that we have developed over the years to promote teaching as a career be maintained? Can someone be taught the teaching techniques needed in a few short weeks in a dorm setting at Tulane?
There are several districts in the valley that have great salary schedules for teachers that have taught for 15 to 20 years that the districts never have to pay. The challenge of teaching and development as a professional in growth are not available at many of these schools. So teachers may start at these sites and eventually move on to other more professionally supported school districts. This may also be an artifact not mentioned in this article. Teach America was designed to plug into schools that were not making the grade. In some districts this group has made the grade in improving scores. In many other areas the verdict is out. Anyway.. here is the copy and paste of the article.
HOUSTON — Alneada Biggers, Harvard class of 2010, was amazed this past year when she discovered that getting into the nation’s top law schools and grad programs could be easier than being accepted for a starting teaching job with Teach for America.
Ms. Biggers says that of 15 to 20 Harvard friends who applied to Teach for America, only three or four got in. “This wasn’t last minute — a lot applied in August 2009, they’d been student leaders and volunteered,” Ms. Biggers said. She says one of her closest friends wanted to do Teach for America, but was rejected and had to “settle” for University of Virginia Law School.
Will Cullen, Villanova ’10, had a friend who was rejected and instead will be a Fulbright scholar. Julianne Carlson, a new graduate of Yale — where a record 18 percent of seniors applied to Teach for America — says she knows a half dozen “amazing” classmates who were rejected, although the number is probably higher. “People are reluctant to tell you because of the stigma of not getting in,” Ms. Carlson said.
When Robert Rosen graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2009, he did not apply, fearing he would be turned down. Instead, he volunteered in a friend’s classroom weekly for the next year, to see if he liked teaching, but also to build a credential that would impress Teach for America. Asked how hard getting in is, James Goldberg, Duke ’10 said, “I’d compare it with being accepted to an Ivy League grad school.”
Mr. Goldberg, Mr. Rosen, Ms. Carlson, Mr. Cullen and Ms. Biggers count themselves lucky to be among the 4,500 selected by the nonprofit to work at high-poverty public schools from a record 46,359 applicants (up 32 percent over 2009). There’s little doubt the numbers are fueled by a bad economy, which has limited job options even for graduates from top campuses. In 2007, during the economic boom, 18,172 people applied.
This year, on its 20th anniversary, Teach for America hired more seniors than any other employer at numerous colleges, including Yale, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At Harvard, 293 seniors, or 18 percent of the class, applied, compared with 100 seniors in 2007. “So many job options in finance, P.R. and consulting have been cut back,” said Ms. Carlson, the Yale grad.
In interviews, two dozen soon-to-be-teachers here in Houston, one of eight national Teach for America centers that provide a five-week crash summer course in classroom practices, mentioned the chance to help poor children and close the achievement gap as major reasons for applying. Victor Alquicira (Yale), who is Mexican-born, and Kousha Navidar (Duke), who is Iranian-born, said it was a chance to give back to a country that had given them much.
But there are other more material attractions. Teach for America has become an elite brand that will help build a résumé, whether or not the person stays in teaching. And in a bad economy, it’s a two-year job guarantee with a good paycheck; members earn a beginning teacher’s salary in the districts where they’re placed. For Mr. Cullen, who will teach at a Dallas middle school, that’s $45,000 — the same he’d make if he’d taken a job offer from a financial public relations firm. Ms. Carlson, who will also make $45,000 teaching first grade in San Antonio, said: “I feel very fortunate. I knew a lot of people at Yale who didn’t have a job or plan when they graduated.”
In contrast, the Peace Corps (to which Teach for America compares itself) pays a cost-of-living allowance adjusted for each country where volunteers work, and a $7,500 stipend when the 27-month stint is finished.
While Teach for America is highly regarded by undergrads — Mr. Goldberg said Duke recruiting sessions typically attracted 50 students — it gets mixed reviews from education experts.
Research indicates that generally, the more experienced teachers are, the better their students perform, and several studies have criticized Teach for America’s turnover rate.
“I’m always shocked by the hullaboo, given Teach for America’s size” — about 0.2 percent of all teachers — “and its mixed impact,” said Julian Vasquez Heilig, a University of Texas professor. Dr. Heilig and Su Jin Jez of California State University, Sacramento, recently published a critical assessment after reviewing two dozen studies. One study cited indicated that “by the fourth year, 85 percent of T.F.A. teachers had left” New York City schools.
