tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379007022024-03-13T08:45:33.915-07:00the sky is big in pasadenaone pasadena photo posted every day from the beautiful crown city. join me on my journey!ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.comBlogger1454125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-22084156399963205282020-01-28T12:52:00.003-08:002020-01-28T12:52:54.818-08:00Check out my podcast, with a special Pasadena guest!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Many years ago I lived in Pasadena. This blog was one of the ways I explored my new home, and how I met new people - especially those in the blogging community. Some of those connections have lasted well beyond our final year in Pasadena. One of those people was the incredible Ann Erdman, who was Pasadena's Public Information Officer for many years, and <a href="http://pasadenapio.blogspot.com/">who wrote the lovely Pasadena PIO blog</a>.<br />
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Last year I started a podcast with a friend of mine called <a href="https://anchor.fm/soundlogic">The Sound Logic Podcast</a>. Each week we listen to an album from Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Even though I haven't seen Ann in almost 9 years since I moved to Pennsylvania, Ann was kind enough to join us on a recent episode as our special guest!<br /><br />You can listen to that episode right here;<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="102px" scrolling="no" src="https://anchor.fm/soundlogic/embed/episodes/Episode-39---The-Beatles-Please-Please-Me-eaciad/a-a1bmjao" width="400px"></iframe><br />
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If you enjoy that episode, please subscribe in your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss any future episodes, and please get in touch if you'd like to be a guest in the future!</div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-60681647329269939272013-01-15T08:59:00.002-08:002013-01-15T08:59:16.990-08:00Is anybody out there?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After more than a year off, I'm back to being a photoblogger. I've enjoyed the freedom stepping back for a while, but lately I've been craving the creative space that I discovered when I began "the sky is big in pasadena". I considered giving this one a facelift and starting it up again, but after some serious thought I felt better about simply starting anew.<br />
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You can follow along at my new photoblog, <a href="http://113andbeyond.blogspot.com/">113 and Beyond</a>. I hope to see you there!</div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-23822890048310585082012-10-06T09:56:00.001-07:002012-10-07T18:21:10.190-07:00acting like a tourist!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbQtw_O5D5p4eaJPTctYzJYqeJDFns-7t7QCVHfcsbLAsXkkdr_tPfcubvAVdhyphenhyphen3IziS20ppFrXzsOboGLoRzmRVx5ycdmmZmFm1Kp21ShjW62ZzNNtBIlY-GBT-lUcVKAdQXMw/s640/blogger-image-1719175894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbQtw_O5D5p4eaJPTctYzJYqeJDFns-7t7QCVHfcsbLAsXkkdr_tPfcubvAVdhyphenhyphen3IziS20ppFrXzsOboGLoRzmRVx5ycdmmZmFm1Kp21ShjW62ZzNNtBIlY-GBT-lUcVKAdQXMw/s640/blogger-image-1719175894.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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our incredible week in california has come to a close. we had so much fun!</div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-27542895182514403992012-10-06T09:54:00.001-07:002012-10-07T18:21:33.652-07:00the sky is big<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5mXKU9B4-Q8umc8kNhNAFa1wLrYusHm7YmsT0DX9fDPdl0LCJtn9CigYYH19tKLjaKPmRYfLibEI8PYE693aJJgPS4ItM6Q6iIK97JGL8Gks9lovCgWzr45Qy88YBmMFTcF_4A/s640/blogger-image-1378735200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5mXKU9B4-Q8umc8kNhNAFa1wLrYusHm7YmsT0DX9fDPdl0LCJtn9CigYYH19tKLjaKPmRYfLibEI8PYE693aJJgPS4ItM6Q6iIK97JGL8Gks9lovCgWzr45Qy88YBmMFTcF_4A/s640/blogger-image-1378735200.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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i forgot how hard it is to be a daily blogger! must be rusty, as i missed yesterday. <br />
