Coming to you live from the University of California at San Diego. We’re in Dr. Seuss country. Therefore, you shall hear much Dr. Seuss wisdom before you leave this blog.
What, you ask, does Dr. Seuss have to do with the UCSD? I shall tell you. Here is the official scoop: UC San Diego’s Geisel Library is named in honor of the famed author who died in La Jolla in 1991, and his widow, Audrey Geisel. UC San Diego received Geisel’s collection of drawings, notebooks and other memorabilia following his death, and four years later Audrey Geisel made a substantial donation to support the university’s libraries. In 2007, Geisel made a $1 million gift to UCSD Libraries to establish San Diego’s first named university librarianship.
Here is the famed Geisel Library:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!”
Oh, the places we have gone on this trip! It has been such a lovely few days visiting Christopher here in his San Diego home. To think of the places he has gone since he left our little house in the big woods. Could we have imagined that both of our kids would have become bi-coastal? One on the West Coast and the other on the East Coast? When the last thing I can remember we were reading “I meant what I said and I said what I meant!” while strange cat-like creatures jumped around talking in jumbled rhyming sentences.
Most of the outdoor adventure today happened walking between coffee shops and restaurants. Still, I think we have put in about four miles and the sun has not yet set. We’re sitting outside on campus right now and I’ve had so much coffee YOU can feel it, can’t you?
My son informed me that some students here at UCSD worship the Sun God. I said, “Oh really?” He said, “You’ll see.” We rounded the corner. Sure enough, there was the Sun God. We did not see any worshipers nearby. We did see a couple students sunning on blankets. Perhaps they were devotees.
“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”
We had one terrible incident this morning. Very awful. Do you want to hear?
Yesterday we bought a persimmon at the Farmer’s Market. (You remember how much I loved them the first day?) We admired it this morning and Chris cut it up into beautiful slices. We would perhaps bring our slices to the coffee shop and savor them between our bites of bagel with cream cheese and lovely espresso.
But first, we decided to sample one. Just a bite before we left the apartment.
We sampled.
We looked at one another in horror. Our faces screwed into frenetic disgust. “Arghghghghh!!!” we gurgled and I ran for the bathroom sink with a glass of water. Sip, spit! Sip, spit! Anything to get that horrible taste out of my mouth. Chris was having his own troubles in the kitchen. We were beside ourselves attempting to deal with that horrible horrible taste. Finally, about three minutes later we could function halfway normally.
He later looked it up on the computer and discovered the following facts: It’s important you know there are two kinds of persimmons: the Fuyu, the kind you can eat right away, and the Hachiya, the kind you can’t. If you bite into an unripe Hachiya persimmon, it is if you just drank six cups of extra strength tea. This astringent flavor is due to the high level of tannin in the fruit, and there is a good chance that you would never try a persimmon again because it tastes so bitter. This would be a shame because ripe persimmons have an exceptional flavor and provide us with important nutrients such as beta-carotene, Vitamin C and potassium.
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
and…
“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”
17 comments
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November 16, 2009 at 7:32 pm
cherokeebydesign
Awesome blog…. gotta love the Cat in the Hat.
Raven
http://cherokeebydesign.wordpress.com/
November 16, 2009 at 7:45 pm
centria
Thanks, Raven! Looking up all these Dr. Seuss quotes sure brought back a LOT of memories.
November 16, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Gerry
YES! I can see all the photos! (Don’t laugh, you people who have normal broadband internet service. It’s mean to laugh at the underprivileged.)
I am very glad to know that about persimmons, as I have had an unpleasant encounter of my own and had concluded that, well, we all have our own tastes . . . OK, so I might try another one someday. You’ll have to ‘splain to me how I can tell which is the Good Persimmon and which is the Evil Persimmon. Both are quite attractive.
Whenever I’m in So Cal I end up picking up pieces of eucalyptus bark because it’s so soft and I like to play with it. My sister warns me that’s unsanitary, but I figure I live with two dogs and a cat, so unsanitary doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to me . . .
Goodness. I may have to eat green eggs and ham for breakfast tomorrow.
November 16, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Mom and Dad
Be more careful what you eat…it is a long flight home!!!!!Dad
November 17, 2009 at 2:57 am
uphilldowndale
‘Look at me, look at me now, it’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how.’
Thank you for reminding me of such wise words, life has been a bit to serious of late. I need to play out.
Dr S wasn’t part of my childhood, but he was my boys and we enjoyed the books together. The Dr S books are amongst those I can’t bare to part with.
November 17, 2009 at 6:44 am
flandrumhill
What a beautiful library. Those heart-shaped slices of persimmon look so tempting. Good to know about the two types.
Uphilldowndale has already used my favorite Seuss line and Gerry is probably already eating my favorite breakfast. What is there left to say?
Perhaps to be careful in your travels. You never know when you’re going to come across the likes of Thing One and Thing Two.
November 17, 2009 at 7:55 am
Cindy Lou
What a fun, fun day! The Good Doctor has always been part of my life – beautiful photos and thoughts, sweetie!
November 17, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Deborah Godin
Thoroughly delightful post! And I do believe that’s the first time I ever saw the inside of a persimmon – very pretty patterns.
November 17, 2009 at 1:59 pm
CWD
I have a set of persimmon golf club heads, made back when woods were woods, not metals. Persimmon wood is also used for bows, pool cue sticks, wooden utinsels, and traditional Korean and Japanese furniture….”Oh neat, said the sad-eyed boy while eating his hoganberry pie.” (that might not be a Dr. Seuss quote).
November 17, 2009 at 6:15 pm
centria
Hello all you guys! I’m in the Detroit airport now with a quickly-discharging battery so won’t respond to comments individually. I am glad you all enjoyed the Dr. Seuss and persimmon post. (Seems like a hundred years ago I was posting this, and yet it was just last night. Go figure.) Dad, you will be happy to know I ate very healthy all day. After that peppermint chocolate mocha with whipped cream yesterday…looks like the gall bladder hath survived. We hope. Interesting about persimmon wood, Craig. Oops…gotta run!
November 18, 2009 at 11:34 am
Quietpaths
I have really enjoyed your photos of the city SD. The markets are wonderful. This was a very fun post with so much action; right down to the kitchen sink!
November 18, 2009 at 8:44 pm
centria
Laughing…right down to the kitchen sink! You’ve got it right there. Glad you enjoyed the San Diego trip!
November 18, 2009 at 9:04 pm
sahlah
…Smile because it happened
Wonderful wisdom 🙂
November 19, 2009 at 7:31 am
centria
Smiling now, Dawn!
November 19, 2009 at 10:50 am
Carla Sanders
Eucalyptus groves remind of Australia, where I camped. I hear they are not native to California. I love your warm floral adventures, tho winter is beautiful. I will miss them when you decide to stay indoors this winter.
November 19, 2009 at 7:00 pm
centria
Carla, LOL! Don’t believe everything you hear…and certainly not half of what I say!!! It will probably be snowing those beautiful big white flakes and I’ll be running madly outside in Grandma’s old snowmobile suit twirling round and round and round and round (before I remember the commitment is over and it’s OK to go insid and make some hot chocolate!)
🙂
November 16, 2014 at 7:53 am
Elisa
giggling over this experience , NOT not haven’t yet tried those “newfangled” fruits