“These people could be superstars, but most leave before they master the teaching craft,” Dr. Heilig said.
Carrie James, a Teach for America spokeswoman, challenged the report. Teach for America press releases cite a 2008 Harvard doctoral thesis indicating that 61 percent of their recruits stay beyond the two-year commitment. However, that same thesis also says “few people are estimated to remain in their initial placement school or the profession beyond five or six years” — a finding not highlighted in the releases.
Ms. James says the program has an impact beyond the classroom, with an alumni contact list of 13,000 still in education, including more than 500 in “government or policy.” Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the Washington, D.C., schools, and Michael Johnston, a Colorado state senator, are among the alums.
Several of the new Teach for America members say it’s too early to know whether they’ll stick with teaching. Ms. Biggers, who was admitted to Harvard and Vanderbilt Law Schools, has deferred attending to teach elementary school in Houston for two years. She then plans to go to law school and, after finishing, says she hopes to do something in education.
To be accepted by Teach for America, applicants survived a lengthy process, with thousands cut at each step. That included an online application; a phone interview; presentation of a lesson plan; a personal interview; a written test; and a monitored group discussion with several other applicants. Rachel Faust, a University of Maryland graduate who will teach in Miami, says she was struck by how aggressive some applicants were at the group session. “They say you’re not against each other, it’s just a group discussion,” Ms. Faust said. “But some people don’t treat it like that, they’re very competitive.”
A $185 million operating budget, (two-thirds from private donations, the rest from governmental sources) helps finance recruiters at 350 campuses to enlarge the applicant pool. “I was recruited like crazy,” said Mr. Alquicira, who was a Yale Daily News editor and tutor in New Haven. “I’m not even sure how they got my name.”
The 774 new recruits who are training here are housed in Rice University dorms. Many are up past midnight doing lesson plans and by 6:30 a.m. are on a bus to teach summer school to students making up failed classes. It’s a tough lesson for those who’ve come to do battle with the achievement gap.
Lilianna Nguyen, a recent Stanford graduate, dressed formally in high heels, was trying to teach a sixth-grade math class about negative numbers. She’d prepared definitions to be copied down, but the projector was broken.
She’d also created a fun math game, giving every student an index card with a number. They were supposed to silently line themselves up from lowest negative to highest positive, but one boy kept disrupting the class, blurting out, twirling his pen, complaining he wanted to play a fun game, not a math game.
“Why is there talking?” Ms. Nguyen said. “There should be no talking.”
“Do I have to play?” asked the boy.
“Do you want to pass summer school?” Ms. Nguyen answered.
The boy asked if it was O.K. to push people to get them in the right order.
“This is your third warning,” Ms. Nguyen said. “Do not speak out in my class.”
On Education, a new column by Michael Winerip, will appear Mondays. Mr. Winerip can be reached at oneducation@nytimes.com.
There are several districts in the valley that have great salary schedules for teachers that have taught for 15 to 20 years that the districts never have to pay. The challenge of teaching and development as a professional in growth are not available at many of these schools. So teachers may start at these sites and eventually move on to other more professionally supported school districts. This may also be an artifact not mentioned in this article. Teach America was designed to plug into schools that were not making the grade. In some districts this group has made the grade in improving scores. In many other areas the verdict is out. Anyway.. here is the copy and paste of the article.
HOUSTON — Alneada Biggers, Harvard class of 2010, was amazed this past year when she discovered that getting into the nation’s top law schools and grad programs could be easier than being accepted for a starting teaching job with Teach for America.
Ms. Biggers says that of 15 to 20 Harvard friends who applied to Teach for America, only three or four got in. “This wasn’t last minute — a lot applied in August 2009, they’d been student leaders and volunteered,” Ms. Biggers said. She says one of her closest friends wanted to do Teach for America, but was rejected and had to “settle” for University of Virginia Law School.
Will Cullen, Villanova ’10, had a friend who was rejected and instead will be a Fulbright scholar. Julianne Carlson, a new graduate of Yale — where a record 18 percent of seniors applied to Teach for America — says she knows a half dozen “amazing” classmates who were rejected, although the number is probably higher. “People are reluctant to tell you because of the stigma of not getting in,” Ms. Carlson said.