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i'll try and post another to make up for it. we get on the plane to fly home soon. </div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-32936538600205502082012-10-04T16:34:00.001-07:002012-10-04T16:51:09.894-07:00back to fuller<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLpjkBVtJ-cnb9UHL3mWTSX7-FPNQl37ObGKw2Z7EXmFhVWI7yxB-ipvyFNPoY_hR32cqQYev9e3OG50iv0k_Yo-bFSuTWNG20S8fFMSYh-jEuPWpfVYu8eam6AK7Jr5wnai-hg/s640/blogger-image-1075841410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLpjkBVtJ-cnb9UHL3mWTSX7-FPNQl37ObGKw2Z7EXmFhVWI7yxB-ipvyFNPoY_hR32cqQYev9e3OG50iv0k_Yo-bFSuTWNG20S8fFMSYh-jEuPWpfVYu8eam6AK7Jr5wnai-hg/s640/blogger-image-1075841410.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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after spending four year on this campus, it feels a little strange to be just visiting after being away for a year. granted, i have many warm memories, and it is good to be back. </div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-33993299460489189402012-10-04T09:52:00.001-07:002012-10-04T16:51:32.314-07:00re-discovering our favorite foods<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tJ0EB-CThfWids37fLJ_13nKRFR9pyqX4OmbwSnxhoCzChzNIapHo15_C0Q__GTtTX_FFoYBOKwjkb2sIJlrKoxohjvXPehzSBIYRjX_ju9KfXeb0AfaN0FWqPtBWfYHP6cLTg/s640/blogger-image--1182583877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tJ0EB-CThfWids37fLJ_13nKRFR9pyqX4OmbwSnxhoCzChzNIapHo15_C0Q__GTtTX_FFoYBOKwjkb2sIJlrKoxohjvXPehzSBIYRjX_ju9KfXeb0AfaN0FWqPtBWfYHP6cLTg/s640/blogger-image--1182583877.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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in our four years in pasadena, we fell in love with the many culinary treasures of this area. part of our goal this trip was to enjoy some of that food all over again. so far we are doing well with that goal. </div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-40682859972396691172012-10-03T11:24:00.001-07:002012-10-04T16:51:53.190-07:00city hall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUPWVFAMfy1ixUh7lqu9lKEpK0jwx5A4ekyRYbCjDrRfuhoJY3WvtAhOIpir9b5uzKC1YoEHDravHCNnSE3ELLs7KIKIicewX5cHW8gci7CdSu3Tb3244Gp8qZDsD6jbGYFiQDg/s640/blogger-image-807598240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUPWVFAMfy1ixUh7lqu9lKEpK0jwx5A4ekyRYbCjDrRfuhoJY3WvtAhOIpir9b5uzKC1YoEHDravHCNnSE3ELLs7KIKIicewX5cHW8gci7CdSu3Tb3244Gp8qZDsD6jbGYFiQDg/s640/blogger-image-807598240.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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a familiar icon that was featured many times on this blog during my four year run. </div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-15355807918015489732012-10-02T21:30:00.001-07:002012-10-04T16:52:03.202-07:00a token pasadena sky<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueS9TSJD3jK1KnSe_kc94vkaKfWHF2X29TTMpLpFx0NNhrVfkJHnyZGk886MJMdlvNyxi9VC_btrJazWYji2KuZXuHhZFZUfRHo9xO6OdhFFlAK_uCZpoTTVC2NXPOjXr9_gYng/s640/blogger-image-241571499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueS9TSJD3jK1KnSe_kc94vkaKfWHF2X29TTMpLpFx0NNhrVfkJHnyZGk886MJMdlvNyxi9VC_btrJazWYji2KuZXuHhZFZUfRHo9xO6OdhFFlAK_uCZpoTTVC2NXPOjXr9_gYng/s640/blogger-image-241571499.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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of course a trip to pasadena needs to include a few gratuitous shots of the big sky. </div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-26208320841382119502012-10-01T15:42:00.001-07:002012-10-02T08:46:18.927-07:00having a blast!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhe-JABA63mIlpnW7zyorKkg6t9NOmqu5R-0enZEUfQ_58SeRjJ2gAdVa4n3l7u2c3ArKSc3EKKR6TmgcWINT1cjANBYk_xyYYvivrfYqYBkCVVPjKEBTnzNIpVt8QGWAkVmm4g/s640/blogger-image-2010672187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhe-JABA63mIlpnW7zyorKkg6t9NOmqu5R-0enZEUfQ_58SeRjJ2gAdVa4n3l7u2c3ArKSc3EKKR6TmgcWINT1cjANBYk_xyYYvivrfYqYBkCVVPjKEBTnzNIpVt8QGWAkVmm4g/s640/blogger-image-2010672187.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We are thoroughly enjoying our California vacation! Getting to the Santa Monica Pier may be near the top of our adventures so far!!! </div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-494813658415173712012-09-30T15:20:00.001-07:002012-10-02T08:46:27.668-07:00mountain retreat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvpiuHMLq7NzQGeRsKDEmxSvhJdia5kmGnFonHz_X4nvThmy4ENUuP6zG35FQlw0ZYlvaPqEM6EWH0-wu0AiXRvtXXiO9QcW0-mjJGQFNvkPqE-0efzrTQuh_2u0uHvqH4I8Rog/s640/blogger-image--68460762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvpiuHMLq7NzQGeRsKDEmxSvhJdia5kmGnFonHz_X4nvThmy4ENUuP6zG35FQlw0ZYlvaPqEM6EWH0-wu0AiXRvtXXiO9QcW0-mjJGQFNvkPqE-0efzrTQuh_2u0uHvqH4I8Rog/s640/blogger-image--68460762.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first thing we did after our arrival was to head to the mountains to reconnect with our church family from Pasadena Mennonite who had gathered for a retreat weekend. </div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-87754710109911305232012-09-29T13:40:00.001-07:002012-10-02T08:47:08.396-07:00back to california!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_0y91qusqv8AKhL9W5CsVUJV_f7pLNTSv5uS_1FoHgY7k67UoIG1Z399Lb3GMB2Tn1S7E0b1zrpKgRytwb5H5fJORuwWZ1ydXYCrM4p5pEybHpybR7w3xB8rZCArEQZY_P1uGw/s640/blogger-image-191897336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_0y91qusqv8AKhL9W5CsVUJV_f7pLNTSv5uS_1FoHgY7k67UoIG1Z399Lb3GMB2Tn1S7E0b1zrpKgRytwb5H5fJORuwWZ1ydXYCrM4p5pEybHpybR7w3xB8rZCArEQZY_P1uGw/s640/blogger-image-191897336.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
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just over a year has passed since we left our home in pasadena. today we travel back for a short visit! i thought it might be fun to blog while we are here. if anyone is still reading, i hope you enjoy!!</div>
ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-58825079513953732822012-02-01T06:35:00.000-08:002012-02-01T06:35:09.430-08:00New Blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">If you are looking for a way to access my latest photography, I have started a new blog for our congregation, Salford Mennonite Church. You can <a href="http://salfordmc.wordpress.com/">check it out right here</a>.</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-17516594846760868872012-01-24T17:38:00.000-08:002012-01-24T17:38:03.637-08:00photos from ben<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">greetings from pennsylvania. i'm not sure if anyone is still checking in on this blog, but in case you still have it bookmarked or running through your blog reader, i've just started using "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram">instagram</a>" - an iphone app that allows you to essentially be a photoblogger from anywhere.<br />
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i take photos - not surprisingly, often of the sky - around our new home area. <a href="http://instagr.am/p/kUI86/">this link is an example of what you might find</a> if you become a follower of mine on instagram. if you have an iphone/ipod/ipad, check it out and become a follower!</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-16440392214031560812011-08-31T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-31T00:01:05.375-07:00the end.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZkxNyCO7P1R28Z3T34qsTl3oLlLzynNpphuCfxuuBWHrlymTVVjSE6omDGySraFrtAIhbTOcqMv0aHsKbOQdckJMYjUPO5VchzGihZP-xtqFpxAYvI-Q_mpbt4yUmzL1tKgCAw/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZkxNyCO7P1R28Z3T34qsTl3oLlLzynNpphuCfxuuBWHrlymTVVjSE6omDGySraFrtAIhbTOcqMv0aHsKbOQdckJMYjUPO5VchzGihZP-xtqFpxAYvI-Q_mpbt4yUmzL1tKgCAw/s640/photo.JPG" width="408" /></a></div><br />
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and so, we've reached the end.<br />
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the sky is big in pasadena lasted through four years of daily photos. this is the one thousand four hundred and forty-first consecutive daily blog post. this humble site has seen over 90,000 visitors and thousands of wonderful comments.<br />
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i set out to give myself an artistic outlet during my time in seminary, and i never imagined how big it could become. it has been an incredible journey and i am extremely proud of the result.<br />
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but to be quite honest, i am ready for a break. i'm sure i'll probably start blogging again sometime in the near future - maybe in a different format and certainly in a new location. i don't know quite what my blogging future holds, but i can say that today's post is the last one for now.<br />
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i want to say thank you to everyone who has ever visited, and an even bigger thank you to those who have commented, become daily visitors, or added this website to your blogroll or rss feed. your appreciation of my work has been what has kept this project going. <br />