When Robert Rosen graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2009, he did not apply, fearing he would be turned down. Instead, he volunteered in a friend’s classroom weekly for the next year, to see if he liked teaching, but also to build a credential that would impress Teach for America. Asked how hard getting in is, James Goldberg, Duke ’10 said, “I’d compare it with being accepted to an Ivy League grad school.”
Mr. Goldberg, Mr. Rosen, Ms. Carlson, Mr. Cullen and Ms. Biggers count themselves lucky to be among the 4,500 selected by the nonprofit to work at high-poverty public schools from a record 46,359 applicants (up 32 percent over 2009). There’s little doubt the numbers are fueled by a bad economy, which has limited job options even for graduates from top campuses. In 2007, during the economic boom, 18,172 people applied.
This year, on its 20th anniversary, Teach for America hired more seniors than any other employer at numerous colleges, including Yale, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At Harvard, 293 seniors, or 18 percent of the class, applied, compared with 100 seniors in 2007. “So many job options in finance, P.R. and consulting have been cut back,” said Ms. Carlson, the Yale grad.
In interviews, two dozen soon-to-be-teachers here in Houston, one of eight national Teach for America centers that provide a five-week crash summer course in classroom practices, mentioned the chance to help poor children and close the achievement gap as major reasons for applying. Victor Alquicira (Yale), who is Mexican-born, and Kousha Navidar (Duke), who is Iranian-born, said it was a chance to give back to a country that had given them much.
But there are other more material attractions. Teach for America has become an elite brand that will help build a résumé, whether or not the person stays in teaching. And in a bad economy, it’s a two-year job guarantee with a good paycheck; members earn a beginning teacher’s salary in the districts where they’re placed. For Mr. Cullen, who will teach at a Dallas middle school, that’s $45,000 — the same he’d make if he’d taken a job offer from a financial public relations firm. Ms. Carlson, who will also make $45,000 teaching first grade in San Antonio, said: “I feel very fortunate. I knew a lot of people at Yale who didn’t have a job or plan when they graduated.”
In contrast, the Peace Corps (to which Teach for America compares itself) pays a cost-of-living allowance adjusted for each country where volunteers work, and a $7,500 stipend when the 27-month stint is finished.
While Teach for America is highly regarded by undergrads — Mr. Goldberg said Duke recruiting sessions typically attracted 50 students — it gets mixed reviews from education experts.
Research indicates that generally, the more experienced teachers are, the better their students perform, and several studies have criticized Teach for America’s turnover rate.
“I’m always shocked by the hullaboo, given Teach for America’s size” — about 0.2 percent of all teachers — “and its mixed impact,” said Julian Vasquez Heilig, a University of Texas professor. Dr. Heilig and Su Jin Jez of California State University, Sacramento, recently published a critical assessment after reviewing two dozen studies. One study cited indicated that “by the fourth year, 85 percent of T.F.A. teachers had left” New York City schools.
“These people could be superstars, but most leave before they master the teaching craft,” Dr. Heilig said.
Carrie James, a Teach for America spokeswoman, challenged the report. Teach for America press releases cite a 2008 Harvard doctoral thesis indicating that 61 percent of their recruits stay beyond the two-year commitment. However, that same thesis also says “few people are estimated to remain in their initial placement school or the profession beyond five or six years” — a finding not highlighted in the releases.
Ms. James says the program has an impact beyond the classroom, with an alumni contact list of 13,000 still in education, including more than 500 in “government or policy.” Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the Washington, D.C., schools, and Michael Johnston, a Colorado state senator, are among the alums.
Several of the new Teach for America members say it’s too early to know whether they’ll stick with teaching. Ms. Biggers, who was admitted to Harvard and Vanderbilt Law Schools, has deferred attending to teach elementary school in Houston for two years. She then plans to go to law school and, after finishing, says she hopes to do something in education.
To be accepted by Teach for America, applicants survived a lengthy process, with thousands cut at each step. That included an online application; a phone interview; presentation of a lesson plan; a personal interview; a written test; and a monitored group discussion with several other applicants. Rachel Faust, a University of Maryland graduate who will teach in Miami, says she was struck by how aggressive some applicants were at the group session. “They say you’re not against each other, it’s just a group discussion,” Ms. Faust said. “But some people don’t treat it like that, they’re very competitive.”