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and finally, there are plenty of good blogs out there about pasadena and the san gabriel valley. the sidebar of this blog contains many of them.<br />
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my favorites are these fine sites. if you haven't already, please add these incredible blogs to your reading list...<br />
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<a href="http://pasadenadailyphoto.blogspot.com/">pasadena daily photo</a> (petrea is the best of the best and an incredible inspiration) <br />
<a href="http://southpasadena.blogspot.com/">glimpses of south pasadena</a> (laurie is also incredible, just further south)<br />
<a href="http://klikkonthis.wordpress.com/">91105 and beyond</a> (newer on the pasadena scene, but lots of fun photos)<br />
<a href="http://alloverpasadena.tumblr.com/">all over pasadena</a> (the newest pasadena daily photographer whom i just discovered)<br />
<a href="http://pasadenapio.blogspot.com/">pasadena pio</a> (our public information officer is an incredible blogger and wonderful person)<br />
<a href="http://cafepasadena.wordpress.com/">cafe pasadena</a> (not a daily photographer, but knows and comments on ALL area blogs)<br />
<a href="http://animmovablefeast.blogspot.com/">an immovable feast</a> (my favorite local food reviewer)<br />
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</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-38526371251033054252011-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-30T00:01:03.859-07:00#1 - friends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cHcQVpUXmQ5wDXjwSIY22hzYeNuBy4UhEhMJmmnYptzsxd_Qvpt86nIYS9bvcx2phTtfZnBepDMwiq-9V-yXt8a9Rd42oB6hlp_Ozamwspc_Z9uvx6aLUgQiEUhw6gwljawaQA/s1600/Picture+13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cHcQVpUXmQ5wDXjwSIY22hzYeNuBy4UhEhMJmmnYptzsxd_Qvpt86nIYS9bvcx2phTtfZnBepDMwiq-9V-yXt8a9Rd42oB6hlp_Ozamwspc_Z9uvx6aLUgQiEUhw6gwljawaQA/s640/Picture+13.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div>i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena.<br />
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today we have arrived at #1.<br />
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<b>#1 - friends</b><br />
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i almost can't write these words without getting a bit choked up. without our friends, pasadena would never have felt like our home. without our friends, pasadena never would have become a place we longed to return to.<br />
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we met an incredible array of wonderful people during our time here - not all are pictured above. some of you are still very much in our lives - even if you don't live right next to us anymore. some of you we knew for only a short time but you left a lasting impact on us. some of you we met through school, others through church, a few through mutual friends, and even a few of you through this blog.<br />
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thank you for being such a big part of our lives.<br />
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and thank you for making pasadena our home.</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-28902275883438224482011-08-29T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-29T09:10:48.397-07:00#2 - city hall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYmRqWS5HdmAQxcaUhf-1zRUmi5oZKIV0WLcKtpVFN9LHTuMqRYybaacRd4sDfhCuRy6gcLOSak6-2VFAWNx8CTYo5NpEwhueHfXvhM8xyOkNh7cw_k2M_9Kxy6TwbrIa5qKWiQ/s1600/IMG_9609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYmRqWS5HdmAQxcaUhf-1zRUmi5oZKIV0WLcKtpVFN9LHTuMqRYybaacRd4sDfhCuRy6gcLOSak6-2VFAWNx8CTYo5NpEwhueHfXvhM8xyOkNh7cw_k2M_9Kxy6TwbrIa5qKWiQ/s640/IMG_9609.JPG" width="558" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div>i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. we have arrived at the top ten things about life in pasadena.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/city%20hall"><b>#2 - city hall</b></a><br />
<br />
much like the pasadena sky, city hall was a frequent subject of my daily photo blog. it has appeared <a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/city%20hall">seventy times in four years</a> - not quite twice per month, but getting close to that mark. it was one of <a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/2007/09/night-study-of-pasadena-town-hall.html">my first blog posts ever</a>, and is easily my favorite thing to take pictures of in town.<br />
<br />
anyone who comes to visit us remarks about how beautiful this building is, and they are always amazed at how easy it is to walk in and around. <a href="http://pasadenapio.blogspot.com/">pasadena's beloved public information officer</a> even gave <a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/tour%20of%20city%20hall">a private tour to some local bloggers</a> last year which was a ton of fun. i will miss this beautiful building.</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-35141598557918943032011-08-28T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-28T00:01:01.560-07:00#3 - sky<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcHBvBREJx-QxgSFlY_U8XQORQjkjqtCq8K23iOZC832MCe0bViROWqHvuYLicNYwXNoxZSTVONgmSmtPA9X-8DQCKC2u-kibfisgwTc_hF3C8AbK5eYgeF3o7AU8tUQC4a1NEA/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcHBvBREJx-QxgSFlY_U8XQORQjkjqtCq8K23iOZC832MCe0bViROWqHvuYLicNYwXNoxZSTVONgmSmtPA9X-8DQCKC2u-kibfisgwTc_hF3C8AbK5eYgeF3o7AU8tUQC4a1NEA/s640/IMG_0017.JPG" width="412" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div>i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. we have arrived at the top ten things about life in pasadena.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/pasadena%20sky"><b>#3 - sky</b></a><br />
<br />
okay, i know the title of this blog has the word sky in it. you would think this would have come in at #1, right? well, to be honest, it almost was #1 just out of principle, but i think my top two come in just above. <br />
<br />
this blog has shown hundreds of photos of the beautiful pasadena sky - many of them coming as part of the incredible skywatch friday photo community (<a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/sky%20watch%20friday">all of which you can see here</a>).</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-28653570236618045982011-08-27T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-27T00:01:03.318-07:00#4 - pasadena mennonite church/palm sunday peace parade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXxIJ1eFTsXx8V1X6e9sMoKFwip54VI2AnURPeVnY_wQweHBMrSGe2Na0K-qZAYMnmclCAJBnAbI7ZMHVtS34i3-XqRJ2sED33-2WmVbXA8G9hAQ8TgviIXBBDKyJzyaj9WL2Ig/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXxIJ1eFTsXx8V1X6e9sMoKFwip54VI2AnURPeVnY_wQweHBMrSGe2Na0K-qZAYMnmclCAJBnAbI7ZMHVtS34i3-XqRJ2sED33-2WmVbXA8G9hAQ8TgviIXBBDKyJzyaj9WL2Ig/s640/Picture+5.png" width="534" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div>i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. we have arrived at the top ten things about life in pasadena.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
#4 - <a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/pasadena%20mennonite%20church">pasadena mennonite church</a>/<a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/peace%20parade">palm sunday peace parade</a><br />
<br />
i cheated a bit with this one. realisticially, these both deserve their own entry in my top ten. but because they are pretty closely related, i tied them together. <br />
<br />
pasadena mennonite has been our incredible church home while we've lived here. we have been welcomed there with open arms and have found meaningful relationships that will carry on beyond pasadena. this community has acted as our substitute parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. they have been our mentors and peers in ways we never could have imagined.<br />
<br />
the peace parade is one of the things that this church does annually as a way to make a public declaration of a commitment to peace. it is held every year on palm sunday and has grown to include many other local groups dedicated to peace and an end to global warfare.<br />
<br />