A $185 million operating budget, (two-thirds from private donations, the rest from governmental sources) helps finance recruiters at 350 campuses to enlarge the applicant pool. “I was recruited like crazy,” said Mr. Alquicira, who was a Yale Daily News editor and tutor in New Haven. “I’m not even sure how they got my name.”
The 774 new recruits who are training here are housed in Rice University dorms. Many are up past midnight doing lesson plans and by 6:30 a.m. are on a bus to teach summer school to students making up failed classes. It’s a tough lesson for those who’ve come to do battle with the achievement gap.
Lilianna Nguyen, a recent Stanford graduate, dressed formally in high heels, was trying to teach a sixth-grade math class about negative numbers. She’d prepared definitions to be copied down, but the projector was broken.
She’d also created a fun math game, giving every student an index card with a number. They were supposed to silently line themselves up from lowest negative to highest positive, but one boy kept disrupting the class, blurting out, twirling his pen, complaining he wanted to play a fun game, not a math game.
“Why is there talking?” Ms. Nguyen said. “There should be no talking.”
“Do I have to play?” asked the boy.
“Do you want to pass summer school?” Ms. Nguyen answered.
The boy asked if it was O.K. to push people to get them in the right order.
“This is your third warning,” Ms. Nguyen said. “Do not speak out in my class.”
On Education, a new column by Michael Winerip, will appear Mondays. Mr. Winerip can be reached at oneducation@nytimes.com.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
County Fairs
Growing up in South San Francisco, we always looked forward to the San Mateo County Fair. It was more properly known as the San Mateo County Fiesta.
It was usually held in August just before we headed back to school the day after labor day.
The county fair extravaganza was funded by the horse track revenues that it generated. Every county had a horse track in the forties and fifties where once a year horse races were held and betting para mutual betting was allowed. The sport of kings has gradually fallen on to hard times and the county fair horse race metaphor has slipped away. Many county fairs have declined in the importance too.
Our local county fair once had a horse track and the barns that go with it. They have been replaced with a quarter mile auto track. There are some vestiges of the track life. One of the bars in the shady part of town is the turf club. It was not founded or maintained by landscapers. Now the bar is primarily a biker bar.
Our Merced County fair is divided into two. We have a May fair on the West Side for the residents in the Los Banos, Gustine, Dos Palos area and a summer fair for the Merced Atwater Livingston side. Our FFA chapters have the opportunity to compete in both along with the nearby Sanislaus County Fair in Turlock and the Madera county fair in Chowchilla,
This year was a big change. The state fair organizers decided to change the date of their fair. Many of the competitions of the fairs go on to compete in the state fair. With an earlier State Fair, the other counties that wanted to change got their wish. The Merced County fair is usually held at the end of July suddenly was scheduled for the middle of June. The Alameda County fair in Dublin maintained their traditional fair running around July 4th. July 16th is the new scheduled time for the Stanislaus County Fair in Turlock.
The Merced county fair in June had a significant boost in attendance this year. The cooler weather in June rather than July allowed more people out to enjoy the fair. Overall this Spring and summer has been cooler overall. Its really hard to predict when we will have out hot spells. The overall consensus is that the fair will be better off in the future at an earlier time.
The Alameda county fair is on right now. Its a good one. Get out and see a fair this summer!
: ) Pat
It was usually held in August just before we headed back to school the day after labor day.
The county fair extravaganza was funded by the horse track revenues that it generated. Every county had a horse track in the forties and fifties where once a year horse races were held and betting para mutual betting was allowed. The sport of kings has gradually fallen on to hard times and the county fair horse race metaphor has slipped away. Many county fairs have declined in the importance too.
Our local county fair once had a horse track and the barns that go with it. They have been replaced with a quarter mile auto track. There are some vestiges of the track life. One of the bars in the shady part of town is the turf club. It was not founded or maintained by landscapers. Now the bar is primarily a biker bar.
Our Merced County fair is divided into two. We have a May fair on the West Side for the residents in the Los Banos, Gustine, Dos Palos area and a summer fair for the Merced Atwater Livingston side. Our FFA chapters have the opportunity to compete in both along with the nearby Sanislaus County Fair in Turlock and the Madera county fair in Chowchilla,
This year was a big change. The state fair organizers decided to change the date of their fair. Many of the competitions of the fairs go on to compete in the state fair. With an earlier State Fair, the other counties that wanted to change got their wish. The Merced County fair is usually held at the end of July suddenly was scheduled for the middle of June. The Alameda County fair in Dublin maintained their traditional fair running around July 4th. July 16th is the new scheduled time for the Stanislaus County Fair in Turlock.