both of these things are special to me, and i will miss them deeply when we move from here.</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-965086662202195722011-08-26T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-26T04:57:16.660-07:00#5 - farmers markets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizY9jG2RJc7BJ3tLa8DHFwrVBY2fPZOYHC6FbDUt3jceYEsmCBKS3W3Uv8uh5L5aLrmu9xqnN6m5OzlvySyUE2rDgTcX4UehbklxyAnj_u0VrWiIwGZMk3url5G-1xnAtDgpuRkg/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizY9jG2RJc7BJ3tLa8DHFwrVBY2fPZOYHC6FbDUt3jceYEsmCBKS3W3Uv8uh5L5aLrmu9xqnN6m5OzlvySyUE2rDgTcX4UehbklxyAnj_u0VrWiIwGZMk3url5G-1xnAtDgpuRkg/s640/IMG_0149.JPG" width="554" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind (which thankfully, are already posted), and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. <b>we have arrived at my top ten things about life in pasadena.</b><br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>#5 - farmers markets</b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b> </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
picture this - fresh produce, all year long. so goes life in southern california. and if you live in pasadena, you are fortunate to have access to farmers markets on tuesday morning at villa parke, wednesday afternoon on south lake avenue, thursday nights in south pasadena, and saturday morning at the high school. if you expand to a few towns over you find markets in countless others on all days of the week. amazing!</div></div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-15698877449999328692011-08-25T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-25T21:39:03.952-07:00#6 - pasadena public library<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHbHlKj925fR_m3IYy_6xmq1tR5Uo0OEFYYrO-9hDOft-IyWxbRZY10G7pPrLk_xeTKP0aq3204wmGUMfJv60szLy6J9tLAKTSYFcfq7Pz1IywcX5n9RrullFxBSddu0wggvYGw/s1600/IMG_7467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHbHlKj925fR_m3IYy_6xmq1tR5Uo0OEFYYrO-9hDOft-IyWxbRZY10G7pPrLk_xeTKP0aq3204wmGUMfJv60szLy6J9tLAKTSYFcfq7Pz1IywcX5n9RrullFxBSddu0wggvYGw/s640/IMG_7467.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind (which thankfully, are already posted), and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. <b>we have arrived at my top ten things about life in pasadena.</b><br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/pasadena%20public%20library"><b>#6 - pasadena public library</b></a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin: 0px;">the <a href="http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/library/">public library system</a> in pasadena is extensive with countless programs happening at ten different locations across the city. we've been fortunate to live near two locations - the beautiful central library (shown above) and our local villa parke location. books can be requested from any branch to be picked up at whatever location is convenient. the main central library has frequent art displays, a small used book store, and a coffee shop (among other things). I will certainly miss the library.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><br />
</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-68349813204731389252011-08-24T00:01:00.001-07:002011-08-24T00:01:03.031-07:00#7 - free concerts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCv9bfMh_N21Em5EE1Y8NiRG0LB8WEm2t5lwK9GB2-0zTvv1SV78EFedqjs9WelvbIr8sKwvmV0iTrJtGhkEl06Ri949Uh0iZo2iTuq-FWVg3455EkPKKdm3ap45dAdgpNlm5mg/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCv9bfMh_N21Em5EE1Y8NiRG0LB8WEm2t5lwK9GB2-0zTvv1SV78EFedqjs9WelvbIr8sKwvmV0iTrJtGhkEl06Ri949Uh0iZo2iTuq-FWVg3455EkPKKdm3ap45dAdgpNlm5mg/s640/IMG_0013.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div>i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. we have arrived at the top ten things about life in pasadena.<br />
<br />
<b>#7 - free concerts</b><br />
<br />
one of the coolest things about living in pasadena is the levitt pavilion summer concert series. getting in to free music concerts is always a good thing, but when they occur four times a week throughout the summer, well that is a GREAT thing. i thoroughly enjoyed katie herzig (pictured above) and the belle brigade (who are amazing - <a href="http://www.thebellebrigade.com/">go check them out right now!</a>) - two artists i probably would have paid to see, but i got to see them for free. <br />
<br />
while writing this... i'm wondering if i should have made this higher on my list.</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-2098647542190560722011-08-23T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-23T00:01:01.123-07:00#8 - the rose parade/doo dah parade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpG1QkDKnVaaLJYFkuaVKsrnG2zfZquQYOLN0GxEARux8T5M27616r8lYsRN1Ld_bb2e_SVNyNTMZV6mKyyLCL3antLNWe5F2C-yNAt2LWGD6g5qMv3xyX_U0uvbjmq08ocnqGA/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpG1QkDKnVaaLJYFkuaVKsrnG2zfZquQYOLN0GxEARux8T5M27616r8lYsRN1Ld_bb2e_SVNyNTMZV6mKyyLCL3antLNWe5F2C-yNAt2LWGD6g5qMv3xyX_U0uvbjmq08ocnqGA/s640/Picture+3.png" width="512" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div>i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. i am going to start with ten positives and ten negatives, alternating back and forth each day. concluding with my top ten things about life in pasadena.<br />
<br />
<b>#8 - <a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/rose%20parade">the rose parade</a>/<a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/doo%20dah%20parade">doo dah parade</a></b><br />
<br />
here in pasadena we love a good parade. there is the big flowery one that everyone knows about, and then there is the much wilder local party known as the doo dah. i love them both - especially comparing them to each other. i think today's photos say it all. the one from the rose parade is a beautiful designed train made of flowers, the doo dah photo is of a clunky mechanical cat made of carpet.<br />
<br />
awesome.</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-63088958811380698672011-08-22T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-22T00:01:04.060-07:00#9 - bike week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQvpdWghebTZQrtYZQig_oZ_MUjFIKaIBOdFYq269XCGcfMztezMQN9L2B3kElYKqf4jg0eGCgFzjhIczZFOs9H3pSrObNjCRXkihf3IP8nz1cQ8YiMnLT8GIQiuwAMLhO3ydgw/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQvpdWghebTZQrtYZQig_oZ_MUjFIKaIBOdFYq269XCGcfMztezMQN9L2B3kElYKqf4jg0eGCgFzjhIczZFOs9H3pSrObNjCRXkihf3IP8nz1cQ8YiMnLT8GIQiuwAMLhO3ydgw/s640/Picture+6.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div>i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. we have arrived at the top ten things about life in pasadena.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/bike%20week"><b>#9 - bike week</b></a><br />
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for the most part, pasadena is a bike friendly city. one of the best aspects is bike week - an annual event celebrating the city's bicycle community. today's photo is a collage i created after this year's event (sorry, i'm reusing it) which was one of the best.</div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-16428679617176817392011-08-21T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-21T21:07:47.322-07:00#10 - fuller seminary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIFhn_ItOfFrD2pdXFQDEZ5CZrQgYEeyB8n4xOgkjvImUv9jE27Z-zlxO-LqZ0gjTm3hGJGNwMvvqqOEOk4atqCEW5RwuQGsNfXEVAyyFp2cQHsN2L-YagJOmFVA_K7uKM12haw/s1600/IMG_0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIFhn_ItOfFrD2pdXFQDEZ5CZrQgYEeyB8n4xOgkjvImUv9jE27Z-zlxO-LqZ0gjTm3hGJGNwMvvqqOEOk4atqCEW5RwuQGsNfXEVAyyFp2cQHsN2L-YagJOmFVA_K7uKM12haw/s640/IMG_0078.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
<b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind (which thankfully, are already posted), and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. <b>we have arrived at my top ten things about life in pasadena.</b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
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<b><a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/search/label/fuller%20seminary">#10 - fuller seminary</a></b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b> </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
let's face it. this is the reason we arrived in pasadena four years ago. without <a href="http://fuller.edu/">fuller</a>, we probably would never have considered pasadena in the first place. in many ways it has been more than i ever imagined. not everything has been what i expected it to be, and sometimes i wondered what life would have been like at another seminary, but all in all i am glad i made the choice to come here.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">fuller has challenged me, stretched me, and made me into a better thinker. it has given me the foundation for a huge number of relationships - both at the mentor and peer level. i am constantly amazed at the reach of this school in the global community, and i am proud to be one of its many alumni.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">today's photo was taken recently. <a href="http://theskyisbig.