The Merced county fair in June had a significant boost in attendance this year. The cooler weather in June rather than July allowed more people out to enjoy the fair. Overall this Spring and summer has been cooler overall. Its really hard to predict when we will have out hot spells. The overall consensus is that the fair will be better off in the future at an earlier time.
The Alameda county fair is on right now. Its a good one. Get out and see a fair this summer!
: ) Pat
Monday, June 28, 2010
Frisbee Football
You probably missed it.
On some obscure CBS alternate university channel there was the championship game between Carlton and Florida State. The game.. a football sort of spectacular non contact (most of the time) Frisbee. Both teams lined up and there were "faceups" but no tackles per say unless going for a particular Frisbee in the air. There were some "inadvertent tackles were two or three players were trying to leap for the flying disc and some players got their feet knocked out from under them but overall a very pass oriented dance similar to soccer without the contact with unbelievable passes from one end of the football field to the other. The players had to depend on the flight of the floating Frisbee to gauge their running and catching.
Here is a link that explains the game"
With some sponsorship this could be a pretty interesting sport. At least as interesting as arena football...
: ) Pat
On some obscure CBS alternate university channel there was the championship game between Carlton and Florida State. The game.. a football sort of spectacular non contact (most of the time) Frisbee. Both teams lined up and there were "faceups" but no tackles per say unless going for a particular Frisbee in the air. There were some "inadvertent tackles were two or three players were trying to leap for the flying disc and some players got their feet knocked out from under them but overall a very pass oriented dance similar to soccer without the contact with unbelievable passes from one end of the football field to the other. The players had to depend on the flight of the floating Frisbee to gauge their running and catching.
Here is a link that explains the game"
With some sponsorship this could be a pretty interesting sport. At least as interesting as arena football...
: ) Pat
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Mapping at 180 dpi
My new camera is a canon elph 780is. It boosts 12.1 mg pixels. Almost all of the new point and shoot cameras have this level of image attainment. Sadly most do not map at 180 dpi. Most map at 72 dpi.
This translates into a very different photo when it comes to do some digital photos. Realize that when photos are not used on the web or made into email snaps the dpi that a photo is collected makes a huge difference. Most of the point and shoots uses this collection number to make huge 72 dpi prints. Most of the time, most people are not going to get a 5 foot by 3 foot size photo yet this is the size that is collected.
The canon collects its 12+ mg pixels into a 180 setting. The collection size is 16 by 22. When making a 13X19 photo this fits into the framework with a little bit of editing. Trying to find this in the specs fora camera is impossible.
I reduced the photos for better loads on the web before I loaded them up for Fickr. This is easily done in photoshop.. but at least I have that option and the density to take any photo that I have shot and make it a print that will print on my printer without too much reduction... yeah!
This translates into a very different photo when it comes to do some digital photos. Realize that when photos are not used on the web or made into email snaps the dpi that a photo is collected makes a huge difference. Most of the point and shoots uses this collection number to make huge 72 dpi prints. Most of the time, most people are not going to get a 5 foot by 3 foot size photo yet this is the size that is collected.
The canon collects its 12+ mg pixels into a 180 setting. The collection size is 16 by 22. When making a 13X19 photo this fits into the framework with a little bit of editing. Trying to find this in the specs fora camera is impossible.
I reduced the photos for better loads on the web before I loaded them up for Fickr. This is easily done in photoshop.. but at least I have that option and the density to take any photo that I have shot and make it a print that will print on my printer without too much reduction... yeah!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Unsanitized Breakfast
The slamized breakfast made famous by Denny's and adapted by chains everywhere is not the diner breakfast experience.
The hash browns are about the size of a silver dollar. The pancakes come for a plastic sack or worse a mix that bites your tongue while the preservatives so common in pancakes become part of the "flavor"component. Thus is the state of affairs of the Denny's. the IHOPs and around here the Perkos. Sure they are clean. The sizes are regulated. They might as well have run them through the banana smelling cleaning fluid they us to clean the bathrooms.
Then lets talk about price. A breakfast should cost not more than 6 bucks. I was watching the food channel... another form of domestic porn.. and they were highlighting a couple of pancakes with a little rocotta cheese in them and a handful of blueberries.. cost 13 dollars.