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-school.html">compare it with this photo of me shortly after we arrived</a>. have i changed at all in four years??</div></div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37900702.post-17571270471783618992011-08-20T00:01:00.001-07:002011-08-20T00:01:02.431-07:00#1 negative - disparity between rich and poor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wFLp3BnK2SrSmxTpb2c1xZqEElbWaO02tqb94PrRJJS9Qh2FBmPCDrvV2n_CLoWMnYFo8QctKze3JXmTygOPf92jj_dmdcQRiKy4jkIjd8dpx2D35IM5RToonz10ZNdquwo81Q/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wFLp3BnK2SrSmxTpb2c1xZqEElbWaO02tqb94PrRJJS9Qh2FBmPCDrvV2n_CLoWMnYFo8QctKze3JXmTygOPf92jj_dmdcQRiKy4jkIjd8dpx2D35IM5RToonz10ZNdquwo81Q/s640/IMG_0043.JPG" width="530" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena. </b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">i have accepted a position at<a href="http://www.salfordmc.org/" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;"> salford mennonite church</a> in harleysville, pennsylvania. we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena. when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of <a href="http://can8ianbensblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-will-miss-about.html" style="color: #1e5faa; text-decoration: none;">the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg</a>. i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city. i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena. today is the final installment of things i won't be sad to leave behind.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div><b>#1 negative - disparity between rich and poor</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>today's photo is of one of the many people who stand on our streets and beg for money. disparity exists around the world - pasadena is not unique in this fact. yet here in pasadena, we have one of the largest gaps between the wealthiest and poorest of any american city. we have neighborhoods featuring incredible wealth and lavish expansive mansions, and we have families that are struggling to pay their rent and put food on the table (in fact our local shelters often run out of space and food). peter drier, professor at occidental college, has written extensively on this issue. <a href="http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/pasadena_s_tale_of_two_cities/9617/">you can find one of his recently published articles right here</a>.<br />
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but you don't have to take his word for it. just look at our local schools - some of the best private schools in the country, and on the flip side, some of the worst public schools. old town pasadena is home to incredible high end restaurants, and just south of old town is a soup kitchen that is always filled with people looking for food.</div><div><br />
</div><div>fortunately, pasadena does have an incredible group of people dedicated to fighting this injustice. if you are interested in learning more, <a href="http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_18621546">this recent pasadena star article is a good place to start</a>.<br />
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finally, here's a brilliant clip on the gap between the rich and poor from the daily show...<br />
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<div style="background-color: black; width: 520px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" base="." flashvars="" height="288" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:video:thedailyshow.com:394982" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512"></embed><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 4px; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-18-2011/world-of-class-warfare---warren-buffett-vs--wealthy-conservatives">The Daily Show</a></b><br />
Get More: <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/">Daily Show Full Episodes</a>,<a href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/">Political Humor & Satire Blog</a>,<a href="http://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow">The Daily Show on Facebook</a></div></div></div><br />
</div></div>ben widemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10010635436712076159noreply@blogger.com3