Try to get out of one of these chain places for under 10 dollars. I just won't happen. I know I could chock it up to inflation. And it does cost more to get the materials to the stores with the cost of fuel.. but 10 bucks for a mini portioned breakfast. Its no wonder that Subway is getting into the market.
Don't think you are getting away cheap if you get a pastry where you get your coffee. You will pay mightily for that privilege. My starbucks charges $1.65 for a single donut. Don't get stuck buying coffee and donuts for your office and not make the extra step to the donut shop. Donuts are 65 cents apiece there. That is pretty outrageous. Back in the day they were 15 cents each.
A couple of places I have discovered in the environs still produce a breakfast of thunderous proportions and charge around 5 to 6.50 per person. That means you can get of the place with change to tip the waitress for under a ten spot.
The Winton cafe in downtown Winton on Walnut is a discovery Linzi and I made. I couple of my friends were raving about it and we took the plunge since we were up their by our favorite strawberry stand. She had Denver omelette with the the pancake and I had the chicken fried steak with the biscuits.. would you like some gravy on that too? You betcha... no charge.
I had the home fries (option green peppers and onions) and she had the hash browns (size of two palms). Coffee kept a coming and was helped out by the owner/chef's 8 year old kids. The interior is nothing to write home about.. a couple of Rock and Roll 45s with photos around them. and you sit on sturdy folding chairs or the benches in the front. We snagged enough leftovers in the a white clam shell for mom to have a meal when we got home.
I little less opulent is the spot at the end of main with the pig in the front. Its been repainted a coke theme and the folks that left because of food handling are back. The old sinks are waiting to be hauled away in the parking lot. It continues to have the best biscuits and gravy short of my place in town. Prices are off of the chains and service is quick and attentive. Its the Barbecue Pit.
Of the two the trip to Winton (about 8 miles) is probably worth it. Both pull off an unsanitized portion control and breakfast the way it used to be and should continue to be.
: ) Pat
The hash browns are about the size of a silver dollar. The pancakes come for a plastic sack or worse a mix that bites your tongue while the preservatives so common in pancakes become part of the "flavor"component. Thus is the state of affairs of the Denny's. the IHOPs and around here the Perkos. Sure they are clean. The sizes are regulated. They might as well have run them through the banana smelling cleaning fluid they us to clean the bathrooms.
Then lets talk about price. A breakfast should cost not more than 6 bucks. I was watching the food channel... another form of domestic porn.. and they were highlighting a couple of pancakes with a little rocotta cheese in them and a handful of blueberries.. cost 13 dollars.
Try to get out of one of these chain places for under 10 dollars. I just won't happen. I know I could chock it up to inflation. And it does cost more to get the materials to the stores with the cost of fuel.. but 10 bucks for a mini portioned breakfast. Its no wonder that Subway is getting into the market.
Don't think you are getting away cheap if you get a pastry where you get your coffee. You will pay mightily for that privilege. My starbucks charges $1.65 for a single donut. Don't get stuck buying coffee and donuts for your office and not make the extra step to the donut shop. Donuts are 65 cents apiece there. That is pretty outrageous. Back in the day they were 15 cents each.
A couple of places I have discovered in the environs still produce a breakfast of thunderous proportions and charge around 5 to 6.50 per person. That means you can get of the place with change to tip the waitress for under a ten spot.
The Winton cafe in downtown Winton on Walnut is a discovery Linzi and I made. I couple of my friends were raving about it and we took the plunge since we were up their by our favorite strawberry stand. She had Denver omelette with the the pancake and I had the chicken fried steak with the biscuits.. would you like some gravy on that too? You betcha... no charge.
I had the home fries (option green peppers and onions) and she had the hash browns (size of two palms). Coffee kept a coming and was helped out by the owner/chef's 8 year old kids. The interior is nothing to write home about.. a couple of Rock and Roll 45s with photos around them. and you sit on sturdy folding chairs or the benches in the front. We snagged enough leftovers in the a white clam shell for mom to have a meal when we got home.
I little less opulent is the spot at the end of main with the pig in the front. Its been repainted a coke theme and the folks that left because of food handling are back. The old sinks are waiting to be hauled away in the parking lot. It continues to have the best biscuits and gravy short of my place in town. Prices are off of the chains and service is quick and attentive. Its the Barbecue Pit.
Of the two the trip to Winton (about 8 miles) is probably worth it. Both pull off an unsanitized portion control and breakfast the way it used to be and should continue to be.
: ) Pat
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Evolution of two Retirement parties
Its over, that is true.
With the finality of school and my retirement came the prospect of the end of the year/ retirement celebrations.
Both of my High Schools used last Thursday to do the honors. Both had very different approaches.
At the new school, (15 years old) the party is a mandatory last faculty meeting where the classified are also invited.
In the past its been a huge potluck kind of thing with the FFA supplying the tri tip food, beans, salasa, salad and rolls. They are adept at this and do many meals in the community with just this sort of formula. It also becomes an instant fund raiser for the club. Over the years some faculty members objected to the 5-6 dollar charge for this and still showed up and ate. The faculty club also charges 20 a year to cover sunshine expenses and provide sodas and paper goods to other events throughout the year. There are also two scholarships awarded to students who claim they will be teachers when they finish. Each of these scholarships are $250. It might buy a book or two in today's collegiate environ.
Only 43% of our teachers actually pay their dues
The classified who most do not have this kind of money going into the summer without pay often did not attend because they couldn't. Over the years our faculty club paid this and invited them as guests. This worked out until sub groups of ethnic origin decided that they could do it for less. We had Mexican fiesta, and barbeque pork from the Philippines, Hmong egg rolls. Last year they decided to have it catered again. The restaurant near the school and wonderful all you can eat Mexican place brought in food for a hundred. The coaches and the eaters should have been counted as two or three as the line finished with people that paid money had nothing put crumbs to show for their 5 dollars. This year's started out with "There will be nothing but cake and sodas at this event." Knowing that it is a minimum day and the kids are out at 1pm and the meeting starts at 1:30 faculty members will be starved.
A solution came down that if you wanted a sandwich from the independent sandwich store in Atwater they would take orders and supply a sandwich, a soda and a bag of chips for 5 dollars. It had to be ordered by the Friday before. I ordered one for me and one for Sue. When the day arrived, Sue went with me to my morning classes to help be a scribe for the final. After two classes she was pooped and had to go home. The event started and there was a sandwich for all that ordered one. No one ordered one for the kid that made the video honoring the retireees. I told the principal who was overseeing the distribution that he could have Sue's. He was very relieved. The meeting- party progressed and the retirees were part of a "To Tell the Truth sequence" The audience held up photos supplied at the tables of the retirees that they felt matched to unknown facts. It was really fun and engaging with the audience. Their was a video produced by a student in the school with a faculty member introducing and saying a lot of nice things about the retiree. The principal made the presentation of the flowers and the gifts. Each retiree got a dozen roses/carnation mix in a vase. I also received a very nice watch in the process. Each retiree had a chance to say a few words. I loved the chance to say some nice things about my career with this school. I talked about taking the tour and trying to figure out with the cement forms in place where everything was going.
The older school traditionally has made their retirement fete a picnic. They often would have it at a real estate wealthy teacher's backyard that would accommodate 50-100 people. Those wealthy teachers do not exist in our teaching corp now. They mostly came from the officers that flew the jets in the Viet Nam war and education was their second or third professions. They had houses with an acre around them. The remnants of the that generation left the teaching ranks in the last golden hand shake round about 5 years ago.
This year the retirement party was held in the group section of a local park. This school's tradition goes back many years. The retired teachers are all invited to this park every year. Most of them by their own admission look forward to seeing who is left and to socialize with their friends as well. They hired the FFa to do their catering (see above). It was a much smaller event. About 50 in total arrived. They had a little roast and of the retirees based on a movie theme. In the heyday their were skits and all kinds of wild stuff. A teacher and a student put together some black and white posters with our heads photo-shopped in. A saying was added. I was "shopped" into a Steve Jobs photo holding the first mac laptop. It was a photo of me in 1986 with the big black glasses...the quote was.. "It may be a fairly lengthy adjustment period."
It was a great party. The wood shop with laser carving tools made us each a wonderful wooden paque highlighting our years of service. Each retiree got card and a crisp 100 dollar bill. All 8 of us had a chance to say something. Teachers are seldom at a loss for words.
Friday was the last day of working with students at this district. The students took their finals and I brought them a little snack and something to drink as they worked. The last 30 mins. we opened up the wii and all kids took a swing around the race track with Mario Kart.
33 years doing Speech. 25 years with the High School district doing Speech. It was good run.
: ) Pat
With the finality of school and my retirement came the prospect of the end of the year/ retirement celebrations.
Both of my High Schools used last Thursday to do the honors. Both had very different approaches.
At the new school, (15 years old) the party is a mandatory last faculty meeting where the classified are also invited.
In the past its been a huge potluck kind of thing with the FFA supplying the tri tip food, beans, salasa, salad and rolls. They are adept at this and do many meals in the community with just this sort of formula. It also becomes an instant fund raiser for the club. Over the years some faculty members objected to the 5-6 dollar charge for this and still showed up and ate. The faculty club also charges 20 a year to cover sunshine expenses and provide sodas and paper goods to other events throughout the year. There are also two scholarships awarded to students who claim they will be teachers when they finish. Each of these scholarships are $250. It might buy a book or two in today's collegiate environ.
Only 43% of our teachers actually pay their dues
The classified who most do not have this kind of money going into the summer without pay often did not attend because they couldn't. Over the years our faculty club paid this and invited them as guests. This worked out until sub groups of ethnic origin decided that they could do it for less. We had Mexican fiesta, and barbeque pork from the Philippines, Hmong egg rolls. Last year they decided to have it catered again. The restaurant near the school and wonderful all you can eat Mexican place brought in food for a hundred. The coaches and the eaters should have been counted as two or three as the line finished with people that paid money had nothing put crumbs to show for their 5 dollars. This year's started out with "There will be nothing but cake and sodas at this event." Knowing that it is a minimum day and the kids are out at 1pm and the meeting starts at 1:30 faculty members will be starved.
A solution came down that if you wanted a sandwich from the independent sandwich store in Atwater they would take orders and supply a sandwich, a soda and a bag of chips for 5 dollars. It had to be ordered by the Friday before. I ordered one for me and one for Sue. When the day arrived, Sue went with me to my morning classes to help be a scribe for the final. After two classes she was pooped and had to go home. The event started and there was a sandwich for all that ordered one. No one ordered one for the kid that made the video honoring the retireees. I told the principal who was overseeing the distribution that he could have Sue's. He was very relieved. The meeting- party progressed and the retirees were part of a "To Tell the Truth sequence" The audience held up photos supplied at the tables of the retirees that they felt matched to unknown facts. It was really fun and engaging with the audience. Their was a video produced by a student in the school with a faculty member introducing and saying a lot of nice things about the retiree. The principal made the presentation of the flowers and the gifts. Each retiree got a dozen roses/carnation mix in a vase. I also received a very nice watch in the process. Each retiree had a chance to say a few words. I loved the chance to say some nice things about my career with this school. I talked about taking the tour and trying to figure out with the cement forms in place where everything was going.
The older school traditionally has made their retirement fete a picnic. They often would have it at a real estate wealthy teacher's backyard that would accommodate 50-100 people. Those wealthy teachers do not exist in our teaching corp now. They mostly came from the officers that flew the jets in the Viet Nam war and education was their second or third professions. They had houses with an acre around them. The remnants of the that generation left the teaching ranks in the last golden hand shake round about 5 years ago.
This year the retirement party was held in the group section of a local park. This school's tradition goes back many years. The retired teachers are all invited to this park every year. Most of them by their own admission look forward to seeing who is left and to socialize with their friends as well. They hired the FFa to do their catering (see above). It was a much smaller event. About 50 in total arrived. They had a little roast and of the retirees based on a movie theme. In the heyday their were skits and all kinds of wild stuff. A teacher and a student put together some black and white posters with our heads photo-shopped in. A saying was added. I was "shopped" into a Steve Jobs photo holding the first mac laptop. It was a photo of me in 1986 with the big black glasses...the quote was.. "It may be a fairly lengthy adjustment period."
It was a great party. The wood shop with laser carving tools made us each a wonderful wooden paque highlighting our years of service. Each retiree got card and a crisp 100 dollar bill. All 8 of us had a chance to say something. Teachers are seldom at a loss for words.
Friday was the last day of working with students at this district. The students took their finals and I brought them a little snack and something to drink as they worked. The last 30 mins. we opened up the wii and all kids took a swing around the race track with Mario Kart.
33 years doing Speech. 25 years with the High School district doing Speech. It was good run.
: ) Pat
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